Rate The Last Movie You Saw [Archive] - Page 291

WHITBISSELL!

07-15-22, 07:09 PM

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Columbus - Finally got a chance to watch this. Being a fan of John Cho's work in the Harold and Kumar and Star Trek franchises I'd been set on seeing this since it first came out. But then after catching After Yang it only made me want to watch it more.

Cho plays Jin Lee, the son of Jae Yong Lee, a celebrated professor of architecture visiting Columbus, Indiana to lecture on it's abundance of postmodernist buildings. While there with his longtime assistant Eleanor (Parker Posey) the professor falls ill and into a coma. Jin flies in even though he and his father are estranged. He eventually makes the acquaintance of Casey (Haley Lu Richardson), a young woman with aspirations of becoming an architect herself. She refuses to leave her hometown however, fearing that her recovering addict mother will relapse.

This is a slow moving and meditative film. Not a lot happens but it's charm lies in the slow unfolding of a friendship between two seemingly disparate characters. Two people who happen to meet at a point in their lives that provides each with a unique perspective into each other's circumstances.

Director Kogonada has only done the two films but they're both such beautifully and painstakingly wrought creations that I'm really looking forward to his future projects.

85/100

Little Ash

07-15-22, 07:16 PM

WHITBISSELL!

07-15-22, 07:48 PM

I think it's unfortunately on apple tv+ (ie the service no one has), but he's directing episodes of Pachinko on there. I don't know anything about the series other than Kogonada is directing a episodes of it.

I'm still kicking myself for not catching up with Columbus when I had the chance when it was on the Criterion Channel, and that was even after hearing it was really good for a couple of years.I was going to mention Pachinko but the one review I read complained about the subpar subtitles. I hope he does more movies.

SpelingError

07-15-22, 07:59 PM

How Green is My Valley is a puddle of piss next to Kane.

But, with two or three exceptions, I also think that maybe Ford isn't for me.

Aw, really? I like How Green Was My Valley quite a bit. It's definitely one of my favorite Fords. It's not as great as Citizen Kane, but that's an unfair comparison for most films, tbh.

ThatDarnMKS

07-15-22, 08:16 PM

How Green is My Valley is a puddle of piss next to Kane.

But, with two or three exceptions, I also think that maybe Ford isn't for me.
What are the exceptions?

ThatDarnMKS

07-15-22, 08:20 PM

Takoma11

07-15-22, 08:46 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic1.srcdn.com%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F10%2FNews-Of-The-World-Teaser-Trailer-header.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

News of the World, 2020

Captain Kidd (Tom Hanks) retired after serving in the Civil War and now makes a living traveling from town to town and reading news from around the country and the world. Kidd ends up reluctantly tasked with returning a girl named Johanna (Helena Zengel)--the child of German immigrants who was captured by Kiowa Indians when she was very young--to her surviving extended family. But political tensions and stretches of wild landscape make their journey a dangerous one.

Right off the bat this film was at a bit of a disadvantage with me because I'm one of those people who can say I read and loved the book. Obviously adapting a book faithfully or making major changes can both be valid strategies. And I acknowledge that judging a movie against a book is not necessarily fair. But I couldn't really separate the two, and it definitely left me feeling like there was a missed chance here.

On the positive side, Hanks is a warm and engaging presence. You can really believe that a frightened kid would come to trust him and quickly grow fond of him. Zengel is also really good as Johanna, a young woman who has witnessed more violence in her first ten years of life than anyone should every have to see. The best moments in the movie come when it slows down and lets the two characters play off of each other. Sometimes those moments are comedic, as when Johanna decides to sample all of Kidd's food rations and discovers his tin of sugar much to her delight. Other times they are more serious. In one of the best moments in the whole film, a conversation about language (Johanna speaks in Kiowa, Kidd only speaks English) takes a sudden turn when Johanna blurts out a phrase in German. Her face suddenly goes blank. It takes Kidd a full beat to realize that the language has brought with it memories of her family and their fate. Kidd can do nothing for her but keep the wagon moving.

I also liked the way that Johanna's cultural otherness is shown. Too often, the trope is to show a person from a tribe as being uncivilized, and we the audience and the characters in the film get to goggle at their bad and strange manners. But here we get a much more respectful portrayal of cultural difference. It's Johanna singing songs in the Kiowa language, or her style of caring for the horses. My favorite of these touches was simply the way that Johanna points at things. Not palm down with her index finger, but palm up and using her pinky finger to gesture. It is a way of showing difference without judgement and I really liked it.

The film does also manage to capture the wild lawlessness of the different locations they must traverse in order to get to their destination. There are stretches of lonely road between the different towns, and some of those towns are full of people who are still angry and embittered about the events of the Civil War.

There's also something really interesting in the way that Kidd's job works. He acts as a curator of information, deciding which stories to highlight and how to present them to the crowd. While I think that this dynamic is illustrated with a bit more subtlety in the book, there's no denying the pointed commentary of a man who rules over a small town who decides to print his own newspaper glorifying himself. The sequence where Kidd navigates dealing with this man is interesting and tense, even if it lacks nuance.

I understand why certain changes were made from the book, but I feel that it ultimately makes for a less potent narrative. In the book, Kidd is elderly, I believe in his 70s. While the word "passive" isn't at all right, he is a man who picks his battles very carefully and works hard to avoid conflict. As he and Johanna travel on their journey, they are witnessing a nation in the throes of trauma and rapid change, something that echoes Johanna's own identity crisis. The film tries to make the main characters a lot more active, and while I understand this impulse, it makes the story feel very episodic. In the face of the gentle power of the scenes between just Hanks and Zengel, the sequences where they interact with others feel kind of cluttered and busy.

I'm sure that a more faithful adaptation of the book would have been criticized for its simplicity, but it's frustrating to see how many changes were made to make it more "exciting". Too often those changes un-center the delicate development of the relationship between the two main characters. It also makes certain plot points seem incredibly improbable. Kidd is obviously a very smart man, but are we really to expect that he would pick up such grammatically correct and complex Kiowa just from his time with Johanna? Similarly, the characters are repeatedly shown surprising kindness in locations and situations where such actions seem unlikely.

Not bad. Honestly, I suspect I'd have liked it a bit more (not a lot more) if I didn't have such fond feelings for the source material.

3.5

crumbsroom

07-15-22, 09:12 PM

What are the exceptions?

Three Bad Men, Stagecoach, The Informer, The Searchers

crumbsroom

07-15-22, 09:13 PM

Aw, really? I like How Green Was My Valley quite a bit. It's definitely one of my favorite Fords. It's not as great as Citizen Kane, but that's an unfair comparison for most films, tbh.

It's something I need to revisit, because I remember the time I watched it, it was only because it was literally the only movie I hadn't seen out of a pile of free DVDs my friend gave me. I might not have been in the mood.

Guaporense

07-15-22, 09:15 PM

Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/pt/8/83/Majo_no_Takky%C5%ABbin.jpg

I decided to pause my restriction to only watch Spanish-language movies, and so I decided to watch something GOOD.

So what could be better than re-watching some classic Miyazaki? It has been almost a decade since the last time I re-watched Kiki, and I think this is like the 5th or 6th time I watched it; it is without a doubt one of the most well-executed films (animated or not) ever made. It also is perhaps Miyazaki's most Miyazaki film featuring all his typical subjects except his (obnoxious) environmentalism, this was the 5th film he made, and it represents Miyazaki at the peak of his creative powers. Despite the fact the film contains no attempt at heavy drama at all the emotions portrayed in this film feel so genuine that I even cried a little bit when it ended.

The fact he produced this timeless piece only a year after his other masterpiece (Totoro) is an amazing testament to the artistic powers of Miyazaki himself, as he is the one who almost single-handedly made animation into a fully developed art form. Miyazaki is, without a doubt, one of the greatest artists in human history.

SpelingError

07-15-22, 09:33 PM

It's fair when the Academy voted for it as the superior film.

I guess. From what I've seen though, Citizen Kane is pretty much always ranked higher than How Green Was My Valley on GOAT lists and is generally considered to be the better of the two films (it's also often considered by some to be the single best movie of all time). I don't think the same applies to Ford's film, and I wouldn't say the two films are rivals in the 'they're held in roughly the same level of regard' sense.

Thief

07-15-22, 10:29 PM

NU
(2003, Staho)

https://i.imgur.com/lKThM8T.png

"What we do *now* echoes in eternity" --Marcus Aurelius

Tough to pick a quote when a short film is entirely silent. Still, that quote from Roman emperor came to mind as I was thinking about this. I doubt it is what director and co-writer Simon Staho had in mind when writing and filming it, or choosing a title, but it is what kept coming back to me. The choices we make *now* will undoubtedly have repercussions, one way or the other, in our future and other people's future.

Now follows a man, Jakob (Mads Mikkelsen), making one of those choices when he marries Lisa (Elin Klinga). The thing is that Jakob eventually develops affections for someone else, Adam (Mikael Persbrandt), which maybe means that Jakob's choice was made for "now"; perhaps to please those around him, but not realizing that what he did *now* will echo into eternity.

There are some striking visuals and some powerful elements in this short film. However, the cold and distant direction doesn't really leave much space for a connection. Mikkelsen is great, which is a lot for a role that has no dialogue and demands a mostly stoic and emotionless performance. I just wish there could've been more for me to latch on to and give more weight to the powerful elements.

Grade: 3.5

PHOENIX74

07-15-22, 10:45 PM

https://i.postimg.cc/J019Cfhs/My-Darling-Clementine-1946-poster.jpg
Copyright 1946 Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86583328

My Darling Clementine - (1946)

I was reading an old interview last night, the subject of which was great cinematographer Joseph Ruttenberg. I only mention this because at one stage he explained that in the old studio system, the aim was not to call attention to cinematography as an artform. So few films had any really great bravura shots. John Ford though - in his movies you see compositions and shots and are always thinking to yourself, "Hey, that's nice." My Darling Clementine is so easy to watch because of how it looks, and because of four memorable performances from Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell, Victor Mature and Cathy Downs. If you know anything at all about the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, you'll know what to expect - but Ford had an advantage here, for the real Wyatt Earp spent his last years carousing with a lot of John Ford's players, and would often recite what went down to Ford himself - drunk of course. So this is a kind of version that emanates directly from a boastful (and probably self-congratulatory) Wyatt Earp. It was great to watch. I kind of choked on my corn flakes when Earp yells out, "Okay, who gave this Indian liquor??" though.

7.5/10

ThatDarnMKS

07-15-22, 11:00 PM

Three Bad Men, Stagecoach, The Informer, The Searchers
Have you seen:

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Sergeant Rutledge
My Darling Clementine
Grapes of Wrath
Fort Apache

Thief

07-16-22, 12:29 AM

NIGHT AND FOG
(1956, Resnais)

https://i.imgur.com/g1bzAHu.png

"Death makes its first choice. The second one is made on arrival in night and fog."

Night and Fog is a documentary that chronicles many of the events that happened at Nazi concentration camps during The Holocaust. Starting with the rise of Nazi ideology, the documentary offers details of how Jewish people were transported and led into camps, how they carried on their daily lives while imprisoned, and how they were treated, tortured, tested on, and eventually executed.

It is hard to write about this documentary from a filmmaking standpoint and not detour into the events it portrays. Resnais intercalates "modern" footage of the ruins of camps like Auschwitz and Majdanek, with stock footage taken during the Holocaust. The narration by Michel Bouquet offers a somber and melancholic account of the events. It is indeed a neatly constructed documentary.

Grade: 4.5

Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2317154#post2317154) and the 5th Short Film HoF thread (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2317155#post2317155).

SpelingError

07-16-22, 12:41 AM

Grapes of Wrath

That's probably my #1 film from him.

ThatDarnMKS

07-16-22, 12:48 AM

That's probably my #1 film from him.
I'm partial to the Searchers but love both.

I think his biggest Blindspot for me is The Quiet Man. Hoping to see that relatively soon.

SpelingError

07-16-22, 12:51 AM

I'm partial to the Searchers but love both.

I think his biggest Blindspot for me is The Quiet Man. Hoping to see that relatively soon.

I like The Searchers a lot, but a couple medium to minor sized issues prevent me from loving it. It looks incredible though.

The Quiet Man is quite good. Or should I say, quiet good. Sorry for the bad pun.

Wyldesyde19

07-16-22, 12:53 AM

Grapes of Wrath is absolutely amazing. I actually have The Man Who Shor Liberty Valance as my second favorite , with The Searchers next,

ThatDarnMKS

07-16-22, 12:54 AM

I like The Searchers a lot, but a couple medium to minor sized issues prevent me from loving it. It looks incredible though.

The Quiet Man is quite good. Or should I say, quiet good. Sorry for the bad pun.
The only thing you have to apologize for is not loving the Searchers as much as I say you should. All puns are both perfect and terrible, which is what makes them the best form of wordplay.

crumbsroom

07-16-22, 12:54 AM

Have you seen:

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Sergeant Rutledge
My Darling Clementine
Grapes of Wrath
Fort Apache

I always forget he did Valance, which I love. Grapes of Wrath is good but I don't go ape over it. Never can remember if I've seen Clementine, but I think not, as I believe my copy of it has never worked properly. Definitely never seen the other two

SpelingError

07-16-22, 12:58 AM

The only thing you have to apologize for is not loving the Searchers as much as I say you should. All puns are both perfect and terrible, which is what makes them the best form of wordplay.

Sure, I'll apologize for that.

*crosses fingers behind back*

StuSmallz

07-16-22, 01:08 AM

I like The Searchers a lot, but a couple medium to minor sized issues prevent me from loving it. It looks incredible though.Yeah, ditto; good movie on the whole, but it can only be so good when literally the entire movie is setting itself up for a confrontation that it ends up completely wussing out from.

Thief

07-16-22, 01:18 AM

I always forget he did Valance, which I love. Grapes of Wrath is good but I don't go ape over it. Never can remember if I've seen Clementine, but I think not, as I believe my copy of it has never worked properly. Definitely never seen the other two

I've only seen four films from Ford, but I will vouch for Sergeant Rutledge as well. Saw it on MKS recommendation and really enjoyed it.

crumbsroom

07-16-22, 01:24 AM

I've only seen four films from Ford, but I will vouch for Sergeant Rutledge as well. Saw it on MKS recommendation and really enjoyed it.

That's one I'm not even familiar with.

Rockatansky

07-16-22, 01:29 AM

ThatDarnMKS

07-16-22, 01:49 AM

I always forget he did Valance, which I love. Grapes of Wrath is good but I don't go ape over it. Never can remember if I've seen Clementine, but I think not, as I believe my copy of it has never worked properly. Definitely never seen the other two
Gotta trackdown MDC (great transfer from Criterion. Gorgeous flick).

SR is part western part courtroom drama and one of the few starring roles for Woody Strode. Follows a Buffalo Soldier accused of rape. Came out durinf the Civil rights movement and seems to be Ford reconciling his mythogical west with the racial history of the country.

FA is my favorite of his cavalry flicks and features an incredible Henry Fonda performance as a supremely detestable military officer.

ThatDarnMKS

07-16-22, 01:52 AM

Yeah, ditto; good movie on the whole, but it can only be so good when literally the entire movie is setting itself up for a confrontation that it ends up completely wussing out from.
It's called an anticlimax and it's used expertly within the context of the genre and expectations of Ford's filmography, not unlike how the Coens/McCarthy used in No Country For Old Men.

It's ultimately a response to Ford's own western romps and subverts it with a highly critical character piece that thoroughly examines Wayne's Ethan and his place, or lack thereof, in a modernizing society.

ThatDarnMKS

07-16-22, 01:54 AM

If we're showing some love to Ford, I'm pretty partial to 3 Godfathers myself, which I don't think has that much of reputation.

If we're looking to kill any interest in Ford, Tobacco Road is outrageously bad, and features one of the most abrasive performances I've seen in a movie.
3G is definitely a groovy flick, as is it's animated quasi-remake, Tokyo Godfathers. However, I limited myself to 5 favorites, otherwise I'd have dropped a whole mess load of ones I dig overall.

Haven't seen TR though. Now I feel like I need to seek it out.

Rockatansky

07-16-22, 01:55 AM

SR is part western part courtroom drama and one of the few starring roles for Woody Strode. Follows a Buffalo Soldier accused of rape. Came out durinf the Civil rights movement and seems to be Ford reconciling his mythogical west with the racial history of the country.
I still need to see SR, but based on your post, two of his Will Rogers movies, Judge Priest and Steamboat Round the Bend, might be of interest to you. There's some pretty dicey stuff, but you also get the sense that Ford is trying to evolve his views on race through the movies, so that roughness becomes additionally fascinating in the context of his career.

Rockatansky

07-16-22, 01:57 AM

3G is definitely a groovy flick, as is it's animated quasi-remake, Tokyo Godfathers. However, I limited myself to 5 favorites, otherwise I'd have dropped a whole mess load of ones I dig overall.

Haven't seen TR though. Now I feel like I need to seek it out.
It's aggressively unpleasant. An hour and a half of characters doing proto-hick-comedy shtick and shouting at the top of their lungs. A movie set during the Depression should not have you rooting for the characters to die violently or at least suffer further financial ruin, but this movie managed to do that.

I was trying to get Crumbsroom to watch it earlier, in case you were wondering.

ThatDarnMKS

07-16-22, 02:00 AM

It's aggressively unpleasant. An hour and a half of characters doing proto-hick-comedy shtick and shouting at the top of their lungs. A movie set during the Depression should not have you rooting for the characters to die violently or at least suffer further financial ruin, but this movie managed to do that.

I was trying to get Crumbsroom to watch it earlier, in case you were wondering.
Ford's penchant for Irish stereotype comedy has never been the strong point of anything I've seen from him so I'm not surprised his comedy chops leave someone feeling miserable.

But I'll have to keep an eye out for it nonetheless.

Rockatansky

07-16-22, 02:12 AM

Ford's penchant for Irish stereotype comedy has never been the strong point of anything I've seen from him so I'm not surprised his comedy chops leave someone feeling miserable.

But I'll have to keep an eye out for it nonetheless.
What if I told you that if The Grapes of Wrath was John McTiernan's Predator, Tobacco Road would be Shane Black's The Predator? That's the best comparison I can think of.

ThatDarnMKS

07-16-22, 02:47 AM

What if I told you that if The Grapes of Wrath was John McTiernan's Predator, Tobacco Road would be Shane Black's The Predator? That's the best comparison I can think of.
Reading that hurt my soul in a way that guarantees I will watch Tobacco Road.

WrinkledMind

07-16-22, 03:54 AM

Just finished watching The Black Phone.
Neat concept and story. I think the star of the show were the two kids, especially the girl.

mark f

07-16-22, 04:36 AM

The Great Gatsby (Jack Clayton, 1974) 2.5 6/10
Stars in My Crown (Jacques Tourneur, 1950) 3.5 7/10
Ride Lonesome (Budd Boetticher, 1959) 2.5 6/10
The Bob's Burgers Movie (Loren Bouchard & Bernard Derriman, 2022) 3 6.5/10
https://media0.giphy.com/media/PvrD0ILIim4mHBbMi2/giphy.gif?cid=6c09b952984d93160b54f8eee66f9c5ac55bafc36e5dd8f4&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g
The family has an adventure to try to save their restaurant when they fall behind in their rent.
Girl in the Picture (Skye Borgman, 2022) 3 6.5/10
The Naked Spur (Anthony Mann, 1953) 3.5 7/10
Valley of the Dead AKA Malnazidos (Alberto de Toro & Javier Ruiz Caldera, 2020) 2.5 5.5/10
Raining in the Mountain (King Hu, 1979) 3 6.5/10
https://horrorcultfilms.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/raining-in-the-mountain-1.jpg
An esquire’s "concubine" (Feng Hsu) and general’s fearsome lieutenant (Kuang Yu Wang) team up to try to steal a rare scripture from a monastery.
Where Are You, João Gilberto? (Georges Gachot, 2018) 2.5 6/10
Take the Night (Seth McTigue, 2022) 2- 5/10
The Fountain (Darren Aronofsky, 2006) 2.5 6/10
Brian and Charles (Jim Archer, 2022) 3 6.5/10
https://c.tenor.com/BVzXba0gjq8AAAAC/jumping-brian.gif
Depressed inventor Brian (David Earl) [right] dances wuth his robot Charles (Chris Hayward), and they try to protect each other.
What the Peeper Saw (James Kelly, 1972) 2.5 6/10
The Beast in the Cellar (James Kelly, 1970) 2 5/10
Modern Problems (Ken Shapiro, 1981) 2.5- 5.5/10
Playground AKA Un monde (Laura Wandel, 2021) 3 6.5/10
https://www.wallonie-bruxelles.ca//sites/default/files/un_monde_laura_wendel_1.jpg
Six-year-old sister Maya Vanderbeque and eight-year-old brother Günter Duret have problems when they enter the same school; they each seem to have no respect for each other.
The Sharkfighters (Jerry Hopper, 1956) 2.5- 5.5/10
Best Years Gone (Shane Hagedorn, 2021) 2 5/10
Stay Hungry (Bob Rafelson, 1976) 2.5 6/10
The Purple Rose of Cairo (Woody Allen, 1985) 3.5 7/10
https://i.gifer.com/AN2n.gif
Unhappily-married movie lover Mia Farrow meets and falls in love with a character who comes out of a movie and then later does the same wtth the actor who played him (both Jeff Daniels).

this_is_the_ girl

07-16-22, 07:59 AM

https://www.moviechant.com/media/images/2021/12/25/the-black-phone-movie-stills_oPyJoGW.jpg
The Black Phone (2021, Scott Derrickson)
2.5
Mildly entertaining kid-friendly horror — not terrible but not very good either. Basically it's just a feel good teenage story that follows an archetypal "weak/bullied boy overcomes fear and becomes school hero in the end" arc - very nostalgia-driven in both vibe and look. Overall I found it rather tame, predictable, and not nearly as scary or suspenseful as I hoped it would be, with a couple of jump scares here and there, but not enough creepy atmosphere. The whole idea with the phone, while interesting, did not quite work in my opinion. On the positive side, the little sister's psychic dream scenes and the opening titles sequence were pretty good (cool visual/montage effects), and the ending, while predictable, was pleasantly upbeat and satisfying.

Allaby

07-16-22, 11:28 AM

The Lady Gambles 1949. Watched on blu ray. Stanwyck is very good in this and the story is fairly interesting. Definitely worth checking out. 3.5

Allaby

07-16-22, 01:24 PM

Nightbeast (1982) Watched on blu ray. Fun movie. Performances aren't very good, but I liked the look of the alien. Some entertaining, cool moments. 3.5

SpelingError

07-16-22, 01:50 PM

Enter Rock in 5 4 3 2 1...

TheManBehindTheCurtain

07-16-22, 03:29 PM

Persuasion, newly released on Netflix. Dakota Johnson can be beguiling when throwing catty looks or verbal barbs at the camera. The diverse casting is interesting and refreshing. Still, it fails to make an impact. Richard Grant dives far too deep into caricature as Sir Walter, and Cosmo Jarvis just looks lost as Wentworth. Very near the bottom of any list of watchable Austin.

Takoma11

07-16-22, 05:12 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fthisdistractedglobe.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2006%2F10%2FShelbyknox6.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Education of Shelby Knox, 2005

This documentary takes place in Lubbock, Texas, a town with rampant teen pregnancy and STD issues, and a teen gonorrhea rate double the national average. Shelby Knox is a Christian high schooler involved in her local Youth Council. The film follows Shelby and the Council as they fight for a more comprehensive sex education curriculum. Things really heat up when a separate set of students are prohibited from starting a gay-straight alliance.

Shelby Knox mugs for the camera. When Shelby loses a council election to a boy she doesn't like very much, she says "I wish I were dead," and then turns around and plants a big fake smile on her face and congratulates him. Shelby cries A LOT. When Shelby's parents calmly try to talk to her about their concerns regarding her activism, the leaves dinner abruptly and goes to sob in her bedroom.

In other words, Shelby is one of the most true representations of teen girlhood I have ever seen on film, and the blunt depiction of her moods and flaws ultimately makes her a great and lovable film subject.

Because while Shelby might be a lot, she is also someone who seems to follow her heart and feelings to a places that most people won't go---Shelby is willing to question her own long-held personal and religious beliefs when her heart tells her that the treatment of her fellow students is not right.

Further, Shelby is able to do something that a lot of adults struggle with, namely she is able to distinguish what is best for her and how she chooses to live her life, from what is best for others and how they choose to live their lives. Early in the film, we watch as Shelby takes a purity pledge, vowing that the sex she has on her wedding night will be her first time. (Side note: Watching parents put a wedding ring on their own kid? GROSS! GROSS! WHY?!) And as the film goes on, it's really neat (I mean, sort of) to see that Shelby never wavers in her commitment to abstinence for herself, even as she fights for more detailed sex education.

The main voice in opposition to Shelby is her own pastor, a man named Ed Ainsworth who presents an abstinence-only program in school all around the country. (He impresses upon teens in one of his presentations that you can catch STDs by shaking the hand of someone who has masturbated, which, okay . . . .). We watch the two have some intense conversations, in which Ed frequently tells Shelby that she has to "choose"--presumably between her religion and her advocacy. When Shelby presses him on his anti-gay beliefs, she is clearly unimpressed by his answers. She says with a sigh, "Sometimes the Bible is too vague for me."

What's frustrating about the pushback against Shelby and her peers is just how nonsensical it is. Pastor Ainsworth emphasizes that condoms do not work 100% of the time, while seemingly ignoring that a ton of kids are having sex with or without them. In an absurd moment that sums up, for me, the futility of abstinence-only conversations with teens, Pastor Ainsworth talks to a young man in a parking lot. "You don't really believe that a condom is going to protect you, do you?" he asks. "Nah," says the teen boy. "I never use 'em." The answer that everyone offers as to the pregnancy and STD crisis is that people just need to be raised in good, Christian homes, totally ignoring that for a huge number of children in their community, kids either don't have home support or are having sex regardless. Pastor Ainsworth compares teaching kids about condoms to giving them a loaded gun which, wow. While some of his motives might seem to be in the right place, he never seems to address the fact that abstinence-only education is failing the teens of Lubbock left and right.

The film also takes a look at Shelby's parents, both very conservative, and their reaction to their daughter's work. They get especially worried when Shelby throws in with the gay-straight alliance crowd, and repeatedly warn her about the "fallout" that she will face. They, much more than Shelby, realize the dangers of being other in a small town and of being so visible and on-the-record in her political beliefs. Shelby repeatedly needs to be reassured by them that they will not be angry with her for her more liberal beliefs. The family is clearly a loving and supportive one, and we see several times that Shelby is torn by the way that her own beliefs are beginning to diverge from her parents.

It's interesting to see how things shift when Shelby starts working with the gay-straight alliance. It is (as far as we know) not an issues that pertains to her personally, but she chafes at the injustice being done to her fellow classmates. She is empathetic and horrified to hear about the homophobic attacks and threats experienced by some of her gay classmates. But many members of the Youth Council, who push for sex ed, are not willing to extend that position to support gay and lesbian people. One young woman says that it's not a "healthy" lifestyle, and then seriously reports that "most homosexuals die by the age of 40".

I really enjoyed this documentary. Shelby is very extra, but I had to keep reminding myself that she's a teenage girl with every little failure of gaffe being filmed. I was enough of a mess at times in my teenage years over far less contentious things, so I couldn't judge her extreme emotions that harshly. I think that most of us would probably cringe at the idea of thousands of people seeing footage of our teenage selves, much less our teenage selves talking about sex and politics. I admire the bravery of all the kids who appeared in this film, even those whose beliefs might have seemed wrong or biased to me. Even Shelby's rival, Cody, who doesn't get as favorable a treatment, seems to be doing his best.

A very human look at a young person enmeshed in a debate that (inexplicably, to me!) continues to rage on in this country.

4

Gideon58

07-16-22, 05:22 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTdhM2RhNWEtZjQ5ZS00Mjc2LWE3NzItOWUxZDk5ZmE4MTRhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjM5OTE5MTM@._V1_QL75_UY281_CR0, 0,190,281_.jpg

4.5

WHITBISSELL!

07-16-22, 05:55 PM

The Education of Shelby Knox, 2005
rating_4I've spent time in Lubbock. rating_0_5

Takoma11

07-16-22, 05:56 PM

I've spent time in Lubbock. rating_0_5

LOL.

For many reasons it seems like a rough place to be a teen. Doubly so if you're not a straight Christian type.

Rockatansky

07-16-22, 06:01 PM

Raining in the Mountain (King Hu, 1979) 3 6.5/10
https://horrorcultfilms.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/raining-in-the-mountain-1.jpg
An esquire’s "concubine" (Feng Hsu) and general’s fearsome lieutenant (Kuang Yu Wang) team up to try to steal a rare scripture from a monastery.

Stay Hungry (Bob Rafelson, 1976) 2.5 6/10

Raining on the Mountain is good because it's King Hu, but it's probably my least favourite thing I've seen from him. I think the heavier action content in his other movies lets him use his unique sense of movement in a way he doesn't get to do that much here.

Been a while since I've seen Stay Hungry, but no movie with Jeff Bridges, Sally Field and Arnie can be all bad. I think I saw it on Tubi, so perhaps a rewatch is in order in the near future.

mark f

07-16-22, 06:26 PM

Been a while since I've seen Stay Hungry, but no movie with Jeff Bridges, Sally Field and Arnie can be all bad. I think I saw it on Tubi, so perhaps a rewatch is in order in the near future.
The fight in the weight room near the end between Bridges and R.G. Armstrong is awesome.

SpelingError

07-16-22, 08:06 PM

The Hall of Infamy

R.O.T.O.R. (1987) - 1.5

In spite of this film's reputation, it still managed to underwhelm me. Reading some reviews, I heard a few people describe it as a so-bad-it's-good ripoff of Terminator and RoboCop and, if that was the case, I might've enjoyed it more. Alas, while it's certainly a ripoff and has some cheesy lines here and there, it felt somewhat joyless and too dull for me to enjoy my time with it. The lengthy chase throughout the middle section was overlong and humdrum, the fighting was pretty unexciting to watch (not including the final fight), and it took too long for the film to get going. The runtime didn't feel earned. Also, as some others have noted, it has some weird racial caricatures thrown into the mix with Shoeboogie. Note that I said the film was only somewhat joyless though. In spite of it being a chore to get through, a few characters saved it from being a complete abomination. Dr. Houghtaling and Willard the Robot are a genuinely charming pair who deliver some of the funnier lines in the film. Their inability to properly maintain R.O.T.O.R. is rather humorous to watch. Also, you got to love Willard's police cap as, come on, that's just cute. Also, the depiction of Dr. Steele as a strong female character made for a nice contrast to the aforementioned weird portrayal of Shoeboogie. I wish those characters were in the film more. It's still a bad film though and I don't think I'll watch it again.

Gideon58

07-16-22, 09:17 PM

https://i.etsystatic.com/10683147/r/il/da4b38/3715611655/il_570xN.3715611655_44i9.jpg

3.5

chawhee

07-16-22, 09:40 PM

Lightyear (2022)
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODhlNDI1N2QtNTUxOS00ZDJkLTlhYTAtMGM2YzNhNGJkNzI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXZ3ZXNsZXk@._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,50 0,281_.jpg
3
This was good, and I can't put my finger on why it wasn't great. The story was fine though a bit ordinary, and the humor was pretty well-rounded. The runtime is standard at 1hr40 minutes, but I feel like this could have been some kind of 1 hour special feature and been just as good. My daughter probably felt the same way as she seemed bored for moments at a time.

I'll admit its a bit absurd how some conservative groups went berserk about the "gay" elements of a single character in the film, given that it only represents about 2 minutes of screen time...

PHOENIX74

07-16-22, 10:43 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/50/Hustle_%282022_film%29.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2022/posters/hustle_xxlg.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70751623

Hustle - (2022)

Jeremiah Zagar utilizes Adam Sandler's burgeoning dramatic acting skill to the hilt in Hustle, and this time you'll find an abundance of love at the core, although it still highlights the cutthroat and high-pressure atmosphere that competition in the NBA brings. I rather admired this for not only highlighting wannabe coach and talented talent scout Stanley Sugerman's family life, but also the father/son kind of mentorship he develops with Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangómez) - a young man he discovers in Spain who has enormous raw talent, but little experience of high-stakes, professional basketball. Mistakes from both their pasts becomes a bridge between them when there's a bad falling out, and you really feel the pressure of the frantic attempts Sugarman (Sandler) makes to get his protégé noticed and taken seriously before he heads back to Spain discouraged. Obviously, being a producer on this, Sandler decided he wanted to make a film with all the basketball greats he admires - but it's an enjoyable enough movie, and Sandler's acting is again way above par, so he can have his cake and eat it too with Hustle.

7/10

Siddon

07-17-22, 12:04 AM

Lightyear (2022)
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODhlNDI1N2QtNTUxOS00ZDJkLTlhYTAtMGM2YzNhNGJkNzI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXZ3ZXNsZXk@._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,50 0,281_.jpg
rating_3
This was good, and I can't put my finger on why it wasn't great. The story was fine though a bit ordinary, and the humor was pretty well-rounded. The runtime is standard at 1hr40 minutes, but I feel like this could have been some kind of 1 hour special feature and been just as good. My daughter probably felt the same way as she seemed bored for moments at a time.

I'll admit its a bit absurd how some conservative groups went berserk about the "gay" elements of a single character in the film, given that it only represents about 2 minutes of screen time...

2001
Interstellar
Forbidden Planet
Star Wars
Star Trek
Alien
The Lego Movie

etc etc etc

Lots of references to other better films. I thought the movie was fine and good intro but it wasn't original

TONGO

07-17-22, 12:18 AM

Joy (2015) with Jennifer Lawrence. I give it a solid 4 out of 5, or 8.5 out of 10 ;)

SuperMetro

07-17-22, 01:19 AM

The two movies that I saw today:
Belle De Jour - So I watched this one because I wanted to watch a Luis Bunuel movie and to see Catherine Deneuve. I found her character interesting, as she took a job as a prostitute at a brothel to kill time during the day. I might have been tired, but I really was confused and confounded by this movie. It also had a scene like Pulp Fiction where a fat man shows a box, but we do not know the contents of it. I kind of liked the part with the criminal who shoots the husband. I liked the main character's relationship with her husband, their friend who finds out about the job, and the other prostitutes. I also quite enjoyed the fantasies she has during the film and how they die out through experience. I liked the themes of the movie which included sexual desire, domination, fetishes, and also fantasies. However, I was quite tired while watching it and felt lukewarm after the viewing. 3.5
Django Unchained - I enjoyed the 60s feeling to the movie. I liked the use of the theme song and the older Columbia Pictures logo at the beginning. Django was also a neat character to follow throughout the movie. The parts with Django taking on the slave owners were neat to see. This was one of these movies that has a good beginning and ending, but a slog of a middle part. I disliked Leonardo Dicaprio here and wanted to be done with him(luckily Schulz shoots him). That dinner scene was just a snooze fest to get through(everyone just talking for so long of a time). I know what they were talking about, but it could have been shorter. Tarantino's dialogue scenes can be too long and a bore which sort of reminds me of when a virtuosic jazz musician takes too long of a solo and puts the audience to bed. The ending is with Django taking on the henchmen and saving his wife. I have a like-hate relationship with Quentin Tarantino: I love the violent scenes and the music, but hate how boring the movies can be and how he must overuse the n-word. He also seems to have a tendency of repeating himself to the point that it is too Tarrytinny. I am sorry I am a bit harsh, but do I like him and this movie? Yes. I have seen half of the man's movies including this one, but just can not see how this guy is a genius(The movies are a bit derivative and feel like wet dreams). 3

I will probably watch Reservoir Dogs and Inglorious Basterds(Probably might feel it as much as Django) to see what I truly think of Tarantino. My favorites of his are the Kill Bill movies. I like all of his other movies, but do not love them. I prefer the Dollars Trilogy over Django. I can go all day as to why I think Quentin Tarantino is overrated.

As for Belle De Jour, I already said I liked those two Jacques Demy musicals with Deneuve in it(Umbrellas and Young Girls). I might see Viridiana and Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie in order to give Bunuel another chance.

Movies I probably plan to watch: Double Life of Veronique, Donkey Skin, One Sings The Other Doesn't, Singing in the Rain, The Wild Child, Spirit of the Beehive, La Dolce Vita, Solaris.

xSookieStackhouse

07-17-22, 01:24 AM

https://i.etsystatic.com/10683147/r/il/da4b38/3715611655/il_570xN.3715611655_44i9.jpg

rating_3_5
is it more scarier or just average? i be seeing it on friday with my support worker. we excited to see it especially when it stars with ethan hawke from moon knight one of our favorite marvel shows

skizzerflake

07-17-22, 02:28 AM

Interesting movie. It's another one by the HP Lovecraft Historical Society, a black and white movie with no "movie stars" that you ever heard about. It's the Lovecraft story The Whisperer in Darkness, an adaptation.

The story - "For the first two acts, the plot largely follows the short story. The third act consists of entirely new material in which the Mi-Go are revealed to worship Shub-Niggurath, and the protagonist, Wilmarth, uncovers an attempt by cultists to open a gateway between Yuggoth and Earth. He foils the plot with the help of Hannah, the child of one of the collaborators. His escape is unsuccessful and at the end of the film the audience discovers that Wilmarth has been narrating from a machine attached to the cylinder in which his brain now resides. This differs from the original story in which Wilmarth flees in the middle of the night and safely returns to Arkham."

It's pretty good. Lovecraft is well known for being difficult to comprehend but this is a good try. I like the part about how Wilmarth is narrating from a machine.

:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd5gWGfnK5M

StuSmallz

07-17-22, 04:38 AM

It's called an anticlimax and it's used expertly within the context of the genre and expectations of Ford's filmography, not unlike how the Coens/McCarthy used in No Country For Old Men.

It's ultimately a response to Ford's own western romps and subverts it with a highly critical character piece that thoroughly examines Wayne's Ethan and his place, or lack thereof, in a modernizing society.I know what it's called, and I also know that such an anticlimax felt quite out of place for The Searchers, considering that the entire movie had been setting itself up for some sort of final confrontation with Ethan's hatred of/bloodlust for Native Americans, a confrontation that the film ultimately decided to just avoid for no good reason.

ThatDarnMKS

07-17-22, 04:49 AM

I know what it's called, and I also know that such an anticlimax felt quite out of place for The Searchers, considering that the entire movie had been setting itself up for some sort of final confrontation with Ethan's hatred of/bloodlust for Native Americans, a confrontation that the film ultimately decided to just avoid for no good reason.
It doesn't avoid it. The entire film is that conflict. It's manifested in how he treats Martin. What they fear he'll do when he finds Debbie. Why he can't fit into this new world.

Marco

07-17-22, 08:50 AM

I really liked The Lovely Bones even if the story cops out a bit, so I guess I'm going to have to check this out.

Funny one Gideon, a friend raved about the book and the film (The Lovely Bones) and we know how hard it is to get the context correct in that situ. I've only seen it once and went in with great expectations so it may bear a rewatch👍

matt72582

07-17-22, 09:32 AM

.

I think his biggest Blindspot for me is The Quiet Man. Hoping to see that relatively soon.

I've been wanting to see this again, properly. Lately, I only want to see movies I haven't seen yet, but if memory serves me correctly, the DVD skipped a few times in "The Quiet Man".. I also wish I had subtitles in the beginning!

Marco

07-17-22, 10:22 AM

Thee Colours Red (1994)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0a/Three_Colors-Red.jpg
The bookend of Krzysztof Kieślowski's "Three Colours" trilogy, It's quite simply amazing. Issues personal and universal. Trivial and with great weight behind them at the same time. Honesty, lies, sacrifice and love. I think that the despairing relationship Irène Jacob (the model) and Jean-Louis Trintignant (the judge) is one of the best I've seen on film and without sentiment although you can tell there is love and respect. Kieślowski was a master of his art and I hadn't watched this since 1996 but the lighting, characterization, acting, script and sheer doggedness (pun intended) makes this a very profound film.

Nuff said:

9 popcorns out of 10.

Deschain

07-17-22, 12:37 PM

Wooley

07-17-22, 01:17 PM

The Quiet Man is quite good. Or should I say, quiet good. Sorry for the bad pun.

The Quiet Man is one of my favorite movies.

Wooley

07-17-22, 01:18 PM

If we're showing some love to Ford, I'm pretty partial to 3 Godfathers myself, which I don't think has that much of reputation.

I didn't know it was Ford when I watched it, but I liked this a good bit.

Wooley

07-17-22, 01:31 PM

The two movies that I saw today:
Belle De Jour - So I watched this one because I wanted to watch a Luis Bunuel movie and to see Catherine Deneuve. I found her character interesting, as she took a job as a prostitute at a brothel to kill time during the day. I might have been tired, but I really was confused and confounded by this movie. It also had a scene like Pulp Fiction where a fat man shows a box, but we do not know the contents of it. I kind of liked the part with the criminal who shoots the husband. I liked the main character's relationship with her husband, their friend who finds out about the job, and the other prostitutes. I also quite enjoyed the fantasies she has during the film and how they die out through experience. I liked the themes of the movie which included sexual desire, domination, fetishes, and also fantasies. However, I was quite tired while watching it and felt lukewarm after the viewing. 3.5
Django Unchained - I enjoyed the 60s feeling to the movie. I liked the use of the theme song and the older Columbia Pictures logo at the beginning. Django was also a neat character to follow throughout the movie. The parts with Django taking on the slave owners were neat to see. This was one of these movies that has a good beginning and ending, but a slog of a middle part. I disliked Leonardo Dicaprio here and wanted to be done with him(luckily Schulz shoots him). That dinner scene was just a snooze fest to get through(everyone just talking for so long of a time). I know what they were talking about, but it could have been shorter. Tarantino's dialogue scenes can be too long and a bore which sort of reminds me of when a virtuosic jazz musician takes too long of a solo and puts the audience to bed. The ending is with Django taking on the henchmen and saving his wife. I have a like-hate relationship with Quentin Tarantino: I love the violent scenes and the music, but hate how boring the movies can be and how he must overuse the n-word. He also seems to have a tendency of repeating himself to the point that it is too Tarrytinny. I am sorry I am a bit harsh, but do I like him and this movie? Yes. I have seen half of the man's movies including this one, but just can not see how this guy is a genius(The movies are a bit derivative and feel like wet dreams). 3

Movies I probably plan to watch: Double Life of Veronique, Donkey Skin, One Sings The Other Doesn't, Singing in the Rain, The Wild Child, Spirit of the Beehive, La Dolce Vita, Solaris.

Belle du Jour is one of those movies that changed the way I think about movies and their place in time. I thought it was so edgy for that time and I just had no idea going in it was gonna be anything like it was. I was so surprised it became an instant hit with me.

Django, sadly because parts of it were filmed at my friend's house so it's like a really big deal to him, is one of my least favorite Tarantinos. So self-indulgent that it makes it hard for me to enjoy what the film actually does well. Which is actually a lot. So then the disappointment over what could have been comes in on top of the the "oh boy" sighs and eye-rolls that are already going on and it just becomes a really hard movie for it's way over-long run-time.

The Double Life Of Veronique is great, though I can't exactly say why. I don't even know what the movie is about, I just know how it makes me feel.

Allaby

07-17-22, 02:50 PM

Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989) This was fun and amusing. Performances are surprisingly good. Not as trashy or smutty as you might think. Watched on Arrow streaming. 3.5

WHITBISSELL!

07-17-22, 05:57 PM

https://indiedigs.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/ladybird.gif?w=480&zoom=2
https://sidedottracked.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/source.gif?w=480

Lady Bird - Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) is a 17 year old Catholic high school senior living with her parents, adoptive brother and his girlfriend in 2002 Sacramento. Her relationship with her mom Marion (Laurie Metcalf) is fraught with turmoil to say the least.

I liked the second half (or maybe the third act?) of this a lot more than the first part of it. That part had more of an indie feel to it. Or maybe it was the episodic pacing of the first two acts. Or it might have had something to do with watching with a room full of other people and then having to stop just as Lady Bird is fumbling her way to her first sexual encounter.

I finished the rest by myself and when the character's motivations finally unraveled I simply put it down to the script finding firmer footing. The two powerhouse performances by Ronan and Metcalf however had me wanting to see the two arrive at some kind consensus. Which they eventually did in as emotive and deeply felt a way as all their other interactions. But the initial conflict seemed sort of perfunctory to me for some reason. Again, I blame the crowd and the interruption for this discrepancy and really should watch the whole thing over again from start to finish. Without distractions.

Greta Gerwig's script is a heartfelt reaffirmation of her own time growing up in Sacramento. This was her first time directing and she does a stellar job. The cast also does a fine job supporting Ronan and Metcalf with Tracey Letts as Lady Bird's dad Larry and Beanie Feldstein as her best friend Julie. That last bit of casting did draw some unfair parallels from me with Booksmart, another teenage-girl-at-the-cusp-of-adulthood film. But despite some similarities, they do occupy different territory. Timothée Chalamet also turns in a memorable performance as Kyle, the object of Lady Bird's desires. He manages to highlight his character's overall loathsome qualities in a limited role.

All the accolades this has received were earned in good faith.

85/100

pahaK

07-17-22, 08:31 PM

The Princess (2022)
2
Like a dumbed-down version of The Raid or Die Hard written like it was meant to be a video game and coated with some trendy girl-power.

--
The Untouchables (1987)
3
Great cast and cinematography, but I found the script underwhelming.

--
The Pale Door (2020)
0.5
An authentic piece of garbage. The scariest part of this western horror is that some people considered it worth doing.

--
Incantation (2022)
3
A Taiwanese (almost) found footage horror. It had the potential to be really good, but I found the current events with the mother and daughter boring. Sadly the filmmakers seemed to consider them the main attraction. It should have been just an investigative cosmic horror based on eastern mythology.

--
Valley of the Dead (2020)
3
A zombie film set during the Spanish civil war. It's pretty light on horror and leans more towards comedy than I usually like, but I found it quite entertaining.

--
Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)
1
I wouldn't call this the worst film ever but it's definitely bad. At some point, I was planning a higher rating, but the bickering wives bored me out of those ideas. That Torgo dude did quite a lot of LSD performance, though.

--
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
1
The worst film of the franchise. Why would you make a 2.5-hour epic finale to a film trilogy about dinosaurs only to demote them to a side-plot? Even the effects seemed worse than before.

--
The Black Phone (2022)
2.5
Kind of OK horror-lite. I don't know how long the original short story is but it felt like there wasn't enough for a full-length feature film. It feels more like a series pilot than a stand-alone movie.

--
Wanda Nevada (1979)
2.5
That's an odd one, I give it that. Peter Fonda searching gold in a Death Valley with jailbait (before Yoda wants to delete this one, I'm just quoting the movie with that description) Brooke Shields with almost Gaiman-like killers after them. Oh, and there's an Apache ghost too. The film's all over the place and not entirely in a good way. It's still somewhat amusing.

PHOENIX74

07-18-22, 12:16 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Ex-machina-uk-poster.jpg
By DNA Films / Film4 Productions - http://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/ex-machina-uk-poster.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46469200

Ex Machina - (2014)

What would stop a machine from becoming sentient, no matter how complex it is? Where does consciousness begin and end? These questions are a little less of the focus for Ex Machina, and instead (or as well) Alex Garland makes an interesting observation that the very first thing men want to do with the complex AI machines of the future is sexualize them and then exploit them. Added to all of this is a tense thriller which involves three characters - the eccentric and brilliant billionaire Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac), the man he's brought in to test if his creations are indeed self-aware, Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson) and the creepy, possibly sentient and aware robot Ava (Alicia Vikander). I love the cast, and I'm a big fan of Gleeson, so this was an easy, enjoyable 108 minutes and probably an essential 21st century science fiction film.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c8/The_Final_Girls_poster.jpg
By [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47613138

The Final Girls - (2015)

The humour in The Final Girls is spot-on, and saves it from becoming a second-tier waste of time, and something I wouldn't mind watching again if I had to. What can I say, I laughed. It's a bit of fun, with a group of friends sucked into a famous horror film (modelled on Friday the 13th and it's sequels) and trying to make it to the end. It definitely strives for laughs, and mostly delivers, so I give it a tick of approval. It also ends with it's best joke, and thus leaves a lasting memory. Not sure what to rate it though, because aside from the laughter it's a little thin, even with it's attempts to get us to care with the mother-daughter relationship shared by Taissa Farmiga and Malin Åkerman's characters.

6.5/10

The rest are some very old films I watched after reading an article on the very early Western genre - especially it's villains

The Life of a Cowboy - (1906) - Really fascinating to see something so old. Lots of long shots, with multiple things happening within the frame so you can easily lose track of what's important to the plot - and confusing matters further is the lack of title cards. But apart from that, it's quite good - 6/10

The Battle at Elderbush Gulch - (1913) - Early D.W. Griffith film which follows the old formula of 'Cowboys vs Indians', with the cavalry coming in late to save the town. Paints native Americans in a pretty poor light, but the camera-work, acting and the way the scenes are set out are surprisingly excellent. On a technical level this is brilliant, but on a moral level it's pretty low. Still - for 1913, it's a real 8/10 film.

The Squaw's Love - (1911) - Another D.W. Griffith film film, and this time it's all Native American - but there are very few of these actual people in it, and instead there's Mabel Normand and other white actors with blackening make-up on, which I find pretty reprehensible. To top it all off, it's action over story, so it bored me. - 4/10

Life of an American Fireman - (1903) - There were so few of the old Westerns I was reading about available to watch that I settled on this to round out my viewing - this is a film which features in a future article I want to read, so I got it under my belt. Does interesting things considering how old it is - such as alternating points of view from inside and outside a burning building. Something clever for it's time - 6/10

Little Ash

07-18-22, 12:35 AM

PHOENIX74

07-18-22, 01:11 AM

I have heard of this one and have seen some brief clips of it, appropriately as part of a documentary on the history of film. I believe it was notable as part of the early evolution of editing. I think it was relevant as an example of camera angle to convey a continuous story across cuts, but I can't say for sure.
I don't really remember anything else about it. I suspect there isn't much to it other than that, but I could be wrong.

Just to take a summary of the article (https://www.jstor.org/stable/3815085) I'm going to read - it's called 'French and British Influences in Porter's American Fireman' - he's trying to prove the influence of Georges Méliès (who had made over 300 short films by 1903) and James Williamson (who was less prolific, but still had made plenty of films) in the film. After reading it, I'll probably be fruitlessly searching for Méliès and Williamson films to watch. So many of these films no longer exist.

For those interested, here's the film in question :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4C0gJ7BnLc

Allaby

07-18-22, 01:47 PM

Caligula and Messaline (1981) Watched the extended x-rated Italian cut on blu ray. This was quite something. Lots of nudity and sex scenes. I enjoyed it. The costumes and sets were pretty good too. Score was nice as well. This is a film that knows exactly what it is and what the audience wants and delivers it in a satisfying and entertaining way. 4

Stirchley

07-18-22, 02:03 PM

88010

A classic of British Cinema from Ken Loach. As relevant today as it was in 1966.

88011

Lucky to have found this dvd before this wonderful movie adaptation disappeared into the ether. Re-watch & it’s so perfect.

Siddon

07-18-22, 03:08 PM

Gideon58

07-18-22, 04:35 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjg5ODNiZmYtZjQ5ZS00ZGU2LTk4MTEtNzdiNWVmYjdhYTAyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDI2NDg0NQ@@._V1_.jpg

3

Takoma11

07-18-22, 06:26 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdl9fvu4r30qs1.cloudfront.net%2Ff0%2F2a4e70e70611e1baf122000a1d0930%2Ffile%2Fumberto-d.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Umberto D, 1952

Umberto (Carlo Battisti) is an elderly pensioner living with his beloved dog, Flike, in a house run by a landlady who is looking for any excuse to kick them to the curb. Umberto is friendly with the household's maid, Maria (Maria Pia Casilio), who is dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. Umberto scrambles to find enough money to pay his rent in an environment that seems like it would be more than happy to discard him entirely.

I have avoided this classic for many, many years. (It's literally on a handwritten movie watchlist that I made back in 2004, for context.) A sad movie about an elderly person and his dog? Why not just chemically engineer something to shred my heart into pieces?

But today was the day, and I'm glad that I watched it. While it was very sad in parts, it made me think a bit of Ikiru, a movie whose literal plot description sounds sad, but which contains more hope and bittersweet joy than you'd expect.

Battisti--who was apparently an amateur and this was his only film role!--is a compelling center to the film. It might sound a bit trite, but that cliche about the stages of grief are kind of what we end up seeing. Umberto tries bargaining. We see his anger and depression. We see acceptance in two very different forms. Umberto knows that the way he is being treated by his society is wrong. But knowing that you are right doesn't have any power. Umberto has lived his life in a decent way, and in turn expects to be treated with decency.

Casillio, playing Maria, is also an interesting figure. In many films, she'd be made a bit too saintly. The Maria here feels very real. She is sympathetic toward Umberto, but in one scene you can see her irritation when Umberto blames her for letting Flike out of the apartment. Written all over her face is Hello?! I am about to have a baby with no husband and I am TRYING to sort my life out before my pregnancy becomes visible and loses me my job as well as my social respectability. In fact, I think that Maria's character shows something very insightful: a lot of the time what keeps us from really connecting with others is the weight of our own issues and problems.

I won't go as far as to say something like "Flike is the real star of the film!", but it's the irrepressible spirit of the little dog that grounds Umberto and forces him to consider building a stable future. The dog is adorable, and Umberto's affection for him is immensely relatable.

If you are a dog/animal lover, there is some rough stuff here. There's a sequence at a dog pound that's pretty awful and harrowing. But if, like me, worries about the dog are what have kept you from watching it, I'd encourage you to give it a go.

Simple and excellent.

4.5

pahaK

07-18-22, 07:47 PM

RRR (2022)
4
Finally, this came to Finnish Netflix. I must admit that I don't particularly like those compulsory dance scenes that haunt most Indian cinema but otherwise, this was extremely entertaining nonsense. The action sequences were better than anything Marvel has done during the whole of the MCU and the combination of patriotic pathos, ever-escalating capabilities of the heroes, and just over-the-top everything made me smile and chuckle like an idiot while watching. Easily the best film of 2022 this far.

Takoma11

07-18-22, 08:01 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fa.ltrbxd.com%2Fresized%2Fsm%2Fupload%2F1x%2Fqk%2F52%2Fed%2Fsomebodyuptherelikesme-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg%3Fk%3D932175731d&f=1&nofb=1

Somebody Up There Likes Me, 1956

Based on the autobiography of the same name, this film follows Rocky Graziano (Paul Newman), a man who starts out as a street thief, but then discovers a deft hand at boxing. Rocky meets and marries Norma (Pier Angeli), but his past--in the form of his alcoholic father (Harold J. Stone) or his dishonorable discharge from the army--threatens to derail his career and his happiness.

I have some personal connections to, and distaste for, boxing culture. While I can definitely appreciate and enjoy films with boxing at their center, my personal feelings mean that I always hold them a bit at a distance. (Unless we're talking something like The Set-Up).

There's a lot going for this movie. Newman is really good as Rocky, a guy who at first doesn't know any better and then later, can't seem to catch a break. He really captures the kind of guy who is a bit of a dope, but you end up rooting for them anyway. Angeli, playing his wife, does a great job in her own role, helping us to like Rocky more by seeing him through her eyes.

The film also looks really good. Especially in the moments of crisis for Rocky, the use of shadow and light is very effective.

I liked this movie, but never quite managed to love it. Rocky's story is interesting, but it didn't grip me beyond just wanting to know how things turned out for the characters.

3.5

Gideon58

07-18-22, 08:59 PM

The two movies that I saw today:

Django Unchained - I enjoyed the 60s feeling to the movie. I liked the use of the theme song and the older Columbia Pictures logo at the beginning. Django was also a neat character to follow throughout the movie. The parts with Django taking on the slave owners were neat to see. This was one of these movies that has a good beginning and ending, but a slog of a middle part. I disliked Leonardo Dicaprio here and wanted to be done with him(luckily Schulz shoots him). That dinner scene was just a snooze fest to get through(everyone just talking for so long of a time). I know what they were talking about, but it could have been shorter. Tarantino's dialogue scenes can be too long and a bore which sort of reminds me of when a virtuosic jazz musician takes too long of a solo and puts the audience to bed. The ending is with Django taking on the henchmen and saving his wife. I have a like-hate relationship with Quentin Tarantino: I love the violent scenes and the music, but hate how boring the movies can be and how he must overuse the n-word. He also seems to have a tendency of repeating himself to the point that it is too Tarrytinny. I am sorry I am a bit harsh, but do I like him and this movie? Yes. I have seen half of the man's movies including this one, but just can not see how this guy is a genius(The movies are a bit derivative and feel like wet dreams). 3

Totally disagree with you regarding DiCaprio in Django Unchained...I would rate it in the top five performances of his career.

Nausicaä

07-18-22, 10:36 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d3/Moonfall_film_poster.jpg/220px-Moonfall_film_poster.jpg

2.5

SF = Z

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

Takoma11

07-18-22, 10:57 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiewire.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F10%2Ftoby-dammit.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Toby Dammit, 1968

Toby Dammit (Terence Stamp) is an alcoholic actor who has just arrived in Italy to film a movie purely because the studio has offered to buy him a Ferrari. Toby sees a mysterious woman/child (Marina Yaru), who seems to follow him wherever he goes. Navigating a television interview and a bizarre gala/ceremony, Toby finally ends up at the wheel of his new Ferrari, but it might not all work out the way he hopes as he zips around the dark streets of Rome.

I have not read the Edgar Allen Poe story on which this short film is based, so I can only judge it by what is on the screen.

Overall I was pretty taken with this film. It is exactly the right length, letting us soak in the weirdness and highly subjective point of view of the main character, then plunging him into a final act that follows perfectly from what the movie has already constructed.

Stamp seems to be enjoying himself as the erratic and self-centered Toby. He's capably supported by a wild and unhinged setting that mixes elegance and disorientation in equal doses. From the very opening scene at an airport, where nuns' outfits flutter in the wind and blood red light filters tinge everything the character sees.

I also absolutely loved the very simple but very eerie effect of at times replacing characters in the background with paper cutouts. This isn't a movie that needs more dreamy elements, but honestly the more the merrier.

4

Rockatansky

07-19-22, 12:27 AM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiewire.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F10%2Ftoby-dammit.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Toby Dammit, 1968

4
Have you seen the complete Spirits of the Dead? This is easily the best segment, but there's plenty of interest in the rest of the movie. Okay, maybe not in the first segment, unless like me you like hanging out with Jane Fonda enough to overlook the dullness... but the second one is good!

Captain Terror

07-19-22, 12:37 AM

Have you seen the complete Spirits of the Dead? This is easily the best segment, but there's plenty of interest in the rest of the movie. Okay, maybe not in the first segment, unless like me you like hanging out with Jane Fonda enough to overlook the dullness... but the second one is good!
I like the Fonda segment because it's a pretty faithful adaptation of a story that I wouldn't have expected to translate to film.

Well, faithful in spirit anyway, if not wardrobe.

MovieBuffering

07-19-22, 12:55 AM

Boogie Nights - 1997

Somehow this one just evaded me over the years. I may have seen bits and pieces here and there but never watched the whole thing. So I figured I'd remedy that. Paul Thomas Anderson is not really my jam, I don't really rush to see his catalog. I can obviously appreciate his flicks and think he is an incredible filmmaker. I am usually always glad I have seen one of his movies but I just never care to revisit any of them. This flick I could see myself revisiting but not any time shortly. This one had quite the energy to it.

First of all the cast is freaking stacked, it's even more impressive as time goes on how many people are in this. Everyone was awesome Reynolds was sort of just playing his cool self but I see why this shot Wahlberg stock up after. He was phenomenal, it's hard to see anyone else as Dirk Diggler. The flick had an energy of it's own. It was fun, but some of it did drag a bit to me. Some characters they focused on were strange choices to me but I enjoyed it. One of the more enjoyable PTA films to me.

3

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dc/Boogie_Nights_poster.png

Rockatansky

07-19-22, 01:00 AM

I like the Fonda segment because it's a pretty faithful adaptation of a story that I wouldn't have expected to translate to film.

Well, faithful in spirit anyway, if not wardrobe.

The wardrobe tho

https://64.media.tumblr.com/2991f3f0bf6c36b8fd16bbb1d910e12b/6e64bf5ed961ecc6-00/s1280x1920/20b03c99140559b492d155e6938d7b9df82b6f88.jpg

https://64.media.tumblr.com/089283e72cbad2fe044da64ae4b8f46b/23af1a344832e72d-75/s1280x1920/98ca0c802c2337162677a9e051ba1e5c69dbcbf3.jpg

https://64.media.tumblr.com/34f69982bb95487e3e4113eedaba68c3/23af1a344832e72d-da/s1280x1920/80b2fd2578f56c41ad1da62a0fa4f5909fb5247f.jpg

MovieBuffering

07-19-22, 01:02 AM

https://www.gadgetgamenews.com/thumb/large/images/article/south-park-crypto-paramount-plus-streaming-wars-part-2-main.webp

South Park: The Streaming Wars Part 1/2

South Park is basically splitting itself up between Paramount Plus and Comedy Central. The issue is you don't get a proper season of either. Paramount seems to be winning as they've gotten 4 hour long episodes and three of them have been bangers with this fourth one being just okay. In the first Streaming Wars we get the meta story of streaming services and droughts...basically China Town. The central figures of the story are ManBearPig and PiPi...PiPi was a one note joke that was never really funny to begin with so giving him the movie treatment kinda sucks.

The strongest and really the only good part of part 2 is the use of celebrities who were hawking Crypto...now they are hawking pee. It's a solid joke and bit that keeps the story moving along. We also get perhaps the ending of Randy and his weed farm but with Randy who knows.

Part One rating_4
Part Two rating_2_5

I love South Park. I think the last episodes I saw were the Covid ones. The episodes seem to be so uneven now. There was some stuff I thought they nail and other stuff felt off. It feels unfocused. I think they are at their peak when they just make single contained episodes. When they try episodic seasons, it just becomes uneven. I think something else that is hurting it is the world is becoming more preposterously close to South Park. It's hard to parody life when life becomes a parody. South Park is always worth a gander but I've become less sad if I missed it.

PHOENIX74

07-19-22, 01:48 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ca/Mystery_Men_film_poster.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3003246

Mystery Men - (1999)

I remember liking this when it came out, so when I saw the DVD with heaps of special features going cheap I grabbed it. Watching it again all these years later, do I still have an overall positive opinion? Yes! For a box office bomb, it sure gets a lot right, and is as funny as hell - although I never read the comic version, so I don't know how it compares. Not only do I find this film really amusing, but there's even pathos regarding some of the characters. Hank Azaria's Blue Raja and his mother. Ben Stiller's Mr. Furious and his love story. William H. Macy's Shoveler with his wife and adorable kid. Janeane Garofalo's The Bowler and her difficult relationship with the ghost of her father. I love it. There are so many great characters. Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush), the hilarious Sphinx (Wes Studi), Eddie Izzard's Disco Boy, and Greg Kinnear's Captain Amazing just to name a few. Although it wasn't a smash success, it instantly became a cult favourite for some people - and that includes me.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/23/Europa_Report_Official_Poster.jpg
By Magnolia Pictures - Magnolia Pictures, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39339385

Europa Report - (2013)

I took astronomy classes at university - it all interests me, so you'll often find me complaining during films that feature space travel that have to include aliens, action, time travel, mind reading, ancient civilizations - why can't we have more realistic space exploration movies? Well, God has punished me by giving me exactly what I asked for. Europa Report can't help but be a slightly dull, for it tries to get things right and minimizes anything that might be considered fantastical. The explorers set down on Jupiter's icy moon (Jupiter actually has what can be considered 4 small planets) and look for life under the surface - but their mission encounters problems that has all of them fighting for survival. It's one of those 'found footage' films where the footage looks anything but found (it's way too cinematic) - but it does a decent enough job. Enough to not be considered bad. What do the astronauts find? Click below to find out.

They find a space octopus.

6/10

ThatDarnMKS

07-19-22, 02:36 AM

War and Peace

https://boxd.it/32ixah

5/5

Elvis

https://boxd.it/32l8vF

4.5/5

Ultraviolence

07-19-22, 10:19 AM

魔界転生 ~ Makai Tenshoh (Demonic Resurrection)

Jubei vs demons and the final showdown of the Yagyû bloodline.
https://www.j-people.net/sekenyomoyama/021/0210820chiba/img.jpg
Samurai fantasy horror.
Former samurai christian ronin sells his soul to Satan following the butchering of christians by the hands of Shogun. After his resurrection he lures others on the merge of death and sorrowfull souls in hell to live once again only to spread chaos, destroy Shogun and rebel against the silent Christ.

https://iv1.lisimg.com/image/3115733/550full-samurai-reincarnation-screenshot.jpg

rating_4

Yoda

07-19-22, 10:59 AM

I love South Park. I think the last episodes I saw were the Covid ones. The episodes seem to be so uneven now. There was some stuff I thought they nail and other stuff felt off. It feels unfocused. I think they are at their peak when they just make single contained episodes. When they try episodic seasons, it just becomes uneven. I think something else that is hurting it is the world is becoming more preposterously close to South Park. It's hard to parody life when life becomes a parody. South Park is always worth a gander but I've become less sad if I missed it.
Agree with all this. Still really like it, still never miss an episode/movie/whatever, just because it's liable to be brilliant without warning, even to the point where "bad" episodes have a couple of really great ideas.

Also agree that the self-contained stuff is better, though I do think the hour-ish mini-movies work fairly well.

Wooley

07-19-22, 01:06 PM

https://i.imgur.com/vp7X99u.jpg?1

The Last Dragon

In the tradition of Blaxploitation and Bruceploitation - but with a PG-13 rating - Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon turned out to be a lot of fun on my 17th viewing, the first in about 15 years. While some of this can be attributed to nostalgia, I have to say that throughout my 20s and into my 30s I felt that the film did not "hold up" and was actually bad. I was incorrect. In some ways, The Last Dragon is the greatest thing ever.
The Last Dragon is the story of Bruce Leeroy (hahahaha!), a young black man living in Harlem who has dedicated his life to the Eastern martial arts and the spirituality that was intertwined with them throughout the 1970s, emulating his hero, the great Bruce Lee. Running his own dojo, while studying under an older master, he has reached "the final level" but still has not found the wisdom he seeks to become a true "master". To do so, Leroy sets out on a quest to find "The Master" and learn the power of "The Glow". His path is beset on all sides by the evil Eddie Arcadian, the tempting Laura Charles (Vanity), and the menacing Sho Nuff, The Shogun Of Harlem.

https://i.imgur.com/nVyaP5y.jpg?1

The Shogun seeks a show-down with Bruce Leeroy to quiet the buzz that he himself is not The Master and the greatest martial artist in Harlem. But Leroy's spirituality leads him to turn the other cheek and thwart Sho Nuff's attempts to engage him. Finally, all these pressures will come together and force Leroy to discover the answer he seeks or die trying.

Honestly, this movie is just fun. And that's all it promises to be, so it succeeds, period. I have essentially no criticism of the film because I think it is exactly what it set out to be. Is the acting always great? No. Are the sets top-tier? They are not. Is the film gritty and edgy in the tradition of the movies it homages? Decidedly no.
Did any of this temper my enjoyment of the film? It did not. There is simply too much here to love in this very earnest and adorable little film.
Tiamak, who plays Leroy Green (Bruce Leeroy), had never acted before this but got the part over other actors considered including Wesley Snipes, Laurence Fishburne, and Denzel Washington (!) due to his high-level martial arts skills. Vanity, who I expected absolutely nothing from, displays a surprising amount of natural ability in playing the charming and playful but still seriously career-minded Laura Charles.

https://i.imgur.com/0xxCxtb.gif

She's got the hots for Leroy, who is too shy and naive to engage her even as he repeatedly saves her life. She just charms the socks right off of me in this, particularly when she twirls her hair and smiles at Leroy saying, "You sure look like a Master to me."
And there are appearances by child martial arts-phenom Ernie Reyes (in a role that somehow did not annoy me, possibly just because of the tone of the film), Keisha Knight-Pulham (of Cosby Show fame), Chazz Palmintieri (as Hood #2, in only his second film), and, no joke, William H. Macy as Laura's neurotic stylist.
But the film is nearly stolen by actor Julius Carry as the hilariously over-the-top - yet still menacing - Sho Nuff, The Shogun Of Harlem.

https://i.imgur.com/P8ENfDI.gif

"I got somethin' real for your ass in these hands!"

Every time Sho Nuff appears, the fun is ratcheted up another notch. And his inevitable final showdown with Leroy is exactly where this movie needs to go.
I think ultimately that's what I liked so much about this movie. It sets its tone in a unique place, an odd tightrope of Comedy, Blaxploitation, Martial Arts Movie, and post-Temple Of Doom Kids Action-Movie, but it manages to keep its balance there, while delivering a story that stays perfectly on-course and delivers exactly what you ultimately want it to deliver, with mystical glowing kung-fu and also break-dancing.
I don't see any way you can lose.

Takoma11

07-19-22, 02:17 PM

Have you seen the complete Spirits of the Dead? This is easily the best segment, but there's plenty of interest in the rest of the movie. Okay, maybe not in the first segment, unless like me you like hanging out with Jane Fonda enough to overlook the dullness... but the second one is good!

I have not!

Criterion Channel had Toby Dammit as a stand-alone, which is how I watched it.

Allaby

07-19-22, 02:49 PM

honeykid

07-19-22, 04:46 PM

How much penis were you expecting in a porn film, Allaby ?

Allaby

07-19-22, 05:30 PM

How much penis were you expecting in a porn film, Allaby ?

I don’t know, a little I guess.

Chypmunk

07-19-22, 05:36 PM

I'm no expert but I doubt it's that often you only see a little penis in a porno. Don't they have 'fluffers' to help stop that from happening?

Rockatansky

07-19-22, 05:39 PM

Hard Soap, Hard Soap (1977) on blu ray. This had more penis than I anticipated. I was hoping for more humour and more story (and less penis), but I did enjoy parts of this. I thought the actors did a good job and the film looks great. 3

When John Holmes plays the male lead in your movie, it's safe to expect a lot of penis.

You should chase this with Hot & Saucy Pizza Girls, which supplements the Candida Royalle and Laurien Dominique team with the great Christine Dr Shaffer and the mighty (and adorable) Desiree Cousteau. Maybe the best ensemble cast in a Bob Chinn movie and probably his funniest.

Allaby

07-19-22, 05:40 PM

When John Holmes plays the male lead in your movie, it's safe to expect a lot of penis.

You should chase this with Hot & Saucy Pizza Girls, which supplements the Candida Royalle and Laurien Dominique team with the great Christine Dr Shaffer and the mighty (and adorable) Desiree Cousteau. Maybe the best ensemble cast in a Bob Chinn movie and probably his funniest.

I will have to check it out.

matt72582

07-19-22, 07:20 PM

The Day of the Dolphin - 6/10

I can't imagine another director doing worse. This should have been a better movie. You have George C. Scott, and an interesting and unique idea. Instead of spending half the movie with Scott (or his wife) repeating what the dolphin said, just make it audible.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/85/Day_of_the_dolphin_ver3.jpg

Gideon58

07-19-22, 08:02 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/79/Elvis_2022_poster.jpg

4

SpelingError

07-19-22, 08:58 PM

29th Hall of Fame

Robot (Enthiran) (2010) - 3

That was some of the most fun I've had in a while. Like, I'm not saying it's flawless or anything, but it definitely excels at being pure entertainment. As others have noted, the action is probably the biggest highlight. The fight on the train has some impressive stuntwork which managed to drop my jaw a few times, the highway chase is delightfully over-the-top and comes with one of the best action set pieces I've seen in a while, and the final fight with the police, well, it needs to be seen to be believed. Sure, the cgi is dated, but while this stuff usually bothers me, the sheer level of creativity and imagination involved with those scenes is incredible and easily shines through that. You can sense the director going "I want to make this as large-scale and crazy as possible" and this made for some technically outstanding sequences. As terrific as the action is though, a lot more happens in the film which needs to be judged as well. For example, I was mixed on the musical numbers. To cut the film a bit of slack, I couldn't find subtitles for those scenes, so I might've enjoyed them more if this wasn't the case (I think I got the gist of what the songs were in reference to though). Mainly though, I thought they were incorporated into the film really awkwardly. It felt like someone took several music videos and inserted them into the film at various points, with most of them overstaying their welcome. The film definitely nails the humor though. Most of the jokes are really clever, with the mosquito scene being the clear standout. This leaves the story, which started out pretty well but lost its way in the final hour. Throughout the first couple hours, the emotional core becomes more and more focused on Chitti. Struggling with his identity, he begins to fall for Sana, putting him at odds with Vaseegaran. This made for an interesting dynamic between the three of them, but unfortunately, this didn't resolve itself in a satisfying way. After a series of incidents which occur midmovie, this dynamic was pushed aside for the big action set pieces I mentioned up above and then the film rushed through the apology scene at the end. This was a double-edged sword as, while this directorial choice gave me the terrific action scenes in the final hour, it also harmed the film's story and left me kind of unsatisfied after it ended. As a result, the story felt more boilerplate than it should've. In spite of everything I've said though, I do enjoy the film. This is the kind of film which is better to watch with your brain turned off.

mark f

07-19-22, 09:14 PM

Zombie '90: Extreme Pestilence (Andreas Schnaas, 1991) 1 3/10
The Hound of the Baskervilles (Terence Fisher, 1958) 3 6.5/10
It Stains the Sands Red (Colin Minihan, 2015) 2.5 5.5/10
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (Questlove, 2021) 3.5+ 7.5/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/8dc68d9e753c91af63f4c9175b1a82d6/69401df5a2ab19e7-fc/s500x750/6592a5a6ed8ae0e729ea3d4cceae68cb570dbd4d.gifv
Nina Simone performs at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.
Dance Macabre (Wim Vink, 1986) 2.5 6/10
The Summoned (Mark Meir, 2022) 2 5/10
The Whisperer in Darkness (Sean Branney, 2011) 2.5 5.5/10
Dark Winds (Chris Eyre & Sanford Bookstaver, 2022) 3 6.5/10
https://ewwnews.com/img/season-1-of-dark-winds-celebration-and-commotion.jpeg
Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) and Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) try to solve a convoluted mystery on a Navajo reservation near Canyon de Chelly.
Revealer (Luke Boyce, 2022) 2 5/10
Out of It (Paul Williams, 1969) 2.5 6/10
The Revolutionary (Paul Williams, 1970) 2 5/10
All the Crows in the World (Yi Tang, 2021) 2.5 6/10
https://www.freshwave.hk/uploads/freshwave2017/202104/thumbnail/20210427_180720_ZcxQXsxTRC_p_448_252_c.jpg
Teenager Chen Xuanyu finds herself basically put on auction at a restaurant but she does find a new friend there.
Frank and Penelope (Sean Patrick Flanery, 2022) 2 5/10
Guess What We Learned in School Today? (John G. Avildsen, 1970) 2.5 5.5/10
Visions of Ecstasy (Nigel Wingrove, 1989) 2 5/10
Modern Romance (Albert Brooks, 1981) 3 6.5/10
http://24.media.tumblr.com/cae372eb0fe04036f88a33cca3c433c0/tumblr_msw2wzvMZD1qedb29o1_r1_500.gif
Film editor Albert Brooks and his girlfriend Kathryn Harrold can't spend more than a few minutes together without arguing, mostly due to his insecurities.
Master of the World (William Witney, 1961) 2.5 5.5/10
Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (James Hill, 1969) 2+ 5/10
Mr. Stitch (Roger Avary, 1995) 2.5 6/10
The Drover's Wife (Leah Purcell, 2021) 3- 6.5/10
https://filmdaze.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/pjimage-480x384.jpg?crop=1
In the 1890s Australian Outback, the pregnant wife (Leah Purcell) of an absent drover tries to protect her family, eventually but reluctantly with the help of a wise Aboriginal (Rob Collins).

Rockatansky

07-19-22, 09:43 PM

Zombie '90: Extreme Pestilence (Andreas Schnaas, 1991) 1 3/10

No movie with a "dream sequence" featuring zombie "Jimi Hendrix" and zombie "Jim Morrison" can be all bad. Very, very bad. But not ALL bad.

Takoma11

07-19-22, 09:50 PM

Hard Soap, Hard Soap (1977) on blu ray. This had more penis than I anticipated.

The word "hard" is right there in the title, twice!

pahaK

07-19-22, 10:40 PM

Zombie '90: Extreme Pestilence (Andreas Schnaas, 1991) 1 3/10

You're really going towards the deep end. The only Schnaas I'm sure I've seen is Violent Shit and even though it's been 30+ years I still remember it being a prime example of, well, shit cinema. What an aptly named film.

Rockatansky

07-19-22, 10:53 PM

You're really going towards the deep end. The only Schnaas I'm sure I've seen is Violent Shit and even though it's been 30+ years I still remember it being a prime example of, well, shit cinema. What an aptly named film.
I haven't seen Violent Shit, but Zombie 90 has an amazing English dub. It's clearly one guy working without a script and using it as an excuse for some kind of wacky voice acting audition tape.

Allaby

07-19-22, 10:59 PM

The word "hard" is right there in the title, twice!

I assumed that it was about the challenges of life. Life is hard, so use more soap?

Rockatansky

07-19-22, 11:02 PM

I assumed that it was about the challenges of life. Life is hard, so use more soap?
It's a film of many layers.

Takoma11

07-19-22, 11:05 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.hpm.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F04%2F25112959%2FBonnie-and-Clyde-Movie-Scene2.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Bonnie and Clyde, 1967

Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) hooks up with Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty). Together with Clyde's brother Buck (Gene Hackman), Buck's wife Blanche (Estelle Parsons), and a mechanic they picked up along the way (Michael J Pollard), the crew embarks on a series of highly publicized bank robberies.

This is another case of a classic that I enjoyed, but doesn't leave me with a lot to say. I'm sure that oodles have been written about the excellent imagery, the winning performances, and the facility with which Bonnie and Clyde balance on the edge as anti-heroes.

I really liked discovering that I actually didn't know very much about this movie, despite being very familiar with some of the visuals and the infamous ending. For example, I somehow didn't know that Gene Hackman was in this movie! Nor was I prepared for Gene Wilder to pop up in a short but memorable role as half of a couple temporarily kidnapped by the Barrow gang.

A good time.

4

Takoma11

07-19-22, 11:08 PM

I assumed that it was about the challenges of life. Life is hard, so use more soap?

You're allowed to think that for the first hard soap. But by the second hard soap? You're just in denial.

PHOENIX74

07-19-22, 11:10 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1e/Everything_Everywhere_All_at_Once.jpg
By https://a24films.com/films/everything-everywhere-all-at-once, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69511486

Everything Everywhere All at Once - (2022)

A24 has released some great films. Hereditary, Room, Ex Machina, The VVitch and Moonlight to name a few. Everything Everywhere All at Once easily joins that list of favourites for me, with a mind-bending mix of humour, fantasy and kung-fu action - with a familial love story at it's core and much parallel universe lore for all the nerds out there. I enjoyed it a lot last night, and as it's climax hit maximum overdrive a little celebration broke out in my mind at having a truly 'Best of the 2020s' list-worthy film arrive. Great to see the little dude from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom again, and Michelle Yeoh was great (everyone was, really) - this is a bonus in a film dominated by it's mix of absurdism, sci-fi invention, comedy and effects. We'll be awaiting the next film from those 2 Daniels with bated breath.

9/10

https://i.postimg.cc/hGbWdGDG/game.jpg
By amazon.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23837562

Game Changers: Inside the Video Game Wars - (2019)

I lived this from the consumer end as a kid, so it was interesting to see the birth and history of video games from the design, manufacturing and marketing side. Goes from Pong up to the release of the first Playstation.

6/10

Rockatansky

07-19-22, 11:15 PM

You're allowed to think that for the first hard soap. But by the second hard soap? You're just in denial.
It's a reference to Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, which is also cited in a throwaway gag.

That's not a joke, the director admitted to being inspired by the show.

WHITBISSELL!

07-20-22, 02:16 AM

It's a film of many layers.Ha! I see what you did there. At least I think I see.

https://media.giphy.com/media/KDVd5MYb6CkTpjfVZ7/giphy.gif

Ultraviolence

07-20-22, 08:25 AM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81PQ1exOGUL._AC_SL1500_.jpg

『ゴクウ』(Midnight Eye) ~ OVA I -1989
Good. Can't wait for the second part.

rating_3_5

Stirchley

07-20-22, 01:37 PM

Allaby

07-20-22, 01:37 PM

I just finished watching Boardinghouse on blu ray. Tenically, this is a bad movie, but it has some fun moments and a lot of charm, in a cheesy, schlocky way. I liked it. 3 would be my rating.

matt72582

07-20-22, 04:19 PM

The Yes Men - 6/10
Great idea, just not edited well. Lots of inane stuff that should have been cut. Scheduling, etc., few other redundant thing. When you have a documentary that's 82 minutes long, you should be a little more like Hitchcock - economic.

As for the stunts - why not stop at the 50-yard line when you have the chance (especially considering the cancellation)? Instead of chickening-out with "If I lived in those countries, I might feel different" and changing character suddenly.

"We have studies that show you never suffer from guilty feelings after making a certain amount of money"
"How much?"
"Anything over the median income. Nobody wants to be in the bottom half, now do we? Aren't you all here in school so you can also exploit 3rd world countries so you could have phones? Or are you all going to be Che Guevera's? Yes, I'm talking to you, Miss India".

And when the students objected to "used" hamburgers, why not use that opportunity to say:

"You know those McDonalds trademark hamburgers you just ate? Well, it was a #2"
<a few students barf>

"You want to save the world, and save the environment, but you won't puke for it? Would you like a job application to work at the WTO?"

I really think they'd get a LOT more attention, which was the whole point. I'd like to see them try that now. "Their" side loves free-trade now. I wonder why...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/85/YESMEN-box_hires_dvd.jpg

I had a great laugh when (while playing it straight) the guy said, "The Civil War was the LEAST profitable war" - that's how you do it.

GulfportDoc

07-20-22, 04:29 PM

I think that, overall, his 40s and 50s stuff is what I have at the top of my queue, with his early 30s stuff at the bottom. I think the latter is mostly agreed on as his "weakest" era.
Yes, especially the 1950s was Hitchcock's finest era, although in the '60s we got Psycho, The Birds, Topaz, and Frenzy.

IMO his weakest era was the '20s. Hitchcock described himself during that era as "a talented amateur". By the '30s he did The Man Who Knew Too Much, The 39 Steps, Sabotage, and The Lady Vanishes. He sure had a very high percentage of great films to mediocre films-- probably better than any other director with a large output.

Thief

07-20-22, 05:14 PM

Yes, especially the 1950s was Hitchcock's finest era, although in the '60s we got Psycho, The Birds, Topaz, and Frenzy.

IMO his weakest era was the '20s. Hitchcock described himself during that era as "a talented amateur". By the '30s he did The Man Who Knew Too Much, The 39 Steps, Sabotage, and The Lady Vanishes. He sure had a very high percentage of great films to mediocre films-- probably better than any other director with a large output.

Yeah, but it figures. Those were his first years so its expected that his skills and talents would still be unpolished. If you ask me the two weakest Hitchcock films I've seen, they would probably be from that period (Champagne and The Farmer's Wife), but I also have a lot of fondness for stuff like The Lodger and Easy Virtue, which is a personal favorite.

For what it's worth, here's something I wrote years ago about his silent films...

The Apprentice of Suspense: Alfred Hitchcock's early silent films (https://hubpages.com/entertainment/The-Apprentice-of-Suspense-Alfred-Hitchcocks-early-silent-films)

beelzebubble

07-20-22, 05:55 PM

Jerry and Marge Go Large 2022

Starring wonderful actors, Bryan Cranston, Annette Benning and Rainn Wilson. It's a movie about a retired man who figures out how to win the lottery. He and his wife create a company that collects money from there neighbors and bets on said lottery. The greater the bet the greater the odds of winning and they are slowly helping out their neighbors and the town itself.

Some kid at Harvard figures it out as well and puts his fellow students to work. Of course every film needs a heavy so these kids try to put the kibosh on Jerry and Marge's play. I would like to see the article this is based on to see what the truth is there. Douchey kids are kind of a cheap out. But I'll let you know what I find out.
A Spotlight reporter uncovers the lottery winners and their method of winning; and puts an end to the whole thing.
Very entertaining and fun.
I give it three stars out of five.

Siddon

07-20-22, 05:55 PM

https://d2j6dbq0eux0bg.cloudfront.net/images/5573056/2990529937.jpg

The Guilty (1947)

This movie runs under 80 minutes but when you finish it you are going to want to watch it again. It's a low budget noir about a pair of war buddies who end up hooking up with a pair of twins. One twin dies and then insanity ensues. Densely plotted and incredibly well shot for his budget this almost feels like a prototwilight zone episode.

4.5

Nausicaä

07-20-22, 09:19 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/00/Spider-Man_No_Way_Home_poster.jpg

3.5

SF = Z

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

Gideon58

07-20-22, 09:26 PM

https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-ydriczk/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/83421/82999/the_heartbreak_kid_double_sided_regular_movie_poster_buy_now_at_starstills_1820__80680__36446.139451 2978.jpg?c=2

2

Takoma11

07-20-22, 11:09 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Ft_KSAZMgUc%2FWXl1Snfx1VI%2FAAAAAAAATKk%2FHt87f4MQ9OgSQ-SqpPKh_YiKzgJoDA-JQCEwYBhgL%2Fw1200-h630-p-k-no-nu%2FThe%252BSong%252BOf%252BBernadette%252B1.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Song of Bernadette, 1943

In this film based on the life of Bernadette Soubirous (played here by Jennifer Jones), a young woman in a small town in France begins to see visions of the Virgin Mary. Against the aggressive questioning of the local priest (Charles Bickford), a highly skeptical nun (Gladys Cooper), and a local magistrate (Vincent Price) who is sure that Bernadette is lying. But as miracles seem to happen surrounding the location where Bernadette sees her visions, the attention and notoriety put pressure on the town and Bernadette herself.

First and foremost, this is a really gorgeous film. It's the kind of movie that someone might pull out to assert that black-and-white can't be beat for a certain kind of movie magic. Where the film really hits the mark, as you might expect, is in the sequences of Bernadette experiencing her vision. I loved these scenes, and they display a visual creativity that keeps them from feeling redundant. In some of the sequences, we never see the vision, only Bernadette's reaction to them. In other scenes the woman in the vision appears only as a foot, or a glow.

Jennifer Jones inhabits the character of Bernadette in a splendid way. Her Bernadette is guileless and enraptured with her visions. She gives an initial impression of meekness, but she is steadfast in her beliefs and determination to tell her version of events.

As the film goes on, it becomes a story of powerful people--mostly grown men--who try to either bully Bernadette into recanting her story, trap her in games of semantics, or exploit her visions. In one scene, Bernadette is interrogated by a man who constantly strives to put words in her mouth. Bernadette respectfully but firmly corrects him, and Bickford's priest character--a man who also does not believe Bernadette--cannot hide his amusement when Bernadette runs polite circles around him.

To a certain extent, the character arcs that best define the film are not so much about Bernadette, but the way that the people around her react to things that they cannot understand. Anger, jealousy, and even vindictiveness meet Bernadette's claims. Each character has a different take on Bernadette---that she's lying for attention, that she's mentally ill---and we watch as they struggle to reconcile their own worldview with the undeniable something that is happening to Bernadette.

If I had one complaint about this film, it's the almost entirely unnuanced portrayal of the miraculous events surrounding the grotto where Bernadette sees her visions and the spring that bubbles up in that spot. There are a few gestures that people might be slipping into confirmation bias, such as when later in the film a child is "cured" by the water and a doctor notes that the disease was merely a fever two degrees above normal. But we are shown many extreme miracles, like blindness or paralysis being cured. From what the film shows us, you'd think that everyone who drank or touched the water was saved, and the film never forces us or Bernadette to reckon with people whose prayers and hopes aren't answered.

This was a really beautiful film anchored by an excellent performance from Jennifer Jones and equally strong supporting performances from the rest of the cast.

4.5

Takoma11

07-20-22, 11:24 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-kw-LB0W_xhI%2FXy07AMBa8-I%2FAAAAAAAAQWM%2Fv-6UMYiJ8lAYNHXYWWgj1_U-0HG-1zZ9QCLcBGAsYHQ%2Fs960%2Fhos5.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The House of Secrets, 1936

Barry (Leslie Fenton) meets a lovely woman, Julie (Muriel Evans) on a boat on his way to England. Arriving there, he discovers that he's inherited a property called "The Hawk's Nest". But when Barry goes to claim the property, he discovers that a group--including Julie--has taken over the house.

Stupid slightly-interesting movie poster.

Part of the problem with this viewing is that the print I watched (on Amazon) was absolutely wretched. It made telling the difference between characters really challenging, something that isn't helped by the fact that literally everyone except Julie is a man wearing a brown or gray suit.

As for the mystery aspect of the film, it's just very mediocre. The kind of film where someone finally drop the big explanation, and all I could say was, "oh."

2.5

AboveTheClouds

07-21-22, 01:34 AM

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/rpNTpxVQu6YnLm8GvpvGyAGMg5g.jpg

rating_3_5

Super cheesy, I enjoyed it.

WHITBISSELL!

07-21-22, 02:09 AM

https://dkanut5j171nq.cloudfront.net/catalogue-images/ti102045.jpg
https://filmfanatic.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/Master-of-the-World-Still.jpg

Master of the World - 1961 adaptation of a Jules Verne novel. Vincent Price stars as engineering wizard and inventor Robur. He's designed and built a heavily armed airship dubbed the Albatross. He hopes to coerce the nations of earth into ridding themselves of their warmaking capabilities, thus bringing peace to the planet.

While making repairs to his craft inside a crater on the outskirts of the town of Morgantown, Pennsylvania he inadvertently frightens the citizens into thinking an eruption of biblical proportions is occurring. This prompts the government to send an agent named Strock (Charles Bronson) to investigate. He engages the services of munitions tycoon Prudent (Henry Hull) and his hot air balloon to reconnoiter the crater from the air. Along with them go Prudent's daughter Dorothy (Mary Webster) and her fiance Philip Evans (David Frankham). Robur promptly shoots down their balloon and takes the four survivors prisoner.

This is an American International picture so the budget isn't astronomical by any means. There's liberal use of stock footage but the action sequences are staged competently. Tune in for the outlandish Jules Verne steampunk aspects and for Vincent Price. He turns in his usual fine performance in service to yet another lackluster production. Bronson isn't given much to do but he's certainly game.

75/100

http://manapop.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/vlcsnap-2015-07-28-15h59m30s879.png

https://animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/wb-archive-09.JPG

Captain Nemo and the Underwater City - Also watched this second Jules Verne adaptation from 1969 with Robert Ryan in the title role and costarring Chuck Connors as Senator Robert Fraser. This somewhat mirrors the plot of MotW but this time Nemo rescues four men, a woman and a child from a sinking ship and brings them to Templemir, his city beneath the sea.

I'll admit I didn't pay much attention to the plot. It was sort of forgettable and one of the few things that stuck with me were the blinged out diving suits that Nemo and his crew employed. But I was also semi-impressed by the fact that the story didn't take the easy way out by assigning a specific character or characters the role of villain. Outside of one panicky idiot who explains he suffers from claustrophobia there are no easy targets to root against. There are two rapacious brothers but they're there mostly for comic relief. Even the resentful and jealous romantic rival angle is downplayed with that character's motivations acknowledged as well meaning and rational.

Like I said, there's not much to recommend this. The special effects are passable so I guess there's that. And Robert Ryan is a consummate professional even when he's dressed like he should be on tour with Earth, Wind and Fire. Still though, I think his Nemo is surpassed by numerous other performances I've seen. I'd have to say I prefer James Mason in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea or Herbert Lom in Mysterious Island or Naseeruddin Shah in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen when it comes to memorable Captain Nemos.

65/100

PHOENIX74

07-21-22, 04:38 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Victor_Victoria_%281982_film%29.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8362642

Victor/Victoria - (1982)

This long-time-coming viewing didn't result in my falling in love with Victor/Victoria - it really wasn't my kind of thing. Movies like this, where dialogue between characters all feels very thought-out and dripping with wit, feel lacking in real emotion - and instead there's the glitz and glamour of show business. Unfortunately even the song and dance numbers didn't rouse my interest and enthusiasm. The only thing that did was a really brave and outgoing (for 1982) defense of gay rights, pride and equality. I've never seen this done so early, and so well - and I'm glad to be able to support the film in some kind of way. The last number was a hoot as well, and had me smiling and laughing. But overall, I did find this kind of boring - especially as it goes over 2 hours. A Julie Andrews fan I am not, and there weren't many other actors that had enough shine to them to help carry the load.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/37/The_Shape_of_Water_%28film%29.png
By IMP Awards / 2017 Movie Poster Gallery / The Shape of Water Poster (#3 of 5), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54631984

The Shape of Water - (2017)

Saw this for the first time when it came out, and this was the second chance I gave it. Visually, the film is quite remarkable - but where it loses me is when Sally Hawkins has sex with the fish creature. The person I was with when I watched it the first time actually liked that aspect of the film, but to me it felt a little too close to bestiality - I thought she could have loved it and saved it and everything just the way it goes without ripping her clothes off and humping the damned thing. I guess because it's humanoid it's meant to be acceptable? If it were me, and I did that with some creature in a lab, I'd be so ashamed of myself. There'd be no playful banter with my workmates over it's anatomy and how it's actually possible. I'd just be keeping it under wraps.

7/10

ThatDarnMKS

07-21-22, 06:26 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/37/The_Shape_of_Water_%28film%29.png
By IMP Awards / 2017 Movie Poster Gallery / The Shape of Water Poster (#3 of 5), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54631984

The Shape of Water - (2017)

Saw this for the first time when it came out, and this was the second chance I gave it. Visually, the film is quite remarkable - but where it loses me is when Sally Hawkins has sex with the fish creature. The person I was with when I watched it the first time actually liked that aspect of the film, but to me it felt a little too close to bestiality - I thought she could have loved it and saved it and everything just the way it goes without ripping her clothes off and humping the damned thing. I guess because it's humanoid it's meant to be acceptable? If it were me, and I did that with some creature in a lab, I'd be so ashamed of myself. There'd be no playful banter with my workmates over it's anatomy and how it's actually possible. I'd just be keeping it under wraps.

7/10
Pssst...

She's not a human either.

Little Ash

07-21-22, 10:27 AM

Rockatansky

07-21-22, 10:29 AM

Could the fishman provide active consent? That's the most important question.

Rockatansky

07-21-22, 10:35 AM

😚🐠

PHOENIX74

07-21-22, 11:25 AM

Pssst...

She's not a human either.

I thought that the fish creature (who had just proven magical) turned her into a fish creature - but that before that she was 100% human.
I stand by my dislike of her decision. Of course...

...after she's been turned into a fish creature she can go to town for all I care.

WHITBISSELL!

07-21-22, 11:29 AM

I'll be thinking of this conversation next time I eat a tuna fish sandwich.

PHOENIX74

07-21-22, 11:33 AM

What if it was a hot & sexy mermaid that could communicate, seemed interested in you, and seemed very unlikely to want to eat you?

/Still haven't seen The Shape of Water

Every physiological consideration included in being a mermaid puts me way, waaaay off and I would politely decline the offer of intercourse, making up some kind of excuse on the fly. I really don't understand what is enticing about mermaids. Even if a mermaid has morphed into completely human form. Just the fact that this lady was once part fish. I don't need that in my life. Constantly on my mind. "Not human" and "lovemaking" don't go well together for me.

Little Ash

07-21-22, 12:18 PM

I'll be thinking of this conversation next time I eat a tuna fish sandwich.

For all we know, maybe that tuna fish was into that type of stuff.

Little Ash

07-21-22, 12:19 PM

Every physiological consideration included in being a mermaid puts me way, waaaay off and I would politely decline the offer of intercourse, making up some kind of excuse on the fly. I really don't understand what is enticing about mermaids. Even if a mermaid has morphed into completely human form. Just the fact that this lady was once part fish. I don't need that in my life. Constantly on my mind. "Not human" and "lovemaking" don't go well together for me.

crosses Phoenix off of the The Lure group watch party

Allaby

07-21-22, 01:23 PM

I watched Death Brings Roses (1975) today. This was not good, even by B movie standards. Acting was wooden and performances were not fun or interesting. Screenplay was poorly written and the story was fairly dull. The film takes itself too seriously and might have worked better if it was sleazier or cheesier. My rating is a 2

GulfportDoc

07-21-22, 02:03 PM

Yeah, but it figures. Those were his first years so its expected that his skills and talents would still be unpolished. If you ask me the two weakest Hitchcock films I've seen, they would probably be from that period (Champagne and The Farmer's Wife), but I also have a lot of fondness for stuff like The Lodger and Easy Virtue, which is a personal favorite.

For what it's worth, here's something I wrote years ago about his silent films...

The Apprentice of Suspense: Alfred Hitchcock's early silent films (https://hubpages.com/entertainment/The-Apprentice-of-Suspense-Alfred-Hitchcocks-early-silent-films)
VERY nice commentary, although I only got part way through due to the cookie acceptance firewall. No matter what I clicked on, no dice. But in his early films it's interesting to see the formation of a genius director...:)

ThatDarnMKS

07-21-22, 03:54 PM

I thought that the fish creature (who had just proven magical) turned her into a fish creature - but that before that she was 100% human.
I stand by my dislike of her decision. Of course...

...after she's been turned into a fish creature she can go to town for all I care.

She was found abandoned by a river in South America as a child, was mute, is drawn to water (sexually even), has an egg obsession and had mysterious scars.

The creature is shown to be from the Amazon, is mute, lives in water, has an egg obsession, and HEALS people.

When he heals her, her mysterious scars turn into gills. They weren't scars from attack but gills that had closed over the years.

It's thematically about being your true self, not transformation.

He restored her to being his amphibious princess. A fairy tale ending. Beautiful stuff.

Rockatansky

07-21-22, 03:57 PM

She was found abandoned by a river in South America as a child, was mute, is drawn to water (sexually even), has an egg obsession and had mysterious scars.

The creature is shown to be from the Amazon, is mute, lives in water, has an egg obsession, and HEALS people.

When he heals her, her mysterious scars turn into gills. They weren't scars from attack but gills that had closed over the years.

It's thematically about being your true self, not transformation.

He restored her to being his amphibious princess. A fairy tale ending. Beautiful stuff.

Not gonna lie, a little disappointed that this enchanting fairy tale has a life-affirming message, and isn't just about some secretly freaky chick getting it on with a fishman.

ThatDarnMKS

07-21-22, 04:23 PM

Not gonna lie, a little disappointed that this enchanting fairy tale has a life-affirming message, and isn't just about some secretly freaky chick getting it on with a fishman.
I'm sorry but the MKS interpretation cannot be disputed.

Wooley

07-21-22, 07:35 PM

Allaby

07-21-22, 07:50 PM

Nope is a big yes from me! Nope is an ambitious, smart, entertaining film with a sense of fun. I liked the performances from the cast, especially Keke Palmer. Jordan Peele is 3 for 3 as a director. Nope is one of the best films of the year. My rating is a high 4.

Takoma11

07-21-22, 08:51 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.XnoKsG_luUUvjQsq6Ud0cgHaEK%26pid%3DApi&f=1

Four to Dinner, 2022

A couple is hosting a dinner party, and gets into a discussion with one of their guests about soulmates. In an effort to make a point about the flaw in the concept of soulmates, the host tells a story about four of the people who have not yet arrived at the dinner party: Dario (Giuseppe Maggio), Matteo (Matteo Martari), Giulia (Matilde Gioli), and Chiara (Ilenia Pastorelli). Only the host weaves two parallel stories, in which the men and women partner in different ways.

It is really hot here. Really hot. (Okay, I know that this is relative, but this is one of those days where you're sweating starting at 7am.) I was tempted to blame the heat for my confusion in watching this film, but then was gratified that the first review I read of it after watching remarked on how difficult it was to follow at times.

The film switches between the two "realities" seemingly at random. One minute Matteo and Giulia are expecting a baby, and the next Dario and Giulia are having a tense phone call at an airport. To add to the confusion, the two realities also play fast and loose with the wardrobe, so all of a sudden Chiara is wearing the very distinctive top that Giulia was sporting just moments before.

There are some basic similarities between the two plotlines, which I guess are meant to show that that some people will behave in certain ways no matter who they are with.

What I found most confusing about the film, however, was the lack of distinction between the two alternate versions. The couples seem to follow roughly the same track, no matter how they are mixed and matched. And maybe that's supposed to be the point, but honestly it makes for kind of a boring watch. Oh, now Dario is being a playboy jerk to Chiara in a slightly different but basically the same way he was with Giulia? Neat.

The actors are not bad, but I feel as if they were given very little to work with. We learn their jobs, but not much more about them. I would be hard pressed to characterize any of them past their occupations and some very basic personality traits.

3

ThatDarnMKS

07-21-22, 09:19 PM

Nope

https://boxd.it/32Qs7Z

4.5/5

Had a blast with it. Close Encounters meets Jaws.

Nausicaä

07-21-22, 09:25 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/17/Doctor_Strange_in_the_Multiverse_of_Madness_poster.jpg/220px-Doctor_Strange_in_the_Multiverse_of_Madness_poster.jpg

4

SF = Z

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

Gideon58

07-21-22, 09:26 PM

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/811hpX9Jh0L.jpg

3

PHOENIX74

07-21-22, 10:11 PM

A fairy tale ending. Beautiful stuff.

Ahhh, I see. A fan. I won't argue the case then, in jest or otherwise.

PHOENIX74

07-21-22, 11:44 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e5/Deliverance_poster.jpg
By http://www.movieposterdb.com/poster/af42decf, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6628604

Deliverance - (1972)

Was very happy to catch up with this epochal film last night, a masterpiece from the decidedly hit-or-miss John Boorman. It features a struggle between modern city-dwelling man and his more backwards, backwoods ancestors - with the looming destruction of their habitat and history going on in the background. It also dwells on the savage nature of man, and features a vista that never quite feels beautiful - only full of death, pain and struggle, with man as those thing's biggest harbingers. The thing that really strikes you is how good the editing is in this, and just sitting back to admire that brings as much thrill as the story or visuals. A superb film, and I can't stop being envious for those who first saw it back in 1972, when films like this were few and far between. Instead of putting people off going to this film's location, the film actually increased tourism to it markedly.

10/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ed/Oranges_and_Sunshine.jpg
By May be found at the following website: IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31017285

Oranges and Sunshine - (2010)

Lets get this out of the way right now - Oranges and Sunshine is a formulaic true story, and it takes a while to really hook it's audience. The reason for that is how multi-layered and horrifying the scandal at the heart of it is. Just when you think you've heard the worst of what happened, it deepens, and becomes truly shocking. It shows us the "Home Children" scheme, which was instigated in 1869. Margaret Humphreys (Emily Watson) discovers that young boys and girls (from the age of 3) were being shipped from England to Australia to institutions where they'd be recruited for hard labour - no matter how young they were. In these places they were often raped, whipped, and punished in other horrifying ways. They were told their parents were dead (in most cases they weren't) and the abuse they suffered was phenomenal - with their parents being told they'd been adopted by good families (which was a lie.) 150,000 such children were shipped off in this way, and the deportation program ran up the 1960s and 70s. This film follows how this was discovered and exposed, and the damaged adults that live on in the shadow of what happened to them. Eye-opening, and something I didn't think could happen post-1945.

7/10

Rockatansky

07-22-22, 12:34 AM

PHOENIX74

07-22-22, 12:47 AM

Have you seen Boorman's earlier movie Point Blank? That one has some great editing inspired by the French New Wave.

I've been meaning to see that for a long time. From what I've seen I know I'll really like it, and everything I hear about it only increases my need to see it.

ThatDarnMKS

07-22-22, 12:51 AM

I've been meaning to see that for a long time. From what I've seen I know I'll really like it, and everything I hear about it only increases my need to see it.
Don't forget to check out Boorman's true masterpieces: Zardoz and Exorcist 2

PHOENIX74

07-22-22, 01:01 AM

Don't forget to check out Boorman's true masterpieces: Zardoz and Exorcist 2

A friend and I become so obsessed with the cinematic awfulness of Exorcist II : The Heretic that he literally wrote a book about it :

https://www.booktopia.com.au/covers/big/9781629339498/2108/horrible-and-fascinating-john-boorman-s-exorcist-ii-hardback-.jpg

We watched Zardoz as well. It's a hoot.

ThatDarnMKS

07-22-22, 01:06 AM

A friend and I become so obsessed with the cinematic awfulness of Exorcist II : The Heretic that he literally wrote a book about it :

https://www.booktopia.com.au/covers/big/9781629339498/2108/horrible-and-fascinating-john-boorman-s-exorcist-ii-hardback-.jpg

We watched Zardoz as well. It's a hoot.
Amazing and agreeable!

WHITBISSELL!

07-22-22, 02:34 AM

According to IMDb Boorman directed 17 films. I've seen eight of them and IMO the only clinkers were Zardoz and Exorcist II: The Heretic.

For the record they were Point Blank, Hell in the Pacific, Deliverance, Zardoz, Exorcist II: The Heretic, Excalibur, Hope and Glory and The Tailor of Panama.

xSookieStackhouse

07-22-22, 02:54 AM

rating_4_5
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOWVmNTBiYTUtZWQ3Yi00ZDlhLTgyYjUtNzBhZjM3YjRiNGRkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzYyOTM1ODI@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg

FridayNightFights

07-22-22, 03:09 AM

Return of the Living Dead 2
https://gbhbl.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/20140108-015122.jpg

Really, really lame. Just like those Abbott and Costello movies, this was not made for me.
3/10

Ultraviolence

07-22-22, 08:58 AM

https://images.fanart.tv/fanart/ninja-566c2c054d0ea.jpg
American ninja B-movie .
rating_3

ThatDarnMKS

07-22-22, 10:07 AM

https://images.fanart.tv/fanart/ninja-566c2c054d0ea.jpg
American ninja B-movie .
rating_3
The sequel is quite a bit better.

WrinkledMind

07-22-22, 01:44 PM

I watched Koe no Katachi aka A Silent Voice

It was beautifully animated, had lovely music and I loved the different take about showing things from a former bully's perspective.

The only thing I found off-putting was the several closeup, suggestive shots of girls' legs. Felt weird.

Ultraviolence

07-22-22, 02:02 PM

The sequel is quite a bit better.

This one was actually a rewatch. The sequel I'll watch for the first time tonight. Heard is actually better so I'm excited since I liked the first one already.

ThatDarnMKS

07-22-22, 03:52 PM

This one was actually a rewatch. The sequel I'll watch for the first time tonight. Heard is actually better so I'm excited since I liked the first one already.
It’s not Scott Adkin’s best but it’s certainly close and the first movie that made me take him seriously. Plus, it has Kane Kosugi. That’s ninja royalty right there.

Takoma11

07-22-22, 04:00 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdeepfocusreview.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F01%2Frulesofthegame5.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Rules of the Game, 1939

The lives of several upper-class people and their servants get increasingly fraught as various romantic entanglements complicate a vacation weekend at a sprawling estate. Famous pilot Andre (Roland Toutain) lusts after Christine (Nora Gregor). Christine's husband Robert (Marcel Dalio) is aware of the affair, and is having his own side relationship with Genevieve (Mila Parély). Christine's servant, Lisette (Paulette Dubost) is married to Schumacher (Gaston Modot), but a new employee, Marceau (Julien Carette) actively pursues Lisette once they arrive at the estate.

It took a little bit for me to catch the rhythm of this film, which sets up characters and a setting that feel predictable and well-worn, but then decelerates the expected plot points. All of the sneaking around--or not sneaking around-- is part of the game. But the characters don't seem to do it all that well. Marceau chases a shrieking and giggling Lisette around the kitchen . . . until he falls and all of a sudden it isn't so fun anymore. Christine accidentally catches sight of an intimate moment between Robert and Genevieve . . . and then bluntly tells Genevieve that it's okay and she doesn't need to leave the estate.

I read Ebert's review, where he suggests that the romances (the "game") between the characters are meant as a distraction from the looming international conflict about to take place. While I didn't pick up on that aspect, it does seem clear that the characters are trying to distract themselves from something, which I simply took to be a lack of purpose. The upper class characters, particularly, just don't seem to have a lot going on. Andre has his aviator career, but his passion and the clumsy expression of it sets him a bit apart from the others.

Everything feels a bit off, and that seems to be the point. In theory these characters have it all: money, spouses, lovers. But there seems to be little genuine joy. In a central, horrifying sequence, the characters go hunting together, gunning down birds and rabbits. It's a brutal massacre, and the last shot has barely been fired before the characters seem totally over it. A bit of pain and death as a diversion, but the high of it doesn't even last ten minutes.

The most joyful and elegant sequence in the film is a show and masquerade put on in the mansion in the evening. It's the most invigorating sequence for the character and for the movie's audience. While they get to play at being someone else, the characters are genuinely smiling.

Eventually, though, there is tragedy. And it isn't because of the games, but rather because the party includes a few characters who don't follow the "rules". Just like what happens in most of the film, the tragedy is senseless.

Without a strong narrative through-line, this seems like the kind of film that might need a second viewing to grasp all of what is happening, especially visually. The cast of characters is huge, and there are often many people on screen at the same time. Certainly a very interesting film.

4.5

Ultraviolence

07-22-22, 04:08 PM

It’s not Scott Adkin’s best but it’s certainly close and the first movie that made me take him seriously. Plus, it has Kane Kosugi. That’s ninja royalty right there.

Been following his releases since Undisputed 3 but somehow missed Ninja 2.

Recently saw Ken as Ninja Black Jiraiya in the classic tokusatsu, was happy to see that he'll be in Kamen Rider Revice's 2022 movie. Didn't knew he is in Ninja 2. That, for sure is a plus. :D

edited: I messed up some words.

ThatDarnMKS

07-22-22, 04:23 PM

Been following his releases since Undisputed 3 but somehow missed Ninja 2.

Recently saw Ken as Ninja Black Jiraiya in the classic tokusatsu, was happy to see that he'll be in Kamen Rider Revice's 2022 movie. Didn't knew he is in Ninja 2. That, for sure is a plus. :D

edited: I messed up some words.
Ninja 2, Undisputed 2 and Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning were what hooked me. The latter remains my favorite work from him, my favorite DTV sequel and simply one of my favorite sci-fi action flicks ever.

I still don’t understand why he doesn’t have a career at least comparable to Jason Statham.

WHITBISSELL!

07-22-22, 04:28 PM

https://64.media.tumblr.com/a68b32e0c6648f35223a743d38f92d07/tumblr_o911e0ayuX1sqf5tdo6_400.gifvhttps://64.media.tumblr.com/5da0be86e048f3d255820d1f4fec8360/tumblr_o911e0ayuX1sqf5tdo7_400.gifv

Tentacles (Tentacoli) - I took note of this 1977 Jaws Italian clone of sorts when dadgumblah mentioned it in the Bo Hopkins memorial thread. He plays marine expert Will Gleason and as soon as they show him at work training his "pet" killer whales I think most people will be able to figure out how the movie will end. The production reportedly had a healthy budget of five million and they apparently spent a significant chunk of it hiring recognizable name actors. Along with Hopkins it also stars Henry Fonda, Shelley Winters, John Huston, Claude Akins and Cesare Danova.

Even though it currently holds a 0% Tomatometer rating and it is slow moving in parts there's still plenty of distinctively weird touches that make it a worthwhile watch. Right out of the chute a baby gets snatched right out of it's stroller. It's not actually shown but you still have to award bonus points for the chutzpah. Let's see ... what else? There's the harpsichord heavy score and a guy with an actual pegleg. There's also that whole weird John Huston and Shelley Winters as brother/sister vibe. You get to see apparent crusading reporter Huston in a nightshirt and your first glimpse of Winters is her fluffing up her breasts. Mind you, this attempt at playing a bombshell is five years removed from her role as elderly Belle Rosen in The Poseidon Adventure.

I also noticed that most if not all the name players were introduced off camera while uttering dialogue until it was time for their big reveal. Director Ovidio G. Assonitis had a strategy and by God he was going to stick to it. There are moments of levity which may or may not have been intended. There's a scene where a fat guy jumps into the ocean for an impromptu swim and the camera immediately cuts to the lurking octupus. It's eyes actually light up with anticipation like it's thinking, "Mmm, super size me." Then a short while later the fat guy's wife is frantically calling for him when a pair of legs pop straight up out of the water. No payoff though. No half a body bobbing between the waves or anything.

There are any number of 70's Italian adaptations that "borrow" heavily from American hits. I'm not sure where this one would fall but it has it's charms.

70/100

Takoma11

07-22-22, 04:54 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.mubicdn.net%2Fimages%2Ffilm%2F152467%2Fimage-w448.jpg%3F1458753860&f=1&nofb=1

Brother Outsider, 2003

This documentary follows the life and activism of Bayard Rustin, a man whose claim to fame is having organized the March on Washington. But Rustin's principles, based in his Quaker upbringing and a belief in equality, cause conflict both with others in the Civil Rights movement and the United States government.

My first real understanding of the concept of intersectionality--the idea that people have different combinations of social capital and thus different needs when it comes to advocacy--came in high school when confronted with the quote "The only position for women in SNCC is prone". (Yes, there might be more to this quote than it appears, but still!). Bayard Rustin is a really interesting example of someone working within a movement where his homosexuality is seen as an embarrassment and weaponized by the enemies of the Civil Rights movement.

The documentary, to its credit, doesn't limit its scope to Rustin's sexuality and the fallout of an arrest for "sex perversion". Instead, it centers Rustin's character and the way that he was forced to wrestle with his principles while trying to do the best he could for what he believed in.

I was kind of shocked to realize that I didn't have strong associations with Rustin's name, despite knowing a lot of the other names that were dropped (Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, etc). But the film does a great job of explaining Rustin's involvement in many memorable Civil Rights moments, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

It's disappointing, but predictable, that Rustin's homosexuality is brought up by those who wish to discredit or distract from the movement. But what the film shows is that people within the movement were also willing to use it in an attempt to shut him up. When Rustin's actions around labor movements creates conflict and he is seen as having sold out, signs calling him a "f*g" are carried by his former comrades.

I thought that Rustin's story came across as very human. He is for equality, against war, and generally interested in eradicating poverty. He searches for places where others will share those values, including the Communist party, the integration and Civil Rights movement, several anti-war groups, and humanitarian organizations. Like many activists I most respect, Rustin seems to care greatly about all people, not just those whose demographics or interests line up with his own.

I quite enjoyed learning about Rustin's life and activism. I liked the way that the interviews and archive footage were mixed, as well as the fact that the documentary didn't seem interested in sensationalizing the events of his life.

4

Little Ash

07-22-22, 05:01 PM

I saw Tentacles pop up when I was looking for lists of ridiculous international knock-offs of horror movies (apparently there's a Bollywood Evil Dead out there that I didn't know about).

It's wild that John Huston and Shelley Winters were both in this and then two years later, The Visitor.

ThatDarnMKS

07-22-22, 05:16 PM

ThatDarnMKS

07-22-22, 05:53 PM

The Gray Man

https://boxd.it/330jGL

3.5/5

Compared to something like Red Notice, it’s a 5/5

Captain Terror

07-22-22, 05:56 PM

The production reportedly had a healthy budget of five million and they apparently spent a significant chunk of it hiring recognizable name actors. Along with Hopkins it also stars Henry Fonda, Shelley Winters, John Huston, Claude Akins and Cesare Danova.

50% of the budget was spent on Shelley Winters' hat.

88070

Torgo

07-22-22, 06:00 PM

https://i.imgur.com/3rHyzxB.jpg

Captain Terror

07-22-22, 06:08 PM

It's from the Turd Ferguson Collection

Rockatansky

07-22-22, 06:16 PM

50% of the budget was spent on Shelley Winters' hat.

88070

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CtT0MO1WYAEEwRs?format=jpg&name=small

WHITBISSELL!

07-22-22, 07:34 PM

50% of the budget was spent on Shelley Winters' hat.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=88070
That poor kid playing Winters' son's best friend was doomed. You could practically see the tombstones in his eyes. And that whole scene with his mother at the dock came off like he had fulfilled his destiny.

"The old gypsy woman was right. Keep him away from large bodies of water. But did I listen? Noooo."

Archisorcerus

07-22-22, 07:36 PM

The Black Phone (2021)

https://i.imgur.com/0X9TWz9.png

I've just finished watching this one. One of the better horror films of the recent years, I think. Lots of things in the movie didn't make sense to me, howbeit I tend to watch the movies that are cinematically impressive but logically frivolous as if I'm having a dream/nightmare; now that this is a horror flick, it is the latter in this case.

7.5/10

edarsenal

07-22-22, 09:46 PM

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gGY4kUfwnwk/Ug9-6FV6KBI/AAAAAAAAIvQ/pVwK4tD-EMs/s1600/frameimage.jpg
https://images.immediate.co.uk/remote/images.atlas.metabroadcast.com/api.pressassociation.com/content/f56d01b7-6ab5-5c2c-99e9-24565664ac5e.jpg?quality=90&resize=556,313
https://64.media.tumblr.com/f6d3e8dc185be67ea2a75469d451a9ff/tumblr_niuaq9FG1x1qdj2qoo2_500.gifv

Ship of Fools (1965) 4.5++

Glocken: One of the saddest things in the world must be to see two people who feel so much for each other and who feel that they belong together and, yet, they really don't belong together at all.

My initial interest, MyGirl! Simone Signoret and what would be one of oh so many reasons for my appreciation to rise and rise for this ensemble cast on a 26-day ship voyage in 1933 from Veracruz, Mexico to Bremerhaven, Germany. The tagline's description of EXPLORER, MISTRESS, VAGRANT, LOAFER, ARTIST, TRAMP ... THEY ARE ALL AT THE CAPTAIN'S TABLE! Setting the bar for both the ship's officers and the guests. Along with 600 Spanish workers picked up in Cuba, stuffed like cattle on a separate, lower section of the deck.
Along with Simone's La Condesa, playing the Ship Docter with such a genuinely subtle mastery is Oskar Werner. Quite the captivating performance.
Sharing equal time to fully explore their characters are Lee Marvin's wreckless, ill-tempered, belligerent drunk veneer attempting to hide the fractured soul beneath. Vivian Leigh, a lady of cynical memes of hard-earned wisdom named Mrs. Glocken. Along with George Segal, the emotionally lost artist, there is José Ferrer, whom I so RARELY see beyond my countless rewatches of Cyrano de Bergerac, playing a Nationalist German.
ANNND those always delightful surprises of beloved characters from a favorite show appearing in a film. Mine was Michael Dunn --
https://www.dvdizzy.com/images/s/shipoffools-03.jpg
from guest appearances on the Original Star Trek and notably on Wild, Wild West as the iconic arch-villain Dr. Miguelito Loveless. Our opening and closing host and participant of this cruise.
The second surprise was Colonel Klink from Hogan's Heroes Werner Klemperer --
https://resizing.flixster.com/7ZZPbG3vzS4bWYhJVw22lrgoErA=/300x300/v2/https://flxt.tmsimg.com/assets/p3186_i_h10_ac.jpg
as a lower officer on the ship making moves on a disinterested Vivian Leigh.

Each character, every personal story of inner turmoil, and vented passion is beautifully interwoven with an orchestration that is so sublime; there is never a bump or awkward shift; we glide through each variance of emotion and the actions that illuminate and, at times, ignite them with equally regarded and engaging supporting characters. All of which is visually enhanced by a well-earned Oscar for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White by Ernest Laszlo. (F@ckin BRAVO, sir).

So, yeah, very much an instant favorite and a wondrous find.

PHOENIX74

07-22-22, 10:49 PM

https://i.postimg.cc/RhghnFzy/800px-Mikey-Nicky-1976-poster.jpg
By Distributed by Castle Hill Productions. - Scan via Posteritati., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90684902

Mikey and Nicky - (1976)

I've been hearing good word about this film on this forum recently, so I decided to check it out, as I'd never seen it. I really don't regret making that decision. Although it's directed by the ill-fated Elaine May, Mikey and Nicky does have the feeling of a Cassavetes/Falk collaboration, and both actors are in absolute top form. This is the recent cut I'm talking about. The pair play gangsters who are/were devoted friends whose close partnership has been torn asunder, but that fact is unknown to one of the men. It all takes place in one night, and also features Ned Beatty in a supporting role. It has a gritty, easy, uninhibited feel, and it's a shame May was shafted by Paramount instead of the two working out their differences to get the best version they could out to the public at the time - but we all know that age-old story, where studios meddle and artists become unmanageable. Anyway, loved this and it's a firm recommendation to any film fan. It's wound tight, and enthralls from start to finish.

9/10

Little Ash

07-22-22, 11:06 PM

The mainstream, corporate-branded version, Nike and Mickey, about a basketball playing mouse and his anthropomorphized shoes, should exist, but doesn't.

Maybe if Space Jam: A New Legacy had done better.

Little Ash

07-22-22, 11:07 PM

But I do also endorse Mikey and Nicky. Definitely one of May's top 4 movies.

WrinkledMind

07-22-22, 11:15 PM

PHOENIX74

07-22-22, 11:30 PM

But I do also endorse Mikey and Nicky. Definitely one of May's top 4 movies.

That's where we differ - I think it's one of her bottom 4 movies.

Allaby

07-23-22, 12:21 PM

Just finished watching The Gray Man (2022) on Netflix. This big budget attempt at a blockbuster is bland, derivative, predictable and generic. It feels like a rip off of several other better action films. It fails to be entertaining or fun. The screenplay is cliched and poorly written. It has a good cast who try to do what they can with the material, but no one is able to save this thing. The Gray Man is one of the worst films of the year. My rating is a 2

TheUsualSuspect

07-23-22, 12:46 PM

Nope - 3

Appreciate the ambition, cinematography and cast, but couldn't help but feel the script was lacking and it was pretty slow which made me really feel the 2+ hr runtime.

Takoma11

07-23-22, 02:11 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.themoviedb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Fw1000_and_h563_face%2FxPtEJBFdmMXgdYw1H3nkdC6tbvT.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Barcelona, 1994

Ted (Taylor Nichols) is a Chicago native who has been assigned to his firm's Barcelona branch. His cousin, Fred (Chris Eigeman), is a naval officer who arrives for a surprise visit. The two spend a few days and nights out on the town together, where they experience romantic entanglements--most notably with a woman they both like called Montserrat (Tushka Bergen)--and encounter some hostility from the locals regarding the American military presence in Spain.

This was an interesting, kind of low-key film. It's a movie where the dialogue feels very written, if that makes sense, but for the most part it manages to find a rhythm and pace that pulls it through that sense of artifice.

A lot of the film concerns Ted and Fred trying to navigate how they are perceived, both themselves as individuals and more generally as Americans. In particular, they are frequently antagonized by a man named Ramone (Pep Munné) who has little patience for their lack of understanding or interest in the impact of America's political activities and "interventions" abroad.

Unfortunately, I had a hard time finding anything to grab hold of in this film. The scenery was beautiful, and some third act developments are interesting, but I found the first two-thirds a bit of a slog. Ted and Fred are, at the end of the day, two kind of entitled men making minimal effort to understand the culture or point of view of those around them. The acting is fine, but the characters themselves don't inspire much interest. Bergen, along with Mira Sorvino, provide some texture as the love interests, but neither is given a lot of dimension by the writing.

Nice to look at, but I found it lacking in the character department.

3.5

Deschain

07-23-22, 02:22 PM

Nope - 3

Appreciate the ambition, cinematography and cast, but couldn't help but feel the script was lacking and it was pretty slow which made me really feel the 2+ hr runtime.

Yeah that’s it temper my expectations because I’m seeing it tonight in IMAX and I’m way too hyped.

SuperMetro

07-23-22, 05:30 PM

Totally disagree with you regarding DiCaprio in Django Unchained...I would rate it in the top five performances of his career.
Well, it is my opinion. I still enjoyed the movie.

Black Hawk Down - I really did not like this movie. I really do not like war movies very much. I was so bored while watching this, and was super confused as to what was happening. I saw a ton of action scenes, and then I kind of liked how this was based off a military raid in Somalia. I had to get up a couple of times and stretch around while watching this. My rating does not describe the movie, but my viewing experience.2
As for the movie 3
This movie was good enough that I would better rate it, but this movie was just so difficult to watch with all of the madness going on in it.

Rockatansky

07-23-22, 05:39 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.themoviedb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Fw1000_and_h563_face%2FxPtEJBFdmMXgdYw1H3nkdC6tbvT.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Barcelona, 1994

I'm not a Stillman expert, but I enjoyed Damsels in Distress and especially The Last Days of Disco. The latter really warmed me up to Kate Beckinsale's comedic talents. I'd sort of assumed (perhaps unfairly) that she wasn't much of an actress (blame those drab blue vampire werewolf movies), but she pretty much runs away with the movie anytime she's onscreen.

Takoma11

07-23-22, 05:46 PM

I'm not a Stillman expert, but I enjoyed Damsels in Distress and especially The Last Days of Disco. The latter really warmed me up to Kate Beckinsale's comedic talents. I'd sort of assumed (perhaps unfairly) that she wasn't much of an actress (blame those drab blue vampire werewolf movies), but she pretty much runs away with the movie anytime she's onscreen.

I've only seen this one and Love & Friendship (which also stars Beckinsale who was really good in her lead role) from Stillman, and I gave that one the same rating.

I have Last Days of Disco on my radar. What I've gathered from looking at a few other reviews of the film is that I was meant to be more taken by the conversations.

There were some really strong moments, like a scene where the two leads declare that it's not "too early to dance", start up a limbo, and then endure the blank stares from almost the entire rest of the party. But for the most part I felt a real lack of spark.

ThatDarnMKS

07-23-22, 06:32 PM

Yeah that’s it temper my expectations because I’m seeing it tonight in IMAX and I’m way too hyped.
It’s always better to go in with low expectations. Especially when dealing with a filmmaker that’s aiming to deliver something specific to his interests, which may not (and probably won’t) align with your predictions and wants.

That said, I think it’s Peele’s best work. I explained why on Twitter and Peele liked it.

I’m now a fanboy.

HYPE FOREVER, BABY! I GOT VALIDATION!

Takoma11

07-23-22, 08:36 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.rogerebert.com%2Fuploads%2Freview%2Fprimary_image%2Freviews%2Flilting-2014%2Fhero_Lilting-2014-1.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Lilting, 2014

Richard (Ben Whishaw) has just lost his partner of four years, Kai (Andrew Leung) to a horrible accident. Kai had been on the verge of coming out to his mother, Junn (Pei-Pei Cheng), who lives in a nursing home. Feeling responsible for Junn's well-being, Richard hires a translator, Vann (Naomi Yang), in part to help Junn with her fledgling romance with Alan (Peter Bowles). But sitting behind every interaction is the weight of the secret of Richard and Kai's romantic past.

This movie may have flaws, but this was one of those viewings where everything just seemed exactly as it should be.

First of all, the color palette and lighting--everything a bit pale and washed out--set the perfect emotional tone. In the flashback sequences, the lightness adds a dreamy tone, especially several scenes between Kai and Richard that take place in their bed. In the present day scenes, the colors convey a muted tone that mimics all that must stay unsaid between the main characters.

The central and blatant theme of the film is communication, and specifically the danger of speaking and the danger of not speaking. The relationship between Alan and Junn serves as a microcosm of this idea as their pleasant romance hits a few speedbumps once they are able to more explicitly communicate via Vann's interpretation.

Richard's plight is particularly moving. This isn't a story about someone coming out--this is a story about someone being forced to reckon with the idea of outing someone else. It might seem like a no-brainer that this isn't Richard's information to give, but as long as he keeps Kai's sexuality a secret, he must pretend and confine himself to the role of "friend". And friends don't get a say in funeral arrangements. Friends don't get to make a claim to the bedroom. Friends don't get to keep the ashes. When Junn asks why Richard is so invested in her well-being, Richard must dance around the answer.

Junn is an interesting character, and I loved the way Cheng played her. At times you think that she must know. At other times you think she has no idea. It would have been way too easy to make Junn a stereotype of a homophobic, controlling Asian mother. Instead her true feelings are kept close to the chest, disguised behind both the language barrier and the lack of honest conversations.

Whishaw and Leung do a good job of sketching out both a loving and passionate relationship in their flashback scenes together. The film is not at all graphic, but there's an intimacy between the characters that feels genuine and serves to drive our understanding of Richard's grief. At the same time, the flashbacks show us that the question of how and when to tell Junn about their relationship---and whether or not to invite her to live with them---hangs over them. Telling Junn about their relationship isn't just some matter of principle or pride for Richard, it's unfinished business that defined a lot of their conflict as a couple.

I also enjoyed the character of Vann, who becomes increasingly invested in the lives of the others and the choices they are making. Vann is frequently told something, then immediately told "Don't translate that!". And as she draws closer to the people whose intimate conversations she's translating, she starts to put more emotion into her work.

Overall I thought this was a really lovely and moving film, and it managed to be both sad and hopeful in its final act.

No notes!

4.5

Gideon58

07-23-22, 09:13 PM

Gideon58

07-23-22, 09:14 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/26/Smith_moviep.jpg

3.5

Deschain

07-23-22, 09:33 PM

It’s always better to go in with low expectations. Especially when dealing with a filmmaker that’s aiming to deliver something specific to his interests, which may not (and probably won’t) align with your predictions and wants.

That said, I think it’s Peele’s best work. I explained why on Twitter and Peele liked it.

I’m now a fanboy.

HYPE FOREVER, BABY! I GOT VALIDATION!

Yeah just got back from it. It was great, totally my type of movie. All about filmmaking and aliens. My only complaint is not enough Keith David.

PHOENIX74

07-23-22, 11:32 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d7/All_about_my_mother.jpg
By C@rtelesmix, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17641817

All About My Mother - (1999)

A lot of joy and sadness is mixed together in All About My Mother, a film Pedro Almodóvar made during the last few months of his mother's life. All of the main characters are women, and it delves so deeply into their world that I'm very surprised Almodóvar wrote and directed it, somehow getting a genuine feel for such feminine (and trans) viewpoints - but that seems to be a theme that runs through most of his films. Instead of the sadness of losing a mother though, the reverse is true, and Manuela (Cecilia Roth) has to deal with the loss of her teenage son through most of the film. I prefer Talk to Her, but I think All About My Mother is the better film - if that makes sense. The only other film of his I've seen is The Skin I Live In. I really should have seen his most famous late 80s/early 90s films by now, being aware of them all this time, but I will eventually.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/95/Predator_Movie.jpg
By http://impawards.com/1987/predator.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7285261

Predator - (1987)

Needed an easy watch, so turned to this classic sci-fi/action movie which took a great idea and skillfully molded it into something fun and exciting. Instead of coming to conquer the world, these extraterrestrial beings come to Earth to hunt humans - and one comes across groups of commandos who provide an appreciated test for it's combat and hunting skills. It's no match for Arnold Schwarzenegger though. Of course.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fa/The_castle_poster.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5716619

The Castle - (1997)

Many Australian films carefully follow international trends, but this comedy is as Australian as it gets, and adds a lot of feel-good charm, with warm and funny characters. This film gave Eric Bana his first role in feature films after being a star on television, and became a national favourite in the late 90s. Always enjoyable.

7/10

ThatDarnMKS

07-24-22, 02:31 AM

Yeah just got back from it. It was great, totally my type of movie. All about filmmaking and aliens. My only complaint is not enough Keith David.
That’s the only valid complaint I’ve read about the film.

Here’s my review/analysis if you wanna give it a gander:

https://boxd.it/32Qs7Z

Marco

07-24-22, 10:50 AM

Brubaker (1980)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5b/Brubaker_movie_poster.jpg
This is a strong film with a strong story to tell. Redford is assured but also amiable in the titular role as the man determined to change the violent and venal penal system. He carries the film very well with good supporting slots from Yaphet Kotto and Jane Alexander. Enjoyed this one if that's the word. Flight of the Condor next...always like watching movies when I do not have a clue what they are going to be about :)
3.5

mark f

07-24-22, 11:03 AM

Don't Make Me Go (Hannah Marks, 2022) 2.5 6/10
Bomba and the Hidden City (Ford Beebe, 1950) 2 5/10
The Show (Mitch Jenkins, 2020) 2.5 5.5/10
Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy, 2007) 3+ 6.5/10
https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F540744c9-397a-4614-aec7-3be56fb3f483_500x200.gif
Law firm fixer Michael Clayton (George Clooney) has every right to feel satisfied at the end of his journey.
It Came from Beneath the Sea (Robert Gordon, 1955) 2 5/10
The Day the Music Died (Mark Moormann, 2022) 3.5 7/10
Comanche (George Sherman, 1956) 2 5/10
Jurassic World Dominion (Colin Trevorrow, 2022) 2.5 6/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/354efd7708d1f9f84131f5e8747e306a/265a0377349cd840-5f/s540x810/67d329b2947fef63b585afc12771322549d1301f.gifv
T. rex is still roaming the world at the beginning of this episode, but things basically get worse.
Below the Sea (Albert S. Rogell, 1933) 2.5 5.5/10
This May Be the Last Time (Sterlin Harjo, 2014) 3 6.5/10
Persuasion (Carrie Cracknell, 2022) 2.5 6/10
The Giant Claw (Fred F. Sears, 1957) 1.5 4/10 F/X= 1/10
http://31.media.tumblr.com/667932c9e107bbc8225d09c7127848f7/tumblr_nxihabpRXP1uhzbjlo6_500.gif
Speaking of worse, we're talking laughably horrible F/X here but not as bad as Reptilicus.
The Gray Man (Russo Bros., 2022) 2.5+ 6/10
Reptilicus (Poul Bang & Sidney W. Pink, 1961) 1.5 4/10 F/X= 0/10
The Black Phone (Scott Derrickson, 2021) 2.5 6/10
The Phantom of the Open (Craig Roberts, 2021) 3- 6.5/10
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNzQxNjU5ZjEtZjUzZS00ZmIyLThlOGYtNzc4OTQ5ZDg1YzVhXkEyXkFqcGdeQWxiaWFtb250._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,50 0,281_.jpg
Low-key but charming tale of Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) who somehow qualifies for the British Open never having played a round of golf. He eventually becomes a folk hero even if some don't see it.
Wrong Place (Mike Burns, 2022) 1.5 4/10 Idiocy Rating= 9/10
Fathom (Leslie H. Martinson, 1967) 2.5 5.5/10
Terminal Norte (Lucrecia Martel, 2021) 2 5/10
She Will (Charlotte Colbert, 2021) 2.5 6/10
https://image.film.at/images/cfs_landscape_616w_347h/7072036/she-will-ifc.png
Faded, antisocial Hollywood star Alice Krige comes to a remote Scottish retreat with her nurse Kota Eberhardt to recover from her mastectomy and immediately starts experiencing dreams involving burnt witches.

Wooley

07-24-22, 01:20 PM

It’s always better to go in with low expectations. Especially when dealing with a filmmaker that’s aiming to deliver something specific to his interests, which may not (and probably won’t) align with your predictions and wants.

That said, I think it’s Peele’s best work. I explained why on Twitter and Peele liked it.

I’m now a fanboy.

HYPE FOREVER, BABY! I GOT VALIDATION!

I'm glad to hear this. I thought Us had a lot of positives but was narratively a step down for Peele and some early lukewarm reviews for this have me concerned that he might be a one-trick pony.

Takoma11

07-24-22, 01:24 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cinemaclock.com%2Fimages%2F580x326%2F8%2Flike-crazy-20161026.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Like Crazy, 2016

Beatrice (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) and Donatella (Micaela Ramazzotti) are both inmates at a psychiatric facility. One day on a short release to a plant nursery, the two women impulsively flee, first boarding a bus and then stealing a car. Beatrice is eager to reclaim some of the perks of her aristocratic former life, while Donatella wants to find the child who was taken away from her after a mental health crisis.

This film is billed as a comedy drama, and the promotion of it leans far more heavily on the comedy aspect. Unfortunately, this framing leads to some tonal inconsistencies that make the film an uneven experience.

It's tempting to talk about the film in two halves: the comedy and the drama.

Donatella's story is tragic and interesting. She had an affair with a married man, who then discarded her when she became pregnant. For most of the film we know that she was committed in part because she tried to kill herself and her infant son, though the specifics are withheld until the final act. Clearly not stable enough to be a parent--or maybe even to be around her child--but also clearly suffering at being separated from him, Donatella's quest to track down her child is the kind of subplot where you at once root for her success and for her failure.

I was mixed on the film's portrayal of the people in charge of the facility. While I agree with the idea of being compassionate, the fact that they even debate whether or not to notify the child's adoptive parents that the woman who tried to kill the child is on the loose seemed horrifically unethical to me.

The comedy stuff? Oof, it mostly didn't work for me. And that's nothing against Bruni Tedeschi, who does a great job portraying a woman who has internalized to the point of instinct the language of the upper class and is able to wield it, like a weapon, in pursuit of what she wants. But the thing about Beatrice is . . . she is terrible. Like, really terrible. There are multiple times where she is overtly racist and homophobic, once singling out a Black family to loudly declare as being "clearly unemployed". "Tee-hee!" the film seems to suggest with the score and framing of these scenes, "What a character!".

There is also some general humor wrung from the other patients at the facility, and this kind of laughing at (not with) people with mental illness just never sits right with me.

If it were possible to cleave the comedy out of this film, I think I would have really enjoyed it. Donatella's story--and even Beatrice's attempts to help on her behalf--is compelling and resolves in a satisfying (if a bit unbelievable) fashion.

3.5

Deschain

07-24-22, 01:59 PM

That’s the only valid complaint I’ve read about the film.

Here’s my review/analysis if you wanna give it a gander:

https://boxd.it/32Qs7Z
Nice analysis man.

In regards to this paragraph "However, they do ultimately destroy this creature and get their shot. It’s ironically a victory for the humans while also perpetuating the exact thing it spends the film criticizing. Perhaps that’s thematically muddled but I think it’s provocative, like Jordan Belfort getting away with his insider trading schemes."
I think it could be showing that it's a cycle that can't be broken, or at least not by our heroes. And that even attempting to simply document something is still contaminating it or in this case outright destroying it.

ThatDarnMKS

07-24-22, 07:06 PM

Nice analysis man.

In regards to this paragraph "However, they do ultimately destroy this creature and get their shot. It’s ironically a victory for the humans while also perpetuating the exact thing it spends the film criticizing. Perhaps that’s thematically muddled but I think it’s provocative, like Jordan Belfort getting away with his insider trading schemes."
I think it could be showing that it's a cycle that can't be broken, or at least not by our heroes. And that even attempting to simply document something is still contaminating it or in this case outright destroying it.

I think there’s definitely something to it. She uses an antiquated camera, the balloon mirrors Gordy, and once she’s done, everyone else shows up with their cameras like vultures.

The more I think about it, the more I’m certain it’s meant to be a darkly ironic turn where we, the audiences, have become complacent in the exploitation in order to get our spectacle. We probably felt disturbed and upset by Gordy’s death but here we are, wanting to cheer our heroes at the same time because they fed our addiction for spectacle.

And if you’re going to do a commentary on crowd pleasing spectacle that comes at the cost of animal exploitation, what better filmmaker to homage than Spielberg and what better film to mirror than Jaws.

WHITBISSELL!

07-24-22, 08:06 PM

https://media1.giphy.com/media/PvrD0ILIim4mHBbMi2/giphy.gif?cid=790b76117d136631ee84c30f950aae09b93448f7b8f87821&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g
https://c.tenor.com/MTA9Oa6D5ogAAAAC/that-feels-nice-bob-belcher.gif

The Bob's Burgers Movie - Long story short, this is basically an extended episode of the show. A three parter if you will. So if you're fond of the show, you'll also love this. I'm a fan and despite some initial misgivings that I quickly got past I enjoyed it. And there were only three musical numbers I had to fast forward through.

For those unfamiliar with the show Bob Belcher is a perpetually struggling restaurateur and runs a quirky small burger business with his family. His wife Linda and children Tina, Gene and Louise. There are innumerable supporting characters, some of whom don't have a chance to appear.

Bob and Linda are having their usual trouble keeping up with their loan on the restaurant equipment and ask the bank for an extension. Who promptly turn them down and instead give them seven days to pay up. With their backs against the wall and facing certain eviction a sinkhole suddenly opens up right outside their front door. The rest of the movie involves them trying to earn enough money while also asking their indifferent landlord Calvin Fischoeder for a break on their rent. In the meantime the kids stumble across a mystery when Louise goes into the sinkhole.

If you follow the show you'll recognize the plot. If you don't follow the show you probably shouldn't or won't be watching this in the first place.

80/100

GulfportDoc

07-24-22, 09:52 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/26/Smith_moviep.jpg

rating_3_5
Ha! One of Hitchcock's very few comedies. It's an enjoyable screwball outing. Carole Lombard had a natural talent for comedy, and R. Montgomery also rose to the occasion. It's not typical Hitchcock for sure, but it does provide a lot of laughs.

Takoma11

07-24-22, 10:09 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fkinorep.com%2Fmedia_cache%2Fimages%2Ffilmgalleryfull%2FKnivesoftheAvenger_Still_3.j pg&f=1&nofb=1

Knives of the Avenger, 1966

When her husband, King Arald (Giacomo Rossi Stuart) is missing-presumed-dead, Karin (Elissa Pichelli) and her son must go into hiding. The wicked Ahgen (Fausto Tozzi) wants Karin for himself as part of taking over the kingdom. Fortunately for Karin, a mysterious man named Ator (Cameron Mitchell) rolls into town just in time to defend Karin from Ahgen's clutches.

Looking for stills to include in this review, I can confirm that this movie was filmed in more than one color. But the print I watched (on Tubi) was pretty trashy, and the whole look of it was brown on brown on brown. It's not really fair to ding a movie for having watched a subpar print, but even if the movie had been more colorful and crisp, I don't think that would have solved most of the problems I had with it.

The premise itself is fine, and I really liked the way that it all begins with Karin visiting a woman who can see the future, and who very soon after delivers news of an untimely death to Ahgen and his men.

The middle, though, is kind of a muddle. I read that Bava came in and took over this movie--rewriting and reshooting it. I would say that for the most part, the best thing I can say about this film is that it is workmanlike. You will be familiar with pretty much every beat of the narrative (Karin's initial wariness of Ator; Ator saving Karin from an assault; Ator bonding with Karin's son; etc). There are also a lot of moments that seem stretched out, like someone will be riding a horse and then seconds later . . . they are still riding the horse. Likewise, someone will be walking and seconds later . . . they are still walking. It really messes with the pace of the film and deflates a lot of the tension.

I would have rather seen a clean print, but I think that the main issues with this film were the lackluster story and the weird pacing.

3

ThatDarnMKS

07-24-22, 10:22 PM

Takoma11

07-24-22, 10:52 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Foriginal%2Fnih1UqcKLB3zJCpvcfiFTdPPmCX.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Dante's Inferno, 1911

In this adaptation of the famous work, Dante (Salvatore Papa) is escorted through the circles of hell by Virgil (Arturo Pirovano).

Guys, this movie is messed up. I was not ready.

I was not . . . ready.

For the most part, this film serves as a series of tableaus, with Dante and Virgil passing through each level. But those tableaus are really something else. While the mechanics of the effects are very obvious---puppets, people hanging from wires--the artifice just adds to the nightmare quality of it all.

Where the film doesn't slack is in scale. The sets are huge and imposing, and they are filled with writhing, semi-nude extras enduring various torments. From the get-go it paints a picture of an unflinchingly cruel afterlife. There are souls passed by Dante who committed no other crime than having been born before Christ. The torments would have been disturbing anyway, but the way that they use so many extras gives it that extra heft.

Some of the torments walk a line between looking scary and looking silly (such as people whose top halves are buried so that only their kicking legs can be seen), but honestly they really landed for me. Even the costuming intended to give some modesty to the extras ends up backfiring, as from far away their crotch-thong things give the impression of huge erect penises. It's all weird. Things either work on purpose, or their not-working circles around to working again.

The film was also more violent than I was expecting, like a sequence where a man's eyes are burned out with hot tongs (on screen!), or a man is crucified to the ground. I should know better at this point, but for whatever reason I always expect older movies to be a bit tamer, which just adds to the shock at those moments.

I also have to give a shout-out to the score that came with the version I watched. It was performed (live!) by Mike Kiker and I thought that the 80s-inspired sound was a really striking fit for the material.

There are one or two eye-rolling moments here or there. A part where they ride a dragon to another level of hell does just look a bit silly. Taking time to call out that Mohammed has been disemboweled for spreading false gospel. But thankfully these moments are few and far between.

Wowza.

4.5

StuSmallz

07-24-22, 10:52 PM

I'm glad to hear this. I thought Us had a lot of positives but was narratively a step down for Peele and some early lukewarm reviews for this have me concerned that he might be a one-trick pony.The reviews make it seem as though Peele's career is continuing the disminishing returns he's been getting since after Get Out, but I'm going to see it anyway because people keep saying that it provokes a lot of thought, and I haven't been to a theater all month long yet, so this is going to be the one that breaks my dry spell, regardless of my expectations for it.Plus, I dig seeing a Cameron Mitchell from the “he could still act” era.Yeah, but his B-movie slumming days still make for some funny content anyway:
https://youtu.be/InnCWg72HB0

Takoma11

07-24-22, 10:54 PM

I dig Knives of the Avenger quite a bit. Bava basically blended the peplum and spaghetti western into a knife-slinger revenge narrative with cool action and a simple, effective plot.

It’s not close to Bava’s best but it’s far from his worst too. Plus, I dig seeing a Cameron Mitchell from the “he could still act” era.

The acting was definitely better than I expected.

But nothing about it (aside from the oracle woman) felt all that special. It's probably true that the lackluster print I saw took some of the edge off of the action sequences.

ThatDarnMKS

07-24-22, 11:05 PM

The acting was definitely better than I expected.

But nothing about it (aside from the oracle woman) felt all that special. It's probably true that the lackluster print I saw took some of the edge off of the action sequences.
I think like all Bava, better transfers can make all the difference. I also think it helps to compare it to other contemporaneous Viking/sword and sandal type flicks. It’s Spaghetti Western sensibilities for character and action certainly make it stand out in my eyes, as the genre is rife with stale, poorly choreographed sword fights and melodrama. This one is just so wonderfully straightforward and stylish that it caught me by surprise.

Have you watched Bava’s remake/ripoff of The Vikings, Erik the Conqueror?

Takoma11

07-24-22, 11:17 PM

Have you watched Bava’s remake/ripoff of The Vikings, Erik the Conqueror?

Yes, I have! And I enjoyed it.

If I come across a better print of Knives of the Avenger I might give it another watch. For me it lacked narrative charge, but I'll admit that more impact from the action sequences would have made a difference.

ThatDarnMKS

07-24-22, 11:20 PM

Yes, I have! And I enjoyed it.

If I come across a better print of Knives of the Avenger I might give it another watch. For me it lacked narrative charge, but I'll admit that more impact from the action sequences would have made a difference.
There’s a pretty solid Kino Lorber release so it may end up on Kanopy.

PHOENIX74

07-25-22, 01:54 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0d/Paris-is-burning-movie-poster-md.jpg
By May be found at the following website: IMDb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64959535

Paris is Burning - (1990)

Documentaries work best if you hardly know anything about the subject they're about to regale you with, and I knew nothing about the New York gay ball culture of this time period. I wonder if it still persists to this day? Those interviewed seemed to feel excited and liberated to be able to find a world-wide audience and explain to them the reasons they do what they do. There was a feeling of change in the air - of not complete acceptance for who these people were, but at least a level of acceptance which was much greater than in all past eras. I felt like I had some understanding for the way they felt - their need for validation, attention and acceptance. It's a subject I wouldn't want to say too much about, due to my ignorance, so I'll just say that I found the documentary fascinating and very joyous.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/36/Aphc_movieposter.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4339779

A Prairie Home Companion - (2006)

I watched this last night - Robert Altman's swansong. I have to say, it was much better than I thought it was going to be - a very warm and touching film which has it's share of funny moments. It was nice to see Kevin Kline in something, somewhat trying to play his part the way Bill Murray would. It's about a long-running radio show during it's last ever broadcast, as the cast and crew sadly go through the motions one last time. Quite fitting. Real-life host and creator of the show (which ran from 1974 up until recently) Garrison Keillor appears as himself. There are a host of stars in it, from Meryl Streep to John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, Lily Tomlin and Virginia Madsen. It has a lot of charm and a laid back, easy-going atmosphere.

7/10

Archisorcerus

07-25-22, 08:05 AM

Paradox (2016)

https://i.imgur.com/epU3oV2.jpg

A low-budget sci-fi with a high entertainment value. The second part literally dragged me into the movie's world. There were subpar scenes here and there, but broadly speaking, this film was very well done. Imaginative works pertaining to the theme of time travel are a real treat for me, if intriguingly done; and I'm exceedingly glad that this flick was one of them. 8/10

Wooley

07-25-22, 08:13 AM

honeykid

07-25-22, 09:47 AM

Not a documentary, PHOENIX74, but a great series nonetheless which may interest you.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pose_(TV_series)

Ultraviolence

07-25-22, 10:42 AM

Ninja 2, Undisputed 2 and Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning were what hooked me. The latter remains my favorite work from him, my favorite DTV sequel and simply one of my favorite sci-fi action flicks ever.

I still don’t understand why he doesn’t have a career at least comparable to Jason Statham.

Even if I prefer Universal Soldier 3 myself, Day of Reckoning is very good and yes, don't get why his career isn't bigger. Honestly, he is the only actor doing action in Hollywood (excluding the old guard Stallone, Van Damme, etc) that, imo, deserves to be in the spotlight with Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves. Still don't understand why he isn't in the John Wick franchise already.

Ultraviolence

07-25-22, 10:56 AM

https://posters.movieposterdb.com/14_06/2013/2458106/l_2458106_25d27558.jpg
Better action than the first one, still prefer the Ninja Gaiden style of the first plot, but this one wasn't bad. The last fight was a plus. Isaac Florentine, the director, is a name I keep my eyes on, not sure how I menaged to take this long to watch this film. Wished we had more Ninja Suit action though.
rating_3_5

https://images.fanart.tv/fanart/kiss-of-the-dragon-53332f41b784d.jpg
Jet Li's films from the early 2000s have their place in my heart. Even though they don't match their China releases, they're all stylish as hell and were of a time, the action wasn't just about Liam Neeson jumping a fence with 300 cuts and Matt Damon's terrible Shaky Cam experience — It's good to see that John Wick and all the great B-action vanguard are bringing back the goods.
rating_3

Allaby

07-25-22, 12:08 PM

The Sleepwalker (2014) This was a fairly interesting story with pretty good performances. 3.5

Thursday Next

07-25-22, 01:17 PM

Guaporense

07-25-22, 01:31 PM

Bad Travelling (2022) (from Love Death and Robots anthology)

Image (https://lovedeathrobots.fandom.com/wiki/Bad_Travelling?file=LDR_V3_FirstLookImage_4_Final.jpg)

Some entries in this anthology of animated short films are among the best animation available right now. This was so far my favorite short film of this series; it was directed by Fincher (I never guessed the director of Fight Club would direct an animated film before), and it rocks: it is a pretty traditional horror/thriller like Alien, and it works very well while the animation and the character designs are very good, much more detailed than your typical Pixar movie.

Stirchley

07-25-22, 01:58 PM

A Prairie Home Companion - (2006)

I watched this last night - Robert Altman's swansong. I have to say, it was much better than I thought it was going to be - a very warm and touching film which has it's share of funny moments. It was nice to see Kevin Kline in something, somewhat trying to play his part the way Bill Murray would. It's about a long-running radio show during it's last ever broadcast, as the cast and crew sadly go through the motions one last time. Quite fitting. Real-life host and creator of the show (which ran from 1974 up until recently) Garrison Keillor appears as himself. There are a host of stars in it, from Meryl Streep to John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, Lily Tomlin and Virginia Madsen. It has a lot of charm and a laid back, easy-going atmosphere.

7/10

It’s been years since I saw this, but I do remember it being rather good. I need to re-watch.

doubledenim

07-25-22, 02:34 PM

It’d be worth it just to hear Garrison Keeler’s voice again. He was a part of so many great Saturdays. I can’t believe that movie is that old already.

Stirchley

07-25-22, 02:45 PM

It’d be worth it just to hear Garrison Keeler’s voice again. He was a part of so many great Saturdays. I can’t believe that movie is that old already.

Too bad Keillor had a pattern of inappropriate behavior towards women.

doubledenim

07-25-22, 03:01 PM

He exists as a construct of my imagination, trying to peddle Powdered Biscuits.

If we negated all the art made by problematic people, we wouldn’t be left with much.

ThatDarnMKS

07-25-22, 03:28 PM

Even if I prefer Universal Soldier 3 myself, Day of Reckoning is very good and yes, don't get why his career isn't bigger. Honestly, he is the only actor doing action in Hollywood (excluding the old guard Stallone, Van Damme, etc) that, imo, deserves to be in the spotlight with Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves. Still don't understand why he isn't in the John Wick franchise already.
I’ve got some great news: He is in John Wick- Chapter 4!

Gideon58

07-25-22, 04:26 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDFiNmRhNDMtNzI0YS00NDRmLWI3NjMtY2Y3NDdkYTFmODMxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzg5MzIyOA@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg

3.5

FridayNightFights

07-25-22, 08:45 PM

Messiah of Evil (1973) 5/10

A little slow, but it wasn't bad. It's like an Italian horror movie minus the gore and nudity.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYjc5YzE5ODQtYTg0Yy00NjcxLWJlYzktYjVkMDgxMzIwYzUxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_.jpg

Takoma11

07-25-22, 09:16 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.2gKAJ9vPXYfS1SWH7g3gjgAAAA%26pid%3DApi&f=1

Maciste in Hell, 1925

Country gentleman Maciste (Bartolomeo Pagano) is possessed of great physical strength and strength of character. When his sweet neighbor (Pauline Polaire) has a baby with a man (Domenico Serra) whose soul is being endangered by an agent of hell, Maciste gets in the middle of things and ends up being pulled down to hell by angry demons.

After watching Dante's Inferno, this one looked interesting, and despite some screenshots indicating it would be another fantastical experience, this one was a bit more silly.

I had not realized--and I'm not sure if this is common knowledge among film buffs or not--that Maciste is a character who appears in a lot of Italian films, beginning with Cabiria (a movie I'm about halfway through currently). From what I understand he's sort of akin to a Hercules type character, making his way through adventures using his magnificent strength.

While the tone here is a bit sillier, there are still some effective visuals. In particular I really loved a shot of a weird octopus creature hovering over the city. Like Dante's Inferno, the vision of hell is heavily inspired by Gustave Dore's illustrations.

Pagano does a good job of giving off good guy vibes, with a bit of a sense of humor. While in hell, Maciste is tricked into kissing one of Pluto's brides, which transforms him into a devil. When a jealous Pluto asks Maciste who kissed him, Maciste gestures at a nearby grubby demon and answers "Him!".

It does go to a bit of an absurd place at times, such as when Maciste literally leads a revolt against the devils, but somehow the film manages to wrap up in a feel good fashion. I thought that the film took a little bit to get going, but once it kicks into gear it's very entertaining.

4

Takoma11

07-25-22, 10:58 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fi0.wp.com%2Fwww.highonfilms.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F10%2FWait-Until-Dark-2.png&f=1&nofb=1

Wait Until Dark, 1967

Susy (Audrey Hepburn) is a woman still coming to grips with having become recently blind. Unbeknownst to her, her husband Sam (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) unintentionally brought home a doll filled with drugs. As the film begins, the ruthless Roat (Alan Arkin) has enlisted a conman named Mike (Richard Crenna) and an ex-police sergeant named Carlino (Jack Weston) to help him find and retrieve the doll. Isolating Susy in her apartment, with only a neighbor child named Gloria (Julie Herrod) for help, the men go to increasing lengths to get Susy to do what they want.

I haven't seen this film in ages, but after some bullying encouragement from Rock I decided to check it out again before it left the Criterion Channel.

It is still an effectively tense and thrilling film, and the sheer sense of danger helps push past some plot and character moments that don't totally make sense.

The film takes its sweet time establishing the characters of the three criminals. This ends up being time well spent, because once they start their con they are putting on a show for Susy while pursuing their real goal, with Roat even playing several different characters. The middle third of the film is all about them trying to simply overpower Susy with the classic scammers trick of generating a sense of emergency. In the last act it all starts to fall apart, and the cards finally get put on the table.

Hepburn is good in the lead role, imbuing Susy with a sense of humor that she clearly also uses to cope with her recent drastic shift in her life. But she is also very smart, and there are many moments where we watch Susy start to pick up on inconsistencies and gaps in the stories she's being told by the three conmen. Her Susy does seem a bit too adept and quick at times for someone who is grappling with the recent loss of sight. I mean, at one point she takes off a coat while walking down a flight of stairs, and I'm sorry, but I would never. Still you're enough on the side of the character that it's okay, and I suppose it's much preferable to making her extra helpless.

The three conmen have their own internal dramas. Krenna's Mike is "the nice one", a man who genuinely seems to like Susy and really want to resolve the whole thing without having to hurt her. Weston's Carlino, a man still clearly stinging from whatever caused his dismissal from the police force, has a harder exterior. But it's Arkin's Roat, a real dyed-in-the-wool psychopath that makes this film the memorable little horror-thriller it is. Roat's direct interactions with Susy in the final act are chilling. It's like watching a predator play with its prey just for fun. When Susy says that she was on to him, he responds, "Not all the way, Susy. Even now, not all the way."

I'd remembered hating the character of Gloria, but after some initial truly awful behavior, she proves to be a sassy and capable second banana.

But you know who IS the worst? Sam. Thank goodness he's out of the picture for most of the movie because gross. The actor is only 11 years older than Hepburn, but they visibly look further apart. And the apparent age gap makes his patronizing behavior towards her really hard to take. I suppose the most charitable reading of his character is that he wants his wife to be safe and independent, but this comes out in the most mean-spirited and condescending ways. Susy drops something and asks where it is, to which he responds, "You can find it." Dude. It would be one thing if Susy wasn't making an effort and he was trying to motivate her, but Susy is clearly trying very hard. When Susy tells him that Gloria has been endangering her by maliciously rearranging the furniture, he brushes this off like it's no big deal. The absolutely worst moment comes at the end of the film when instead of going to his wife who has been tormented, almost killed, and just generally terrorized for the last few hours, he makes her walk across their trashed and corpse-strewn apartment to him. Sam--and Susy's simpering deference to him, "I'll be anything you want me to be!"--costs this film a half point, no joke.

I have some very sentimental feelings about this film, as I vividly remember my family watching this together when I was about 10 years old. I also remembered my parents' instructions that it's a movie to watch in as close to darkness as possible.

There are some cliched frustrations with the plot and characters, things like maybe you should lock the door or maybe you should call the police. But the pace of the film is good enough and the characters compelling enough that those frustrations mainly becomes background noise.

4

Deschain

07-25-22, 11:27 PM

I love Wait Until Dark. Maybe the best jump scare ever? And yes Tak the part in your spoilers is obnoxious.

Takoma11

07-25-22, 11:41 PM

I love Wait Until Dark. Maybe the best jump scare ever? And yes Tak the part in your spoilers is obnoxious.

It had been long enough since I'd seen the film that I actually misremembered when it happened. For some reason I thought I remembered Roat lunging out at her from near the refrigerator, moving right to left in the frame, so when she was walking that way I was NOT PREPARED for him to lunge out left to right!

Takoma11

07-25-22, 11:44 PM

Chaos Walking (2021)

What a mess. I'm not sure this novel was filmable really. Pretty much every interesting idea from the book has been flattened into a standard run, shoot and jump adventure with a tacked on happy ending. There are characters who are never really explained, like the preacher, who just shows up to be evil every now and then. It's dreary and it's scrappy and it's not really worth watching, except for Mads Mikkelsen dressed up like he's in McCabe and Mrs Miller in space. Which sounds like much more of a fun movie than this one.

2

Having read the book, I had no interest in checking out the film unless it got really good reviews. I really struggle to imagine how to translate a story that relies so strongly on subjective point of view and the plot point of all the telepathy into something good on screen.

It's a shame, because it's a great book. I hope the middling film doesn't dissuade people from checking out the novel.

Rockatansky

07-25-22, 11:55 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fi0.wp.com%2Fwww.highonfilms.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F10%2FWait-Until-Dark-2.png&f=1&nofb=1

Wait Until Dark, 1967

...

I haven't seen this film in ages, but after some bullying encouragement from Rock I decided to check it out again before it left the Criterion Channel.

The system works!

But you know who IS the worst? Sam. Thank goodness he's out of the picture for most of the movie because gross. The actor is only 11 years older than Hepburn, but they visibly look further apart. And the apparent age gap makes his patronizing behavior towards her really hard to take. I suppose the most charitable reading of his character is that he wants his wife to be safe and independent, but this comes out in the most mean-spirited and condescending ways. Susy drops something and asks where it is, to which he responds, "You can find it." Dude. It would be one thing if Susy wasn't making an effort and he was trying to motivate her, but Susy is clearly trying very hard. When Susy tells him that Gloria has been endangering her by maliciously rearranging the furniture, he brushes this off like it's no big deal. The absolutely worst moment comes at the end of the film when instead of going to his wife who has been tormented, almost killed, and just generally terrorized for the last few hours, he makes her walk across their trashed and corpse-strewn apartment to him. Sam--and Susy's simpering deference to him, "I'll be anything you want me to be!"--costs this film a half point, no joke.

lol yeah a lot of the reviews I read on Letterboxd called him out.

I can't hate him only because the actor who played him was also the voice of Alfred in Batman: The Animated Series, but he was definitely the weakest part of the movie. Luckily he's not present for the bulk of the proceedings.

PHOENIX74

07-26-22, 12:02 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cd/Original_movie_poster_for_the_film_Billy_Liar.jpg
By http://www.moviegoods.com/movie_product.asp?master%5Fmovie%5Fid=1884, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7403646

Billy Liar - (1963)

William Terrence Fisher (Tom Courtenay) is a very unusual fictional protagonist - chances are you'll find him insufferable. He's immature for his age, lies incessantly to make himself out to be more than he is, has two fiancés, steals from his employer, and is often lost in his own fantasy world. An encouraging word from a famous British comedian has him thinking he's off to London to become a scriptwriter - but something has to happen to wake this boy up. This black and white film is sumptuously and brilliantly shot, interestingly directed by John Schlesinger, who would later go to America to make Midnight Cowboy and well acted by all - but especially Courtenay. It features the beautiful and talented Julie Christie in one of her early roles and is based on 1959 novel of the same name by Keith Waterhouse. The fantasy sequences are great, but the whole film feels assured and very, very intelligent. I'm glad I crossed paths with it.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dc/Painted-veil-poster.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7834204

The Painted Veil - (2006)

This is the first version of The Painted Veil I've seen, so it has the advantage of being fresh and new to me (although, it's kind of ironic I'm saying that because I've seen this version before and was watching it for the second time.) It really gains a lot of traction during it's second half, when the relationship between Walter (Edward Norton) and Kitty Fane (Naomi Watts) has much history behind it, and they only really start appreciating each other for the first time. Set mostly in China during a cholera epidemic, it's part love story, part historical epic, and has a lot of visual power behind it. It has really held up well for me, and I enjoyed watching it again.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bf/The_Heat_poster.jpg
Copyright held by the film company or the artist. Claimed as fair use regardless., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39414934

The Heat - (2013)

I'd seen parts of this before, and it looked really funny - and while the film definitely does have it's moments I thought it was a little too one-note to sustain it's running time for me. I became a little tired of the schtick after 45 minutes or so, and it doesn't have a story that can help to maintain interest. Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock are funny and make a great team, but the film industry doesn't make very compelling comedies for the most part.

5/10

Takoma11

07-26-22, 12:04 AM

I can't hate him only because the actor who played him was also the voice of Alfred in Batman: The Animated Series, but he was definitely the weakest part of the movie. Luckily he's not present for the bulk of the proceedings.

Sorry, but you can hate him.

Every time Susy was like "Oh, Sam! SAM!" I was like "Girl, what's he going to do for you? Tell you to feel your way to a policeman on your own?"

Rockatansky

07-26-22, 12:12 AM

Sorry, but you can hate him.

Every time Susy was like "Oh, Sam! SAM!" I was like "Girl, what's he going to do for you? Tell you to feel your way to a policeman on your own?"
He disappears for 90% of the movie.Absence makes the heart grow fonder (from outright hatred to mild annoyance).

ThatDarnMKS

07-26-22, 12:31 AM

I don’t even remember Sam. I do recall loving the movie. I hereby declare that Sam does not exist and the movie remains a near perfect thriller.

FridayNightFights

07-26-22, 12:45 AM

https://vanyaland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/TheyLive_.jpg

"Mama don't like no tattletale."

Solid 7/10

StuSmallz

07-26-22, 04:57 AM

It’d be worth it just to hear Garrison Keeler’s voice again. He was a part of so many great Saturdays. I can’t believe that movie is that old already.
https://i.ibb.co/GtVCvtf/Stupid-TV-Be-More-Funny.gif (https://imgbb.com/)

Fabulous

07-26-22, 05:52 AM

The Naked Spur (1953)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/AhBDWDu1NQ1UBqfedUsZvsmeHRA.jpg

Ultraviolence

07-26-22, 08:14 AM

I’ve got some great news: He is in John Wick- Chapter 4!

That, for sure, is GREAT news! Hope he plays a big role and I really wish his career to get bigger after it. He deserves.

Wooley

07-26-22, 01:04 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bf/The_Heat_poster.jpg
Copyright held by the film company or the artist. Claimed as fair use regardless., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39414934

The Heat - (2013)

I'd seen parts of this before, and it looked really funny - and while the film definitely does have it's moments I thought it was a little too one-note to sustain it's running time for me. I became a little tired of the schtick after 45 minutes or so, and it doesn't have a story that can help to maintain interest. Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock are funny and make a great team, but the film industry doesn't make very compelling comedies for the most part.

5/10

I was sorely disappointed by this. I'd heard it was such a good comedy, a recent best for both performers, yadda yadda, and so I decided I was intrigued enough to actually BUY it (the only way it was available at the time).
And now every time I see it in my "Purchased" queue on iTunes I am filled with the sense of having been completely duped and ripped-off.
A very mediocre, by the numbers, seen it before a thousand times comedy with neither performer acting one centimeter outside of their dead-center comfort zone and schtick.
Pretty much just a waste of time.