Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[Wooley]

SALLIE GARDNER AT A GALLOP
(1878, Muybridge)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK3tAKc32kU

I would've loved to be in the room when the guy started flipping pictures and went "HOLY S-HIIIIT!!!"


ROUNDHAY GARDEN SCENE
(1888, Augustin Le Prince)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAiYFEHI9o8

"Here we go around, (round, round, round)"


WORKERS LEAVING THE LUMIÈRE FACTORY
(1895, Lumière)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEQeIRLxaM4

It's good to know that bolting out of work like a speed demon is a centuries long tradition.


A bunch of really old short films from the 19th Century I saw in preparation for the next episode of my podcast. Really interesting to see those first steps of film technology and cinema, and people trying to figure out what they can do with this. It's amazing.

Awesome. I love this kinda thing.

[ueno_station54]

Edit: "The Apple... ...in some circles has been considered to be one of the worst films ever made."
And, I'm in.
this is why i watched it and its definitely a disappointment on that level.

[Wooley]

I vastly prefer this one to the 1932 one, which I think was rather dull.

I agree.

[honeykid]

Needless to say, if we do Musicals, The Apple will be pretty high up on my, probably limited, list. Just terribly wonderful. There's also a Rifftrax for it.

[TheUsualSuspect]

The Matrix: Resurrections

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/xLNtaLaHudIzOqdEZ7R3lcDLrQQ.jpg

3

I saw this movie when it first came out, then theatres in Ontario shut down. I put my rating in here and it hasn't changed, but I felt compelled to write something about it. Why? Because I feel that the film is actually doing something different, something ambitious and it's getting a lot of flack for it.

Lana Wachowski has come back, by herself, to direct this fourth installment of the franchise. She is quoted as saying that she lost her father, then a close friend, then her mother in a short period of time and when the opportunity to "resurrect" two characters that she loves, she jumped at the chance. So there is a feeling of passion and heart built into the bones of this movie. This film could have been like every other film that sucks at the teat of nostalgia, but it's not.

When The Force Awakens came out, people loved it, but after a short while they felt the familiarities of the story. It was a rehash of something they had already seen. So with The Last Jedi, they did something different and subverted everyone's expectations. Well, we all know the controversy of that film. So what do fans want? Do we want the same old thing or something different and new? There is no pleasing everyone. Lana Wachowski knows this, comments on it and actually brings something interesting to the table with this film.

We start with a familiar scene as Agents arrive to a scene where a female character in black leather is hacking the system. One of the police officers says to the Agents, "don't worry it's just one girl, we've got this". The Agent's response is "No lieutenant, your men are already dead." Exact wording from the original film, familiar shots and colours...yet something is different. We see two characters watching the scene from the shadows commenting on how it's not the same. This is our first clue that Lana is not going to regurgitate the same old stuff to us. The scene plays out, we are introduced to some key players then we move on to find Neo asleep at his computer. There are toys of Trinity, the sentinels and Neo scattered about his room...what? We find out that he is a creator of a very successful video game trilogy called The Matrix and the people over at Warner Brothers want him to do a fourth video game. They say, they will do it with him or without him. Lana name drops Warner Brothers and the fact that they were willing to go forward without her. The film has a very meta self-awareness that is refreshing. Lana is here to tell a story that won't be the same because the people the studio would replace her with would do exactly that. You are either on board with it or not.

The entire first half of this film is nothing like the previous Matrix movies and might throw some people off. There are literal references to the previous films here, but it is used in such an organic way that it makes sense. You soon start to put the pieces together and realize what is going on. The second half of the film follows the more traditional Matrix storyline and the transition from one to the other is rather smooth. It doesn't feel jarring at all. There are new elements introduced to the world that also feel natural. Programs being able to interact with real world characters outside the Matrix for example is introduced and it make sense how they present it. Alas, much like the previous movies, the real world sequences tend to drag a bit.

At the centre of this movie is a love story, it's a romance. Now that Neo is being resurrected, I guess the question is can they do the same for Trinity? The second half of the film is where it starts to lose me and for multiple reasons. The biggest one is something that I have been asking myself since I first saw the film and I have no idea if it is intentional or not. The action sequences in this movie are terrible. Absolutely terrible. Gone are the smooth and easily watchable kung-fu scenes and introduced are some slow and poorly editing fight sequences. Keanu is showing his age with this entry and none of the fight choreography is good. Now, is this Lana having full control and not letting us have what people want from a Matrix sequel? You go in expecting some great fight choreography and she is denying the viewer this. I still wrestle with that. They have a different fight choreographer, so maybe they just had really bad coverage, stunt doubles and a lack of inspiration? No idea. Next, the gunplay in this movie is laughably bad. Take any James Bond or 80's action film where dozens of people shoot at our hero and miss, then multiply that by eleven. People are literally a few feet away from their target and still miss. It's embarrassingly bad.

Neo now uses force field like moves to push people or bullets away. He uses that every chance he gets. It's kind of lazy and overused. I was actually bored during these action sequences. I'm shocked to say that. There is not one single wow moment in the movie. Each film had one (Lobby fight, freeway chase, attack on zion) this film has zero. If it's intentional, then it's a bold move to piss off people like that, if it's not...then it's a huge misfire. Either way, I left the theatre disappointed in that aspect of the movie.

If you thought they were done with exposition dumps via an Architect, guess again. The Architect is not in the movie, but there is a character like him who takes a good twenty minutes to explain to Neo and the audience how it is possible he and Trinity are both alive, why they are alive and what the purpose of everything is. It's hard to get this information across to people, but the film literally slows down (he even refers to it as bullet time) to explain.

As for the new characters, Jessica Henwick plays Bugs, like the bunny she says. She is a fresh face and brings something exciting to the table. I was really into her scenes, her look and her energy. The chemistry between Keanu and Moss is still there, but individually Keanu still feels stiff as a board.

So who is this movie for? I still don't know. If you're going in for the lightning in a bottle experience of the original, you are going to leave disappointed. If you want exciting action sequences and memorable fight scenes, you will leave disappointed. If you want a film that has something interesting to say about loss, IP, reboots, sequels, media, nostalgia, etc....the first half of this film is for you. I don't expect them to expand upon this series after this one, probably because I don't know where they could take it from here. I enjoyed the ride back into The Matrix but it was a extremely bumpy one.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODQyMzQyY2ItNzc4NC00M2Q5LWEyYjAtMDY2OTFlMWYxOWZiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjUwMzI2NzU@._V1_.jpg


2

[Takoma11]

And I forget, have you seen Charulata or The Big City? I suspect you will like both of those a lot if you haven't seen them.

I have seen Charulata and loved it. I haven't seen The Big City.

a nice real-life counterpart to De Palma's Scarface (https://letterboxd.com/stusmallz/film/scarface-1983/) in capturing Miami back in its 80's drug war era (speaking of which, have you ever seen that one, Tak?).

I haven't, and I cannot overstate how uninterested I've always been in watching Scarface. I mean, go ahead and convince me, but you've got some heavy lifting ahead of you!

[Stirchley]

I haven't, and I cannot overstate how uninterested I've always been in watching Scarface. I mean, go ahead and convince me, but you've got some heavy lifting ahead of you!

It’s a terrific movie. A classic of American Cinema. Pacino is so good in it.

[Takoma11]

It’s a terrific movie. A classic of American Cinema. Pacino is so good in it.

*sighs and adds Scarface to watchlist*

[Stirchley]

*sighs and adds Scarface to watchlist*

There ya go. :p

[ThatDarnMKS]

*sighs and adds Scarface to watchlist*
Add Carlito’s Way as well, as it’s the superior DePalma/Pacino drug dealer joint.

[crumbsroom]

As a bonafide De Palma apologist (and he needs us), Scarface is obviously essential. But it has so many different ways to hate it, I never would consider pushing it on anyone as its main character is unapologetically unlikeable, is overlong, feels like it takes its absurdity much too seriously and is anchored by the most ridiculous performance of Pacino's career. These are, of course, all pluses considering the films ultimate goals and the affect it has on the audience. But (like pretty much every single great De Palma film) has so much in it begging you to dismiss it, or be annoyed by it, that I'm always slightly amazed that it has such cultural cache. I think it is a pretty difficult movie in a lot of ways. But, is likely, the movie that best encapsulates the dumb, gross decade it was made in.


I would honestly love to see Takoma's take on it, because I have no idea what that would look like..........it probably won't be pretty.


As for MKS mentioning Carlito's Way. Is that a better movie? It's definitely more enjoyable. And it's one of DePalma's best. But Scarface is such a weird, uncompromising thing, how can't it beat it? Scarface is some audacious and annoyingly brilliant ****.

[John W Constantine]

Underneath all those mountains of cocaine is also a Giorgio Moroder soundtrack that I'll give a shout out to. And of course that finale is worth mentioning.

[Wyldesyde19]

Count me among those who feel Carlito’s Way is better than Scarface. I actually feel CW has a much better script and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome, unlike Scarface, which could have trimmed about 20 mins.

Much like Tony Montana, Scarface wallows in its excess, which is the point I suppose, but sometimes it just feels like it doesn’t have as much to say as it thinks it does.

[ThatDarnMKS]

As for MKS mentioning Carlito's Way. Is that a better movie?
Yes.

[Stirchley]

Add Carlito’s Way as well, as it’s the superior DePalma/Pacino drug dealer joint.

I have never been able to finish even 30 minutes of this movie. And I have tried more than once.

[mark f]

Not a "classic of American Cinema."

[ThatDarnMKS]

I have never been able to finish even 30 minutes of this movie. And I have tried more than once.
Why not?

[pahaK]

As for MKS mentioning Carlito's Way. Is that a better movie?

With a caveat that I've seen Carlito's Way only once when it came out, but that's a strong no from me. I'm standing steadfast in the Scarface camp.

[Rockatansky]

I prefer Scarface to Carlito's Way (Crumbsroom summarizes it's qualities well; it's also funnier), but I do like that the climaxes of both movies feel like different sides of the ultimate Hong Kong shootout.

[Takoma11]

Add Carlito’s Way as well, as it’s the superior DePalma/Pacino drug dealer joint.

*SIGH*

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-vzFUYjxUcTk%2FVW2pBikdUwI%2FAAAAAAAANs8%2FjADH3Z3j7g0%2Fs1600%2FMystery-Road-still.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Mystery Road, 2013

Jay Swan (Aaron Pederson) has just returned to his small town from training in the big city when the body of a young aboriginal woman is found on the side of the road. As different factions in the town suspiciously stay mum or close ranks, Swan must figure out what's behind the girl's murder. Even more concerning, his own daughter, Crystal (Tricia Whitton) may be somehow involved.

I very much enjoyed this mystery, a satisfying mix of an actual murder mystery and an examination of the tensions and dynamics of a town where racial tension, drug culture, and poverty combine in a potent, ugly mix.

Pederson is a strong lead character. He falls into a very classic archetype---the minority authority figure trapped between worlds--but his experience is portrayed in a very dynamic, complex, and compelling way. Swan faces open racism from many of the people in town, men who know there won't be any consequences for their casual hatred. But at the same time, he's repeatedly looked down on by the aboriginal or mixed-race citizens of the town, who tell him "we hate cops, bruh" or ask how he feels locking his own people up. He's a man with a foot in two different worlds, fully belonging in neither. There's pain there, but also determination.

Swan's personal life is just as complex. His ex-wife, Mary (Tasma Walton) is an alcoholic. (I don't know if I missed something or if the film never fully explains, but I was unclear as to why Swan had left his daughter behind with Mary. At one point he says he couldn't watch her drink herself to death . . . but he could leave her in charge of their child?). Crystal is clearly on a bad path herself, and Swan is taunted and haunted by that fact through the film.

The supporting cast is pretty good as well. Hugo Weaving is the standout as Johno, a shady fellow detective who is clearly mixed up in bad things. But is he mixed up in THIS bad thing? Ryan Kwanten is another archetype--as the smirking handsome young white racist--but his portrayal of deadly, callous bravado is still pretty chilling.

What the film captures best, in my opinion, is the sinking sense of being in an environment where you know that you are considered lesser than. Obviously not everyone in the police station is part of what's going on. Swan has a very sympathetic ally in Jim the coroner (Bruce Spence). But at the same time, there's a sense that a lot of his co-workers kind of feel that the victim got what was coming to her. That they wouldn't mind if this all just went away.

Overall this was a very engaging mystery with a strong personal story underpinning it.

4

[Thief]

Count me in as someone else who pretty much dislikes Scarface, but loves Carlito's Way.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Woohoo! More Mystery Road love. Hope I helped its spread.

[Rockatansky]

I prefer Scarface to Carlito's Way (Crumbsroom summarizes it's qualities well; it's also funnier), but I do like that the climaxes of both movies feel like different sides of the ultimate Hong Kong shootout.

My most controversial Scarface opinion is that Sosa is the only one in the movie with any ******* taste.

[Takoma11]

Woohoo! More Mystery Road love. Hope I helped its spread.

It's been on my watchlist for ages. Recent mentions of the TV series put it back on my radar, and I needed an Oceania film for the 2022 Film Challenge, so . . .

[SpelingError]

I thought Scarface was alright. It just suffers from a ton of bloat. I haven't seen Carlito's Way yet.

[pahaK]

I thought Scarface was alright. It just suffers from a ton of bloat. I haven't seen Carlito's Way yet.

I'm sure you meant it suffers from a ton of coke :D

[Rockatansky]

I'm sure you meant it suffers from a ton of coke :D




One might say it's a real chazzer of a movie.

[ThatDarnMKS]

It's been on my watchlist for ages. Recent mentions of the TV series put it back on my radar, and I needed an Oceania film for the 2022 Film Challenge, so . . .
“… It was all you, MKS. You arbiter of quality cinema!”

You can finish your sentences, Tak. And you’re welcome.

[Takoma11]

“… It was all you, MKS. You arbiter of quality cinema!”

You can finish your sentences, Tak. And you’re welcome.

I'm glad some people on this site are still capable of understanding subtext.

[John W Constantine]

I don't think Sosa gets enough credit being that totally believable one dimensional drug lord you wouldn't want to **** with

[ueno_station54]

https://kdhx.org/images/articles/finearts/filmreviews/whie-mare-614103553.jpg
Son of the White Mare (Marcell Jankovics, 1981)
so it has this annoying rule-of-3 type structure that's super repetitive and i do not like it but godd@mn by the end there were just so many unbelievable images that i can't not love it. just every frame of it is incredible.
rating_4

[Iroquois]

The Avengers - 2.5

why is Harry Dean Stanton in this

[skizzerflake]

Tonight, it was Parallel Mothers, a Spanish film directed by Pedro Almodovar, the most well known star in the US would be Penelope Cruz. It's in Spanish with subtitles. The basic plot arc is that two women are pregnant, one in her late 30's, apparently impregnated in a fling. The other woman is only in her teens, similar situation. They bond over their similar situation. Sadly, one of the babies dies from crib death and there's some uncertainty over the appearance of the surviving baby and the part of the plot gets complicated in a way that I won't reveal.

In a simultaneous plot line, the erstwhile partner of the older woman is involved in a project to exhume remains of a group of people killed in the Spanish Civil War.

How do these plot lines converge? Do they? IMO, not really that well. The pregnancy-infancy plot seems like something you might see on the Lifetime Channel. The civil war exhumation plot line is fairly less prominent, lurking around the edges of the film until the end, which is somewhat of a visual shocker.

I have to admit that I was frustrated with the plot, which seemed to take too long, be too talky. By the time that the reveal came, I had already figured it out since I had so much time to think about it.

Oh well.

:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL6JDYkRa2g

[Deschain]

Glad you liked Mystery Road, Tak.

Scarface is a weird one. It’s somehow simultaneously iconic and not good. Carlito’s Way is the better movie but also not as memorable. It’s weird DePalma’s weird man.

[Rockatansky]

I don't think Sosa gets enough credit being that totally believable one dimensional drug lord you wouldn't want to **** with

To be fair, he warned Tony a long time ago (that ****ing little monkey) not to **** him.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d8/JabberwockyPoster.jpg
By May be found at the following website: http://www.moviegoods.com/movie_product_static.asp?master_movie_id=6211&sku=202759, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26290772

Jabberwocky - (1977)

I struggled with Jabberwocky as a kid, and expected more this time around. Gilliam seems to be half-stuck in the Monty Python days, and goes for a similar brand of comedy which sometimes works but often doesn't. Still, it does have it's moments - and those moments can be good. Loved Gorden Kaye as the hidden nun in a bit of a panic as to being found out - he had a small role in Brazil as well.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c2/Licence_to_Kill_-_UK_cinema_poster.jpg
By Designed by Robin Behling - www.dailymail.co.uk

Licence to Kill - (1989)

This James Bond film dared to stray from the formula which had kind of grown stagnant and solidified since the latter Roger Moore films. I've preferred The Living Daylights over this through the years, but it's nice to have a change of pace and a harder edge to things. The opening credits seem cheap and unimaginative - a poor copy of predecessors - but overall this isn't a bad Bond film.

6/10

[Master85]

Croatian movie The High Sun from 2015.

[Fabulous]

The Survivalist (2015)

4

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/61LKMWdVd20yrzIDBvmYJWU7fTa.jpg

[CringeFest]

Batman Forever (1995)


4


as John McClane said, a fun movie, a place for Jim Carrey and lots of art!

[crumbsroom]

Yes.


Depends on what one is looking for. Scarface is loads more interesting as a movie, as an outgrowth of DePalma's style up to that point (even if we think it's messy or even a failure). I recognize where Scarface places in the directors evolution as a filmmaker. Not a highwater mark, but still a nice soggy place where there has been a lot of spillover.



I also know where Carlito's Way places, and it is in the spot where the director has begun to sand off his rougher edges. It's more aerodynamic. Carlito's Way would make a better Frisbee. It can be reliably tossed from one movie fan to another, and we should expect to catch it and pass it along.



Not Scarface though. Scarface is likely going to end up lost in a bunch of bushes. Or intercepted by a meth-addicted pitbull.



I know what I think is more fun. But keep tossing Carlito's Way back and forth, if you must.

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffilmfanatic.org%2Freviews%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2008%2F06%2FBody-Snatcher-Karloff3.png&f=1&nofb=1
Body Snatcher (1945, Robert Wise)
4
Enjoyed this a lot. Excellent creepy performance by Boris Karloff.

https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.9f4731c59de3b32478dd1a00f5576bd8?rik=5T9%2bx4VA4GlMAw&pid=ImgRaw&r=0
Nightmare (1964, Freddie Francis)
3.5
Entertaining Hammer thriller, with plenty of mystery, deceptions, paranoia, and a surprise ending, which is not really that hard to predict if you've seen other similar offerings from the studio. Nice black-and-white visuals, as you would expect from cinematographer-turned-director Freddie Francis.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hometheaterforum.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F05%2Fchatolandtop.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Chato's Land, 1972

While minding his own business in a small Western town bar, Chato (Charles Bronson) is attacked verbally and then drawn on by the local sheriff, whom he kills in self defense. Chato, who is half-white and half-indigenous, immediately goes on the run. Close behind, though, is a large posse led by former Confederate military leader Captain Whitmore (Jack Palance) and egged on by the ruthless and racist Jubal Hooker (Simon Oakland) and his vicious sons, Elias (Ralph Waite) and Earl (Richard Jordan). But the further the posse pursue Chato into the unsettled (by white people) land, the clearer it becomes that even outnumbered, Chato may have the advantage.

This is a film that in certain parts is absolutely amazing, but has several elements that I didn't care for and one element that will probably keep me from watching it again.

Despite the title of the film and Bronson's strong presence in the title role, the film isn't really about Chato at all. Instead it is about the men pursuing him and their often-contradictory notions of what makes justice. The film makes some well-observed points about how evil is allowed to flourish even among "civilized people". While Chato does stalk and attack the men at times, they do almost as much damage to each other.

The most symbolic sequence of the film comes when the men track down Chato's home in the hills, where they find his wife alone. Four of the men, eagerly led by Earl, immediately begin a vicious sexual assault on her. While this is not unexpected or shocking---we first meet Earl assaulting a woman who he's trapped in a barn---the key is what happens during the assault. "Are you going to stop this, or am I?" Malechie (Roddy McMillan), a religious man, asks Whitmore. But Whitmore refuses to help top the rape, and when Malechie and his son go to stop it, another posse member pulls a gun on him. A fourth man, who also is not actively participating in the rape, notes that she's "just a squaw," and remarks that white women are also raped by their Indian attackers.

And that, for me, is one of the film's main messages in a nutshell. Despite their disgust or disapproval, nothing is done to stop what is a clear and cruel injustice. Men like Jubal have a "with me or against me" mentality, and this tension in the group will only become more deadly and dangerous as they venture deeper and deeper into Indian territory.

Another powerful theme in the film is the price that is paid for assuming domination over nature. The surroundings only get more hostile, the water only more scarce as the men follow Chato further and further. Chato himself almost becomes an extension of the dangerous environment. Yes, he is a powerful enemy, but so too is thirst and heat exhaustion.

This last aspect is something that I had mixed feelings about. I think that the point is well made that these men have such a sense of self-righteousness that they persist even when they are clearly outmatched by their surroundings. But in terms of the actual character of Chato, it kind of abstracts him. He becomes less a thinking, feeling person and turns into something more like a force of nature. This is neat thematically, but it does edge close to some of the tropes and biases about the relationship between indigenous people and nature. The character is cool, but also in some ways pretty superficial.

Another issue I had with the film, and something that's always a dealbreaker for me, was the animal stuff. There are numerous stunts done with horses that are cruel and unnecessarily dangerous. A horse is tripped so that it falls down a rocky hillside. Other horses are yanked down by the head/neck to simulate falls. And they are pulled HARD. I cringed at so many of these "stunts", as you can see that some of the animals are clearly injured in them.

The overt criticism of racist hypocrisy and the focus on the dynamics of the posse were both interesting surprises here. I wish that Chato himself was better fleshed out and I really wish that there wasn't so much animal cruelty on display.

3.5

[Allaby]

Just watched the Tragedy of Macbeth (2021). This was excellent. Denzel Washington is fantastic and the rest of the cast are very good too. I love the cinematography. This is a beautiful looking film. Although it wouldn't quite make my top 10 of 2021, I do think it will get a few Oscar nominations, possibly a best picture nomination. My rating is a 4.5.

[Allaby]

I just finished watching the new documentary The Jesus Music (2021). Directed by Jon and Andrew Erwin, this fascinating documentary tells about the roots of Contemporary Christian Music from its humble beginnings up to today. It features some revealing interviews with many of the best in Christian music, including Amy Grant, Michael W Smith, Kirk Franklin, Steven Curtis Chapman, Bill Gaither, Russ Taff, members of DC Talk, Mercy Me, Third Day and Skillet, amongst others. This was fantastic and I loved it. There were some really beautiful moments, both inspiring and heartbreaking. It was honest,insightful,and informative, with a lot of heart and humour. Regardless of one's view of Christian music or a person's faith background, there is something to appreciate and enjoy here. The Jesus Music is one of the best films of the year. Don't miss it. My rating is a high 4.5

[LChimp]

https://static3.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Hotel-Transylvania-4-poster.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&h=1096&dpr=1.5


Fun with family. I am actually impressed they're still making these.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmikestakeonthemovies.files.wordpress.com%2F2017%2F02%2Fvan-cleef-phillip-law.jpg%3Fw%3D550&f=1&nofb=1

Death Rides a Horse, 1967

As a child, Bill (John Phillip Law) watches in horror as his father is murdered, his mother and sister are raped and murdered, and then their house is burned to the ground by a gang of vicious men. As an adult, Bill is an aspiring lawman who has not forgotten the men who massacred his family, remembering them in flashes of a facial scar, a tattoo, a distinct set of spurs, etc. Discovering that recently released convict Ryan (Lee Van Cleef) also has some unresolved beef with the gang, Bill follows Ryan and Ryan reluctantly accepts their partnership.

This was a lot better than I expected it to be, though at the same time it's frustratingly held back from greatness by a few core flaws.

The film has several things going for it. The main positive is Van Cleef's performance as Bill's reluctant mentor. We've all seen that film where the tough guy ends up in charge of some child and grudgingly comes to have affection for the little guy/gal, right? Well, that's basically this movie, except that it's a 20-something year old man-child in the form of a doggedly determined Bill. There's something nicely enigmatic about the way that Van Cleef plays the character and his feelings about the whole situation. He spends a lot of energy keeping Bill away from the action---is this because he wants to keep Bill safe, or because he doesn't want Bill cramping his style? His exact motivations remain unknown until the last act, and the character's progression has a satisfying payoff.

I also really liked some of the imagery in the film. The very first shot, a group of men on horseback appearing over the top of a hill, sets a nicely menacing tone. As a rainstorm pours down, the look in through the window at the unsuspecting family. The attack on the family is shot from the only partially comprehending point of view of the young Bill. As his eyes dart from one moment to the next, the scene manages to avoid feeling too exploitative and instead focuses on flashes of what sticks with the child: the men sweeping clean the dining table to push his mother down on it, his sister's confused and terrified expression as hands hold her down, bits of conversation between the men. And while it was a bit overused on the whole, I did like some of the scenes where Bill would see something (a scar, a tattoo) and flash back to the murders. On the whole, the story is satisfying.

There are two downsides for me. The first is that Bill himself is kind of a dull character and Law's performance is extra wooden next to the much more memorable Van Cleef. To give you a sense of how flat his character was, I had to look up the character's name on the IMDb. I just finished the film like 20 minutes ago. Bill should be raw and impulsive and hurting and driven. It's there, sort of, in the writing, but it utterly fails to translate as anything electric. There's a scene where he's buried up to his chin in sand, his mouth stuffed with salt, and he at most manages to look kind of annoyed.

I also felt as if there was kind of a lull in the pace around the transition between the second and third acts. Just all of a sudden I was struggling to pay attention. Things pick up again in the last 20 minutes or so.

A solid western, but with a better written and better acted lead character I think it could have really been something special.

3.5

[Fabulous]

The Tender Bar (2021)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/7TiexE3vWDi05SEBdkz3syxHwGM.jpg

[mark f]

The Third Alibi (Montgomery Tully, 1961) 2.5 6/10
Lake of the Dead (Kåre Bergstrøm, 1958) 3 6.5/10
Ray Donovan: The Movie (David Hollander, 2022) 2.5 6/10
The Cool Lakes of Death (Nouchka van Brakel, 1982) 3 6.5/10
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MBJOdmX0xZw/YJwUd0XY_yI/AAAAAAAFt3g/AyR1ffQUkcc0IUTi80vkTPmpTXLbj59rQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/the-cool-lakes-of-death-1982-new-on-dvd-and-bluray.jpg
Wealthy Parisian Renée Soutendijk knows nothing of the facts of life, and this causes tragedy to all who surround her, none more than herself.
Lilies of the Field (Ralph Nelson, 1963) 3.5- 7/10
Kiss Me Again (William A. Seiter, 1931) 2 5/10
The Seance (Christopher James Cramer, 2021) 2.5 6/10
King Rat (Bryan Forbes, 1965) 3.5 7/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/499f5950ab8e37c5b579dd61e8c4721b/557b3b1c7d75ee9a-75/s540x810/776b1643d7d856c067a66f7a35659d672ca8ac73.gifv
American corporal George Segal needs injured British lieutenant James Fox to help him keep his hold on a Japanese POW camp on Malaya. Security chief Tom Courtenay is suspicious.
For the First Time (Rudolph Maté, 1959) 2.5 6/10
The Mind's Eye (Jan C. Nickman, 1990) 2.5+ 6/10
Funny Thing About Love (Adam White, 2021) 2 5/10
Luzzu (Alex Camilleri, 2021) 2.5 6/10
https://img.particlenews.com/img/id/1YF8Nc_0dAb2aZO00?limit=20&type=thumbnail_600x402
Stubborn Maltese fisherman Jesmark Scicluna can't earn a living anymore with his ancestral fishing boat, and that makes life really hard for his wife and sick son.
The Man with One Red Shoe (Stan Dragoti, 1985) 2.5 6/10
Brazen (Monika Mitchell, 2022) 1.5+ 4.5/10
Because You're Mine (Alexander Hall, 1952) 2.5 6/10
The Tragedy of Macbeth (Joel Coen, 2021) 3.5+ 7.5/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/025d189c8c838ad5103006db4f7f15ae/3677396700e6bbb9-9e/s540x810/49ea8d2224a3333f29e830bf989069a1cb074b9c.gifv
Well-acted, beautifully-photographed-and-directed take on the Scottish play may be the best film I've seen this year.
Sex Appeal (Talia Osteen, 2022) 2.5 6/10
The Last Days of Patton (Delbert Mann, 1986) 3- 6.5/10
They Might Be Giants (Anthony Harvey, 1971) 2.5 6/10
Goodbye, Columbus (Larry Peerce, 1969) 3+ 6.5/10
https://imagecurl.com/images/89935648026077467461_thumb.png
Working-class layabout college graduate Richard Benjamin and wealthy college student Ali MacGraw start an affair, but never seem to agree about what they want out of life.

[Deschain]

Mark f your volume to time ratio of movies watched is unlike any I’ve ever seen.

[Wooley]

Add Carlito’s Way as well, as it’s the superior DePalma/Pacino drug dealer joint.

Agreed.

[Wooley]

https://kdhx.org/images/articles/finearts/filmreviews/whie-mare-614103553.jpg
Son of the White Mare (Marcell Jankovics, 1981)
so it has this annoying rule-of-3 type structure that's super repetitive and i do not like it but godd@mn by the end there were just so many unbelievable images that i can't not love it. just every frame of it is incredible.
rating_4

YES!!!
I just saw this on the big screen at an outdoor theater a few months ago and the Blu-ray arrived in the mail on Friday.

[Wooley]

The Avengers - 2.5

why is Harry Dean Stanton in this

Because it was awesome for him to be in it.
I re-watched most of the movie (I have seen it like 20 times) on Friday evening and every time I hear HDS say, "Well then, son, you got a condition", to Bruce Banner, I just smile from ear to ear at the appreciation of even a massive studio like Marvel to have an HDS cameo.
And then I wanna run and watch Paris, Texas again.

[Wooley]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffilmfanatic.org%2Freviews%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2008%2F06%2FBody-Snatcher-Karloff3.png&f=1&nofb=1
Body Snatcher (1945, Robert Wise)
4
Enjoyed this a lot. Excellent creepy performance by Boris Karloff.



One of my favorites, definitely my favorite Karloff performance (and I've seen a lot of them) and also really cool that it's directed by the same guy who did West Side Story (co-director), The Sound Of Music, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.comicbook.com%2F2021%2F06%2Fthe-harder-they-fall-movie-trailer-netflix-2021-1273511.jpeg%3Fauto%3Dwebp%26width%3D1200%26height%3D628%26crop%3D1200%3A628%2Csmart&f=1&nofb=1

The Harder They Fall, 2021

As a child, Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) watches helplessly as Rufus Buck (Idris Elba) and his gang murder his father and mother. Years later, Love has his own gang--consisting of quick draw Jim (RJ Cyler) and crack shot Pickett (Edi Gathegi). He also has an ongoing romance with Mary (Zazie Beetz), whose right-hand woman Cuffee (Danielle Deadwyler) disapproves. When word gets out that Buck has been freed from prison, Love teams up with Bass Reeves (Delroy Lindo) to hunt him down. But Buck has strong backup in the form of the ruthless Trudy (Regina King) and the quick draw Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield).

This was a really fun little neo-Western, very much elevated by a cast that knows its way around the stylized dialogue and is clearly having a blast.

Generally speaking, I really liked the film's approach to telling a story centered on a Black cast but taking place in the 1800s. Rather than constantly having the characters butt up against racism, it takes a lateral step and sets 90% of the action in Black spaces: a Black town, within a Black gang, in a tavern meant for Black clientele. It's not ignoring the racism of the time, but instead driving the plot from within the Black characters. It's a great approach, one that both lets there be more of a range of characters within the Black cast and it also leads to some hilarious moments, such as when we get a glimpse inside a white bank that is literally pearl white on the inside.

I just keep coming back to the word fun, and that's my main impression of the movie. While it does have some very graphic pieces of violence in it, the whole thing is very heightened, so the impact is slightly lessened. The banter between the different characters flows very well.

The film also features a lot of music, written for the film but performed by artists such as Kid Cudi, Jay-Z, Lauryn Hill, Seal, and others. With the film's style giving a modern feel to it, the more contemporary musical sound fits right in.

While I really liked this movie, it does kind of live and die on the whole vibe it has going. Quick little matching edits, a long scene of watching someone speak by looking at their reflection in a gun barrel, etc. I think it's the kind of movie that you either vibe with or it feels very contrived. I was in the former camp, but could see people being in the latter.

As with many Westerns, I felt like this one hit a big of an energy/pacing lag around the second act. Things pick up as it heads into the final showdown, but I can't help feeling that the film is maybe 20 minutes longer than it needed to be. The writer/director has another Black-centered western called They Die By Darn that I'd be interested to check out.

A good time on a cold Sunday afternoon.

4

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.goldenglobes.com%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2Fcover_images%2F01-burning.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
Burning (2018, Chang-dong Lee)
4.5
This film is the definition of a slow burn (haha) - it really takes its time sucking you into its web and keeping you in suspense, wondering where this thing is going. I loved the mystery, the symbolism, the ambiguity of the plot, and just the overall premise of a deeply average, ordinary person being thrown into unordinary circumstances and compelled to investigate some sort of enigma manifesting itself in another person or the ghosts of one's own past. Probably my favorite moment was the Hae-mi sunset dance scene - pure magic...
Great film, loved it.

[ThatDarnMKS]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.comicbook.com%2F2021%2F06%2Fthe-harder-they-fall-movie-trailer-netflix-2021-1273511.jpeg%3Fauto%3Dwebp%26width%3D1200%26height%3D628%26crop%3D1200%3A628%2Csmart&f=1&nofb=1

The Harder They Fall, 2021

Generally speaking, I really liked the film's approach to telling a story centered on a Black cast but taking place in the 1800s. Rather than constantly having the characters butt up against racism, it takes a lateral step and sets 90% of the action in Black spaces: a Black town, within a Black gang, in a tavern meant for Black clientele. It's not ignoring the racism of the time, but instead driving the plot from within the Black characters. It's a great approach, one that both lets there be more of a range of characters within the Black cast and it also leads to some hilarious moments, such as when we get a glimpse inside a white bank that is literally pearl white on the inside.

4
While I think this concept could absolutely work and should be done, this film accidentally becomes terribly exclusionary at best and at worst racist to Native Americans in doing so.

Essentially, the film insists at the beginning that these people were REAL, and tosses a whole hodgepodge of real named black Western figures into the pastiche, some being of mixed Native and Black background, yet virtually removes all their dealings with Native Americans, which are significant in virtually all but especially Nat Love, Rufus Buck and Bass Reeves' life stories.

It struck me as incredibly odd to generate the same kind of grand mythologizing and Native erasure that classic westerns are incredibly guilty of under the guise of something that is addressing the racial failures of the genre.

All of this could've been sidestepped by simply not making them after real people and not emphasizing how real they were at the beginning, but it irked me the whole movie.

That said, it's stylish, gorgeous and has a great cast. I enjoyed myself overall, though not quite as much as I'd hoped to.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thatmomentin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F02%2FScreen-Shot-2019-02-05-at-10.46.36-AM.png&f=1&nofb=1

Dances with Wolves, 1990

Union Army Lieutenant Dunbar (Kevin Costner) makes a foolish, borderline suicidal run at the enemy in battle, earning him commendations and the chance to choose his posting. He decides to take sole charge of an abandoned fort on the western frontier. At first kept company only by his horse, Cisco, and an oddly friendly wolf he names Two Socks, Dunbar soon encounters a community of Lakota Indians. Starting from a place of mistrust, especially with a young man named Wind in His Hair (Rodney A Grant), Dunbar soon befriends members of the tribe including Kicking Bird (Graham Greene) and leader Ten Bears (Floy Red Crow Westerman). He also strikes up a tentative romance with a woman named Stands With a Fist (Mary McDonnell), a white woman who was taken by the tribe when she was a child.

This is a sweeping film, drawing the story of the white encroachment on Indian lands around the experiences of its central character, a man who comes to respect both the land and the people who live in it.

Costner as a leading man is always an interesting thing for me. I'm often reminded of something my mom once said about a musician she'd watched interviewed: "Some people really just shouldn't talk." LOL. Anyway, that is to say that Costner strongly exudes good guy vibes, but that effect is diminished by some of his line readings, particularly in segments where he reads aloud from the journal that he's keeping about his experiences and impressions. At the same time, he's charismatic and understated enough that you can believe he would be trusted by the tribe.

The portrayal of the tribe is one that gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, multiple characters are actually fleshed out and given personalities and motivations. Though it is true, on the other hand, that most of them go through the same arc: not trusting Dunbar, then coming to like him. The film is certainly sympathetic to the plight of the Lakota---slowly being displaced by an unstoppable white western migration, their land and their food (buffalo) shifting dramatically. A sequence where Dunbar and the tribe go hunting for buffalo only to find hundreds of bloody, skinned animals who have been massacred for their hides is one of the most memorable parts of the film. In reality, both native and white people were responsible for the decimation of the buffalo, driven by the economic benefits of selling buffalo hides. But what comes across most strongly is the waste and cruelty--an omen of things to come for most living things (people and animals) in the west.

The theme that is most successful is the one of the impossibility of living between two cultures. Dunbar does not belong entirely with the Lakota, but at a certain point he no longer fits with white society either. While in some ways it's a bit convenient that a white woman appears as a love interest, Stands With a Fist is also someone who has been pulled between two cultures. We learn later that she was married to a Lakota man, but he has recently died. In a broader sense, the film's message could even be seen as a bleak commentary on the impossibility of two different cultures peacefully co-existing. For every Dunbar, willing to learn and share cultures, there's always a handful of men like the soldiers who later arrive at the fort.

Visually, the film looks really nice. It manages to capture both the beauty and the intimidation of an unsettled wild space.

I won't lie, though, I did feel the length of this one a bit. It's not a film where I can easily point to things I thought could have been left out. And I appreciate that the film takes time to establish the relationship between Dunbar and the tribe--it doesn't just take a quick shortcut of him doing one nice thing and them being like "Hey, everyone! This guy's cool!". It may be in part because I could feel that things would end sadly, and that made me antsy as I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Not sure I'd watch it again, but glad I checked it out.

4

[Takoma11]

It struck me as incredibly odd to generate the same kind of grand mythologizing and Native erasure that classic westerns are incredibly guilty of under the guise of something that is addressing the racial failures of the genre.

That said, it's stylish, gorgeous and has a great cast. I enjoyed myself overall, though not quite as much as I'd hoped to.

The Native erasure is weird, and something that felt to me like the creators just didn't want to touch. You almost get the impression that white people wouldn't have been in the film if it weren't for certain plot points requiring their presence. Bass Reeves is the real person I know the most about, and this film was clearly taking a lot of liberties with the "real" characters.

[LChimp]

https://cdn.fstatic.com/media/movies/covers/2017/10/6wRF5DMUvTYhqyIgNaS5x0xQ7rF.jpg

Kinda boring really.

[ThatDarnMKS]

The Native erasure is weird, and something that felt to me like the creators just didn't want to touch. You almost get the impression that white people wouldn't have been in the film if it weren't for certain plot points requiring their presence. Bass Reeves is the real person I know the most about, and this film was clearly taking a lot of liberties with the "real" characters.

The liberties are precisely why I feel the film muddies its own message. It's trying to use the dramatic cache of real, unsung Western figures and insists that this makes the film important, then tells a story that has nothing to do with them and strips any racial complications or history away. A real "tried to have cake and eat it" situation.

I would LOVE a Bass Reeves movie, for the record. From his escape to Indian territory, to becoming a lawman and having to hunt his own son (similar to the fabricated plot for Nat Love's family dynamics) would make a hell of a movie.

I would also love another black Western that is earnest in being detached from actual history. Sukiyaki Western Django style.

[Takoma11]

I would LOVE a Bass Reeves movie, for the record. From his escape to Indian territory, to becoming a lawman and having to hunt his own son (similar to the fabricated plot for Nat Love's family dynamics) would make a hell of a movie.

AGREED!

Every year I read Bad News for Outlaws to my class and they love it.

I would also love another black Western that is earnest in being detached from actual history. Sukiyaki Western Django style.

Also agreed!

[Nausicaä]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81ZxEK+vhbL._AC_SY445_.jpghttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/da/Snake_Eyes_G.I._Joe_Origins_Movie_Poster.jpg/220px-Snake_Eyes_G.I._Joe_Origins_Movie_Poster.jpghttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a5/Ron%27s_Gone_Wrong_%282021%29_poster.jpg/220px-Ron%27s_Gone_Wrong_%282021%29_poster.jpghttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Hotel_Transylvania_3_%282018%29_Poster.jpg/220px-Hotel_Transylvania_3_%282018%29_Poster.jpghttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8b/Hotel_Transylvania_Transformania.jpg


Wildland - 3
Snake Eyes - 2.5
Ron's Gone Wrong - 3
Hotel Transylvania 3 - 2.5
Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania - 3


SF = Z for all five films.


[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

[ueno_station54]

https://digitalartarchive.siggraph.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/1994_McCormack_Turbulence.jpg
Turbulence (Jon McCormack, 1997)
so back on CGI tech-demo vibe this one's a little more screensaver-core than The Mind's Eye but it has the more consistent vibe i wanted with some hushed narration (<3) and also a lot of the music rules. there's even brief noise piece in there!! i'd say its probably on the same level as Mind's Eye overall.
rating_3_5

but at the end of the dvd (i paid $15 for this half hour package secondhand apparently?) there's a bonus short that kind of stole the show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9lCbY3w6pw
(low quality video because google had no screenshots)
ENS (Jon McCormack, 1990)
this definitely isn't screensaver-core and has some mixed media elements that add some cool textures and i couldn't really make out the narration but it vibed like crazy.
rating_4

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/Red_Desert_%28film%29.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10470111

Red Desert - (1964)

Half movie, half painting, Red Desert is something my younger self would have met with outright hostility. I would have hated that it had the gall to just be all mood and virtually no plot - having it's characters just basically wander around an industrial landscape for it's entire running time, talking about the desire to escape or leave their lives behind. The main focus is Giuliana (wonderfully performed by Monica Vitti - perpetually frazzled) who, after being in a car crash, is subject to panic attacks and is in a constant state of anxiety. When she meets the equally troubled Corrado (Richard Harris) you can sense that he might be able to heal her, and the temptation to run from her life starts to build. In the background (and foreground - everywhere really) is an artist's view of modern machinery spewing it's steam and fire as a thing of beauty - as, aside from nature, it is purely human. This is a visual film first and foremost - and every scene just looks dazzling and beautiful. At times though, I'd get bored and frustrated with it. Aside from the alienation felt by it's characters, I felt there was a lot I didn't get. I'm attracted to, and repelled by, Red Desert.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/images/4573-d41ec4d62b0d1a53452db69959e817b4/current_1173_043_medium.jpg

Visually 10/10
But for me, overall, 6/10

Foreign Language Countdown films seen : 71/100

[ueno_station54]

all mood and virtually no plot
exactly why its top 5 all time for me <3

[Fabulous]

Words and Pictures (2013)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/5kPbrVvPSFL5D9V2eAyneAt2OTS.jpg

[Rockatansky]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/Red_Desert_%28film%29.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10470111

Red Desert - (1964)

Half movie, half painting, Red Desert is something my younger self would have met with outright hostility. I would have hated that it had the gall to just be all mood and virtually no plot - having it's characters just basically wander around an industrial landscape for it's entire running time, talking about the desire to escape or leave their lives behind. The main focus is Giuliana (wonderfully performed by Monica Vitti - perpetually frazzled) who, after being in a car crash, is subject to panic attacks and is in a constant state of anxiety. When she meets the equally troubled Corrado (Richard Harris) you can sense that he might be able to heal her, and the temptation to run from her life starts to build. In the background (and foreground - everywhere really) is an artist's view of modern machinery spewing it's steam and fire as a thing of beauty - as, aside from nature, it is purely human. This is a visual film first and foremost - and every scene just looks dazzling and beautiful. At times though, I'd get bored and frustrated with it. Aside from the alienation felt by it's characters, I felt there was a lot I didn't get. I'm attracted to, and repelled by, Red Desert.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/images/4573-d41ec4d62b0d1a53452db69959e817b4/current_1173_043_medium.jpg

Visually 10/10
But for me, overall, 6/10

Foreign Language Countdown films seen : 71/100
The movie deliberately basks in a certain unresolved feeling, reflective of Vitti's character's difficulties in adapting to modern life. That probably made it a bit frustrating for me during my initial viewing, but also made it a movie I'm in the habit of revisiting regularly (in the hope that the feeling does resolve, so to speak), which also means that it's grown on me significantly over time.

[ueno_station54]

The movie deliberately basks in a certain unresolved feeling, reflective of Vitti's character's difficulties in adapting to modern life. That probably made it a bit frustrating for me during my initial viewing, but also made it a movie I'm in the habit of revisiting regularly (in the hope that the feeling does resolve, so to speak), which also means that it's grown on me significantly over time.
that feeling is my definition of movie magic <3

[StuSmallz]

I haven't, and I cannot overstate how uninterested I've always been in watching Scarface. I mean, go ahead and convince me, but you've got some heavy lifting ahead of you!I'll do my best; first off, I get the reluctance to check it out, considering how trashy it is (although it's an "appropriate" kind of trashy, if that's possible), as well as how it's one of those works of media where some people have wrongfully decided to idolize the protagonist, just because they seem like an "alpha male" or something, as seen here...

https://i.ibb.co/L9gR2K1/c45r7lv1yt741.jpg (https://ibb.co/8PxsSk9)

...to the point that I actually got into the fun by making this meme of my own...

https://i.ibb.co/4SKg5sx/5p34uj.jpg (https://ibb.co/M1Z538L)

...but like usual, those guys are completely missing the point, since Montana was an obnoxious scumbag from frame one, who only got worse with the more power he got. I mean, the peak of his success was just glossed over in a now-infamous montage sequence (which skips us ahead to the beginning of his downfall), he literally murders his best friend at one point, and the overhead shot of him in the huge bathtub wasn't to show off of how rich he was, but to show how his lifestyle was dwarfing him, and how isolated he had made himself with his bad attitude, so Tony is no more the "hero" of Scarface than Walter was on Breaking Bad (I mean, there's literally a scene of Walt wrongfully idolizing Tony at one point; c'mon, people!).


Besides that, I'd also say that it has a pretty compelling external character arc for Tony in his rise to and fall from power, an arc that's always propulsively moving forward despite the movie's length (although you may want to split it up across two sittings anyway), and the filmmaking is pretty virtuosic in general, especially the cinematography, like when it goes from a handheld shot inside a motel room to a crane shot that goes across a street, and all the way back again? So ****ing good. Anyway, I don't expect you to be a big fan of it, but I do think it's worth watching at least once for the reasons I mentioned, and if you're looking to be any sort of a De Palma completionist, it's certainly worth checking out a lot more than The Black Dahlia, IMO.

[StuSmallz]

The Avengers - 2.5

why is Harry Dean Stanton in thisBecause they were trying to add some life to what was otherwise a really generic Superhero movie?

https://i.ibb.co/my0t5KF/theyareontome.gif (https://imgbb.com/)

[MovieBuffering]

Dune - 2021

I really wanted to check this movie out in theaters, as Villeneuve is one of the few people in Hollywood I'd actually like to support. He actually gives you a reason to go to a theater and watch a movie. However I finally got around to watching the flick, I bought a blu ray which I haven't done in years. Villeneuve produces bangers, so even though I was not familiar with the Dune universe, I've heard of it, I trust Villeneuve to give me something worth watching.

First off, the movie is beautiful. All of his flicks are eyegasms and this one is no different (I still think Blade Runner nudges it aesthetically, no shame). The real question is as a casual did it draw me in? I'd say yes. It's meant to be a block buster that they want to make more of. I'd definitely like to revisit this world. The movie had to do a lot of heavy lifting world building. Was it perfect? I don't think so but it got the job done efficiently enough where I believe they can play around and be flexible enough with the audience in the 2nd one and any others going forward. Bottom line is I think the movie did it's job well enough to grab the casual's attention. What's that Leo Django quote? "You had my curiosity, now you have my attention" I really think Villenueve hands will be free to really play in the 2nd one, from the sounds of it the Dune sandbox is a big box.

I thought all the performances were good. Stand out was Ferguson to me. Timothy did well. I'd like to see him bulk up a bit for the 2nd, hard to take a string bean serious as an ass kicker. I'm still not sure why Zenedya character is important but she is, i'll hold judgement on her for the 2nd movie. I also don't know why I didn't care for Momoa's character. He felt like he was in another movie. He was just being Jason Momoa, just took me out of the movie whenever he was on screen.

Anyways I did enjoy the flick and it was a beauty to watch. Gets a knock for ending abruptly which I get, always meant to be at least 2 movies, because of the enormous source material. I'll be able to judge it a bit more fairly once I see the 2nd. As a world building set up movie I think it's about as good as you can do.

3

https://posterspy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/dune1-1500x1997.jpg

[jackgreg]

Power of the Dog 8/10

[CringeFest]

The Contract (2006)


4.5


Some of the best action sequences i've seen, Morgan Freeman is a bad guy or anti-hero in this movie and he does a great job of it. They could have explained and revealed the plot a little better which was its only shortcoming.

[LChimp]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYzVjYThmNDAtOTE1NC00YjQ2LTk4NWYtNTc4Yzc4OTRhYjllXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDM2NDM2MQ@@._V1_.jpg

A bit too long, too many characters, a villain that we could do without and lots of missed opportunities.

[Stirchley]

84474

Re-watch. Good movie.

[CringeFest]

Dune - 2021

I really wanted to check this movie out in theaters, as Villeneuve is one of the few people in Hollywood I'd actually like to support. He actually gives you a reason to go to a theater and watch a movie. However I finally got around to watching the flick, I bought a blu ray which I haven't done in years. Villeneuve produces bangers, so even though I was not familiar with the Dune universe, I've heard of it, I trust Villeneuve to give me something worth watching.

First off, the movie is beautiful. All of his flicks are eyegasms and this one is no different (I still think Blade Runner nudges it aesthetically, no shame). The real question is as a casual did it draw me in? I'd say yes. It's meant to be a block buster that they want to make more of. I'd definitely like to revisit this world. The movie had to do a lot of heavy lifting world building. Was it perfect? I don't think so but it got the job done efficiently enough where I believe they can play around and be flexible enough with the audience in the 2nd one and any others going forward. Bottom line is I think the movie did it's job well enough to grab the casual's attention. What's that Leo Django quote? "You had my curiosity, now you have my attention" I really think Villenueve hands will be free to really play in the 2nd one, from the sounds of it the Dune sandbox is a big box.

I thought all the performances were good. Stand out was Ferguson to me. Timothy did well. I'd like to see him bulk up a bit for the 2nd, hard to take a string bean serious as an ass kicker. I'm still not sure why Zenedya character is important but she is, i'll hold judgement on her for the 2nd movie. I also don't know why I didn't care for Momoa's character. He felt like he was in another movie. He was just being Jason Momoa, just took me out of the movie whenever he was on screen.

Anyways I did enjoy the flick and it was a beauty to watch. Gets a knock for ending abruptly which I get, always meant to be at least 2 movies, because of the enormous source material. I'll be able to judge it a bit more fairly once I see the 2nd. As a world building set up movie I think it's about as good as you can do.

rating_3

https://posterspy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/dune1-1500x1997.jpg


i saw most of this in theatres with a friend and i just couldn't hear what they were saying a lot of the time.

[SpelingError]

27th Hall of Fame (REWATCH)

Apocalypse Now (1979) - 4.5

I watched the Redux version several years ago and, while I loved certain parts of it, it dragged for me in some other scenes and I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. Since I hadn't seen the theatrical version prior to this Hall, I was curious as to how well I would respond to it. I expected for it to be an easier watch than the Redux version, but what I wasn't expecting was for it to trump my own expectations. To get it out of the way, yes, the animal cruelty scenes (the water buffalo being killed and the rough handling of the dog) are hard to watch and indefensible, but other than that, this film is truly excellent and is quite possibly the best representation of a descent into madness I've ever seen. I've seen many critics argue that the journey to Kurtz's compound is a metaphorical descent into madness and that was what stood out the most to me while watching this film. The first stop with Lt. Col. Kilgore shows the first stage of this descent. On the surface, it's a fairly conventional raid scene (albeit one which is technically outstanding), but that Kilgore orders some soldiers to surf during the raid and expresses his gratitude towards a Vietnamese soldier who fought in spite of being seriously wounded adds an undercurrent of surrealism to to that sequence. The second stop where hundreds of soldiers watch a Playboy show at a supply depot shows the next stage of this descent. Many soldiers in that scene yell sexual remarks at the women and try to rush the stage, showing more of their unhinged behavior. The third main stop at a remote U.S. army outpost expands on this descent. Several soldiers seem desperate to get into their boat in an attempt to return home and the other soldiers in the outpost seem to have no idea who their commanding officer is. There doesn't seem to be much order in that outpost and the whole scene maintains a hellish atmosphere. And, of course, Kurtz's compound is the final stage of this descent. I love how his monologues in that scene feel simultaneously avant-garde and narrative-driven at the same time. Though Kurtz appears to be talking about great insights in his speeches, half of what he says doesn't make any sense. Topped with how his face is either partially or entirely obscured in darkness throughout those scenes makes them some of the best movie monologues I've ever seen. Topped with some excellent cinematography and some outstanding soundtrack choices (Ride of the Valkyries and The End), this film is definitely a top 10 war film for me. Thanks to jiraffejustin for nominating this one :up:

[GulfportDoc]

84489
Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)


Ever think about seeing Peter Lorre and Elisha Cook, Jr. in the same movie? Well, here you can. One is a psychotic murderer, the other is the man falsely accused.


In a story not dissimilar to Hitchcock’s later film, The Wrong Man (1956), a newspaper reporter witnesses a cab driver standing over the dead body of a murdered hash house owner. His subsequent scoop for his paper results in a rise up the totem pole, along with a weekly pay raise. But after his girlfriend hears the accused in court pleading that he is innocent, she emotionally believes that the cabbie may not be the murderer. This puts a nagging doubt in the mind of the reporter, who eventually learns the truth.


At 64 minutes the picture barely qualifies as a feature film. But there’s a lot packed into its short running time, chiefly the impressive chiaroscuro photography of the greatNicholas Musuraca (Out of the Past, Clash by Night). His shadows, lighting, and unusual camera angles would soon be staples of noir.


Many point to this picture as the first film noir, but there were two earlier films from 1940 that might qualify as well: Rebecca, and They Drive by Night. Also there were isolated films all the way back into the silent era that one could argue were noir. “Stranger” is more pure German expressionism, along the lines of M (1931), or Nosferatu (1922).


Lorre turns in an ultra creepy performance of a man who we later learn was likely an escapee from a mental institution. The key role of the girlfriend is played by the lovely Margaret Tallichet, who only made 4-5 pictures before she married director William Wyler (The Best Years of Our Lives, Ben-Hur), and retired to raise a family. The newspaper reported is played by John McGuire (Where the Sidewalk Ends), who earlier in his career played leading men, but later had mostly shifted to character roles.


My guess is that, although this film is interesting today, it did not get much notice, and therefore was not really influential in starting the noir movement in Hollywood. That distinction goes to The Maltese Falcon (1941).


Available on YouTube.


Doc’s rating: 6/10

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYjc0MGQ5ODktM2NiZS00ZjgwLWExYzAtYjdlOWE3OGNlOTVmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ3Njg3MQ@@._V1_.jpg



3.5

[Rockatansky]

27th Hall of Fame (REWATCH)

Apocalypse Now (1979) - 4.5


If I say its safe to surf this beach, Captain, then its safe to surf this beach! I mean, I'm not afraid to surf this place, I'll surf this whole ****ing place!

[Deschain]

Free Guy was better than expected but still not very good.

[Fabulous]

The Human Stain (2003)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/rGahtD2ZHff7EdIPk55Q9ED3sCg.jpg

[hell_storm2004]

Where is this available?




Apologies, I PM'ed you! :)

[hell_storm2004]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzM0YWNmMDEtNmI3Yy00NjQ4LWJlZjMtMzk2YjUxOThhZGQxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDM2NDM2MQ@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) - 6.5/10. In my quest to tick mark most of the Oscar favourites, I watched this over the weekend.



First of all, I didn't expect Shakespearean English to be used in the movie, I was a happy surprise. But then again, so lost touch with that type of English, I had to watch it with subtitles.


About the movie, the camera work and set design are great. The acting is great too. But still didn't feel satisfied. Cant beat Throne of Blood by any means. The movie felt too abrupt and short. Cant do Macbeth in under 105 minutes.


Danzel Washington might be in for an Oscar nod, but Frances might just get a nomination, her role was nothing special to win, compared to her last two entries.

[mark f]

The Surprise Visit (Nick Lyon, 2022) 2 5/10
The Organization (Don Medford, 1971) 3 6.5/10
Photocopier (Wregas Bhanuteja, 2021) 2 5/10
F for Fake (Orson Welles, 1973) 3 6.5/10
https://thumbs.gfycat.com/ImpureWeeBrahmanbull-max-1mb.gif
Orson Welles performs his own cinematic sleight of hand in this somewhat repetitious but fascinating "documentary".
Two Weeks in Another Town (Vincente Minnelli, 1962) 2.5 6/10
Double Trouble (Christy Cabanne, 1915) 2 5/10
How I Fell in Love with a Gangster (Maciej Kawulski, 2022) 2.5 5.5/10
The Barefoot Contessa (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1954) 3+ 6.5/10
https://i.makeagif.com/media/10-04-2016/fw0CYP.gif
Tragic fairy tale/cinematic satire centering on lonely Ava Gardner rising to stardom but never being fulfilled.
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (Derek Drymon & Jennifer Kluska, 2022) 2.5 6/10
Anthony Adverse (Mervyn LeRoy, 1936) 3 6.5/10
Megaboa (Mario N. Bonassin, 2021) 1.5- 4/10
The Man Who Never Was (Ronald Neame, 1956) 3 6.5/10
https://todayinhistorydotblog.files.wordpress.com/2021/04/oip-9.jpg?w=640
During WWII, British Intelligence, led by Lt. Cmdr. Clifton Webb, come up with a complicated plan to fool the Germans about their intended invasion of Sicily.
House of Numbers (Russell Rouse, 1957) 2.5 5.5/10
Frost/Nixon (Ron Howard, 2008) 3.5 7+/10
Mr. Fix-It (Allan Dwan, 1918) 2 5.5/10
The Novice (Lauren Hadaway, 2021) 3- 6.5/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/7f55ce7a77f321d9d183ffec06db7816/9d5ff0592d43def8-8f/s540x810/894b8b31a77bdca3df8d58514c58b4ae3a62debc.png
Obsessive college freshman Isabelle Fuhrman trains to be the best rower on the novice [and later, the varsity] team.
What's Up, Tiger Lily? ([aided & abetted by] Woody Allen, 1966) 3- 6.5/10
American Siege (Edward Drake, 2021) 2 5/10
Comets (Tamar Shavgulidze, 2019) 2.5 6/10
See for Me (Randall Okita, 2021) 3- 6.5/10
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c28f72_b2898db241674c38911258afe755d621~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_538,h_326,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/full_See-for-Me_1920x1080-1_edited.webp
Blind ex-championship skier/cat-sitter Skyler Davenport tries to survive a home invasion in the middle of nowhere with the help of new telephone friend Natalie Brown.

[beelzebubble]

I saw Two Weeks in Another Town and I have to agree with mark f it is only a 2and 1/2 popcorn movie.


But you gotta love the insane scene in the car as Cyd Charisse and Kirk Douglas are speeding down Roman streets missing wall after wall. Kirk is running from her and Cyd actually jumps into a speeding car by holding onto the side and scooting over as you would on a boat. She screaming and throwing herself around in the car, trying to get the keys out of the ignition as Kirk grits his teeth (as only KIrk can). It is so fake it is hilarious. YOU HAVE TO SEE IT!

[Wooley]

https://i.imgur.com/jjrYoH8.jpg?1

Well, here's a movie I watched over and over again in my youth and absolutely loved it and assumed all the critics were wrong in having panned it back in the day because critics don't like fun.
I was wrong. The critics were right.
Which is not to say that there are no small joys to be had in this film, there are some, but they are often small and you often have to wade through a number of "did that whole scene exist just for that one joke - which wasn't actually funny?" scenes in order to get to them.
Also problematic is that the script just really isn't very good. It sets up our hero, Philo Beddoe (Clint Eastwood) as just a simple man who drives a truck, works on cars, drinks beer, lives with his brother and his mother - and his orangutan, Clyde...

https://i.imgur.com/J6sbWIZ.jpg?1

- and earns side-money as a bareknuckle fighter, at which he excels.
From there a series of supporting characters are introduced to give Philo and Clyde something to do. Some, like Geoffrey Lewis as his brother, Orville, Beverly D'Angelo as Orville's new girlfriend, Echo (one of the weakest jokes in the movie is when everyone who hears her name says, "huh?", so she has to repeat it), Cholla, the head of an inept biker gang, an hilarious Ruth Gordon as Ma (who has most of the scenes that are actually, intentionally funny in the film), and, of course, Clyde, do actually work ok, though all of them needed better dialogue and more to do.
Others, like most of the members of the biker gang and particularly a pair of brutally unfunny, inept cops, are terribly written and nearly tank the film.
The two most interesting characters are Philo's new love-interest, Lynn Halsey Taylor, an aspiring country singer whose character is far, far too complex for this film, and Tank Murdock, a legendary, aging bareknuckle fighter who should have been set up a lot more thoroughly for the actually thoughtful (?!) climactic fight-scene to work.

This is an odd film. In all honesty, it's a bad film. But it's a bad film that didn't need to be bad. It has plenty of workable and even occasionally working elements that could have been woven together much more pleasingly but somehow the script fails to do so and nobody making the picture seemed to notice until it was too late. This is not unwatchable or anything, there's just a lot of weak scenes, weak humor, missed opportunities, and run-time padding (why did this movie need to be almost a full two hours when probably 100 minutes would have not only done it but would have tightened up this movies abundant slack quite a bit?).
The sequel, in my recollection, actually fixes some of the problems and is likely a better movie, I will let y'all know fairly soon.

[mark f]

I saw Two Weeks in Another Town and I have to agree with mark f it is only a 2and 1/2 popcorn movie.


But you gotta love the insane scene in the car as Cyd Charisse and Kirk Douglas are speeding down Roman streets missing wall after wall. Kirk is running from her and Cyd actually jumps into a speeding car by holding onto the side and scooting over as you would on a boat. She screaming and throwing herself around in the car, trying to get the keys out of the ignition as Kirk grits his teeth (as only KIrk can). It is so fake it is hilarious. YOU HAVE TO SEE IT!
Here ya go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Oh7pyypAss

[Captain Terror]

That was exquisite. I've seen Laurel & Hardy car chases that looked more realistic. And Kirk's face is just icing on the poorly-baked cake.
Nice one!

[Marco]

Wild Bill (2011)
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTg5NzQ1Mzg5N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzM5OTc0Nw@@._V1_.jpg
Good film with the under-used Charlie Creed-Miles starring as a man just released on parole getting to know his 2 sons again on a London Estate. Unfortunately his former rep puts him
(and his family) at the prey of old acquaintances. This could have been a Guy Ritchie rip-off but it has some genuinely touching, low-key, moments and the fight scene is really authentic.

3.5

[Thursday Next]

Licorice Pizza (2021)

I watched this knowing next to nothing about it. About half an hour in I realised it was supposed to be a comedy. Then it started reminding me of Punch Drunk Love, which I suppose makes sense and I realised that Anderson's idea of comedy and mine are very different.

This at times wants to be a quirky love story, but as one of the main characters is 15 and the other is 25 (or maybe older) when they meet, it is less quirky and more gross and uncomfortable.

The details of the time period are done with attention to detail, but it is such an ugly film to look at, and full of annoying sounds.The quirky bits are annoying too - like people running to show that they are quirky and having a good time in a Jules et Jim sort of way.

There is no real plot. Things happen. They start selling water beds. The film meanders and actors show up in 'amusing' cameos. There is very little sense of the passing of time. In the movie, that is. In the real world, the film goes on for over two hours and it feels like it.

Is it a new trend to let directors make overlong meandering plotless nostalgic movies of their teenage fantasies? This felt like Once Upon A Time in Hollywood all over again, only with less violence and feet.

2

[ueno_station54]

https://bamlive.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/program_slide/s3/ONeil_Water-and-Power_001.jpg?itok=vwf2rNvV
Water and Power (Pat O'Neill, 1989)
though there's ones i personally like more this is probably the ultimate "i have this footage, let's see what i can make with this footage" type film. incredibly impressive all the way through.
4

[Siddon]

Licorice Pizza (2021)

I watched this knowing next to nothing about it. About half an hour in I realised it was supposed to be a comedy. Then it started reminding me of Punch Drunk Love, which I suppose makes sense and I realised that Anderson's idea of comedy and mine are very different.

This at times wants to be a quirky love story, but as one of the main characters is 15 and the other is 25 (or maybe older) when they meet, it is less quirky and more gross and uncomfortable.

The details of the time period are done with attention to detail, but it is such an ugly film to look at, and full of annoying sounds.The quirky bits are annoying too - like people running to show that they are quirky and having a good time in a Jules et Jim sort of way.

There is no real plot. Things happen. They start selling water beds. The film meanders and actors show up in 'amusing' cameos. There is very little sense of the passing of time. In the movie, that is. In the real world, the film goes on for over two hours and it feels like it.

Is it a new trend to let directors make overlong meandering plotless nostalgic movies of their teenage fantasies? This felt like Once Upon A Time in Hollywood all over again, only with less violence and feet.

rating_2


I think it was PT Anderson attempt at an Altman film and I do think he nailed it. The big thing Anderson did was cast a bunch of family members of celebrities and a number of inside jokes.

[Fabulous]

Una (2016)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/b7Zakdg8IEE0MyMZPmjKCH0geEv.jpg

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/28/LeSamourai.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2298617

Le Samouraï - (1967)

Watched Jean-Pierre Melville's classic film about hit-man for hire Jef Costello (Alain Delon) who lives a solitary life with meticulous precision and much forethought. The heat is on after the cops start to hone in on him, and the men behind his latest contract decide to put him out of business. Everything is honed down to the essentials here, which makes everything Melville wants you to see really stand out. Delon is cooler and more suave than anyone who played James Bond, and he plays his part here to absolute perfection. Jef Costello is a fascinating character - living in bare existence with a black-breasted finch who helps him out more than you'd ever anticipate. I have a feeling that as time goes on I'll be rating this film higher than I do now - but it's one that gave me a very enjoyable first viewing.

8/10

Foreign Language Countdown films seen : 72/100

[TaiiaKiko]

I also wasn't so much wondered by this movie. Actually, mostly of my friends who read the book were pleased. But for me it was like "Preview for the script of something legendary"- like you know - you see the main characters, understand their past and that's all - the real things they will get later.

[StuSmallz]

I also wasn't so much wondered by this movie. Actually, mostly of my friends who read the book were pleased. But for me it was like "Preview for the script of something legendary"- like you know - you see the main characters, understand their past and that's all - the real things they will get later.
https://i.ibb.co/PxdHrwv/nemo-its-like-hes-trying-to-speak-to-me.gif (https://imgbb.com/)

[Wooley]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/28/LeSamourai.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2298617

Le Samouraï - (1967)

Watched Jean-Pierre Melville's classic film about hit-man for hire Jef Costello (Alain Delon) who lives a solitary life with meticulous precision and much forethought. The heat is on after the cops start to hone in on him, and the men behind his latest contract decide to put him out of business. Everything is honed down to the essentials here, which makes everything Melville wants you to see really stand out. Delon is cooler and more suave than anyone who played James Bond, and he plays his part here to absolute perfection. Jef Costello is a fascinating character - living in bare existence with a black-breasted finch who helps him out more than you'd ever anticipate. I have a feeling that as time goes on I'll be rating this film higher than I do now - but it's one that gave me a very enjoyable first viewing.

8/10

Foreign Language Countdown films seen : 72/100

This is one of the first movies that converted me from being a "huge movie fan" to sliding down the rabbit-hole of cinema. Maybe the first, I think I've often said it was the first.
About 15 years ago I bought Roger Ebert's original "The Great Movies" and decided to start reading about and watching the films therein and this was the first one I picked. And it absolutely changed the way I watched and felt about movies. It had been brewing for a long time but this just happened to be the event horizon.

[SpelingError]

This is one of the first movies that converted me from being a "huge movie fan" to sliding down the rabbit-hole of cinema. Maybe the first, I think I've often said it was the first.
About 15 years ago I bought Roger Ebert's original "The Great Movies" and decided to start reading about and watching the films therein and this was the first one I picked. And it absolutely changed the way I watched and felt about movies. It had been brewing for a long time but this just happened to be the event horizon.

I initially gave it a 9/10, so I didn't have quite the same experience as you did with it, but a couple more viewings bumped it up to a 10/10. The mysterious characters, the low-key suspense, and the subtlety resonated with me in the best way possible. I haven't seen many of Melville's other films, but I've loved everything I've seen from him so far (Army of Shadows and Le Cercle Rouge).

[ThatDarnMKS]

I'm planning to double feature This Gun For Hire and Le Samourai for my friends next Noirvember. Pretty excited at the prospect.

[Stirchley]

84546

Re-watch. A classic of Swedish Cinema.

[hell_storm2004]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJiisRAeQx4mzNWJ_7uKEd7CNzZYVvLTbUPQ&usqp=CAU

Hand of God (2021) - 6/10. The movie does have it moments. The cheeky humour that is very delightful. The camerawork is stunning. Kind of takes a leaf out of Call Me By Your Name in the choosing beguiling Naples backdrop. As for the story, it's just a mish-mash of events and a boy going through it set in the year Maradona signed for Napoli. Nothing to write home about. Oscar winner... No for me.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BM2Y2MzBlMDktMGU2ZS00NGE4LWFkMDktOWI2Mjk4ZmRmZGY1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDM2NDM2MQ@@._V1_.jpg


3

[Wooley]

I initially gave it a 9/10, so I didn't have quite the same experience as you did with it, but a couple more viewings bumped it up to a 10/10. The mysterious characters, the low-key suspense, and the subtlety resonated with me in the best way possible. I haven't seen many of Melville's other films, but I've loved everything I've seen from him so far (Army of Shadows and Le Cercle Rouge).

Another thing about it was that it was my first French New Wave film and even though I wasn't looking for it, I was honestly just going to watch the movie and react, I could immediately see the influence that it likely had (whether it was specifically this one or others like it). I thought, "Oh, so THIS is where all that comes from. Before any similar American film I can think of." So then it was not only watching "Great" movies, but watching foreign movies, watching movies of all these different eras, paying attention to things they might be pioneering and so forth. That was the change Le Samourai brought about for me.

[Thursday Next]

I think it was PT Anderson attempt at an Altman film and I do think he nailed it. The big thing Anderson did was cast a bunch of family members of celebrities and a number of inside jokes.

I thought Magnolia was his attempt at an Altman film. Maybe he thought it was worth attempting twice. :laugh:

[StuSmallz]

Count me among the fans of Le Samourai as well: https://letterboxd.com/stusmallz/film/le-samourai/

[Gideon58]

https://www.picclickimg.com/d/l400/pict/384260018694_/Ash-Wednesday-Original-30x40-British-Quad-Movie-Poster.jpg


2.5

[Fabulous]

The Homesman (2014)

4

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/71l8co8YmG7ly8PElDXlpcv6yTS.jpg

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-TnGfyxXW-ec%2FWjes3jbNcJI%2FAAAAAAAAL7k%2F2OB1BpMmHVUpE3b87LRslDrsyc0aBSFjgCLcBGAs%2Fs1600%2FEnter.Nowhere.20 11.1080p.BluRay.x264-%25255BYTS.AG%25255D.mp4_snapshot_00.54.42_%25255B2017.12.18_13.48.39%25255D.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
Enter Nowhere (2011, Jack Heller)
1.5
The 6.5 rating on IMDB is patently ludicrous — I thought it was really bad, especially the second half where the twists (horribly predictable btw) start unraveling in the most ridiculously anticlimactic fashion you can imagine. The movie gives itself away too early, and once it does, all interest is gone. I almost stopped watching at that point but then thought, "Ah whatever let's see how this ends." Conclusion? When you're massively overreliant on a plot that is this silly and far-fetched to begin with, you've got to at least have some directorial chops / vision to make it work. This film is basically a tutorial on how not to make a mindbender movie. Don't waste your time on this - watch something like Coherence, Triangle or Timecrimes instead (all incomparably better).

And yes, Clint Eastwood's son, Scott Eastwood, is in this movie - he plays one of the three lead characters.

[ScarletLion]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJiisRAeQx4mzNWJ_7uKEd7CNzZYVvLTbUPQ&usqp=CAU

Hand of God (2021) - 6/10. The movie does have it moments. The cheeky humour that is very delightful. The camerawork is stunning. Kind of takes a leaf out of Call Me By Your Name in the choosing beguiling Naples backdrop. As for the story, it's just a mish-mash of events and a boy going through it set in the year Maradona signed for Napoli. Nothing to write home about. Oscar winner... No for me.

I thought it was incredible. It's touching. It's a loose biopic of the director - so when you see what he went through it shows how difficult it must have been for him to make this movie. (Which he did on a whim in lockdown as his other planned film got shelved due to logistics problems)

8.5/10

[ScarletLion]

'Westfront 1918' (1930)
Dir.: Georg Wilhelm Pabst

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

Pioneering film depicting the harrowing insanity of World War One - Pabst's first talkie, it should be in more people's 'best war film' lists but for some reason it isn't well recognized, despite being similar to 'All Quiet on the Western front' in that it's told from the perspective of German soldiers. Maybe it's because there is no solid plot and it is more of a collection of narratives.

The battles and trench scenes are stunning though. The depth of field of some of the shots is incredible with barbed wire at front of shot and explosions at rear, and Kubrick must have taken some influence from this before shooting Paths of Glory.

Recommended

8.8/10

4.5

[Thief]

THE CONSEQUENCES OF FEMINISM
(1906, Guy-Blaché)

https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/images/newsite/the-consequences-of-feminism_600.jpg


"A gender-equal society would be one where the word ‘gender’ does not exist: where everyone can be themselves." --Gloria Steinem



Gender roles are established by society to sorta tell people how to act, speak, dress, and conduct themselves based upon their assigned sex. For example, men work, while women stay home and clean and cook, and if everybody behaves as is expected, there is no harm done. But what if roles were reversed?

Pioneer director Alice Guy-Blaché explores that in this 1906 short film, which features a series of scenes in which men and women roles are reversed. This results in a lot of funny and shocking interactions, primarily because we're not used to see the tables turned; men ironing and cleaning, and women lounging on the couch or fighting in a bar.

I thought this was a really clever and witty short film. It's amazing how many of the things we see in it are still relevant, so I can't imagine how much of a cultural shock it would've been back in 1906. Not necessarily for *what* people are doing, but for *who* is doing it. Let's hope for a world where we don't have to be shocked or surprised by these.

Grade: 4

[Mr Minio]

'Westfront 1918' (1930)
Dir.: Georg Wilhelm Pabst It's quite incredible how well did Pabst embrace sound. He was using it well right from the very beginning, and, what's more important, the incorporation of sound didn't weaken the visual splendor of his films or his elaborate camera work. Okay, he never made another film quite as visually spellbinding as Pandora's Box, but maybe he didn't have to.

Westfront 1918 is special. A to-the-wall anti-war masterpiece reaching the heights of All Quiet on the Western Front. Now THAT'S something. They've been making anti-war films at least since the beginning of the First World War (Alfred Machin's aptly named Damn the War! or Abel Gance's masterpiece J'Accuse are just two examples), and there's a good reason why and why then, but even if you do not want to get into the whys, the sheer brilliance of the pre-40s anti-war film is a sight to behold. Interestingly enough, after the Second World War, it was no other than the Japanese that made several incredible anti-war masterpieces.

Back to Pabst, Comradeship is another great one to check out. Crazy to think only 9 years later Germans invaded France.

And another thing worth mentioning, Pabst's silent The White Hell of Pitz Palu is mentioned and featured in Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds. It's a great late Berg film, a must-see from the genre next to the films of Arnold Fanck.

[ScarletLion]

It's quite incredible how well did Pabst embrace sound. He was using it well right from the very beginning, and, what's more important, the incorporation of sound didn't weaken the visual splendor of his films or his elaborate camera work. Okay, he never made another film quite as visually spellbinding as Pandora's Box, but maybe he didn't have to.

Westfront 1918 is special. A to-the-wall anti-war masterpiece reaching the heights of All Quiet on the Western Front. Now THAT'S something. They've been making anti-war films at least since the beginning of the First World War (Alfred Machin's aptly named Damn the War! or Abel Gance's masterpiece J'Accuse are just two examples), and there's a good reason why and why then, but even if you do not want to get into the whys, the sheer brilliance of the pre-40s anti-war film is a sight to behold. Interestingly enough, after the Second World War, it was no other than the Japanese that made several incredible anti-war masterpieces.

Back to Pabst, Comradeship is another great one to check out. Crazy to think only 9 years later Germans invaded France.

And another thing worth mentioning, Pabst's silent The White Hell of Pitz Palu is mentioned and featured in Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds. It's a great late Berg film, a must-see from the genre next to the films of Arnold Fanck.

Yeah Comderade ship will be the next Pabst I check out. They didn't heed the warning this film gave. I suppose it was banned, but still.

[Thief]

PIERRETTE'S ESCAPADES
(1900, Guy-Blaché)

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iqxGNH2ZvTY/hqdefault.jpg


"Life is about using the whole box of crayons" --RuPaul



A simple, but beautiful short film from Alice Guy-Blaché. In this one, a young woman seems to reject the advances of a young man, and ends up happy and dancing with a female harlequin.

Considering that it was made more than 100 years ago, the film uses some beautiful hand-coloring techniques that really make the colors pop, most notably the woman's pink dress and the harlequin's green suit. It is a testament to the early silent film era's attempt to use "more crayons" than they were given to with black and white.

But it also seems to be a call for diversity and acceptance, as far as the female character goes. A young woman that refuses to do what's expected of her, and chooses an "escapade" instead, but one that makes her ultimately happy.

Grade: N/A

[CringeFest]

Good Burger (1997)


4


Something that a serious film critic would hate but so much the worse for them.

[SpelingError]

Alive (1993) - 3

The plane crash in the opening is very intense and a great way to start off one of the most harrowing survival stories in history. It sucked me right into the film and it took some time for its effect to wear off. As the film went on though, it began to lose my engagement and I wasn't able to get back into it. In spite of all the hurdles the survivors went through, I strangely felt like I was at a distance from the proceedings. Looking up the plane crash, I learned that the survivors were stuck in the mountains for 72 days before they were rescued. While I'm sure this must have been very difficult, I didn't feel the passage of time while watching the film. I felt that the actors' bodies, faces, and eyes looked way too healthy for them to have faced over two months of near-starvation. When a title card late in the film said "Day 60", it didn't feel like they were there for 60 days. They looked about the same as they did in the opening scene. As for some other aspects of the film, the acting is fine. Nothing special per se and there's some hammy bits here and there, but I did enjoy Ethan Hawke's performance as Nando since he started off the ordeal in really bad shape, but gradually got better as the film went on to the point that he was the most resourceful member of the group. Overall though, I was left cold by this film since the potential it showed in its first act was ultimately wasted.

[Thunderbolt]

84591
A continuation from the original story but intertwining a new cast. Fans won’t be too disappointed.
3.5

[Siddon]

https://i2-prod.buzz.ie/incoming/article25006777.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/2_nightmare-alley-bradley-cooper-cate-blanchett-social-featured.jpg

Nightmare Alley (2021)

Guillermo del Toro never seems to get that big box office hit. In his follow-up to his BP winner Nightmare Alley is a remake of a 47' noir. It tells the story of a carnival worker who dives deeper and deeper into mental-ism. In essence it a dual movie the carnival part and the city part, the carnival part is like a slice of life drama where the city is basically a horror film.

This might be the best film of the year, Bradley Cooper is fantastic in this but he plays off all the supporting figures so well. The city set design is just insane bringing you into this world of opulence. Richard Jenkins and Cate Blanchett don't show up until the second half and they basically steal the show.

The film has basically three twists at the end with the final twist the most predictable and the first twist should have been played much better. But still at the end of the day this is a classic and I recommend it strongly. I might just end up putting this in the next Hall of Fame.


4.5

[Gideon58]

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fimageserve%2F61be205770d931e85316cac4%2FSing-2-poster%2F0x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale


4

[Thief]

Alive (1993) - 3

The plane crash in the opening is very intense and a great way to start off one of the most harrowing survival stories in history. It sucked me right into the film and it took some time for its effect to wear off. As the film went on though, it began to lose my engagement and I wasn't able to get back into it. In spite of all the hurdles the survivors went through, I strangely felt like I was at a distance from the proceedings. Looking up the plane crash, I learned that the survivors were stuck in the mountains for 72 days before they were rescued. While I'm sure this must have been very difficult, I didn't feel the passage of time while watching the film. I felt that the actors' bodies, faces, and eyes looked way too healthy for them to have faced over two months of near-starvation. When a title card late in the film said "Day 60", it didn't feel like they were there for 60 days. They looked about the same as they did in the opening scene. As for some other aspects of the film, the acting is fine. Nothing special per se and there's some hammy bits here and there, but I did enjoy Ethan Hawke's performance as Nando since he started off the ordeal in really bad shape, but gradually got better as the film went on to the point that he was the most resourceful member of the group. Overall though, I was left cold by this film since the potential it showed in its first act was ultimately wasted.

I saw this film back in the 90s and it really left an impression. I haven't seen it in a long time, though. Not sure how it would fare for me now.

[SpelingError]

I saw this film back in the 90s and it really left an impression. I haven't seen it in a long time, though. Not sure how it would fare for me now.

I liked it a lot when I first watched it several years ago as well. I rewatched it a couple days ago to show it to one of my roommates, but while I still enjoyed it, it didn't hold up as well as I remembered.

[pahaK]

https://i2-prod.buzz.ie/incoming/article25006777.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/2_nightmare-alley-bradley-cooper-cate-blanchett-social-featured.jpg

Nightmare Alley (2021)

Guillermo del Toro never seems to get that big box office hit. In his follow-up to his BP winner Nightmare Alley is a remake of a 47' noir. It tells the story of a carnival worker who dives deeper and deeper into mental-ism. In essence it a dual movie the carnival part and the city part, the carnival part is like a slice of life drama where the city is basically a horror film.

This might be the best film of the year, Bradley Cooper is fantastic in this but he plays off all the supporting figures so well. The city set design is just insane bringing you into this world of opulence. Richard Jenkins and Cate Blanchett don't show up until the second half and they basically steal the show.

The film has basically three twists at the end with the final twist the most predictable and the first twist should have been played much better. But still at the end of the day this is a classic and I recommend it strongly. I might just end up putting this in the next Hall of Fame.


4.5

Have you seen the original '47 version? If yes, is it good and is there any point to watch it before this?

[Takoma11]

I liked it a lot when I first watched it several years ago as well. I rewatched it a couple days ago to show it to one of my roommates, but while I still enjoyed it, it didn't hold up as well as I remembered.

I saw this film back in the 90s and it really left an impression. I haven't seen it in a long time, though. Not sure how it would fare for me now.

I highly recommend that you both check out the documentary Stranded: I've Come from a Plane that Crashed in the Mountains. It is riveting stuff and deeply empathetic to the experiences of the victims.

[Siddon]

Have you seen the original '47 version? If yes, is it good and is there any point to watch it before this?


It's on my DVR I might have seen it or not, I was going to rewatch it at some point

[Thief]

I highly recommend that you both check out the documentary Stranded: I've Come from a Plane that Crashed in the Mountains. It is riveting stuff and deeply empathetic to the experiences of the victims.

I know I saw a documentary back in the day, but that title doesn't ring a bell. I'll check it out. Thanks!

[Takoma11]

I know I saw a documentary back in the day, but that title doesn't ring a bell. I'll check it out. Thanks!

It is a really great film, and some of the revelations in it are pretty astounding.

Especially the way that the media and the general public responded to the revelations about their having been cannibalism.

[mark f]

The Kindred (Jamie Patterson, 2021) 2.5- 5.5/10
College Girls (A.C. Stephen [Stephen C. Apostolof], 1968) 1.5 4/10
Cash McCall (Joseph Pevney, 1960) 2.5 6/10
Gunga Din (George Stevens, 1939) 3.5 7+/10
https://i.imgflip.com/393v5m.jpg
At the height of British colonialism in India, the British take on the Thuggees. Temple of Doom is a partial remake.
The Curse of La Patasola (AJ Jones, 2022) 1.5+ 4.5/10
Every Girl Should Be Married (Don Hartman, 1948) 2.5 6/10
The Commando (Asif Akbar, 2021) 1.5+ 4.5/10
Sing 2 (Garth Jennings, 2021) 3 6.5/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/3bf05240474fabc38c45792918f34d4e/7a5e33fe2198e8cd-6d/s500x750/bb2bad6452dd2ffe8d95864b5a583083c4121fcf.gifv
Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) returns to take on a smug promoter and put on a show with a reclusive rock star.
The Free Fall (Adam Stilwell, 2021) 2 5/10
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (H.C. Potter, 1948) 2.5+ 6/10
Shattered (Luis Prieto, 2022) 2 5/10
Rifkin's Festival (Woody Allen, 2020) 2.5 6/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/f693d2969ed59426e5fd830c63be3677/1457e342d57bd9f7-a5/s400x600/72f87a7c5b2304c422817455fbe967bc91422c22.gifv
Struggling writer/ex-film professor Wallace Shawn plays the Woody Allen stand-in this time when he accompanies his publicist wife Gina Gershon to the San Sebastian Film Festival. She falls for her film director client while he becomes infatuated with doctor Elena Anaya. Some amusing European film recreations.
Italian Studies (Adam Leon, 2021) 2 5/10
A Journal for Jordan (Denzel Washington, 2021) 2.5 6/10
Amityville Uprising (Thomas J. Churchill, 2022) 1+ 3.5/10
The Innocents (Jack Clayton, 1961) 4+ 8/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/90feda16f661e841a0fbf1325f5077e3/tumblr_inline_nmbokc6gqQ1szflw0_1280.jpg
Governess Deborah Kerr encounters dead caretaker Peter Wyngarde who she sees as a direct threat to the children she's in charge of. Psychological Victorian horror is awesome in every way.
Taming the Garden (Salomé Jashi, 2021) 2+ 5/10
The Royal Treatment (Rick Jacobson, 2022) 2.5 6-/10
Executive Suite (Robert Wise, 1954) 3.5- 7/10
The King's Daughter aka The Moon and the Sun (Sean McNamara, 2022) 2.5 6-/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/adfa56ccbfd948f59be2b70485767662/bf805c78ef0ce2d2-bb/s500x750/47487c986d9930b0ca7a2fe8f31d24afd9ae34f9.gifv
Kaya Scodelario argues with King Louis XIV (Pierce Brosnan) about her arranged marriage and the fate of a mermaid with magical healing powers.

[Gideon58]

https://i2-prod.buzz.ie/incoming/article25006777.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/2_nightmare-alley-bradley-cooper-cate-blanchett-social-featured.jpg

Nightmare Alley (2021)

Guillermo del Toro never seems to get that big box office hit. In his follow-up to his BP winner Nightmare Alley is a remake of a 47' noir. It tells the story of a carnival worker who dives deeper and deeper into mental-ism. In essence it a dual movie the carnival part and the city part, the carnival part is like a slice of life drama where the city is basically a horror film.

This might be the best film of the year, Bradley Cooper is fantastic in this but he plays off all the supporting figures so well. The city set design is just insane bringing you into this world of opulence. Richard Jenkins and Cate Blanchett don't show up until the second half and they basically steal the show.

The film has basically three twists at the end with the final twist the most predictable and the first twist should have been played much better. But still at the end of the day this is a classic and I recommend it strongly. I might just end up putting this in the next Hall of Fame.


4.5

Wow, your review definitely make me want to add this to my watchlist.

[matt72582]

I thought Magnolia was his attempt at an Altman film. Maybe he thought it was worth attempting twice. :laugh:


Most definitely.. I also think "There Will Be Blood" is similar to "McCabe & Mrs. Miller", and "Inherent Vice" is trying to replicate "The Long Goodbye"... I've seen enough homages. Just do your own thing.


(after watching his last three, four movies)


"Bring Robert Altman back!"

[SpelingError]

I highly recommend that you both check out the documentary Stranded: I've Come from a Plane that Crashed in the Mountains. It is riveting stuff and deeply empathetic to the experiences of the victims.

I'll have to check it out.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYzY0ZTk4YzctNzYzNy00ZDQ0LTg2Y2ItZTQyYzQxMjQwMDc2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTAyODkwOQ@@._V1_.jpg


2.5

[SpelingError]

27th Hall of Fame

Baby Face (1933) - 4

I found this to be a compelling film as the likability of Stanwyck's character resonated with me the most. Watching the earlier scenes in the bar, it wasn't hard to see why Lily rebelled against the men she encountered at the bank. Her father forced her to sleep with her customers for many years and her daily routine in the bar involved men putting their hands on her to ask for requests and other men asking to sleep with her. Due to that, the early scenes of her seducing the men in her workplace to move higher up (I like how her ascent is represented by the camera moving up different floors in the bank from outside) are liberating to watch. As this goes on though, the impact she has on the other men keeps growing more and more severe. First, she gets a worker fired, she then complicates a relationship with another man and his wife, and she finally causes a major tragedy (one she doesn't seem bothered by). Watching her humanity slip away as she keeps getting carried away with her original goal is tragic, especially given how much I cared for her at the start of the film. I also found it interesting how Chico, her best friend in the bar, didn't advance in rank with her and remained as a maid all throughout the film. That was a nice touch of social commentary which showed how minority races will have an especially hard time of getting a high paying job in that environment. Looking at some of the reviews, I noticed there were some mixed reactions to the ending. Some people really liked it, while others felt it didn't work. On one hand, I felt like the remorse Lily eventually showed was earned and a compelling culmination to her arc, but on the other hand, I think the film wrapped itself up into too neat of a bow (this is an issue I've noticed a few times for movies with unlikable protagonists) and, given some of the things Lily caused in the film, her outcome at the end didn't feel earned. This is a minor issue though. Ending aside, I really enjoyed this film.

[Siddon]

Have you seen the original '47 version? If yes, is it good and is there any point to watch it before this?


No...It's up to you but I would recommend the Del Toro version.


https://images.wsj.net/im-342259?width=860&height=573

Nightmare Alley (1947)

Having loved the 2021 version I decided to pop in the 40's version staring Tyrone Power. It's a good movie but it's an inferior version of the story. Power's is the lead...everyone else is clearly supporting him and frankly a shallower version of each character. Not to say the film is bad it's just clearly a film noir while the modern version is much more horrific.

It's a good companion piece to the remake because Del Toro does add parts to the remake that are in the original. But the film just touches on the themes of the story.


rating_3

[xSookieStackhouse]

3.5 loved the casting and loved the fashion but confused of the film🤔🧐
https://www.cate-blanchett.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/81T0NP0zL.jpg

[Fabulous]

Imperium (2016)

2.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/xHLpOLsBUU0GrzCLb5ExC9Q3C0U.jpg

[pahaK]

Aliens
...eh, I mean...
Alien 2: On Earth (1980)
1.5
An Italian B-horror (and that's a kinda generous description, as is my rating) knocking-off Alien (sort of, it doesn't really resemble it in any way). Lots of stock footage, lots of driving around, 'cause using the budget to buy a car is more important than the film. It's definitely not Aliens, it's not even Contamination, but at least it's better than Terminator 2 (come on, you know which one).

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://www.slantmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/littlefish.jpg
Little Fish (2020, Chad Hartigan)
3.5
The obvious "Eternal Sunshine..." parallels aside, this strongly reminded me of Apples, a superb Greek-Polish film I saw recently that explores the premise and implications of a memory loss pandemic. This one is less quirky and artsy than Apples and has a more romantic flavor to it but it's good, I liked it. You know right away you hit upon something good when the film makes you forget about analysing stuff and pulls you into the story, making you care about the characters and what happens to them. The plot is relatively easy to follow (although there were a couple of things that remained a bit of a mystery), and the acting is really good. It's not the most profound or artistically stunning movie ever made, but it has a charm, it's warm, it's bittersweet, it's touching — good ending, too.

[FromBeyond]

Halloween Kills

Utter garbage

[Thief]

The Innocents (Jack Clayton, 1961) 4+ 8/10
https://i.makeagif.com/media/7-13-2016/LaIRCZ.gif
Governess Deborah Kerr encounters dead caretaker Peter Wyngarde who she sees as a direct threat to the children she's in charge of. Psychological Victorian horror is awesome in every way.


Wow, I agree with the grade, but I think this is the highest rating I've seen you dish out :eek::D

[Stirchley]

84622

Re-watch. So brilliant. Harriet Andersson was so amazing in this.

[SpelingError]

A Night to Dismember (1983) - 2

This was a rough watch. The dubbing is bad, the editing is rough, some of the music choices are unfitting, the narration is excessive and feels tacked-on a lot of the time, and the twist makes no sense and raises more questions than answers. However, I understand that a lot of these things are staples of B movies, so it's not fair to criticize the film for some of these things. Given that, how do you even approach a film like this when reviewing/rating it? After looking up the film, I found out that several reels of the film were destroyed before it was released (some accounts say they were destroyed in a fire while others say that a "disgruntled employee" destroyed them) and, as a result, only about 60% of the film was salvaged. I don't know if these accounts are true, but they did have me wondering whether the film would've been improved if the full version was restored. For example, Vicki's arc was given quite a bit of focus in the film, while Mary was somewhat pushed to the sidelines throughout the film. Perhaps, the extra footage would flesh out Mary more and, as a result, tie up all the unanswered questions and plot holes the final act reveal brings to the film. Also, maybe the extra footage would allow for some of the ridiculous narration to be cut from the film. Or perhaps not. While I wasn't satisfied with what I watched, I did feel like the film had potential to be better, so to a degree, I enjoyed approaching this as a "what could've been" film. Overall, I'm not quite sure how to rate this film, but I'll stick with a 4/10 for now.

[WHITBISSELL!]

A Night to Dismember (1983) - rating_2

This was a rough watch. The dubbing is bad, the editing is rough, some of the music choices are unfitting, the narration is excessive and feels tacked-on a lot of the time, and the twist makes no sense and raises more questions than answers. However, I understand that a lot of these things are staples of B movies, so it's not fair to criticize the film for some of these things. Given that, how do you even approach a film like this when reviewing/rating it? After looking up the film, I found out that several reels of the film were destroyed before it was released (some accounts say they were destroyed in a fire while others say that a "disgruntled employee" destroyed them) and, as a result, only about 60% of the film was salvaged. I don't know if these accounts are true, but they did have me wondering whether the film would've been improved if the full version was restored. For example, Vicki's arc was given quite a bit of focus in the film, while Mary was somewhat pushed to the sidelines throughout the film. Perhaps, the extra footage would flesh out Mary more and, as a result, tie up all the unanswered questions and plot holes the final act reveal brings to the film. Also, maybe the extra footage would allow for some of the ridiculous narration to be cut from the film. Or perhaps not. While I wasn't satisfied with what I watched, I did feel like the film had potential to be better, so to a degree, I enjoyed approaching this as a "what could've been" film. Overall, I'm not quite sure how to rate this film, but I'll stick with a 4/10 for now.
I need to check this out, if only to see Samantha Fox in a non-porn role. She was always my favorite old timey (70's) adult film actress.

[edarsenal]

https://de.web.img3.acsta.net/c_310_420/pictures/21/12/16/20/19/0347985.jpg
https://movieplayer.net-cdn.it/t/images/2022/01/13/the_house_00_11_07_16_jpg_375x0_crop_q85.jpg

The House (2022) Netflix 3.5+++ A strange, strange lil Kafkaesque stop-motion film that was quite exquisitely done, but I had NO IDEA what it was going in. I believe, I needed a little info to better appreciate this clever dark comedy broken down into three interconnecting short stories centered in the same building.

I do need to see this again and I am sure my rating will rise easily.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzk5ZWU1ZTktZjMxZi00YjFmLTk4NGUtZjU1NmFiNWI4YThjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTg1MDc3NjY@._V1_.jpg


[Rating]4.5[/Rating}

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/12/Childrenofparadise.png
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10552660

Children of Paradise - (1945)

Around 5 minutes into this film I wasn't feeling good about it. Creaky old French film - I was sure it was going to bore me, but at around the 90 minute mark I was invested in every character to a large degree - they're so well drawn in this, with vivid motivations and criss-crossing paths. When things drew to an end, I thought "Wow strange ending but I enjoyed that a lot." And then it said "End of Part 1" - I sat upright in surprise. I checked the running time and found out it's a 190 minute movie. So, I got a lot more than I bargained for, and to my amazement I loved Children of Paradise. Like I said, the characters in this have a certain depth, and in the theatrical shows some of them perform are mirrored the real events in such a way that you wonder if art is imitating life or if life is imitating art. Vain actors, vile criminals and vapid mimes at first seem off-putting but eventually win our affection - or at least they did mine, in a story that might seem a bit like a soap opera, but transcends it's own genre. This was really well deserving of it's high place in 'best film' lists. The acting is superb, and I recommend this to anyone who hasn't seen it.

9/10

Foreign Language Countdown films seen : 73/100

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/19/O_necem_jinem_%28Something_Different_1963%29_VHS_box_cover.jpg
By Vera Chytilova - Amazon.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61441987

Something Different - (1963)

In a Hall of Fame I was introduced to Czechoslovak filmmaker Věra Chytilová by way of her most famous film, Daisies. I was interested enough to seek this out - her first feature length film which portrays two women living separate lives - one is an average housewife, the other a famous gymnast. We're shown their day to day existence almost side by side, and what becomes obvious is that the difficulties of life always has one thinking the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. The gymnast pines for a simpler life, without the pressures and rigor of training - the housewife pines for more excitement and achievement. Hence the film's title - Something Different. It's an intimate look not only of their lives, but the lives of all women in a male-dominated society with it's demands - and the sacrifices a person must make to live the life they want. It wasn't too bad.

7/10

[skizzerflake]

The 355. It's a hyperactive action movie, 4 female "agents" (the 5th in the photo is late to the game), working different agendas, trying to track down the usual evil operative who has a digital device that can wreak havoc on all digital platforms. It's a digital doomsday device. There's a flash card on the loose, being transported to evil operatives by other evil operatives, all anonymous evil faces. The recipients want to wreak havoc on all digital devices in case you didn't notice. Enter 4 "heroes", who are doing a globe spanning search, karate chopping oodles of bad guys, shooting it out with automatic weapons that have no limit on ammo, dropping bad guys all over the place, in order to save the world as we know it.

Imagine a world without Facebook and you can see that this truly IS apocalyptic.

In case all of this sounds at least somewhat familiar (bad guys who want to blow up the world), it is, but the plot turn is that all 4 agents are svelte females who are willing to get dirty (especially Jessica Chastain), look good in their jeans and shoot everybody in sight. By the time it's over the body count is in the hundreds, the world is saved and Jessica still looks good.

What more could you ask for in a movie? It's fairly fun, well produced and nobody does anything real bad.

:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV0s2S9reT0

[pahaK]

Body at Brighton Rock (2019)
2
Starts off as a somewhat charming comedy about this incredibly inept young woman. The more it tries to be horror, the less it makes sense, and the ending is an epitome of an anti-climax. I did like the lead actress and the first 30 minutes or so looked good and had a nice soundtrack. Sadly it's all downhill from there. Maybe even a slightly generous rating (but I just couldn't give this a worse rating than Alien 2 yesterday).

[Fabulous]

Extract (2009)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/9BrbxYZPRcXvnXrYhp4EyZVSNQf.jpg

[Thunderbolt]

84646
Poison Ivy (1992)
Erotic(ish) thriller from the early 90s. Looks slightly “TV movie” now but still entertaining.
3

[honeykid]

^^The film in which I fell in love^^

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51MpoooD2eL.jpg



3

[ThatDarnMKS]

MURPHY’S LAW

I like to imagine, presumably after a few rails, Menahem screamed at Yoram, “Hey Globey, I wanna do another movie. I’m thinking that we should combine Cape Fear, 48 Hours and Death Wish 3. We could even get the director of Cape Fear! Except the leads will be Charles Bronson and a TV actress that will improv all her insults and banter, constantly saying things like “you snot licking donkey fart” and “kiss my panty hose, sperm bank!” Also, the Mitchum role from Cape Fear will be played by a middle aged actress who looks like a mafia house wife.”

And Yoram said, “Sounds like a lot of things could go wrong with that. Ya know, Murphy’s Law.”

And we ended up with a Cannon Group masterpiece.

4/5

[pahaK]

MURPHY’S LAW

I like to imagine, presumably after a few rails, Menahem screamed at Yoram, “Hey Globey, I wanna do another movie. I’m thinking that we should combine Cape Fear, 48 Hours and Death Wish 3. We could even get the director of Cape Fear! Except the leads will be Charles Bronson and a TV actress that will improv all her insults and banter, constantly saying things like “you snot licking donkey fart” and “kiss my panty hose, sperm bank!” Also, the Mitchum role from Cape Fear will be played by a middle aged actress who looks like a mafia house wife.”

And Yoram said, “Sounds like a lot of things could go wrong with that. Ya know, Murphy’s Law.”

And we ended up with a Cannon Group masterpiece.

4/5

I remember liking this a lot when I was a kid, but I don't think I've seen it since that. Maybe I need to add this to a vast list of films that I'd need to rewatch.

[edarsenal]

https://www.filmlinc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Dragonwyck1.jpg
https://trailersfromhell.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/5668topWyck.jpg
https://i0.wp.com/thelastdrivein.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ghost-story.png?resize=490%2C363&ssl=1


Dragonwyck (1946) 4 Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz sets a mesmerizing stage with sordid shadows using ideal actors Gene Tierney and Vincent Price.

The always exquisite Tierney plays young Miranda Wells, whose mother receives an invitation from a distant cousin, by marriage, Van Ryn (Price), to send one of her daughters as a "friend" for his only daughter. To the worried, religious-fueled father's hesitations (Walter Huston), Miranda goes to Dragonwyck and becomes enthralled by the mansion and the debonair Van Ryn. A role of polite etiquette masking the dark cruelty beneath that would become Vincent Price's staple. He is the epitome of the regal and oftentimes, the diabolic gentleman of manner, upbringing, and taste.
Gene Tierney's Miranda is no wilting flower, and though she begins her sojourn with demure sincerity, she is her father's daughter. Strong-willed and proud, she stands toe to toe as the darker aspects of Van Ryn begin to crack the charming veneer.

In minor roles adding to the conflict and disintegrating illusion are Spring Byington (Magda, the first wife's maid). Harry Morgan is a disgruntled farmer on Van Ryn's lands, and the crippled servant comes to live with Miranda after her marriage to the now widowed Van Ryn, played by Jessica Tandy.

Mankiewicz uses composition and light, and when appropriate, shadow with expertise, keeping with the eye and the heart engaged as the story's darker heart takes control.

[Gideon58]

https://expresselevatortohell.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/nightcrawler-poster.jpg

1st Re-watch...Enjoyed it more than I did the first time. This sordid and ugly crime thriller is riveting from start to finish thanks to a bone-chilling performance from Jake Gyllenhall, which should have earned him an Oscar nomination, splendid camera work and editing, and a movie star in the making performance from Riz Ahmed. But if the truth be told, the ending of the movie leaves a bad taste in my mouth...this Louis Bloom guy not only got off too easy, but comes out smelling like a rose. 4

[StuSmallz]

But if the truth be told, the ending of the movie leaves a bad taste in my mouth...this Louis Bloom guy not only got off too easy, but comes out smelling like a rose.I would advise you to never look up how Idi Amin spent the last few decades of his life, then.

https://i.ibb.co/35bQdzw/theyareontome-1.gif (https://imgbb.com/)

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic1.colliderimages.com%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F04%2Fthe-green-knight-social.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Green Knight, 2021

In this adaptation of the old tale, Gawain (Dev Patel) hopes to become a knight in the court of King Arthur (Sean Harris). When a mysterious, enchanted knight (Ralph Ineson) appears in the court on Christmas offering a strange "game", Gawain volunteers to play and ends up beheading the knight . . . who then picks up his head and tells Gawain he'll see him in a year. A year on, Gawain travels north to meet his destiny.

This was exactly the kind of movie that I've been needing (the exact comment made by one of the people I watched it with): just gorgeous, a little weird, beautifully shot, and a neat variation on a folk/fantasy story.

The DP on this film is the brother of one of my acquaintances, and so I'll admit to maybe having some partiality. But the people I watched this with didn't realize that fact and made several comments about the beauty of the film. I loved the deeply saturated color palette and the way that the camera picked up lovely details, like the many embellishments on the queen's robe. It's the kind of film I absolutely wish I'd been able to see on the big screen.

The film does have a bit of a "road movie" pace to it, with a kind of episodic feel. I especially loved the little interlude where Gawain interacts with Saint Winifred (Erin Kellyman). When she asks him for a favor and he asks her what he'll get in return, she replies "Why would you ever ask me that?" and I wish I could have high-fived her. But the whole supporting cast is really strong, and there's equally good work from Barry Keoghan as a sketchy battlefield scavenger and from Joel Edgerton and Alicia Vikander as a lord and lady who offer Gawain shelter on his journey.

From the first image to the last frame I was fully engaged and for me this is a film that definitely lived up to the hype.

4.5

[edarsenal]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic1.colliderimages.com%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F04%2Fthe-green-knight-social.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Green Knight, 2021

In this adaptation of the old tale, Gawain (Dev Patel) hopes to become a knight in the court of King Arthur (Sean Harris). When a mysterious, enchanted knight (Ralph Ineson) appears in the court on Christmas offering a strange "game", Gawain volunteers to play and ends up beheading the knight . . . who then picks up his head and tells Gawain he'll see him in a year. A year on, Gawain travels north to meet his destiny.

This was exactly the kind of movie that I've been needing (the exact comment made by one of the people I watched it with): just gorgeous, a little weird, beautifully shot, and a neat variation on a folk/fantasy story.

The DP on this film is the brother of one of my acquaintances, and so I'll admit to maybe having some partiality. But the people I watched this with didn't realize that fact and made several comments about the beauty of the film. I loved the deeply saturated color palette and the way that the camera picked up lovely details, like the many embellishments on the queen's robe. It's the kind of film I absolutely wish I'd been able to see on the big screen.

The film does have a bit of a "road movie" pace to it, with a kind of episodic feel. I especially loved the little interlude where Gawain interacts with Saint Winifred (Erin Kellyman). When she asks him for a favor and he asks her what he'll get in return, she replies "Why would you ever ask me that?" and I wish I could have high-fived her. But the whole supporting cast is really strong, and there's equally good work from Barry Keoghan as a sketchy battlefield scavenger and from Joel Edgerton and Alicia Vikander as a lord and lady who offer Gawain shelter on his journey.

From the first image to the last frame I was fully engaged and for me this is a film that definitely lived up to the hype.

4.5

I RARELY get a chance to make it out to the movie theater and I had made a point of doing so for this one. A truly gorgeous film to see on the big screen. Please tell your acquaintance to tell his brother, BRAVO.

[Takoma11]

I RARELY get a chance to make it out to the movie theater and I had made a point of doing so for this one. A truly gorgeous film to see on the big screen. Please tell your acquaintance to tell his brother, BRAVO.

I will. Though at this point all of our acquaintance group is like "YOUR BROTHER'S MOVIE IS AMAZING!!". She is very proud of him.

And they are weirdly connected to big movie stuff, because her partner's cousin is someone who is a big-name actor (as in, headlined a superhero movie). Sometimes I'm like, how weird to be two non-movie industry people and see both sides of your family's work in movie theaters.

[edarsenal]

I will. Though at this point all of our acquaintance group is like "YOUR BROTHER'S MOVIE IS AMAZING!!". She is very proud of him.

And they are weirdly connected to big movie stuff, because her partner's cousin is someone who is a big-name actor (as in, headlined a superhero movie). Sometimes I'm like, how weird to be two non-movie industry people and see both sides of your family's work in movie theaters.

It's a crazy, wonderful world, isn't it?

[ThatDarnMKS]

I remember liking this a lot when I was a kid, but I don't think I've seen it since that. Maybe I need to add this to a vast list of films that I'd need to rewatch.
How do you feel about Cannon Group movies and late era Bronson in general? That will go long way in deciding whether or not you should rewatch it.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/73/Phil_winter.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10375946

Alice in the Cities - (1974)

Tempted to take a trip on the road with Wim Wender's famous trilogy, I found myself almost directly experiencing what Philip Winter (Rüdiger Vogler) was, whether it be through silent contemplation or soft black and white cinematography - the images seem like the photographs he is taking - distant, and at a slow pace we spend time with him - lost in a foreign land, and repulsed with commercialism. He meets a mother and child, compatriots, and it's young Alice who very slowly brings him back from the clouds - as humanity flows back so do smiles, and an overall relaxed visage. It's not smooth sailing at first - but this is a man at odds with himself, so of course it's not easy. His voyage is mirrored by the landscapes he passes - at first American highways with billboards, buildings and movement - but eventually into the German countryside, with sleepy villages and a slower paced walk of life. They settle into a rhythm that feels like a shame to have to break further on down the road...

8/10

https://i.postimg.cc/sXtyLWH7/wrong-move.jpg
By It is believed that the cover art can or could be obtained from the publisher or studio., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8863643

Wrong Move - (1975)

The second of Wim Wender's road trilogy couldn't be any more different than the first, and is full of a sense of 'unreality' - like one of the dreams it's characters are so obsessed with recounting. This time Rüdiger Vogler is Wilhelm Meister, a writer who seems especially conscious of never having done anything or been helpful to anyone. Leaving his mother's apartment, he accrues eccentric friends - the way they seem to stick to him made me think that they were all figments of his imagination. A favourite of mine was Bernhard Landau, played by Peter Kern, who has all of the funny lines, but unfortunately disappears three-quarters of the way through the film. Meister philosophizes with his friends, but ends up alienating them one by one - something he comes to regret. Everything a character says in this film seems to have varied meanings, and I never had quite enough time to sit and ponder each statement - which is something I wanted to do. A film to watch again, which reminded me of being on a journey alone with one's thoughts - but with several characters voicing them. The tone of everything made me think of a man who is lonely, but hates people.

(Seemed like a film where there is a lot to unpack - and one that is not easily summarized with a few quick words.)

8/10

[StuSmallz]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic1.colliderimages.com%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F04%2Fthe-green-knight-social.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Green Knight, 2021

In this adaptation of the old tale, Gawain (Dev Patel) hopes to become a knight in the court of King Arthur (Sean Harris). When a mysterious, enchanted knight (Ralph Ineson) appears in the court on Christmas offering a strange "game", Gawain volunteers to play and ends up beheading the knight . . . who then picks up his head and tells Gawain he'll see him in a year. A year on, Gawain travels north to meet his destiny.

This was exactly the kind of movie that I've been needing (the exact comment made by one of the people I watched it with): just gorgeous, a little weird, beautifully shot, and a neat variation on a folk/fantasy story.

The DP on this film is the brother of one of my acquaintances, and so I'll admit to maybe having some partiality. But the people I watched this with didn't realize that fact and made several comments about the beauty of the film. I loved the deeply saturated color palette and the way that the camera picked up lovely details, like the many embellishments on the queen's robe. It's the kind of film I absolutely wish I'd been able to see on the big screen.

The film does have a bit of a "road movie" pace to it, with a kind of episodic feel. I especially loved the little interlude where Gawain interacts with Saint Winifred (Erin Kellyman). When she asks him for a favor and he asks her what he'll get in return, she replies "Why would you ever ask me that?" and I wish I could have high-fived her. But the whole supporting cast is really strong, and there's equally good work from Barry Keoghan as a sketchy battlefield scavenger and from Joel Edgerton and Alicia Vikander as a lord and lady who offer Gawain shelter on his journey.

From the first image to the last frame I was fully engaged and for me this is a film that definitely lived up to the hype.

4.5Oh yeah, I liked this a lot, as you can see in my mini-review of it:

I was thinking about just posting that Krusty the clown "What the hell was that??" clip in response to the overall film here, but that's really meant more for experiences that are the bad kind of weird (so I'll save it for the Lamb trailer that played before the movie instead); The Green Knight, on the other hand, is the good kind, with a strong, boundless sense of imagination that produces an unexpected moment or hallucinatory image every single scene, and immerses us fully into its quasi-Supernatural Horror tone with these moments, which leaves us eagerly anticipating the next such one, rather than jarring us with them (although they still manage to be endlessly unpredictable regardless).

Add on top of that the extremely vivid style (granted, it does try to be a bit too vivid at times, like during the underwater sequence), the bold, active cinematography, the balance between the solemn overall portrayal we've come to expect from Arthurian adaptations, and the generally grittier, more down-to-Earth content of the film, and an ending that manages be both utterly confounding AND highly satisfying in its subversion of the storytelling tropes of typical fairly tale/morality plays, and David Lowery gives us a dark, one-of-a-kind medieval fantasy, one that both draws strength from the genre, while also utterly turning it on its head at the same time.



The ending in particular really stuck with me, because I was thinking about it non-stop during my entire drive home from the theater.

[pahaK]

How do you feel about Cannon Group movies and late era Bronson in general? That will go long way in deciding whether or not you should rewatch it.

Cannon was a guarantee of quality when I was a kid :D I haven't rewatched too many of them in recent years, but I've noticed a considerable loss of adoration towards the ones I have. They have their B-movie charms, though.

[mark f]

The Deadly Trackers (Barry Shear, 1973) 2.5 5.5/10
The Rookie Cop (David Howard, 1939) 2 5/10
Jacqueline (Roy Ward Baker, 1956) 2.5 6/10
A Hero (Asghar Farhadi, 2021) 3 6.5/10
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c27df4a372b96a62fef2e22/d71f5c4a-928c-4863-bd12-363c9379ac4a/AHero.jpg
Amir Jadidi is released on furlough from prison to try to settle the debt which put him there. What he apparently lies about may get him into more trouble.
Operation Kid Brother (Alberto De Martino, 1967) 2 5/10
American Pop (Ralph Bakshi, 1981) 3+ 6.5/10
Sandy Wexler (Steven Brill, 2017) 2 5/10
The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet (Ana Katz, 2021) 2.5 6/10
https://sgiff.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/the_dog_who_wouldn_be_quiet_hero.jpg
Low-key apocalyptic sci-fi satire about illustrator Daniel Katz who tries to remain optimistic despite all the weirdness surrounding him.
Appointment with Venus AKA Island Rescue (Ralph Thomas, 1951) 2.5 6/10
To Catch a Yeti (Bob Keen, 1995) 1.5 4/10
Shadow of a Woman (Joseph Santley, 1946) 2 5/10
The Chalk Garden (Ronald Neame,1964) 3.5 7+/10
https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/first_and_second_tier/public/mastimages/The%20C%20ha%3Bk%20Garden.jpg?itok=wLBuFRLe
Troubled 16-year-old non-stop liar Hayley Mills talks with her new governess (Deborah Kerr) who sees a lot of herself in her new charge.
Conflict of Wings AKA Fuss Over Feathers (John Eldridge, 1954) 2.5 6/10
Alien 2: On Earth (Ciro Ippolito, 1980) 1.5 4/10
Bowery Battalion (William Beaudine, 1951) 2.5 5.5/10
People Will Talk (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1951) 4 8/10
https://avatars.mds.yandex.net/get-kinopoisk-image/1900788/2d415bee-2d53-4b7f-a73f-a146ef28621d/960x960
Incredible script, direction and performances about the medical profession, college life, marriage, etc. with the highlight being the friendship and mind-blowing story of Dr. Praetorius (Cary Grant) and Shunderson (Finlay Currie).
Who You Think I Am (Safy Nebbou, 2019) 2.5 6/10
Motorama (Joseph Minion, 1991) 2 5/10
Shame, Shame on the Bixby Boys (Anthony Bowers, 1978) 2.5 6/10
Whirlybird (Matt Yoka, 2020) 3.5 7/10
https://i1.wp.com/www.andreajames.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/12/whirlybird-moon-hero.png?fit=700%2C394&ssl=1
Having watched this awesome helicopter stuff often live on TV when it occurred, it was a pleasure to relive again. However, I had no idea about the family dynamics, stress and the sex reassignment surgery which adds to the uniqueness of this great film.

[pahaK]

Alien 2: On Earth (Ciro Ippolito, 1980) 1.5 4/10


Oh no, the madness is spreading. I feel sorry for inspiring you to this :D

[Fabulous]

Greenland (2020)

2.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/juzEhsX92if2lJ2CSqKAI4RQswt.jpg

[honeykid]

Motorama (Joseph Minion, 1991) 2 5/10
I'm always pleased to see that someone has watched this. The most perfect casting of any film ever occurs in this; Drew Barrymore - Fantasy Girl. They ain't kidding. :love:

[chawhee]

K-PAX (2001)
https://www.spietati.it/wp-content/uploads/2001/12/kpax-movie-poster.jpg
3.5
I can't tell whether I should bump this higher or lower based on reading the book first. Knowing the ending beforehand spoiled a bit of the more mundane scenes that I feel could cause the average viewer to lose interest. However, it stays relatively true to the book, and Kevin Spacey is remarkable.

[Hey Fredrick]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ec/3c/be/ec3cbed4d23d39deac03a5e0e3d42b68.png


Jason Bateman is a guy who, thanks to a loophole, enters a prestigious spelling bee competition for some unknown reason. He enlists a journalist to tag along to record his adventure and help him alleviate some stress, which leads to some of the funnier moments of the movie. He also accidentally strikes up a friendship with one of the younger contestants and this becomes the "heart" of the movie. Allison Janney has a small but funny role as the events organizer who has to juggle angry parents and an a-hole adult intent on destroying her event. Isn't great cinema but it has a few good laughs. rating_3

[crumbsroom]

A Night to Dismember (1983) - 2

This was a rough watch. The dubbing is bad, the editing is rough, some of the music choices are unfitting, the narration is excessive and feels tacked-on a lot of the time, and the twist makes no sense and raises more questions than answers. However, I understand that a lot of these things are staples of B movies, so it's not fair to criticize the film for some of these things. Given that, how do you even approach a film like this when reviewing/rating it? After looking up the film, I found out that several reels of the film were destroyed before it was released (some accounts say they were destroyed in a fire while others say that a "disgruntled employee" destroyed them) and, as a result, only about 60% of the film was salvaged. I don't know if these accounts are true, but they did have me wondering whether the film would've been improved if the full version was restored. For example, Vicki's arc was given quite a bit of focus in the film, while Mary was somewhat pushed to the sidelines throughout the film. Perhaps, the extra footage would flesh out Mary more and, as a result, tie up all the unanswered questions and plot holes the final act reveal brings to the film. Also, maybe the extra footage would allow for some of the ridiculous narration to be cut from the film. Or perhaps not. While I wasn't satisfied with what I watched, I did feel like the film had potential to be better, so to a degree, I enjoyed approaching this as a "what could've been" film. Overall, I'm not quite sure how to rate this film, but I'll stick with a 4/10 for now.




Lol, you watched this?

[Thursday Next]

Encanto (2021)

I hadn't heard anything about this before watching it, it just sort of appeared on Disney+. Having seen it, I'm really not sure what to think about this film; it was odd and kind of messy, but it was colourful and fun and I've had 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' stuck in my head ever since.

3

Power of the Dog (2021)

Jane Campion's psycho-sexual drama with a Western-setting, very well shot and acted. This was slow to start with a lot of exposition, so it took me a while to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked. Part of the tension of it is not knowing which way it's going to go, so I'd recommend reading as little as possible about it beforehand. There were times I felt like I'd missed something with how the characters seemed to change; not sure if this was a flaw in the film or I just wasn't paying enough attention. I want to watch it again soon, which I rarely feel about films.

4+

Les Miserables (1958)

A relatively faithful adaptation, including some elements often omitted from film versions, which was refreshing, although suffering a little from excessive voiceover explaining the plot rather than just letting it happen. Valjean escaping from the inn with Cosette, while taking liberties with the source material, was gripping.

4

[SpelingError]

Lol, you watched this?

I had a feeling you would respond to me lmao.

[GulfportDoc]

84688
Rifkin’s Festival (2020)

Rifkin’s Festival did not get a lot of love, but part of the reason surely was that the social justice crowd has evidently classified Woody Allen as persona non grata. It’s not one of Allen’s best films, but in the main it was enjoyable if put in the right perspective.

A novelist reluctantly accompanies his press agent wife who is working as a press agent for an internationally acclaimed film director receiving much ado about his pretentious anti war film. The location is a renowned film festival at San Sebastian, Spain. The wife and the director eventually become romantically close, while the husband is smitten by a lady physician who initially examines him for potential heart problems. The drama between the four is the basis for the movie.

The husband’s daydreams provide an opportunity for satirizing some famous scenes from well known films, like Citizen Kane, Jules and Jim, 8-1/2, The Seventh Seal, and others, which play into his notions about his own psychology and destiny. Not only are these particular scenes parodies, but the whole film is a satire. And in my view, Allen is also satirizing himself and some of his prior films as well.

The choice of Wallace Shawn to play Mort Rifkin is a certain send up of Allen. Shawn’s old age, stature, and doddering makes the marriage to his gorgeous young wife an obvious joke. Under what circumstances could they have possibly become attracted, let alone married? On the other hand Rifkin’s attraction to his physician, and the natural outcome of that is more natural and meaningful.

Shawn turns in a creditable journeyman’s performance as Rifkin, and the international cast is right there with him. Here we have familiar Allen, but with a twist. This is Allen’s 49th film. You can be sure there will be a 50th.

Doc’s rating: 6/10

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://www.kinolorber.com/media_cache/images/filmgalleryfull/hitchhikertrio1.jpg

https://64.media.tumblr.com/93351b15811c7d92bf0dfa30eb2a892c/f7f8553ab9f673fe-9f/s540x810/d97a0953d8096dbf15170820fa808afec318beb4.gifv


The Hitch-Hiker - A succinct and straight forward 1953 noirish thriller co-written and directed by Ida Lupino. It stars Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy as best friends Roy Collins and Gilbert Bowen who are on their way to a fishing vacation when they have the misfortune to give a lift to the title character. His name is Emmett Myers (William Talman) and he turns out to be a murderous psychopath making his way across the Southwest robbing and killing unsuspecting motorists. Viewers will probably recognize Talman as Hamilton Burger, the District Attorney that Perry Mason mopped the floor with on a weekly basis. But here he turns in a stellar performance as remorseless, lifelong criminal Myers. O'Brien and Lovejoy complete the acting triumvirate with the three ably shouldering the narrative.

He forces the two friends to take him across the border and into Mexico then drive him 500 miles to a seaside town in the Baja peninsula where he can board a ferry across the Gulf. This is only 70 minutes long but director Lupino fills every minute of runtime. There is no fat on her screenplay or in her movie. They give Myers' character a unique physical abnormality where he is unable to completely shut a paralyzed eyelid leaving Collins and Bowen unsure and therefore unable to attempt an escape. It's these small, pulpish touches and the staccato rhythm of the script that really sets this apart from other like minded thrillers. This is a small but ultimately rewarding investment of a viewers time.

80/100

[Takoma11]

https://www.kinolorber.com/media_cache/images/filmgalleryfull/hitchhikertrio1.jpg

This is only 70 minutes long but director Lupino fills every minute of runtime. There is no fat on her screenplay or in her movie. They give Myers' character a unique physical abnormality where he is unable to completely shut a paralyzed eyelid leaving Collins and Bowen unsure and therefore unable to attempt an escape. It's these small, pulpish touches and the staccato rhythm of the script that really sets this apart from other like minded thrillers. This is a small but ultimately rewarding investment of a viewers time.

80/100

Yeah, this is a favorite of mine.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fnofilmschool.com%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fstyles%2Ffacebook%2Fpublic%2Fi_daniel_ blake_no_film_school.jpeg%3Fitok%3DTvr4g_ha&f=1&nofb=1

I, Daniel Blake, 2016

Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) is a widower who is out of work due to a heart condition. While in line at the center where he must appeal for his out-of-work benefits he meets young single mother Katie (Hayley Squires) and her two children. As the indifferent social services system grinds both of them down through a series of humiliations, Daniel bonds with the family.

This is one of those films that just squeezes you by the heart for every single second of its runtime.

There are many films--dramas, dark comedies--that portray the frustration and absurdity of trying to navigate a government system that is in theory meant to help those most in need.

What this film does so well is show the way that a system can fail not because all of the people in it are cold, indifferent, or on a power trip, but rather because the system itself is disjoint and even those who do want to help are hampered by regulation or other restrictions. In one sequence that is somehow uplifting and crushing at the same time, Daniel tries to fill out an online job application form at a public library. Forced to beg help from various other patrons, Daniel does get help but is still unable to complete the form. When a library worker tries to help him, she is pulled away and reprimanded by her superior for setting a precedent.

Katie's struggles are just as harrowing to watch. It becomes clear very quickly that she is not eating so that she can give the kids bigger portions---always claiming that she "ate earlier." This all comes to a head when, while shopping at a food pantry, she suddenly breaks down and begins to eat food straight from a can. While the pantry worker is kind in response and Daniel also comforts her, it is humiliating. Later, we learn that Katie's children are being teased because word of Katie's breakdown has made it to the school. Desperate for money, Katie is eventually offered work, and I'm sure that you can guess the nature of that work.

The one thing I had mixed feelings about here was the almost uniformly positive portrayal of all of the people in the lower class. While it is true that people in poverty do really tend to stick together and show a lot of generosity---because you never know when you might be the one needing $10 to keep the lights on, or a ride to work because your car won't start--it's also true that people who are desperate sometimes resort to desperate means. There is a range of personalities on display when it comes to the bureaucrats (from the kind and helpful to the snide and demeaning), but not so for the "little people".

The lead performances from Johns and Squires are both incredibly good. An emotional watch, but a good one.

4.5

[Wyldesyde19]

I have The Hitch Hiker saved and ready to watch for the 2020 challenge. It’s been a film I’ve had on my watch list since forever.

I, Daniel Blake is a great film, and I’ve started diving further into Ken Loach’s films this month. Tubi has several of them available.

[Captain Terror]

84706

HELLO DOWN THERE (1969)

This is an odd one; sort of a Jetsons meets Sealab 2020 meets The Partridge Family kinda thing.

Tony Randall is a scientist that, unbeknownst to his family and boss, designs and builds a futuristic underwater home as a response to the imminent population crisis. The boss is annoyed to find that his funds have been used for this project and threatens to dismantle the home, unless Randall can find a family to live in it for a month to prove its viability. Randall of course volunteers his own family and ostensibly-funny hijinks ensue. (They're not really funny).

So this isn't great and I wouldn't recommend it, but it's fun to talk about anyway. To wit:

*It's directed by Jack "Creature from the Black Lagoon" Arnold, with underwater scenes directed by the Gillman himself, Ricou Browning. Reunion!

*The cast is loaded with recognizable faces of the era. Jim Backus is the boss, Janet Leigh is the wife, Roddy McDowall is record producer Nate Ashbury (get it?), and smaller roles are played by Charlotte Rae, Ken Berry, Harvey Lembeck, and Merv Griffin as himself.

*Randall's teenage son and daughter are members of a rock group known as Harold and the Hangups. Harold is played by Richard Dreyfuss on vocals and bass. Things get meta when Dreyfuss has to assist Randall during a shark attack.

*It is no doubt 100% coincidence that a film from 1969 features a submarine that is yellow.

So...yeah. This film's idea of humor is along the lines of "There's a seal in the living room! LOL!" The whole thing feels like it could've been a pilot for a sitcom. A lame sitcom that I wouldn't have watched. Again, the fact that it exists at all is more interesting than the act of actually watching it. If I had to find something positive to say, I'd point out that the retro-futuristic set design might appeal to fans of that aesthetic.

84707

2.5

[Corax]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=84706

HELLO DOWN THERE (1969)

This is an odd one; sort of a Jetsons meets Sealab 2020 meets The Partridge Family kinda thing.

Tony Randall is a scientist that, unbeknownst to his family and boss, designs and builds a futuristic underwater home as a response to the imminent population crisis. The boss is annoyed to find that his funds have been used for this project and threatens to dismantle the home, unless Randall can find a family to live in it for a month to prove its viability. Randall of course volunteers his own family and ostensibly-funny hijinks ensue. (They're not really funny).

So this isn't great and I wouldn't recommend it, but it's fun to talk about anyway. To wit:

*It's directed by Jack "Creature from the Black Lagoon" Arnold, with underwater scenes directed by the Gillman himself, Ricou Browning. Reunion!

*The cast is loaded with recognizable faces of the era. Jim Backus is the boss, Janet Leigh is the wife, Roddy McDowall is record producer Nate Ashbury (get it?), and smaller roles are played by Charlotte Rae, Ken Berry, Harvey Lembeck, and Merv Griffin as himself.

*Randall's teenage son and daughter are members of a rock group known as Harold and the Hangups. Harold is played by Richard Dreyfuss on vocals and bass. Things get meta when Dreyfuss has to assist Randall during a shark attack.

*It is no doubt 100% coincidence that a film from 1969 features a submarine that is yellow.

So...yeah. This film's idea of humor is along the lines of "There's a seal in the living room! LOL!" The whole thing feels like it could've been a pilot for a sitcom. A lame sitcom that I wouldn't have watched. Again, the fact that it exists at all is more interesting than the act of actually watching it. If I had to find something positive to say, I'd point out that the retro-futuristic set design might appeal to fans of that aesthetic.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=84707

rating_2_5


What I wouldn't give for one of those homes today as the world swirls the drain.

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fnofilmschool.com%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fstyles%2Ffacebook%2Fpublic%2Fi_daniel_ blake_no_film_school.jpeg%3Fitok%3DTvr4g_ha&f=1&nofb=1

I, Daniel Blake, 2016

An emotional watch, but a good one.

rating_4_5This too is a favorite of mine.

[Fabulous]

Sleeping with Other People (2015)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/yHCgrNbQFaRNBY2FCeZrGdxv2I8.jpg

[Nidhi766]

I have recently watched The Millers

[LChimp]

https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2021/08/09/dune-insta-vert-main-dom-1638x2048-1628522913715.jpg

A masterpiece!

[ScarletLion]

A masterpiece!

Really?

[Thief]

ONE WEEK
(1920, Keaton & Cline)

https://i.imgur.com/BWEuQ0E.jpg


"Home is where the heart is"



I'm pretty sure I had seen bits and pieces from this short before. However, this is the first time I had seen it whole and what a hoot it was! Like most of the Keaton shorts I've seen so far, the highlight are the stunts and physical gags he pulls. In this instance, the many ways he uses this house to create some great physical comedy.

But aside from the excellent stunts and physical gags, there's an effective sentimentality in it as we see the groom struggle and eventually resign to not having a proper home. But, as the saying goes, as long as they're together, their home will be wherever they are.

Grade: 4.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2276240#post2276240)

[Marco]

Northwest (Dn) 2013
https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/images/newsite/northwest-4_600.jpg
I can honestly say this reminded me of early Refn. Low key, urban nickle-bagger crime movie and maybe as violent as "Pusher" and "Bleeder"...probably the latter when it comes to settling scores....not to bundle it in with them as the style and content are quite distinctive in their own right.

3.5 it's probably between there and a 4 to be honest.

[CringeFest]

Das Boot 1981


5


A thrilling submarine movie!

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fa/Annette_poster.jpg/220px-Annette_poster.jpg

3

SF = Zzzz


[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

[Stirchley]

84721

Re-watch. Better on a 2nd viewing. Interesting subject (sort of The Family Way(ish) & the two leads are excellent. Good book too.

84722

Had no idea what to expect from this, but very good movie based on true facts in the Balkans. Lead actress carried this movie. She’s new to me & so talented. Horrible how futile war is.

84723

Re-watch of an excellent movie. I don’t know which movie I like best in Bergman’s trilogy - they are all so good.

[LChimp]

Really?
Yes

[ScarletLion]

Yes

Wow. I'd say it's one of his weakest films.

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://forum.quartertothree.com/uploads/default/original/3X/b/7/b755e11a3d2e505e0fca0494875e32207a45b7ac.gif

https://i.imgur.com/9QfeVPQ.gif

https://thinkingofrob.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/11.gif?w=2000&h=

The Rover - Watched this not too long ago but I liked it so much that I felt compelled to watch it again. Second movie from director David Michôd following up Animal Kingdom. Taking place ten years after a world financial collapse it focuses on deracinated drifter Eric (Guy Pearce) as he aimlessly wanders the Australian outback. Three men on the run from an unspecified robbery damage their getaway vehicle and steal Eric's. The rest of the film involves his single minded pursuit of the thieves and his stolen car. That is a bare bones description though. Pearce turns in a galvanic performance as a hollowed out husk of a man. The spartan script by Michod and Joel Edgerton doesn't bother holding the viewer's hand or shedding light on what's going through Eric's mind at any given moment. It allows the audience their own interpretation. Some might see this as a shortcoming or needlessly opaque but to me it made the film.

Robert Pattinson costars as Rey, the younger brother of and part of the crew led by his brother Henry (Scoot McNairy). He was wounded during the robbery and left for dead and crosses paths with Eric who uses him to lead him to Henry and the other two men. Rey is a bit simple minded and has what some would call a complicated relationship with his older brother. He's a born follower and can't help but imprint on what he sees as an authority figure in Eric.

This all takes place against a backdrop of what under normal circumstances would be considered a somewhat feral and foreboding place called the Outback. So the barter system/flea market economy and the ubiquitous army patrols don't come off so much as apocalyptic as they do marginally sketchier. I thought the payoff in combination with Eric and Rey's story arc was up to snuff. This is one of Guy Pearce's best roles, right up there with Memento and The Proposition. And it was also Pattinson's first steps in his journey to divest himself of the albatross that was Twilight.

85/100

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTNjOTU3YmQtOTJjMy00ZjFmLWI3NzctMmMwNGFhYTBmNTIyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_.jpg



3.5

[SpelingError]

https://forum.quartertothree.com/uploads/default/original/3X/b/7/b755e11a3d2e505e0fca0494875e32207a45b7ac.gif

https://i.imgur.com/9QfeVPQ.gif

https://thinkingofrob.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/11.gif?w=2000&h=

The Rover - Watched this not too long ago but I liked it so much that I felt compelled to watch it again. Second movie from director David Michôd following up Animal Kingdom. Taking place ten years after a world financial collapse it focuses on deracinated drifter Eric (Guy Pearce) as he aimlessly wanders the Australian outback. Three men on the run from an unspecified robbery damage their getaway vehicle and steal Eric's. The rest of the film involves his single minded pursuit of the thieves and his stolen car. That is a bare bones description though. Pearce turns in a galvanic performance as a hollowed out husk of a man. The spartan script by Michod and Joel Edgerton doesn't bother holding the viewer's hand or shedding light on what's going through Eric's mind at any given moment. It allows the audience their own interpretation. Some might see this as a shortcoming or needlessly opaque but to me it made the film.

Robert Pattinson costars as Rey, the younger brother of and part of the crew led by his brother Henry (Scoot McNairy). He was wounded during the robbery and left for dead and crosses paths with Eric who uses him to lead him to Henry and the other two men. Rey is a bit simple minded and has what some would call a complicated relationship with his older brother. He's a born follower and can't help but imprint on what he sees as an authority figure in Eric.

This all takes place against a backdrop of what under normal circumstances would be considered a somewhat feral and foreboding place called the Outback. So the barter system/flea market economy and the ubiquitous army patrols don't come off so much as apocalyptic as they do marginally sketchier. I thought the payoff in combination with Eric and Rey's story arc was up to snuff. This is one of Guy Pearce's best roles, right up there with Memento and The Proposition. And it was also Pattinson's first steps in his journey to divest himself of the albatross that was Twilight.

85/100

I also liked that one quite a bit.

[Takoma11]

The Rover - Watched this not too long ago but I liked it so much that I felt compelled to watch it again. . . . . It allows the audience their own interpretation. Some might see this as a shortcoming or needlessly opaque but to me it made the film

Yeah, it is a very solid and very compelling film.

This is one of Guy Pearce's best roles, right up there with Memento and The Proposition. And it was also Pattinson's first steps in his journey to divest himself of the albatross that was Twilight.

Pearce is great in this, and this was the film that had me taking Pattinson seriously even while he was still getting crap about Twilight (and having seen the first film, I'd pretty much written him off as an actor).

[CringeFest]

Phantom Thread (2017)


Rating 5


Strange and good!

[GulfportDoc]

ONE WEEK
(1920, Keaton & Cline)

I'm pretty sure I had seen bits and pieces from this short before. However, this is the first time I had seen it whole and what a hoot it was! Like most of the Keaton shorts I've seen so far, the highlight are the stunts and physical gags he pulls. In this instance, the many ways he uses this house to create some great physical comedy.


But aside from the excellent stunts and physical gags, there's an effective sentimentality in it as we see the groom struggle and eventually resign to not having a proper home. But, as the saying goes, as long as they're together, their home will be wherever they are.

Grade: rating_4_5
Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2276240#post2276240)
Wonderful film-- a short, really. Evidently it was keaton's first independent film. Here's a clip of the famous wall falling on him scene, which he used in several films. No room for error here...:eek:
https://youtu.be/94oL_D7dp7g

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcache.cosmopolitan.fr%2Fdata%2Fphoto%2Fw1000_ci%2F4w%2Fto-the-bone.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

To the Bone, 2017

Ellen (Lily Collins) is a young woman who has spent years coping with severe anorexia. Having gone through multiple in-treatment experiences, she finally lands at a treatment house run by Doctor Beckham (Keanu Reeves). As she bonds with some of the other patients, including fellow anorexic Luke (Alex Sharp), Ellen struggles to find a reason to stop her way of living.

It is hard, often, when watching a film about any kind of addiction or mental illness to comment on the accuracy or insight of the story if you have not yourself experienced what the main character is going through. I have never struggled with anorexia, though several years ago while growing frustrated with food allergies I stumbled on a great solution: not eating. Food allergies, macros, calories . . . you don't have to worry about any of them if you aren't eating. I had a ton of energy. I felt giddy, and when I finished a workout, borderline euphoric. Now, this only lasted about a week. Partly because my family was like "You look terrible and you need to eat something." But mainly because what I was doing was clearly, laughably unsustainable. The idea of trying to live that way for months or years is mind-blowing to me.

My incomprehension is exactly what Ellen gets from almost everyone around her. What might on the surface seem like caring or well-meaning is instead oppressive. Everyone has a theory about her eating disorder: it's images in magazines, no, it's that she's actually gay, no, it's because her mother is gay and also struggles with mental health. And what really hurts is that Ellen herself doesn't quite seem to know what drives her need to count her calories or keep her arms thin enough to put her hand around.

The strength of the film is its cast. Reeves is solid as the sympathetic doctor, Retta is good as the live-in nurse who actively monitors the patients in the house. Leslie Bibb is on hand as a woman named Megan who, against all biological odds, is pregnant. Collins does a great job of portraying someone who feels frustration and guilt that only compound what she already is coping with.

I'm not entirely sure what to think about the way that the film approaches the idea of how someone might recover from an eating disorder. It is, in a word, oblique. On the one hand, I think that it would have felt cheap to suggest that Doctor Beckham taking Ellen to a few art exhibits and a few weeks of talk therapy would fix an ongoing problem. On the other hand, the film's route of Ellen having a sort of dream vision that sets her on the right path feels almost too . . . magical. That said, I kind of imagine that's how it goes for some people. Either something clicks or it doesn't.

I also had some mixed feelings about the budding romance of sorts between Ellen and Luke. On the one hand, the boisterous Luke is a nice counterpoint to Ellen's more dour manner. And it is nice to see an acknowledgement that men can be just as vulnerable to eating disorders are women. But the flip side is that I don't really love it when movies about people with mental health struggles suggest that they just need to find the right man. There are a lot of moments of Luke trying to cajole Ellen into eating that are meant to be cute, but sometimes come off as weirdly controlling.

Overall a good film with a stunning central performance from Lily Collins. Well worth checking out even if its central message seems a bit muddled at times.

3.5

[Thief]

Wonderful film-- a short, really. Evidently it was keaton's first independent film. Here's a clip of the famous wall falling on him scene, which he used in several films. No room for error here...:eek:
https://youtu.be/94oL_D7dp7g

It's a wonderful film indeed. However, that shot of the wall falling on him is not from One Week. I think it's from Steamboat Bill, Jr. (or Our Hospitality?) both which I haven't seen. Still, amazing stunts that the guy pulled.

[edarsenal]

https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/images/newsite/HappiestDays_01_600.jpg
https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/media/images/Anna/happiest-days-26144_2.jpg


The Happiest Days of your Life (1950) 3.5+++ School days, school days, mismatched, crazy, school days.

Without warning, a small All-Boys School run by Alastair Sims has been doubled in attendance by the arrival of an All-Girls School run by Margaret Rutherford. Everyone clashes and all are turned upside-down in this strict and prim setting. And, of course, they must somehow work together as supporters of both schools arrive on the same day to ensure things are as they should be when they are not.

A witty comedy that mixes dry, high-brow humor with outbursts of rambunctious behavior done with subtle charm by the distinct talents of the two leads and the entire cast.

[edarsenal]

http://emanuellevy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/a_Man_for_All_Seasons_5.jpg
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2009/11/18/1258549067500/Orson-Welles-and-Paul-Sco-001.jpg
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MlANWgyK2PY/hqdefault.jpg


A Man For All Seasons (1966) 4.5 Thomas More stands alone and is condemned for it by the ruling King Henry VIII.

Played with infinite dignity and grace by Paul Schofield, Thomas More, in good conscious, is incapable of playing along with the rest of the court. Henry VIII (played with the sizable roughness of Robert Shaw,) having divorced his first wife for Anne Boleyn by declaring himself as the Ruler of the Church of England.
No longer in the King's Graces, More, having been assigned High Chancellor after Wolsey's (Orson Welles) demise, is cast out and is legally pursued, imprisoned, sentenced, and executed.

The focus of this film is placed on Schofield's quite able shoulders as we witness the insistence of him bending to the King's Will by denying his Devotion to God and his tenacity to stand tall.
It is an impressive sight to see him as a quiet, earnest fellow with such conviction and inner strength.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Kings_of_the_road.jpg
By It is believed that the cover art can or could be obtained from the publisher or studio., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8862663

Kings of the Road - (1976)

I wrapped up Wim Wenders' Road Trilogy with Kings of the Road yesterday, a film with obvious parallels to Easy Rider but by no means exactly like it. As usual, it took me a while to get my head around the change of pace and style, with Wenders really being creative in making each of these three films very distinct from each other. The pace in Kings of the Road really eases up, with two characters joining each other by chance and driving along the West/East German border. One is a man who has just departed his marriage - attempting suicide by driving his car into a river - he's "adopted" by Bruno (Rüdiger Vogler) a travelling projection-equipment repair mechanic and both of them unknowingly learn quite a great deal about themselves. I initially thought this film's length and lack of script in it's conception was going to hurt it, but by the end there was tremendous depth to it's characters - their interaction with the landscape and German cinema at a low (but turning) point in it's history said a lot about the human condition in general - they were allowed to breath and reveal themselves so thoroughly I felt I knew them personally. There was an undercurrent of people struggling to communicate through all 3 of Wenders' Road Trilogy films, and in the final few miles along it a kind of resolution with these two men having learned. I look forward to going on this journey again.

8/10

[SpelingError]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Kings_of_the_road.jpg
By It is believed that the cover art can or could be obtained from the publisher or studio., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8862663

Kings of the Road - (1976)

I wrapped up Wim Wenders' Road Trilogy with Kings of the Road yesterday, a film with obvious parallels to Easy Rider but by no means exactly like it. As usual, it took me a while to get my head around the change of pace and style, with Wenders really being creative in making each of these three films very distinct from each other. The pace in Kings of the Road really eases up, with two characters joining each other by chance and driving along the West/East German border. One is a man who has just departed his marriage - attempting suicide by driving his car into a river - he's "adopted" by Bruno (Rüdiger Vogler) a travelling projection-equipment repair mechanic and both of them unknowingly learn quite a great deal about themselves. I initially thought this film's length and lack of script in it's conception was going to hurt it, but by the end there was tremendous depth to it's characters - their interaction with the landscape and German cinema at a low (but turning) point in it's history said a lot about the human condition in general - they were allowed to breath and reveal themselves so thoroughly I felt I knew them personally. There was an undercurrent of people struggling to communicate through all 3 of Wenders' Road Trilogy films, and in the final few miles along it a kind of resolution with these two men having learned. I look forward to going on this journey again.

8/10

I liked that one much more than I expected.

[Fabulous]

The Yards (2000)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/tcFHLS1AWBbMscI6KuI8X0ygloK.jpg

[pahaK]

Boys from County Hell (2020)
2.5
An Irish horror-comedy about the beer-loving road workers who raise the local blood-sucking legend from its grave. It's funny at times, and its take on the vampire is OK. It's not great, but I don't expect horror-comedies to be.

--
The Perfume of the Lady in Black (1974)
4
Kinda like Polanski but done in Giallo style. A slow-burn psychological horror that leaves the viewer doubting what's real and what's not. It looks gorgeous, it has an impeccable soundtrack and a lead performance that doesn't pale in comparison to the likes of Mia Farrow or Catherine Deneuve. Definitely a pleasant surprise.

[Yomi]

xXx: State of the Union (2005)
rating_2

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjY4ZGQ2OGItNGQ4NC00MWVmLTgxMzktYThjNmRlNjYzYjQ0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_FMjpg_UX300_.jp g

[LChimp]

https://br.web.img2.acsta.net/pictures/21/06/22/22/11/5426265.jpg

I did not know this was a musical. Loved the ending.

[Hey Fredrick]

https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/film-poster/8/3/3/9/3/83393-the-visitors-0-230-0-345-crop.jpg?k=c456493aba


A couple of Vietnam Veterans come to visit their former colleague who has settled down with his girlfriend and their kid on her fathers estate. As their time together in Vietnam slowly starts to start spill out the reason for the visit becomes clear. Has a sense of dread from almost the first frame of the film. Shooting on 16 mm adds to the overall icky vibe. Good movie though. rating_4

[ScarletLion]

'A Hero' (2021)
Dir.: Asghar Farhadi

https://i.imgur.com/Z3WUOJM.gif




Such a well directed tragedy steeped in farce from Asghar Farhadi. His films are always dry in tone but with a moral dilemma, and this is perhaps his most nerve wracking in terms of letting the audience figure out what the right choice is for the main protagonist - if there even is one. It's the story of a man who goes to jail for debt, who then goes to considerable lengths to repay it. However, the web of deceit and lies get bigger until the whole situation spirals out of control into a moral dilemma of epic proportions that go some way into commentating on the fallacies of Iranian law.

Farhadi gives little hints and tidbits about the plot rather than holding the viewer's hand and there is also one lovely bit of diagetic music in the background of a scene. These little nuances show that Farhadi goes the extra mile in his films. Another excellent Farhadi film and right up there with 'A Separation' as his best.

4.5

[ScarletLion]

'Ashes and Diamonds' (1958)
Directed by Andrej Wajda

https://i.imgur.com/kWp4YBW.gif

Incredible political thriller from 1958. Shows the cynicism of the people just as Poland begins it's rebirth on the day World War 2 ends. The film spans 24 hours or so in the lives of a young resistance fighter, and is masterfully shot and directed. Like a concoction of Fellini and Pawlikowski in terms of tone and cinematography. Brilliant film.

4.5

[GulfportDoc]

It's a wonderful film indeed. However, that shot of the wall falling on him is not from One Week. I think it's from Steamboat Bill, Jr. (or Our Hospitality?) both which I haven't seen. Still, amazing stunts that the guy pulled.
Oh yes, that's true. I couldn't find a clip of the one from One Week. He did the stunt in One Week, "Steamboat" and one other, which I can't remember. Unbelievable stunt.

[Marty McFly]

Avengers: Endgame

Not bad, but not great. Sure seems like did a lot of copying with that "time heist" plot. A time machine in a van? Everybody knows only DeLorean's can time travel.

[Deschain]

Tragedy of Macbeth. One helluva adaptation of this play. Particularly loved the way Joel Coen did the witches.

The Last Duel. This was great as well. Aside from Alien I’m not particularly in loved with any other Ridley Scott movie so this might be my second favorite of his.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Oh yes, that's true. I couldn't find a clip of the one from One Week. He did the stunt in One Week, "Steamboat" and one other, which I can't remember. Unbelievable stunt.
The stunt is in Steamboat Bill, Jr. Hollywood legend has it that he'd just gotten word that his studio was going under (SBJ is among the last 3 independent films he made before signing with MGM in a deal that would ruin his career) so just made them roll with the stunt, not taking other safety precautions.

The famous gags in One Week involves trying to get the house off train tracks and the house rotating. I personally think the 4th wall break involving the camera man hiding nudity should be there as well (both this gag and the falling house from SBJ were recreated for Arrested Development, to name few of the many explicit homages).

I don't believe Keaton ever did the gag again, outside of SBJ. Though he did rehash some gags in his MGM days, like the aforementioned train scene from OW.

[Wooley]

84688
Rifkin’s Festival (2020)

[FONT=Liberation Serif, serif]Rifkin’s Festival did not get a lot of love, but part of the reason surely was that the social justice crowd has evidently classified Woody Allen as persona non grata.

If it makes you feel any better, I am part of the "social justice crowd" and I have not classified Woody Allen as persona non grata - though if the worst, as yet unproven allegations against him are true I can't imagine why one would have to be part of any particular crowd to classify him thusly.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOGRjZTJiMjYtNjkyZS00NTgwLWI3ODAtMDRlODdkMjQ2YjY3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjE5MjUyOTM@._V1_.jpg



3

[mark f]

Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeywoman (Daniel Farrands, 2021) 2 5/10
Annie Get Your Gun (George Sidney, 1950) 3 6.5/10
Over-Exposed (Lewis Seiler, 1956) 2+ 5/10
Annabelle: Creation (David F. Sandberg, 2017) 2.5 6/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/ad2fe0ad7f390f208ea6bb17d4bb4948/8f30b3721549d3ad-73/s540x810/3c79170f2d9c749da9fbcb453b1ddfcfca0c19b0.gifv
Miranda Otto, whose daughter died 12 years earlier, performs an exorcism (or is it a reverse exorcism?) she hopes will bring her daughter back.
Torn Curtain (Alfred Hitchcock, 1966) 2.5 6/10
Satan's Bed (Michael Findlay, Marshall Smith & Tamijian, 1965) 1.5 4/10
Topaz (Alfred Hitchcock, 1969) 2.5 5.5/10
The Catered Affair (Richard Brooks, 1956) 3.5 7+/10
https://prod-images.tcm.com/v5cache/TCM/Images/Dynamic/i430/cateredaffair_youronelivingdaughter_FC_470x264_012520170114.jpg
Lonely, frustrated housewife Bette Davis decides to give her daughter (Debbie Reynolds) a big wedding to make up for the fact she feels that she and cab driver husband Ernest Borgnine didn't provide well enough for her growing up.
Body at Brighton Rock (Roxanne Benjamin, 2019) 2+ 5/10
Munich: The Edge of War (Christian Schwochow, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
Get to Know Your Rabbit (Brian De Palma, 1972) 2+ 5/10
Wild Man Blues (Barbara Kopple, 1997) 3 6.5/10
https://images.mubicdn.net/images/film/24021/cache-39276-1546453149/image-w1280.jpg?size=x350
Woody Allen and his New Orleans jazz band tour Europe where he enjoys ths clarinet playing and complains amusingly about everything else to his traveling companion, Soon-Yi Previn.
Go Naked in the World (Ranald MacDougall, 1961) 2 5/10
Ailey (Jamila Wignot, 2021) 3 6.5/10
Dog Days (Ken Marino, 2018) 2.5 6/10
There Will Be No More Night (Éléonore Weber, 2020) 3+ 6.5/10
https://docuspace.org/thumbs/800x450/storage/docudays_ua_2021/docu-world/there_will_be_no_more_night.jpg
Eerily-compelling, thought-provoking view of modern warfare in the Middle East seen through the camera lens of helicopter gunners who sometimes make mistakes.
Transgression (Herbert Brenon, 1931) 2+ 5/10
The Legend of Lylah Clare (Robert Aldrich, 1968) 2.5 5.5/10
Downhill AKA When Boys Leave Home (Alfred Hitchcock, 1927) 2+ 5/10
A Band A Brotherhood A Barn (DHLoveLife [Daryl Hannah], 2021) 3+ 6.5/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbmkek5j6Vs
Neil Young & Crazy Horse rehearse for their new album in a remote barn. Artistic. funny and beautiful. Entire documentary above.

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://www.themoviescene.co.uk/reviews/_img/9053-2.jpg

https://dvdlady.com/image/2019/08/the-mob-1951-starring-broderick-crawford-on-dvd-1.jpg


The Mob - This 1951 noir stars Broderick Crawford as police detective Johnny D'Amico. When the film opens D'Amico has been suspended for letting a killer slip through his fingers. The murder victim was scheduled to testify before a grand jury investigating corruption on the NYC waterfront. The gunman also killed the detective in charge of that investigation and used the dead officer's badge to dupe D'Amico. But the suspension's a subterfuge of sorts. The Police Commissioner and the District Attorney offer Johnny a deal. He is to go undercover as a longshoreman to find out what he can about the man in charge of the organized crime ring controlling the docks.

Crawford is a natural at playing a wisecracking tough guy and the supporting cast includes Ernest Borgnine as malevolent linchpin Joe Castro and Neville Brand as Gunner, his lieutenant and enforcer. Richard Kiley also costars as Johnny's coworker Tom Clancy, who may or may not be up to his neck in the dirty dealings. Director Robert Parrish handles the seedy environs and the rough characters with aplomb but it's the script by William Bowers that stands out. The quips and the gallows humor flow like the booze that the majority of the characters continuously toss back. Crawford isn't exactly a leading man type but he's in his element playing the intrepid and unwavering D'Amico. Pretty good crime noir.

80/100

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/eOl4tYzXTR225uNRRZtynNqE721.jpg


https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/h/994/701/1349701994.0.x.jpg

Intruder in the Dust - I wasn't really familiar with this 1949 drama but having seen it I think it deserves a spot right alongside classics like To Kill a Mockingbird. Equal parts murder mystery and social commentary it's directed by Clarence Brown from the 1948 William Faulkner novel. Claude Jarman Jr. stars as teenager Chick Mallison. He is acquainted with Lucas Beauchamp, a principled black farmer who has been accused of shooting Vinson Gowrie, a white man, in the back. Beauchamp had once helped Chick and his black friend Aleck (Elzie Emanuel) after Chick fell through some ice while hunting rabbits on Beauchamp's property. When Sheriff Hampton (Will Geer) brings Lucas in he singles out Chick in the crowd that has gathered and asks him to contact Chick's uncle, attorney John Gavin Stevens (David Brian). After being convinced by Chick, Stevens agrees to talk with Beauchamp who tells him that it couldn't have been his pistol that shot Gowrie. He wants Stevens to check the body and compare the round that he believes came from a rifle. But he won't say who he believes the shooter to be.

This is where the murder mystery comes into play. This movie is peopled with some of the most interesting and honorable characters alongside some of the usual racist characters. But no one is up on a soapbox. There is no pontificating or histrionics. The "N" word is dropped several times but, just like the nobler characters and whatever their respective motivations, it's not really dwelt on. And that just adds to the power and overall impact of the narrative.

The secret weapon would have to be Miss Eunice Habersham (Elizabeth Patterson), the octogenarian who somehow takes it upon herself to right a wrong that someone like lawyer Stevens is reluctant to do. There's a powerful scene that mirrors a sequence from the aforementioned To Kill a Mockingbird so that by the end of the film the viewer will find themselves in awe of the indomitable Miss Habersham. There are other quietly decent and unassuming portrayals such as the Sheriff and even folks who you would assume to be one note characters are ultimately shown to be simply human. Such is the power of good writing. Kudos to Faulkner.

90/100

[GulfportDoc]

The stunt is in Steamboat Bill, Jr. Hollywood legend has it that he'd just gotten word that his studio was going under (SBJ is among the last 3 independent films he made before signing with MGM in a deal that would ruin his career) so just made them roll with the stunt, not taking other safety precautions.

The famous gags in One Week involves trying to get the house off train tracks and the house rotating. I personally think the 4th wall break involving the camera man hiding nudity should be there as well (both this gag and the falling house from SBJ were recreated for Arrested Development, to name few of the many explicit homages).

I don't believe Keaton ever did the gag again, outside of SBJ. Though he did rehash some gags in his MGM days, like the aforementioned train scene from OW.
Actually the falling wall gag was first used in a Keaton/Arbuckle 2-reeler, Backstage (1919). Then in One Week (1920), followed by Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928).

[ThatDarnMKS]

Actually the falling wall gag was first used in a Keaton/Arbuckle 2-reeler, Backstage (1919). Then in One Week (1920), followed by Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928).
Ya know what, you're right. I'd completely deleted the gag from One Week in my mind but it is there, albeit in a far less dangerous interpretation of the stunt.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.popzara.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F01%2Fnomadland2021_feature.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Nomadland, 2020

After the death of her husband and the loss of her job, Fern (Frances McDormand) ends up going on the road, living out of her van and moving from place to place for work as the seasons change. She makes friendships along the way, but a burgeoning romance with Dave (David Strathairn) forces her to question when and if she might settle down again.

This movie really grew on me as I was watching, and I went from thinking it was okay to thinking it was really good to thinking "wow" and rewatching the last 10 minutes again.

At first, the film seems like it's a straight ahead character study mixed with a condemnation of the kind of low-level "corporate" gruntwork where so many people can find themselves trapped. We see Fern work seasonally in an Amazon warehouse, then help manage a campsite, and finally scrape plates and tear lettuce in a restaurant.

But as the film progresses, it becomes clear that Fern's nomadic lifestyle isn't some tragic failing of the American dream. In fact, it's a part of her personality and part of the way that she copes with the grief she feels about her husband's passing.

The longer I watched Fern, the more I felt I both understood and felt for her. While she desires connection and friendship and love, she also needs a sense of freedom and impermanence. A permanent life would draw into stark contrast the permanence of the loss of her loved one. Her family sees her need to keep moving as a rejection or abandonment. But as we see illuminated in a conversation late in the film, always being on the move gives a much needed sense of hope that she might, somehow, be moving toward the thing she misses most.

I thought that the film did a good job of portraying both the positives and the downsides to Fern's life. There is a strong sense of community among her fellow nomads. But at the same time it is a precarious lifestyle, and a flat tire or a busted engine can be devastating. In one of my favorite sequences, Fern wanders off on a tour of a beautiful rocky desert. At first exhilarated, she suddenly realizes she's lost her bearings. When Dave's voice gives her a sense of direction, she smiles. This is her life: roaming free, but needing that orienting voice from time to time.

I thought that McDormand was pretty fantastic here, and her sequences with a large number of non-professional actors really shows an ability to be solid in her craft while maintaining an ease with the other person. I also thought that the film was beautifully shot, making the open road look at once welcoming and a bit menacing.

4.5

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.rogerebert.com%2Fuploads%2Freview%2Fprimary_image%2Freviews%2Fcrazy-heart-2009%2FEB20091223REVIEWS912239989AR.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Crazy Heart, 2009

"Bad" Blake (Jeff Bridges) is an aging country singer whose star has waned but not quite extinguished. Making a circuit that includes stints at a bowling alley, Bad is a not-so-functional alcoholic who gets a bit of a jolt when he falls for a journalist named Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Bad must also deal with his feelings around the popularity of his former protegee, a musician named Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell) who remains loyal to his mentor, but doesn't quite have the pull to bring him along for the ride.

I really wanted to see this movie when it first came out and somehow . . . it's been over a decade! Anyway, it more than lives up to the hype around it at the time, especially in the form of the heartfelt, lived-in performance from Bridges. I don't quite know what it is about Bridges that his characters always seem so credible (I feel the same way about Frances McDormand, so it's funny to watch this film right after Nomadland). Bad feels through and through like a real person, and it makes watching his less admirable moments far more bearable.

By extension, the May-December romance between Bad and Jean, a woman almost 30 years his junior, also feels credible. Oh, it's clear from the beginning that it's headed nowhere good. And not just because of the age gap between them, but because despite the love he feels for Jean and her young son, Bad cannot find it in himself to change his ways. A near-disastrous car accident doesn't move the needle, and as you watch a tipsy Bad supervising a child on a play structure, you can just feel that there's some tragedy looming. It's the kind of dynamic where you get it even if at the same time it's so obviously a bad idea.

The Achilles heel of a lot of movies about artists is the art itself. Bridges and Farrell acquit themselves quite well in their singing, and the songs themselves are believable as the kind of music that would earn someone faithful fans. Going back again to that word, credible, the way that the film shows Bad's gift as a songwriter feels real. In conversation--and especially in flirting--we see how he can turn a phrase. And then that phrase becomes a refrain or a verse. It makes the whole thing feel natural and believable.

I did at times struggle with the character of Jean. Bad is an alcoholic, and so his horrible choices are made under the influence. Jean is also under the influence, but of an emotion, not a substance. And so despite Bad being the more reckless and careless of the two, I found myself annoyed with her and specifically the way that her decisions impacted her kid. Gyllenhaal does a good job of making you believe just how this woman has fallen under Bad's spell, and how much she wants it to be real and good. But in the moments where her child's welfare is at stake, I just shook my head.

Good stuff well acted.

4

[Fabulous]

Vera Drake (2004)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/mk2QjEa8qh7DsoIrtelJdvK8Uuq.jpg

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://i.redd.it/mc49vcy5r6m71.gif

https://media.vanityfair.com/photos/613cbff03e5b68452a5c4ced/4:3/w_532,h_399,c_limit/Matrix%20LEAD.gif

The Matrix Resurrections - First of all I appreciate the meta spin that the writers (Lana Wachowski, David Mitchell, Aleksandar Hemon) put on this even though, all things considered, this still falls under the "Why was this made?" umbrella. I don't think it adds anything to the Matrix canon. It's too long and at times so needlessly convoluted that I couldn't help but tune out. And since I was never completely invested in the proceedings I felt no great compunction about going back and rewatching the parts I had zoned out on. In the end it didn't really matter. It is a good looking film though but largely soulless. This was a misfire.

p.s. Where the hell was Laurence Fishburne?

60/100

[LChimp]

https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/fs/930a34116438287.60621aa611f3f.jpg

Poster says it all. The conspiracy IS real.

[Wooley]

https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/fs/930a34116438287.60621aa611f3f.jpg

Poster says it all. The conspiracy IS real.

TLJ is doing these now too?

[Torgo]

TLJ in that poster is like, "can I get paid now?"

[GulfportDoc]

Ya know what, you're right. I'd completely deleted the gag from One Week in my mind but it is there, albeit in a far less dangerous interpretation of the stunt.
Yeah, the one in Steamboat Bill, Jr. was insane. It took pinpoint precision and probably booze along with a death wish to do that one!

[LChimp]

TLJ is doing these now too?
Gotta pay that rent

[pahaK]

Madhouse (1981)
aka There Was a Little Girl
2.5
A slasher that's kinda aptly named as its story makes little sense. It has its moments, some silly and some not. A nice atmosphere during the first hour. One of the tamest video nasties I've seen this far.

[Wooley]

TLJ in that poster is like, "can I get paid now?"

"I've been here for the three hours we agreed upon."

[Rhys]

LOCKE (2013) Dir. Steven Knight
REWATCH

https://i0.wp.com/i.pinimg.com/originals/fe/c2/d1/fec2d1e4a71df8a03d89ec50968d21fb.jpg?resize=525%2C295&ssl=1

4

[Stirchley]

84785

No matter what anyone says, you must have some kind of interest in Ingmar Bergman to watch this movie. The two female leads are very good. Tim Roth looks like he’d rather be someplace else - miscast. Not bad, but not sure I understood the entire plot.

[John Dumbear]

"Jackie Brown"

First rewatch in a few years. By far, still Tarantino's best.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Madhouse (1981)
aka There Was a Little Girl
2.5
A slasher that's kinda aptly named as its story makes little sense. It has its moments, some silly and some not. A nice atmosphere during the first hour. One of the tamest video nasties I've seen this far.
I liked this film quite a bit more than its reputation and consider it among the better non-Italian giallo underdogs (alongside Happy Birthday To Me and the Killer Is One of 13). It's certainly the best from Assonitis that I've seen, even though I do much enjoy Tentacles and Beyond the Door.

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/fs/930a34116438287.60621aa611f3f.jpg

Poster says it all. The conspiracy IS real.I actually watched this and am frankly shocked anyone else has. My choice was one of those, "Four people and I got outvoted" ones. Otherwise there was nothing tempting about the cast, plot etc. Eckhart is game and fills the screen with tics and squints and mumbling and emoting. But you're right about Jones. He turns in a Bruce Willis special.

[LChimp]

I actually watched this and am frankly shocked anyone else has. My choice was one of those, "Four people and I got outvoted" ones. Otherwise there was nothing tempting about the cast, plot etc. Eckhart is game and fills the screen with tics and squints and mumbling and emoting. But you're right about Jones. He turns in a Bruce Willis special.
I watched based purely on the leading cast, nothing more. And I agree 100% with what you said.

[Gideon58]

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


4

[Stirchley]

84795

Rather good movie. Original storyline. Jodie Foster gave 200%. Peter Sarsgaard also very good.

[ThatDarnMKS]

84795

Rather good movie. Original storyline. Jodie Foster gave 200%. Peter Sarsgaard also very good.
You should check out The Lady Vanishes, which is a clear inspiration. Everyone rips off Hitchcock at some point

[Takoma11]

84795

Rather good movie. Original storyline. Jodie Foster gave 200%. Peter Sarsgaard also very good.

You should check out The Lady Vanishes, which is a clear inspiration. Everyone rips off Hitchcock at some point

It's kind of like The Lady Vanishes meets Bunny Lake is Missing (which I would also recommend).

[CringeFest]

The Guilty (2021)


4.5


What a strange movie, very well done with intense acting and great ending music...I felt there was a lot missing but still...

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.kino.de%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F08%2Fcomputer-chess-2013-film-rcm1200x627u.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Computer Chess, 2013

A group of eccentric computer programmers meet for an annual tournament in which their chess-playing programs go head-to-head to see whose program will dominate. Along the way there are discussions about artificial intelligence, bizarre encounters with a spiritual group staying in the same hotel, and unsettling interactions with one program that seems to have ideas of its own.

I grappled mightily with this film, which had a lot of elements that I liked but also some challenging aspects that made it a hard watch for me at times.

On the positive side, the look of the film---black and white and with a "video" look---effectively evokes the early mass computing era that it is trying to portray. I would also say that the actors do a good job of portraying characters with recognizable "nerd mannerisms" that manage to feel like real people as opposed to caricatures.

The film parcels out its more dramatic moments. One of them actually made me gasp a bit, and I wish that there was more directly disturbing/unsettling stuff in the movie. If you've seen the film, I'm talking about the part where the programmer is interacting with the program, asks it "Who are you?" and in reply the program flashes an image of a sonogram with a audible heartbeat before going dark.

Overall the comedy was a bit hit-or-miss for me. The quirky spiritualists clashing with the nerds wasn't a dynamic that I loved. And the part where a swinging couple tries to recruit a young programmer for a threesome just made me cringe a bit.

I also wish that the cast had been a little smaller. The characters are, with very few exceptions, white men in a similar age range with a similar style of dress, haircuts, glasses, and even similar mannerisms. With few exceptions, there were not many strong personalities, and so keeping track of who was who proved tricky at times. There is a funny running bit about the only woman programmer at the conference, a shy young person who only seems to get more flustered as she is repeatedly put on the spot about her attendance.

This is a film that I watchlisted when it originally came out. It is definitely a different movie experience, but one that I didn't love as much as I hoped I would.

3.5

[Gideon58]

https://sothebys-md.brightspotcdn.com/8f/b8/a9178dde40a6b6f84353984e1a02/l19900-b4bgt-02.jpg


4

[CringeFest]

An Imperfect Murder (2017)


4.5


Woah...uhhh...ok.