Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[Rockatansky]

I humbly offer these 4 popcorns to you, the Canadian people.
Looks like we're* having fine dining tonight!


*we = the Canadian people

[Wooley]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/68/The_mummy.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/1999/mummy_ver2.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20132246

The Mummy - (1999)

Time hasn't been kind to the CGI effects used in The Mummy, and it's hard to believe this was a film with a massive budget that went on to earn nearly half a billion dollars. It's hard to believe that Brendan Fraser was once an A-lister (not that I mind him) - but as long as you're not expecting much, this Mummy delivers some trashy fun. It feels like a 125-minute wink at it's audience, and after enduring 1980 film The Awakening with Charlton Heston I'd take this kind of iteration any day.

7/10
Man, I was furious when this came out. I was already in my mid to late 20s and I was a fan of classic Horror and this was just some silly adventure movie for kids. I was pissed.

[Deschain]

Man, I was furious when this came out. I was already in my mid to late 20s and I was a fan of classic Horror and this was just some silly adventure movie for kids. I was pissed.

Seeing it with my friends when we were 12 was one of the best movie going experiences of my life. That movie is still way too much fun.

[Fabulous]

The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/zuoCMOLSPr4ZgnFBUQEZE69Yv8D.jpg

[xSookieStackhouse]

3.5
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMWY3ODZlOGMtNzJmOS00ZTNjLWI3ZWEtZTJhZTk5NDZjYWRjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjU0OTQ0OTY@._V1_.jpg

[Marco]

The Lords of Discipline (1983)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/09/Poster_of_the_movie_The_Lords_of_Discipline.jpg
Bit of a curio that doesn't hit all the right notes but is interesting and entertaining at the same time. Set in a Military Academy in the South of USA it follows the notorious "hazing" process that the newest recruitments have to go through. When their 1st black student enrols, this process is exposed by a rather feckless cadet (the likeable David Keith....will he ever get out of military training!!! :))and his room-mates. It's good, not great, very 80s but enjoyable Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton (credited as "Wild" :)) make up for a well-rounded cast. You know when there's G. D. Spradlin is about some wrongdoing is going on!!!!

3.5

[Wooley]

Seeing it with my friends when we were 12 was one of the best movie going experiences of my life. That movie is still way too much fun.

I can get that. I also hated Goonies. It is what it is.

[John-Connor]

88969

2010-2019 Ratings:

3 I Origins 2014
3 Certified Copy 2010

3.5 The Two Faces of January 2014
3.5 Black Sea 2014
3.5 Kill List 2011
3.5 Lean on Pete 2017

4 The Yellow Sea 2010
4 Anthropoid 2016
4 Long Shot 2019
4 The Nice Guys 2016

4.5 Capernaum 2018

[Deschain]

I can get that. I also hated Goonies. It is what it is.

Yeah Goonies isn’t very good.

[John-Connor]

I can get that. I also hated Goonies. It is what it is.
Yeah Goonies isn’t very good.

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

[Stirchley]

88973

Excellent movie. Miles Teller so good in this (huge fan) & so was Shailene Woodley. Kyle Chandler in a brilliant cameo. Brie Larsen seemed uninvested in her character.88975

Oof, the movie that wouldn’t end. My dvd disc was degraded in the middle so I missed some scenes. But it still seemed like an eternity.

Never seen the attraction with James Dean.

[Corax]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNGI3MWYwYjItNzZhYi00ZWIzLTkyMzYtN2JmNjg3ODg1NTg4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTMwMDA5ODU3._V1_QL75_UX190_CR0, 2,190,281_.jpg


Predictable and kind of slow, but still effective at inducing a sense of unease. If you have any discomfort with heights, this is the film to make you feel quite uncomfortable. 6/10

[mark f]

Sniper. The White Raven (Marian Bushan, 2022) 2.5 6/10
The Black Tower (John Smith, 1987) 3 6.5/10
The Harbinger (Will Klipstine, 2022) 2 5/10
How to Please a Woman (Renée Webster, 2022) 2.5 6/10
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2022/07/29/arts/howtoplease1/merlin_210465570_0aa40442-f385-4e65-9d34-df52d54026f2-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale
The executive (Sally Phillips) of an all-male house-cleaning business learns that her clientele wants all kinds of things along with their cleaning skills, so she attempts to provide it.
Samuel's Travels AKA Squeal (Aik Karapetian, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
Beast (Baltasar Kormákur, 2022) 2.5 6/10
The Fan (Ed Bianchi, 1981) 2.5 5.5/10
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, 2021) 2.5 6/10
https://images.static-bluray.com/reviews/24832_4.jpg
In one of three episodes, quiet jealousy occurs between two women ftiends (Kotone Furukawa & Hyunri) and one (Ayumu Nakajima) of their husbands.
Mighty Flash (Ainhoa Rodríguez, 2021) 2.5 6/10
Kings Go Forth (Delmer Daves, 1959) 2.5 5.5/10
Teenage Emotions (Frédéric Da, 2021) 2.5 6/10
Breaking (Abi Damaris Corbin, 2022) 2.5 6/10
https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/breaking-movie-review-2022/homepage_breaking-movie-review-2022.jpeg
Diagnosed with PTSD, Marine vet Brian Brown-Easley (John Boyega) just wants his money from the V. A. Administration, but he finds himself in a bank robbery-hostage negotiation situation surrounded by officers outside who want to kill him.
Gagarine (Fanny Liatard & Jérémy Trouilh, 2021) 2.5 6/10
Endless Love (Franco Zeffirelli, 1981) 2 5/10
The Hills Run Red (Carlo Lizzani, 1966) 2.5 6/10
Anne of the Thousand Days (Charles Jarrott, 1969) 3.5 7/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/445ca8181d1648448ead589d2a123681/dd002b819250d86c-7a/s400x600/16babeeb68e5f57f760abc11fcf0a35314ad8324.gifv
King Henry VIII (Richard Burton) wants Anne Boleyn (Geneviève Bujold) to give him a male royal heir since he can't get one from Queen Catherine of Aragon (Irene Papas), but this causes all kinds of lies, deaths and scandals.
This Property Is Condemned (Sydney Pollack, 1966) 2.5 6/10
True Things (Harry Wootliff, 2021) 2.5 5.5/10
Sex and the Single Girl (Richard Quine, 1964) 2.5 6/10
Emily the Criminal (John Patton Ford, 2022) 3 6.5/10
https://wwwflickeringmythc3c8f7.zapwp.com/q:i/r:1/wp:1/w:362/u:https://cdn.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Emily-The-Criminal-_-Official-Trailer-_-In-Theaters-August-12-0-9-screenshot-600x295.jpg
Just wanting to pay off her student debt and not wanting a "real job", Emily (Aubrey Plaza) goes to work for Youcef (Theo Rossi) doing crimes, but soon finds herself to be the more forceful of the pair.

[cricket]

Mustang (2015)

3.5+

https://c.files.bbci.co.uk/50E8/production/_89621702_mustang-02.jpg

Blind watch from the female directors list, I figured it was about horses. 5 young Turkish girls live with their aunt, uncle, and grandma. They are "protected" by not being able to dress up, go to school, socialize, or do anything else that normal kids in America or countries like it would normally do. Their only intended purpose is to eventually be married off and serve their husbands. These girls don't want that and this is a good film that shows the resulting drama.

Watched on Tubi

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://www.refinery29.com/images/10759064.jpg?crop=3000%2C1577%2Cx0%2Cy377
Petite Maman (2021, Céline Sciamma)
5
I was absolutely transfixed by the sheer purity, simplicity, the quiet innocence and love that permeate this little gem. One of the finest films about childhood and mother-child relationships I've seen, it manages to say so much with so little. Sciamma is such a delicate, understated director - check out her Portrait of a Lady on Fire, another thing of beauty.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fb/Moonage_Daydream_%28film%29.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2022/posters/moonage_daydream_ver2_xxlg.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71505831

Moonage Daydream - (2022)

With the pandemic far behind me, and something really worth seeing on the big screen, I ventured forward today and saw my first post-pandemic film in a cinema. Moonage Daydream elevates the David Bowie mythology to almost God-like status, but grounds it by allowing us a sense of the human behind all of the masks. It does this with wonderful use of his catalogue of songs, and rarely makes the mistake of allowing itself to be too stereotypical or hackneyed. Brett Morgen has obviously spent time, and a great deal of care assembling footage from the man's life, interviews, concert footage, films, plays and television appearances - not to mention music videos. In between there's a sense of the cosmic, but it never becomes overly lost in it's own gaze. Our search for the meaning of life in what feels like the film's first few moments made me afraid this was some deification - but instead it turned into a full-on celebration of David Bowie's music, art and life. It was a visual wonderland, and a rock 'n' roll journey using the best music you'll hear blast you through an entire film. Best cinematic experience since Hereditary.

9/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/36/Stardust_%282020%29.png
By http://www.impawards.com/intl/uk/2020/stardust.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65719296

Stardust - (2020)

And then, at the other side of the Bowie spectrum, there's this little "gem". Stardust is one of two movies (the other was about Jackie Onassis - well able to sue) that disavow themselves right at the start - claiming to be "fiction", it takes place during Bowie's first trip to America, where's he's basically ignored, belittled and manages to embarrass himself over and over again. In Stardust he's clueless, insecure, weak, pathetic, henpecked and afraid of going mad. His new record, 'The Man Who Sold the World' isn't selling and he takes a road trip with publicist Ron Oberman (Marc Maron) across the States where he gradually picks up all the ideas he'll use for the creation of Ziggy Stardust. By the triumphant end, you'll wonder what's going on, because the film was not allowed to use one single Bowie song. Johnny Flynn plays Bowie as some kind of simpering queen - he doesn't sound much like him, and when he squeaks out an occasional cover everything really comes crashing down. This film is a complete disaster - and for fans of the musician it won't go down well. I can't say all I want to say about it without going on for far too long, so I'll do a whole review one day down the track.

2/10

[PHOENIX74]

Man, I was furious when this came out. I was already in my mid to late 20s and I was a fan of classic Horror and this was just some silly adventure movie for kids. I was pissed.

It sounds like you did yourself a solid favour and avoided watching any of the sequels and spin-offs which stunk up the movie landscape for years afterward...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b7/The_Mummy_Returns_poster.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2001/mummy_returns.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1008336

The Mummy Returns - (2001)

What didn't return was the fun and simple formula from the first film - instead the budget doubled and we were treated to an absolutely exhausting mélange of CGI creatures, kingdoms and a very odd-looking Dwayne Johnson-scorpion hybrid creature that the technology of the day simply couldn't pull off. Everything in The Mummy Returns is muddled, with too many characters crowding around a screenplay with sparse wit and a decided lack of character-building - which in the end means we don't care a wit about any of them. Arnold Vosloo's return as Imhotep brought a smile to my lips - but nothing else did.

5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1d/The_Scorpion_King_poster.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from Universal Pictures., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1008651

The Scorpion King - (2002)

The idea of giving the Scorpion King from the 2nd Mummy film his own franchise sounds strange at first - but not when you realise that this appears to be a completely different Scorpion King. No matter, because this is your very basic swords 'n' sandals fantasy picture with a mystical maiden in distress, comic relief sidekick and...virtually nothing else. I can't think of anything. Bad guys getting whopped with the Scorpion King's sword? I guess yeah. All the way through. The formula is so worn out, that I was genuinely surprised at how lovingly everyone who made this film adhered to it. There's absolutely no connection to the Mummy franchise and I suspect the Scorpion King name was just pasted onto an already developed screenplay (from 1953).

4/10

[matt72582]

Profound Desires of the Gods (1968)

rating_3_5

http://blueprintreview.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/profound-desires-of-the-gods-screenshot.jpg




I didn't mind that this is over 3 hours long, but after 35 minutes, I don't know if this is going anywhere. But I'll await your (or someone else's) reply before deleting the movie from my DVR.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMmI1YTNlNjUtMjk4NS00YWZiLWI5NjktZjY5ZjRhZDJmMzQ2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjgxNTAwNjQ@._V1_.jpg


2.5

[cricket]

The Body (2012)

4.5

https://www.kinofilmwelt.de/media/videos/2014/the_body_-_death_is_not_always_the_end/Fotos/the_body_death_is_not_always_the_end_05.jpg

A new favorite mystery/thriller done just the way I like them. Same director as The Invisible Guest so if you liked that one then this is recommended. It was only a couple of minutes in and I felt like I was right in the middle of it, completely involved the whole time. Watched on Tubi.

[Wooley]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fb/Moonage_Daydream_%28film%29.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2022/posters/moonage_daydream_ver2_xxlg.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71505831

Moonage Daydream - (2022)

With the pandemic far behind me, and something really worth seeing on the big screen, I ventured forward today and saw my first post-pandemic film in a cinema. Moonage Daydream elevates the David Bowie mythology to almost God-like status, but grounds it by allowing us a sense of the human behind all of the masks. It does this with wonderful use of his catalogue of songs, and rarely makes the mistake of allowing itself to be too stereotypical or hackneyed. Brett Morgen has obviously spent time, and a great deal of care assembling footage from the man's life, interviews, concert footage, films, plays and television appearances - not to mention music videos. In between there's a sense of the cosmic, but it never becomes overly lost in it's own gaze. Our search for the meaning of life in what feels like the film's first few moments made me afraid this was some deification - but instead it turned into a full-on celebration of David Bowie's music, art and life. It was a visual wonderland, and a rock 'n' roll journey using the best music you'll hear blast you through an entire film. Best cinematic experience since Hereditary.

9/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/36/Stardust_%282020%29.png
By http://www.impawards.com/intl/uk/2020/stardust.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65719296



Yeah, the thing about Bowie that makes him even greater than his legend and legacy would seem is just how human he really was.
I'm glad to hear that they captured that here, can't wait to see it.

[Wooley]

It sounds like you did yourself a solid favour and avoided watching any of the sequels and spin-offs which stunk up the movie landscape for years afterward...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b7/The_Mummy_Returns_poster.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2001/mummy_returns.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1008336

The Mummy Returns - (2001)

What didn't return was the fun and simple formula from the first film - instead the budget doubled and we were treated to an absolutely exhausting mélange of CGI creatures, kingdoms and a very odd-looking Dwayne Johnson-scorpion hybrid creature that the technology of the day simply couldn't pull off. Everything in The Mummy Returns is muddled, with too many characters crowding around a screenplay with sparse wit and a decided lack of character-building - which in the end means we don't care a wit about any of them. Arnold Vosloo's return as Imhotep brought a smile to my lips - but nothing else did.

5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1d/The_Scorpion_King_poster.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from Universal Pictures., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1008651

The Scorpion King - (2002)

The idea of giving the Scorpion King from the 2nd Mummy film his own franchise sounds strange at first - but not when you realise that this appears to be a completely different Scorpion King. No matter, because this is your very basic swords 'n' sandals fantasy picture with a mystical maiden in distress, comic relief sidekick and...virtually nothing else. I can't think of anything. Bad guys getting whopped with the Scorpion King's sword? I guess yeah. All the way through. The formula is so worn out, that I was genuinely surprised at how lovingly everyone who made this film adhered to it. There's absolutely no connection to the Mummy franchise and I suspect the Scorpion King name was just pasted onto an already developed screenplay (from 1953).

4/10

I actually saw both of these (I actually used to see pretty much everything back in those days, going to the theater 3, 4, 5 times a week).
The second one was actually easier to take because I was over the disappointment of the first one and understood what I was going to see. The Scorpion King, obviously, is just a startlingly bad film. I feel like you're being kind with 4.

[EndlessDream]

https://images.app.goo.gl/uGBYhv5BWMWoiUnUA


The Power (1968) is a cool scifi thriller about a small group of scientists that start being hunted once they discover that one among them is a genius with psychic powers. The movie follows the scientist Tanner, who faces surreal and deadly encounters as he investigates his only clue: the name Adam Hart written on a scrap of paper by one of the victims.

I was immediately fascinated by this movie. Someone having the ability to control other's minds is a scary idea because it would be very difficult to stop them. It makes sense that this level of power would corrupt someone, which is of course what the story is about.

The Power feels like an extended Outer Limits episode, which makes sense given that Byron Haskin directed several episodes of that show as well. The movie meanders a bit in the middle, but the conclusion is satisfying. Its currently available to watch on Tubi if anyone is interested.

[cricket]

Restrepo (2010)

4

https://media.npr.org/assets/artslife/books/2010/05/war/battle_wide-f3114100cec490d1d0b69742d68b51ab7794b446-s1100-c50.jpg

Number 50 on our documentary list, it's about a platoon of soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. They name a post Restrepo after one of their fallen brothers. This didn't quite have the power of docs like Shoah or Night and Fog, but it wasn't without it either and there was a camera present along their journey. It's a strong look at the fighting, emotional toll, and the camaraderie between the men.

[donniedarko]

The Body (2012)

4.5

https://www.kinofilmwelt.de/media/videos/2014/the_body_-_death_is_not_always_the_end/Fotos/the_body_death_is_not_always_the_end_05.jpg

A new favorite mystery/thriller done just the way I like them. Same director as The Invisible Guest so if you liked that one then this is recommended. It was only a couple of minutes in and I felt like I was right in the middle of it, completely involved the whole time. Watched on Tubi.

This looks right up my alley

[Allaby]

I just finished watching Melancholia (2011) for the first time. It was excellent. The film looks great, Kirsten Dunst is fantastic and the rest of the cast are good too. My rating is 4.5.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a5/Driving_Miss_Daisy_.jpg
By Copied from International Movie Poster Awards Gallery, and intellectual property owned by Warner Brothers, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3939655

Driving Miss Daisy - (1989)

It's been around 30 years since I last saw Driving Miss Daisy - after seeing it a few times after it came out, I felt I never really needed to watch it again - but then I never really considered the prospect of me being here 30 years later and figuring I'd finally forgotten most of the film. I'm probably a little more sensitive to it's emotional aspects, as evidenced by me tearing up a little at it's bittersweet final scene - and it was enough for me to dismiss the myriad problems I had with it. After all, if I wanted real life I wouldn't be watching a movie. The sweet relationship between Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman) and Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy) - as unlikely a couple as you'll ever see - is saccharine, but somehow it really works. It's pure feel-good, and although it skirts and sidelines a variety of issues, I get that this isn't what the movie is about. It might not challenge, confront or dig very deep, but it's a pleasant journey. Somewhat formulaic, but I think it does what it wants to do well.

7/10

I just finished watching Melancholia (2011) for the first time. It was excellent. The film looks great, Kirsten Dunst is fantastic and the rest of the cast are good too. My rating is 4.5.

A very, very great film.

[Wooley]

I just finished watching Melancholia (2011) for the first time. It was excellent. The film looks great, Kirsten Dunst is fantastic and the rest of the cast are good too. My rating is 4.5.

We are of one mind on this topic.

[Wooley]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a5/Driving_Miss_Daisy_.jpg
By Copied from International Movie Poster Awards Gallery, and intellectual property owned by Warner Brothers, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3939655

Driving Miss Daisy - (1989)

It's been around 30 years since I last saw Driving Miss Daisy - after seeing it a few times after it came out, I felt I never really needed to watch it again - but then I never really considered the prospect of me being here 30 years later and figuring I'd finally forgotten most of the film. I'm probably a little more sensitive to it's emotional aspects, as evidenced by me tearing up a little at it's bittersweet final scene - and it was enough for me to dismiss the myriad problems I had with it. After all, if I wanted real life I wouldn't be watching a movie. The sweet relationship between Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman) and Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy) - as unlikely a couple as you'll ever see - is saccharine, but somehow it really works. It's pure feel-good, and although it skirts and sidelines a variety of issues, I get that this isn't what the movie is about. It might not challenge, confront or dig very deep, but it's a pleasant journey. Somewhat formulaic, but I think it does what it wants to do well.

7/10

I've always wanted to have a conversation with Morgan Freeman, in general really, but certainly touching on how he felt about playing this character, then and now.

[Stirchley]

89011

Fluffy little rom-com, but quite good. Paltrow with horrible plucked-to-death eyebrows.

[Takoma11]

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

Love is Strange, 2014

Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina) are romantic partners who, after 39 years together, finally get married. Unfortunately, this loses George his job teaching music at a religious school, and the resulting drop in the couple's income forces them to give up their apartment. Forced to live apart--each man staying with family while they try to find more affordable housing--the two try to remain hopeful even as their circumstances take a toll on them and their loved ones.

This is, in many ways, a very subdued film that looks at an older couple trying to get by in a challenging environment and the difficulty of being forced to live in close quarters with their families.

Something that is interesting about the film is the way that the couple being gay both does and doesn't weigh on the narrative. Half of a couple suddenly losing their job is a thing that could happen to anyone, likewise the stress of multi-generational living has little to do with the sexuality of the leads. On the other hand, there's an added element of tragedy to all of it because of the fact that Ben and George have only just had the chance to make their relationship official. Their lives are still full of "gentle" homophobia, ranging from George's employer having to fire him because it's policy to Ben's grand-nephew, Joey (Charlie Tahan) slinging the word "gay" around, but assuring his uncle that, you know, it just means "stupid". It's a reminder that you don't need hateful slurs or violence to add a weight to someone's every day existence.

Lithgow and Molina do a great job of giving Ben and George a lived-in feeling. You can really believe that they're this old couple that's been together forever. The other actors are also good, including Tahan as Ben's grand-nephew who resents Ben crashing in his bedroom or Marisa Tomei as the wife of Ben's nephew, a woman who works from home and clearly resents Ben's presence in the apartment.

All that said, something about the story feels a bit faint. It's largely observational, noting the way that Ben and George are alternately ignored or treated as objects of annoyance. It would have been nice to see Ben and George living together--a glimpse of their domestic routines as a contrast to where they end up for most of the film. Too much time is given to a strange subplot about Joey and his friend stealing books from the library. There's just a bit of oomph missing, and my sense it that this comes from the way that the film tries to spread attention around all of the characters instead of really honing in on the main couple.

3.5

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/Iron_Man_%282008_film%29_poster.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2008/iron_man_ver3.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16154930

Iron Man - (2008)

I have Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3 lined up for watches, so the first thing I had to do was go back and watch the original again - the first film of phase 1 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (so I read) - great to start with the first one, but should I watch the others all in order? I had planned to just watch the first 3 Iron Man films in a row - and I think I'll still do that, but keep my eye out for the others. Anyway, I enjoyed this more than any of the other times I've watched it. What did that was my determination to just accept the Tony Stark character as he was so I had some free space to enjoy the film - I think what always got in the way was how unlikeable I found him to be. Rich, super smart and of course heroic - I've always enjoyed supporting the underdog, but this guy has all the gifts. It's a fun film, and of course it looks great. Great casting, getting Jeff Bridges to play Obadiah Stane, and I particularly liked his super-massive Iron Man suit - which of course leads to a David and Goliath final battle. I'm not a huge fan of these kind of films, and haven't seen many Marvel Universe ones, but I'm in the mood to check some of them out - starting with these ones. A shame Iron Man 3 comes after so many others, including the first Avengers one - I feel like I might get a little out of synch when I watch it.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Walk_hard_poster_07.jpg
By Impawards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13532295

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story - (2007)

Character actor John C. Reilly is rarely a lead, but here he's perfect playing a slice of every famous 20th Century musician rolled into one (Jim Morrison, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan most notably) in this goofy parody of music biopics. It has a great comedic screenplay, and the whole area seemed to be rich with things to poke fun at. Watching it again, I still laughed at appropriate moments and forgotten jokes. There are quite a few clever songs that you can really get into, but which have very amusing lyrics. If you've seen a few of these biopics, you'll have a better time with it - it seems like every single one has been referenced.

7/10

[cricket]

The Yellow Sea (2010)

4.5

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/yellowsea.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1

I really loved this. It's been on my watchlist for like 4 years because a couple of members here recommended it, but I waited because I thought it was some Hunt for Red October thriller set on a boat or something. It ain't about no damn boat. Same director as The Wailing and The Chaser, and he better make some more movies soon. Surprisingly brutal and action packed.

[Gideon58]

https://www.voicesfromthebalcony.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Time-Pirates-Poster-1.jpg


4

[Gideon58]

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

Love is Strange, 2014


3.5

Oh man, I gotta see this...John Lithgow and Alfred Molina? I'm there

[Takoma11]

Oh man, I gotta see this...John Lithgow and Alfred Molina? I'm there

They are both great and they are great together. I just wish the movie around them was better. Instead it's so packed with subplots about other characters that don't have half the heft of this sweet older couple facing awful challenges.

[Gideon58]

I'm still going to watch it...Lithgow and Molina are ALWAYS worth watching.

[LChimp]

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0549/5835/8762/products/AVvXsEg8JkQw1yKaTlGCKEHjJeLcypBIUPvEg7Ip1vVpNr906b_Bnts-Tmsi9xiqCSUAoMMMhN8dRZpPckiPCd8zE8g4mBJZ-da71Xa8khekH5k77Nk3BlYt_KvR3NbEocpPmt3TF0pE4fUqmHs3dDgJrHOXttYb7OgpZ9FJ0mDn_wVrLVtSMX2.jpg?v=1648322 426

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Movie

Even though it has many of the anime tropes, they are well executed (well enough anyway) and the story is interesting. I wish it had more ties with the series, but it's a good movie regardless.

[Takoma11]

I'm still going to watch it...Lithgow and Molina are ALWAYS worth watching.

Definitely watch it. I liked it, but wish it had been stronger. It felt a little like a wasted opportunity.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91MdQPqDBKL._SY679_.jpg


4

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ed/Iron_Man_2_poster.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2010/iron_man_two_ver6.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26685881

Iron Man 2 - (2010)

Throughout the entirety of Iron Man 2, I kept feeling a sense of having seen it at one time. Who knows where or when - it wasn't a clear memory, and I couldn't flesh out the memory, so it was basically like seeing it for the first time. I enjoyed it, but creeping in to the whole experience was a comic book superhero formula that I'm far too familiar with. Mickey Rourke's Ivan Vanko I absolutely loved, and it was his performance and character that made the film. Now I'm pretty uncertain of which direction to go in - but I'm thinking more and more about leaving Iron Man 3 until I've seen that first Avengers movie, and revisited some of those that built up to it (most of which I have seen, but quite a while ago.) I'm not a massive fan, but curious enough by this stage to want to see how it all came together with the first big-budget multi-character extravaganza.

6.5/10

[SpelingError]

The Act of Seeing With One's Own Eyes (1971) - 4.5

Very grisly, but at the same time, the camerawork (framing, close-ups, pan outs, etc.) is top notch and, as a result, it remains interesting from beginning to end. Brakhage captures all kinds of great shots which would be just as technically impressive if he depicted non-grisly imagery. When a film has this much texture to the camerawork, it's indeed something special, even when autopsy footage is being depicted.

[Gideon58]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ed/Iron_Man_2_poster.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2010/iron_man_two_ver6.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26685881

Iron Man 2 - (2010)

Throughout the entirety of Iron Man 2, I kept feeling a sense of having seen it at one time. Who knows where or when - it wasn't a clear memory, and I couldn't flesh out the memory, so it was basically like seeing it for the first time. I enjoyed it, but creeping in to the whole experience was a comic book superhero formula that I'm far too familiar with. Mickey Rourke's Ivan Vanko I absolutely loved, and it was his performance and character that made the film. Now I'm pretty uncertain of which direction to go in - but I'm thinking more and more about leaving Iron Man 3 until I've seen that first Avengers movie, and revisited some of those that built up to it (most of which I have seen, but quite a while ago.) I'm not a massive fan, but curious enough by this stage to want to see how it all came together with the first big-budget multi-character extravaganza.

6.5/10

I found this film a little confusing and hard to follow

[Tugg]

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) 2.5
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/i/a2197e78-de41-4857-8a84-25406258a7aa/df5s41z-97a03a45-c310-422f-bced-38c0d2e3f2c2.png
About Fate (2022) 3
https://cdn.justjared.com/wp-content/uploads/headlines/2022/08/about-fate.jpg
Emily the Criminal (2022) 3.5
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/c7268c79-9436-4230-b75e-2814495b25f4/df8xpd8-1b55365c-2e0d-43a9-b568-7b0da0029248.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQz NzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6 W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2M3MjY4Yzc5LTk0MzYtNDIzMC1iNzVlLTI4MTQ0OTViMjVmNFwvZGY4eHBkOC0xYjU1MzY1Yy0yZTBk LTQzYTktYjU2OC03YjBkYTAwMjkyNDgucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.qB2xqS4N loQr0TF-YQ6qmqjvPSJUHIOSv6GSW1XZlRg
Confess, Fletch (2022) 3
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/2c54b004-9dbd-44b7-8031-08fadd6517c1/dfdxroz-dfb56931-665a-4ca5-a825-7a22b48cce34.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQz NzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6 W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzJjNTRiMDA0LTlkYmQtNDRiNy04MDMxLTA4ZmFkZDY1MTdjMVwvZGZkeHJvei1kZmI1NjkzMS02NjVh LTRjYTUtYTgyNS03YTIyYjQ4Y2NlMzQucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0._gtNhQIz TzOp6XUQiJ5HNS3DP_CygSGnSiI5VF2SqP8
The Body (El cuerpo) (2012) 4
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/2c54b004-9dbd-44b7-8031-08fadd6517c1/dc4jjq1-7f06a67b-dc52-4f82-b1f2-94bece121c2b.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQz NzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6 W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzJjNTRiMDA0LTlkYmQtNDRiNy04MDMxLTA4ZmFkZDY1MTdjMVwvZGM0ampxMS03ZjA2YTY3Yi1kYzUy LTRmODItYjFmMi05NGJlY2UxMjFjMmIucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.broFcgAO 4EfRfje5OHjZd3nkMt7uztym1vt1Bcb0tes

[cricket]

The Voices (2014)

2

https://i0.wp.com/projectedfigures.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/giphy-9.gif?fit=500%2C281&ssl=1

I am of the opinion that despite it's share of gems, the Top 100 Films Directed By Women is the weakest of all the lists we have. This movie came in at #95 on that list and was a random and blind watch. The first 15 or 20 minutes were pretty good as a comedy, but then it lost me as it became a horror/comedy. Just too silly including the talking cat, who was the best part of the movie.

[Gideon58]

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) 2.5
X0.broFcgAO4EfRfje5OHjZd3nkMt7uztym1vt1Bcb0tes[/IMG]

I LOVED Emily the Criminal

[Takoma11]

I found this film a little confusing and hard to follow

Same.

Even as I was watching it, it all felt a bit muddled. It's a big reason I never checked out the third Iron Man.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/The_Wolverine_posterUS.jpg
By May be found at the following website: http://www.movieposterdb.com/poster/223aef74, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40101002

The Wolverine - (2013)

Not a huge fan of this character, despite having seen around half a dozen movies with Wolverine in them - and despite having enjoyed Logan quite a bit. This was in my queue though, and at the moment I'm sticking to a strict rule of watching all of the movies in my queue, because it's very often the ones I don't want to watch that turn out to be the hidden gems. This was okay. It didn't leave me with that empty feeling I often have when watching a generic superhero movie, but it didn't strike me as an absolute classic either. There were some elements I really liked, especially having the link it does to Japanese culture, and the action scene on the bullet train was exciting, as was that final scene with the unbeatable giant armoured samurai. I hadn't seen the previous film, but the main important plot point from that was provided for me in the opening scenes of this. It didn't bore me or make me feel I wasted my time, but it just needed that little bit more emotional impact to really stand out more. It needed a little more tragedy and moments of consequence on a grander scale.

6.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e4/High_Road_to_China.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from Warner Bros.., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7537157

High Road to China - (1983)

I had to pause this after the first 10 minutes because my mind wouldn't stop asking, "What the hell ever happened to Bess Armstrong anyway? Did she die?" because after the 1980s I never saw hide nor hair of her. Turns out she didn't die - every movie she appeared in flopped. This should be far more exciting than it is - how could Brian G. Hutton make Jon Cleary's adventure seem so flat? Well, for starters, he really fell in love with shots of those two biplanes flying - around half of the film is just watching those two planes. It gets dull after the first 3 or 4 minutes, even though it's striking at first - by the time we get to the dogfight we're fly-fatigued. Much better viewed in a cinema, stuff like that - because I'd imagine it being quite beautiful on the big screen. If this did having a showing - I'd be tempted to go. Armstrong and Tom Selleck don't exactly set the screen on fire though, and Brian Blessed is wasted (both figuratively, and literally by the looks of his performance.) The scenes with Robert Morley in them are awful. Also - why do these people keep landing their planes in all of the most dangerous places on their way to China? Just land somewhere peaceful guys. Nice flying - but when they're on the ground this film stops dead.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0f/Belle_poster.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/intl/uk/2014/belle_xxlg.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40827907

Belle - (2013)

I really love Belle, and that's in spite of it never really bending any rules or departing from a tried and true formula. Tom Wilkinson really puts his all into his role as Lord Chief Justice of England, and likewise Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Dido Belle. Belle was a real person, the black daughter of a British Royal Navy officer and the Jamaican slave he loved. She was raised by her grand-uncle after both died, and that person just happened to be Lord Chief Justice, which means she has a dignified and esteemed place in upper class society. Her colour would obviously have been an issue to some, but not her family - and so when the Chief Justice has a case come before him which involves the murder of a group of slaves, and Dido falls in love with a lawyer of diminished class despite being engaged to someone her equal in distinction, this issue of race and slavery becomes pivotal in many people's minds. The way this plays out is so very pleasing that Belle is a film that makes me feel great - especially when looking at the painting that remains depicting the real Dido Belle. I just love it.

8/10

https://i.postimg.cc/659LB92y/Gold-Diggers-of-1933-window-card-cropped.jpg
By "Copyright – Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc." - Scan via Heritage Auctions. Cropped and retouched from the original image; see upload history for unretouched original., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=87096191

Gold Diggers of 1933 - (1933)

What a cute little old film this is - and that's despite a lyric or two in it's songs obviously coming from a time when guys could be expected to be a little forceful when it comes to petting in the park. The whole depression era attempt to brighten spirits shines through, and I really like the musical numbers, not to mention how many "awwww"s came out of me when characters (no matter how good or bad, handsome or not so handsome) fell in love with each other. Everyone gets their guy or girl in this film - and there's some breezy and fun comedy in it to boot. I can see myself watching this again. I've seen Joan Blondell in a few films now, and I'm becoming a fan.

7/10

[Wooley]

Same.

Even as I was watching it, it all felt a bit muddled. It's a big reason I never checked out the third Iron Man.

You were wise. While IM2 is muddled and pretty uninspired, Iron Man 3, frankly, sucks.

[PHOENIX74]

I don't know if it's because I'd just watched the first Iron Man or read a little about it, but Iron Man 2 seemed fairly straightforward to me. I do have to admit though, that it did lack that spark of creativity that makes a really good superhero movie. It spent a lot of time not going anywhere. I enjoyed some aspects - like the Ivan Vanko character.

I'm not really hyped about Iron Man 3 now - it's on the backburner.

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://i.makeagif.com/media/5-12-2019/v-cjEL.gif
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMGMxYjg5ODEtYTc5YS00MDg2LWJhMjQtNDkyM2E3MDIzYzY4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzk4OTI2MjM@._V1_.jpg
https://prod-images.tcm.com/v5cache/TCM/Images/Dynamic/i459/actofviolence_thesesolemnrites_FC_470x264_011920180651.jpg?w=400


Act of Violence - Released in 1948 and directed by Fred Zinneman this tense melodrama stars Van Heflin as WWII veteran Frank Enley. When his local paper in Santa Lisa, California discovers his wartime record they run an article on the small business owner which is picked up by the national press. In New York City it's seen by Joe Parkson (Robert Ryan) who packs his suitcase and gun and hurriedly boards a cross country bus.

Zinneman lets the story play out at a measured, tension-filled pace as Parkson arrives in Santa Lisa and tracks Enley to his home. A very young Janet Leigh delivers an easy to overlook but ultimately pivotal performance as Frank's devoted but unsuspecting wife Edith. Without giving too much away, Parkson's relentless pursuit of Enley is rooted in their shared experience in a German prisoner of war camp.

The story takes an unexpected detour of sorts once Enley hastily leaves for Los Angeles under the guise of attending a business convention. It is there that the implacable Parkson again tracks him down and Enley eventually chances on barfly and implied working girl Pat (Mary Astor). After drunkenly unburdening himself to her and mentioning that his business is worth 20,000 dollars she in turn puts him in touch with a ridiculously shady lawyer named Gavery (Taylor Holmes) who consequently brings in the thuggish Johnny (Berry Kroeger). The implication being that Johnny will take care of the problem in a permanent manner.

The group watching this took bets on how this would shake out and we all got it mostly wrong. Still though it was an enjoyable 80 or so minutes of edgy, well acted drama.

80/100

[FromBeyond]

Deadtime Stories 1986


OMG where has this quirky horror anthology been hiding all my life, this was so good and so 80s, utterly ridiculous! Bright.. colourful.. demented.. tongue in cheek.. real nice practical special effects too, definitely a labour of love, I think the third and last installment as my favourite, I'm positive the actors were told to be way over the top cartoonish, it's hilarious

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTBlNTljNWYtMWJhOS00MDlmLWE3YzMtOTEwYmEyNjEzOGRlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjUwNzk3NDc@._V1_.jpg
Serpico (1973, Sydney Lumet)
4
A very good character study, based on a true story of a cop going against the grain and trying to fight police corruption. Loved how unflinching and gritty it was, and Al Pacino's performance was outstanding. I didn't like the music though (i thought it was very ill-fitting and distracting at times). Not the best Lumet film I've seen (I find his second collab with Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon, to be superior) but still very impactful.

[matt72582]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffilmfanatic.org%2Freviews%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F03%2FSerpico-Cocaine.png&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=18c1d8936ec67003d2ae7271c79a503be72d32b64a4067e36aa352ed8b46badf&ipo=images
Serpico (1973, Sydney Lumet)
rating_4
A very good character study, based on a true story of a cop going against the grain and trying to fight police corruption. Loved how unflinching and gritty it was, and Al Pacino's performance was outstanding. I didn't like the music though (i thought it was very ill-fitting and distracting at times). Not the best Lumet film I've seen (I find his second collab with Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon, to be superior) but still very impactful.


The only bio-pic I like... Except the party. "Everyone loves you, Paco!"

[Wooley]

I don't know if it's because I'd just watched the first Iron Man or read a little about it, but Iron Man 2 seemed fairly straightforward to me. I do have to admit though, that it did lack that spark of creativity that makes a really good superhero movie. It spent a lot of time not going anywhere. I enjoyed some aspects - like the Ivan Vanko character.

I'm not really hyped about Iron Man 3 now - it's on the backburner.

Until the recent batch of Marvel movies came out I actually had Iron Man 3 as the worst film in the MCU, below Thor: The Dark World.

[Wooley]

https://i.makeagif.com/media/5-12-2019/v-cjEL.gif
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMGMxYjg5ODEtYTc5YS00MDg2LWJhMjQtNDkyM2E3MDIzYzY4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzk4OTI2MjM@._V1_.jpg
https://prod-images.tcm.com/v5cache/TCM/Images/Dynamic/i459/actofviolence_thesesolemnrites_FC_470x264_011920180651.jpg?w=400


Act of Violence - Released in 1948 and directed by Fred Zinneman this tense melodrama stars Van Heflin as WWII veteran Frank Enley. When his local paper in Santa Lisa, California discovers his wartime record they run an article on the small business owner which is picked up by the national press. In New York City it's seen by Joe Parkson (Robert Ryan) who packs his suitcase and gun and hurriedly boards a cross country bus.

Zinneman lets the story play out at a measured, tension-filled pace as Parkson arrives in Santa Lisa and tracks Enley to his home. A very young Janet Leigh delivers an easy to overlook but ultimately pivotal performance as Frank's devoted but unsuspecting wife Edith. Without giving too much away, Parkson's relentless pursuit of Enley is rooted in their shared experience in a German prisoner of war camp.

The story takes an unexpected detour of sorts once Enley hastily leaves for Los Angeles under the guise of attending a business convention. It is there that the implacable Parkson again tracks him down and Enley eventually chances on barfly and implied working girl Pat (Mary Astor). After drunkenly unburdening himself to her and mentioning that his business is worth 20,000 dollars she in turn puts him in touch with a ridiculously shady lawyer named Gavery (Taylor Holmes) who consequently brings in the thuggish Johnny (Berry Kroeger). The implication being that Johnny will take care of the problem in a permanent manner.

The group watching this took bets on how this would shake out and we all got it mostly wrong. Still though it was an enjoyable 80 or so minutes of edgy, well acted drama.

80/100

Well, this looks right up my alley.

[Wooley]

Deadtime Stories 1986


OMG where has this quirky horror anthology been hiding all my life, this was so good and so 80s, utterly ridiculous! Bright.. colourful.. demented.. tongue in cheek.. real nice practical special effects too, definitely a labour of love, I think the third and last installment as my favourite, I'm positive the actors were told to be way over the top cartoonish, it's hilarious

I saw this several times when I was young and I actually have it in one of my queues now, might have to revisit.

[Wooley]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffilmfanatic.org%2Freviews%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F03%2FSerpico-Cocaine.png&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=18c1d8936ec67003d2ae7271c79a503be72d32b64a4067e36aa352ed8b46badf&ipo=images
Serpico (1973, Sydney Lumet)
4
A very good character study, based on a true story of a cop going against the grain and trying to fight police corruption. Loved how unflinching and gritty it was, and Al Pacino's performance was outstanding. I didn't like the music though (i thought it was very ill-fitting and distracting at times). Not the best Lumet film I've seen (I find his second collab with Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon, to be superior) but still very impactful.

If you like movies and you like DDA (and to a lesser degree, this film) and you like to read at all, you might consider this book:

https://i.imgur.com/p7PDnKv.jpg

Great book on how movies are (or at least were) made as well as some great insights about DDA, which was one of his personal favorites, as well as Serpico, Network, and many other films of his.
Quick read too, his style is as if he were just talking to you at a cafe table.

[Gideon58]

Same.

Even as I was watching it, it all felt a bit muddled. It's a big reason I never checked out the third Iron Man.


The third one was better than the second one, but the first was the best.

[Deschain]

The third one was better than the second one, but the first was the best.

Yeah I also like Iron Man 3. I like where they took that character.

[Guaporense]

The King (2019)

https://static.highsnobiety.com/thumbor/hCnBhaBpjkwT5bWsS0g_ZGWzBvg=/1200x720/static.highsnobiety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/24232527/the-king-final-trailer-feature.jpg

Very good movie because I really liked the realism of the setting. Really feels like the 15th century.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Well, this looks right up my alley.I think it might be. Touches of noir and Zinneman avoids any rah-rah moments, instead focusing on two flawed and damaged veterans and their respective partners. The cinematography by Robert Surtees is also a major selling point.

[Fabulous]

Pat and Mike (1952)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/2bTYn7xDCLSfTz9VDYr5RO8YbVl.jpg

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYzkzNWEwZjctZmFhNS00ZjAzLTg5MWEtMWI1OGUzNzNmNDRmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTI2ODA2NTc@._V1_.jpg


3.5

[MovieGal]

The King (2019)

https://static.highsnobiety.com/thumbor/hCnBhaBpjkwT5bWsS0g_ZGWzBvg=/1200x720/static.highsnobiety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/24232527/the-king-final-trailer-feature.jpg

Very good movie because I really liked the realism of the setting. Really feels like the 15th century.

Something I want to watch.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thestar.com%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2Fthestar%2Fentertainment%2Fmovies%2F2012%2F07%2F12% 2Fboy_movie_review_kiwi_comingofage_tale%2Fjames_rolleston_and_te_aho_eketonewhitu_inboy.jpeg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=c1aeba41df0c0d22e87d8f3c8bc58c63c5430cfe470b6f819ae5c1aef117fe29&ipo=images

Boy, 2010

Boy (James Rolleston) is a young man growing up in a small New Zealand town in the mid-80s. He lives with his younger brother, Rocky (Te Aho Eketone-Whitu), under the care of relatives. His mother died years earlier, and his father, Alamein (Taika Waititi, who also wrote and directed) has been long absent. But when Alamein suddenly reappears--hunting for "treasure" that he left buried at the home--Boy has dreams that they will all run away together as a family.

I thought that this was a really solid film and there were things I liked a lot about it. That said, I didn't like it quite as much as I expected to.

Rolleston makes for a very good lead. He does a really excellent job of portraying a mix of real and false confidence, as Boy tries to appear cool enough for his classmates, the girl he likes, and ultimately his father. As the stakes get more serious, the cracks begin to show in Boy's optimistic, cool facade.

Waititi is both funny and, I'm not sure of the right term, maybe "negligently menacing" as the no good Alamein. What I think this film captures in several moments is the way that adults can have the maturity of a child, but because they are adults they are capable of much more harm than a child. This is incredibly heartbreaking in a scene where an inebriated Alamein drives the boys home from a party and things go wrong.

I will also praise the very lived-in feeling of the setting and the characters. I read that this movie was filmed in the town where Waititi grew up, and used several specific locations from his childhood. There is a level of specificity and reality to the world of this film that provides a nice counterbalance to some of the more fantastical moments in the movie.

All that said, I was surprised to find myself held at a bit of an emotional distance from this film. In all honesty, I have a student in my class dealing with some really upsetting things relating to parental choices, and there's a possibility that I just wasn't receptive to the film because I didn't want to engage with the emotions I'm feeling around that situation. At some point if I rewatch the movie I will be interested to see if I can sink into it a bit more.

3.5

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d8/Once_Upon_A_Time_In_America1.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4455093

Once Upon a Time in America - (1984)

I'll always remember Once Upon a Time in America at video shops in it's unwieldy double-tape VHS case - unlike in America, where most VHS came in close-fitting cardboard cases, here we had huge plastic sarcophaguses. Anyway, I watched the 229 minute version (in one sitting) and afterwards actually wished I'd seen the 251 minute version - for such a lengthy movie, there's surprisingly little extraneous material in it. A couple of plot points I didn't understand, but that was quickly sorted out with Wikipedia, and overall I was incredibly impressed by this film. Ennio Morricone's score got me half way there - and I thought Robert De Niro and James Woods were a great pairing (one could almost perceive a more intimate kind of relationship than what the film goes into.) Overall, spending so much time laying out the history of the group of friends we're presented with really heightens the emotional impact of where their story goes. I wish I'd seen more of Burt Young and Joe Pesci - their menacing characters were great, but their appearance so brief. The film left me with an emotional feeling, especially the way it closes - was all of the latter-day material just an opium-fueled dream? Everything in it was great - a brilliant swansong from Sergio Leone, whose films just got better and better as he went along. I never knew Jennifer Connelly had a big moment pre-Labyrinth. Anyway - I really loved this, and I'm glad to have finally seen it.

9/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a1/Comedian_movie_poster.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5596615

Comedian - (2002)

Follows two comedians on the road - Jerry Seinfeld, who has just retired all of his old material and struggles building up a new repertoire that works, and Orny Adams - a comedian with an abrasive self-centered and narcissistic personality who is starting out. It was interesting seeing Seinfeld off-the-cuff backstage and in green rooms, chatting with other celebrities and non-celebrities. He says the 'f' word more than you'd expect, and actually comes off as an ordinary guy. For someone who must have had $600 trillion in the bank, it's surprising how he drives a broken down old car and wears your average Joe kind of clothes, eating regular meals at the small comedy places he's testing his new material in. Orny Adams is unbearable, insulting, ultra-sensitive and combative when given advice - he's egotistical and he denigrates all of the other comedians. He's on the cusp of making it to the big-time, but one wonders if he really has the temperament to survive in that hostile environment. Interesting.

7/10

[D54pod]

Being John Malkovich

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/1Nyjb7aeRKynWgmOl8he5ZcvWLm.jpg

While there are many movies about self discovery, self growth and identity, not many (if really any) have taken the approach of 'Being John Malkovich'. The general premise of the movie is: struggling puppeteer Craig discovers a portal allowing him to enter the mind of the actor John Malkovich. Through multiple attempts of possessing John Malkovich, he is able to take control of the actor and live his life through him. His wife, Lotte, and his new love interest Maxine are also entangled in the journey. The finale of the movie shifts the dynamics in the relationship as Lotte and Maxine find love and Craig is eventually forever trapped in a kind of 'sunken place'.

While the movies plot is somewhat straightforward and easy to follow, the movie is highly entertaining due to the great writing and screenplay along with the great pacing and performances from the small but highly talented cast (Cusack, Diaz, Keener and Malkovich). There are also enough elements of absurdity and surrealism to create this somewhat fantastical world we are immersed in. However, the real highlight of 'Being John Malkovich' is the number of ethical and philosophical questions about self identity and consciousness it evokes.

The central question asked in this movie, is what is identity and how do we define it? The central character Craig, battles throughout the film with his desire for both power and clout. As a highly insecure struggling artist, he instantly falls for Maxine, but it's clear his desire is more about what Maxine represent's (a highly confident and seductive women) rather than who she is as an individual. She is a means to an end to help make up for all that is lacking in Craig's life. He believes that having possession of someone like Maxine would help him in his endeavour as an artist and ultimately a man. Lotte on the other hand, while also struggling with self-acceptance, is looking for someone to fill the void which has been left by Craig through his disinterest in her romantically as her husband. Lotte appears to be somewhat of a victim throughout the film, as her struggle to find love, and embrace her own power comes through some rather difficult and unfortunate circumstances (e.g. being rejected by Maxine on multiple occasions and later being trapped in a cage with her pet Chimpanzee). Maxine, maybe the most interesting of the 3, comes across as opportunistic and rather shallow, but highly confident in contrast to Craig and Lotte. Her journey to eventual happiness comes in the way of realising the beauty within through falling in love with Lotte, but at first, only when she is in Malkovich's vessel. In contrast, her relationship with Craig when he has captured Malkovich is shallow and unsatisfying. The subtle similarities, and stark differences between these three characters leads to some interesting questions which are posed about self discovery and the journey each character takes to uncover about themselves. John Malkovich, although mostly just a device throughout the film, has perhaps the most bizarre scene in the entire movie, when he himself enters his own portal and see's a world full of different versions of himself. This scene has a number of different interpretations about how we often view ourselves, the different characters we play in our own lives, and how our subconscious can be visually represented.

Being John Malkovich is a special movie which takes a central theme of identity and makes the audience question what that really means. It does so in a highly engaging manner, never sacrificing an engaging story for the overall deeper themes at hand. It's a movie which viewers can come back to multiple times and still be in awe.

5/5

[ueno_station54]

https://64.media.tumblr.com/1b93a07831b36f4c39e7d162a9babcbf/d26840fd2af3d0f0-65/s500x750/4717f0b33e5dd9c90baaf52af24f1712d6aff369.jpg
Barbie in the Nutcracker (Owen Hurley, 2001)

I don't know what compelled me to start watching these Barbie movies but this is my new thing I guess. Yeah, this is an extremely basic children's adventure film that's only surprise is how much I liked it lol. We're still in the era of 3D animation that really appeals to me, so that helps but yeah I just really bought in on the adventure and the romance even though its as bare bones as possible in both regards and there's some mo-cap dance scenes that had a cool feel to them (kind of like the skating scenes in Yuri on Ice if anyone has seen that). Almost teared up once even lmao. Loved this.
rating_4

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTMzNzc0NzcyMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTk5OTg5NA@@._V1_.jpg
Barbie as Rapunzel (Owen Hurley, 2002)

This is probably a stronger film overall to Nutcracker but the magic just isn't there for me. It's an upgrade visually, there's stronger character dynamics, its just generally more fleshed out but it didn't really need three different comic relief animal sidekicks (we stan Penelope the Dragon tho) and even though there is probably more direct use of magic throughout the film it still feels so much less magical and the sense of adventure of the previous film was definitely missed. It does come together for a fairly satisfying conclusion though and there's two great songs in the end credits (wish they were worked into the film itself).
rating_3

[Rockatansky]

https://64.media.tumblr.com/1b93a07831b36f4c39e7d162a9babcbf/d26840fd2af3d0f0-65/s500x750/4717f0b33e5dd9c90baaf52af24f1712d6aff369.jpg
Barbie in the Nutcracker (Owen Hurley, 2001)

I don't know what compelled me to start watching these Barbie movies but this is my new thing I guess. Yeah, this is an extremely basic children's adventure film that's only surprise is how much I liked it lol. We're still in the era of 3D animation that really appeals to me, so that helps but yeah I just really bought in on the adventure and the romance even though its as bare bones as possible in both regards and there's some mo-cap dance scenes that had a cool feel to them (kind of like the skating scenes in Yuri on Ice if anyone has seen that). Almost teared up once even lmao. Borderline loved this.
rating_3_5

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTMzNzc0NzcyMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTk5OTg5NA@@._V1_.jpg
Barbie as Rapunzel (Owen Hurley, 2002)

This is probably a stronger film overall to Nutcracker but the magic just isn't there for me. It's an upgrade visually, there's stronger character dynamics, its just generally more fleshed out but it didn't really need three different comic relief animal sidekicks (we stan Penelope the Dragon tho) and even though there is probably more direct use of magic throughout the film it still feels so much less magical and the sense of adventure of the previous film was definitely missed. It does come together for a fairly satisfying conclusion though and there's two great songs in the end credits (wish they were worked into the film itself).
rating_2_5
I remember they used to play some of these on YTV a bunch. 12-year-old-me was clearly not the target audience, but I remember not finding whichever one I caught part of to be terrible.

[Fabulous]

The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/lc7li4hwGpKcQ6bSE64BzCIsuVn.jpg

[mark f]

The Invitation (Jessica M. Thompson, 2022) 2 5/10
Notes on an Appearance (Ricky D'Ambrose, 2018) 2.5 5.5/10
Rush for Your Life (Alpha Nicky Mulowa, 2022) 2 5/10
Love with the Proper Stranger (Robert Mulligan, 1963) 3.5- 7/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/c50f7b13a3e795e4f53f22dab6dbc636/18da6931b88e4a80-fb/s540x810/d0861bd3c7ef39a9dc77bd6c08f9abc3c27215d6.gif
Musician Steve McQueen and Macy's employee Natalie Wood have to deal with her pregnancy and consider getting married, but it's all very complicated.
The Squeeze (Michael Apted, 1977) 2.5 5.5/10
The Big Switch (Pete Walker, 1968) 2 5/10
Lou (Anna Foerster, 2022) 2.5 6/10
Speak No Evil (Christian Tafdrup, 2022) 3 6.5/10
https://horrornews.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Speak-No-Evil-2022-MOVIE-3.jpg
Unbelievably bizarre thriller about a Danish family who visits a Dutch family at their cabin where things seem uncomfortable at the start and get much worse.
The Mouth Agape (Maurice Pialat, 1974) 2.5 5.5/10
The Night (Tsai Ming-liang, 2021) 2 5/10
Reet, Petite, and Gone (William Forest Crouch, 1947) 2.5 6/10
Three Thousand Years of Longing (George Miller, 2022) 3- 6.5/10
https://imagesvc.meredithcorp.io/v3/jumpstartpure/image?url=https://static.onecms.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/08/24/three-thousand-years-of-longing-082422.jpg&w=640&h=360&q=90&c=cc
Djinn Idris Elba and lonely scholar Tilda Swinton meet in Istanbul where she's attending a conference, and she finds a bottle in a shop which contained him. He wants to grant her three wishes but she's not so sure.
Blue (Silvio Narizzanoi, 1968) 2.5 6/10
The Munsters (Rob Zombie, 2022) 2 5/10
A Jazzman's Blues (Tyler Perry, 2022) 2.5 6/10
I Used to Be Famous (Eddie Sternberg, 2022) 3- 6.5/10
https://loudandclearreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/i-used-to-be-famous-post-cover.jpg.webp
Former popstar Ed Skrein, who dreams of making a comeback, finds he works best with autistic drummer Leo Long whose mom (Eleanor Matsuura) is very protective of him.
Facing Nolan (Bradley Jackson, 2022) 3.5 7/10
It Came from Outer Space (Jack Arnold, 1953) 2.5 5.5/10
When Worlds Collide (Rudolph Maté, 1951) 2+ 5/10
Travelin' Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall (Bob Smeaton, 2022) 3.5 7/10
https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/CCR_GroupShot_RAHStage31-e1651129743724.jpg?crop=0px%2C51px%2C809px%2C453px&resize=681%2C383
History of CCR from 1959 through 1970 centering on the 1969 European tour and the Royal Albert Hall concerts which have never been shown in their entirety before.

[cricket]

Frankenweenie (2012)

3.5

https://64.media.tumblr.com/a08740eaf0720af0b5581fa23dccaf72/540814acf51c8b01-fc/s540x810/c7f2d60ac0e62c270d6ec6949b1271cbc8a283da.gif

Part of my prep for countdowns includes watching as much as I can from current lists that will qualify. I'm not much of a Tim Burton fan so I wasn't expecting much with this one. It turns out that it revolves around a young boy bringing his dog back to life ala Frankenstein. That's a plot line that I would always support. An easy watch at less than 90 minutes and it's great to look at.

[Wooley]

Frankenweenie (2012)

3.5

https://64.media.tumblr.com/a08740eaf0720af0b5581fa23dccaf72/540814acf51c8b01-fc/s540x810/c7f2d60ac0e62c270d6ec6949b1271cbc8a283da.gif

Part of my prep for countdowns includes watching as much as I can from current lists that will qualify. I'm not much of a Tim Burton fan so I wasn't expecting much with this one. It turns out that it revolves around a young boy bringing his dog back to life ala Frankenstein. That's a plot line that I would always support. An easy watch at less than 90 minutes and it's great to look at.

Ya know, I enjoyed the original short-film so much I've never been able to bring myself to watch this because it just seemed like giving a big-name filmmaker millions of dollars to remake a well-done, low-budget pet-project was fraught with peril.
But maybe I'll give it a spin someday after all.

[matt72582]

Travelin' Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall


One of my first favorite bands, despite being hit-or-miss. I prefer the non-twangier stuff... "Effigy", "Wrote a Song For Everyone", "Ramble Tamble" (except the bookends). I actually like the non-music part of this, especially anything of John, because (as Stu says aptly), "John has a way of cutting through the bullshit" - like that video, and the longer version of a clip below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbYBP2vNvI0&t=409s


https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/CCR_GroupShot_RAHStage31-e1651129743724.jpg?crop=0px%2C51px%2C809px%2C453px&resize=681%2C383

[Guaporense]

Pompeii (2014)
https://is2-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Video/v4/42/09/ed/4209edbe-3d4b-d0c7-9188-d49a32b9fc82/source/2000x3000sr.jpg

This movie is an interesting contrast with The King (2019) in the sense that The King feels like a very accurate description of England/France in the 15th century, while Pompeii feels like the idea of Ancient Rome you would get from an action fantasy videogame. Even as a fantasy movie, it was also pretty poor, just over-the-top action without any substance.

[Nausicaä]

https://ntvb.tmsimg.com/assets/p22789848_v_h8_aa.jpg?w=1280&h=720

I Used To Be Famous

3

SF = Zzz


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

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e6/Nicholas_and_alexandra.jpg
By source:http://www.impawards.com/1971/nicholas_and_alexandra.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6835726

Nicholas and Alexandra - (1971)

I must be the stuffy, boring person this film was aimed at, because despite running 188 minutes I was thrilled all the way through, and surprised at how many period details and how much attention to detail could be inserted into one film. But that would be nothing without the foibles of Nicholas II of Russia (played quite winningly by Michael Jayston) - Nicholas is a lovely man, and even a little too sensitive and soft hearted to be a Russian Tsar - but the opulent bubble he finds himself in blinds him to the starvation, maltreatment and brutal lives of his subjects - and when news does come to him he demands better, but has no knack for reform. His wife, Alexandra (Janet Suzman), is more complex - she finally gives birth to a sickly heir who has haemophilia, so she turns to religion and eventually the monk Rasputin (Doctor Who's Tom Baker) - when the First World War draws the Tsar to the front lines, his wife rules in his stead - which means Rasputin finds himself a de facto ruler of Russia through her. Calamity follows calamity - and this film follows both the very personal with historic events, and we gain an insight into a sweet family on the chopping block as Nicholas - sweet, soft and not a great ruler - loses control of his country. I thought this film handled the events brilliantly, and it was right up my alley. Some find the film very slow - but for me it was awesome, and I loved the fact that it wasn't perfunctory - for it could have been. Instead it really wove the people (who are given great depth) into the events.

The film features a very young Brian Cox, a very young Steven Berkoff, Ian Holm, Laurence Olivier, Curt Jürgens and many more famous faces in small roles. Please take note that I have a bit of a thing for Russia and travelled the country in my younger days - so perhaps I'm more interested than most. The film was nominated for Best Picture at the 1972 Oscars, Best Cinematography, Best Score and Janet Suzman for Best Actress. It won Best Art/Set Direction (very deserved) and Best Costume Design (very deserved) - The French Connection ended up winning Best Picture that year, but this film was also up against A Clockwork Orange, The Last Picture Show and Fiddler on the Rood - it had no chance of winning, but I think it deserved at least that acknowledgment. I thought it magnificent, and yet deeply personal.

8.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/32/Neighbors_%282013%29_Poster.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2014/neighbors.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41397622

Neighbors - (2014)

Simply very typical for a comedy with Seth Rogan in it, though I'm happy Rose Byrne could use her normal Australian accent and not have to exaggerate it to a ridiculous degree. I actually found parts of this very funny, and through one or two set-ups I was laughing hard - so even though I might have rolled my eyes a few times, the movie simply does what it's here to do and I have to credit it with that. I guess most people know it's about a couple with a baby living next door to a fraternity house, and the war that ensues. Pretty good stuff.

7/10

[ueno_station54]

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Hfu5ie5eOB4/maxresdefault.jpg
Barbie of Swan Lake (Owen Hurley, 2003)

So I was excited for this one since Barbie in the Nutcracker was so good but this kind of had all the worst elements of both the previous films. This is the same writing duo from Barbie as Rapunzel (and they write a lot the future entries as well) but sadly its the rough comedy and dialogue that carries over from Rapunzel and not the character depth and its even less eventful than Rapunzel as well. So little happens in the film but it somehow makes the film feel extremely short instead of dragging. Not sure how that works but I'm not complaining. Also its a noticeable step back visually and the only one that really triggered that uncanny valley feeling for me, probably due to having less expressive character models more than anything. Overall its just severely uninteresting but it was easy to sit through at least.
rating_2

[StuSmallz]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d8/Once_Upon_A_Time_In_America1.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4455093

Once Upon a Time in America - (1984)

I'll always remember Once Upon a Time in America at video shops in it's unwieldy double-tape VHS case - unlike in America, where most VHS came in close-fitting cardboard cases, here we had huge plastic sarcophaguses. Anyway, I watched the 229 minute version (in one sitting) and afterwards actually wished I'd seen the 251 minute version - for such a lengthy movie, there's surprisingly little extraneous material in it. A couple of plot points I didn't understand, but that was quickly sorted out with Wikipedia, and overall I was incredibly impressed by this film. Ennio Morricone's score got me half way there - and I thought Robert De Niro and James Woods were a great pairing (one could almost perceive a more intimate kind of relationship than what the film goes into.) Overall, spending so much time laying out the history of the group of friends we're presented with really heightens the emotional impact of where their story goes. I wish I'd seen more of Burt Young and Joe Pesci - their menacing characters were great, but their appearance so brief. The film left me with an emotional feeling, especially the way it closes - was all of the latter-day material just an opium-fueled dream? Everything in it was great - a brilliant swansong from Sergio Leone, whose films just got better and better as he went along.While I'd still say Leone's absolute best was The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly, (https://letterboxd.com/stusmallz/film/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/) Once Upon A Time... is still pretty much just as great, so I'm glad to see you loved it too, Phoenix; it's definitely high on my movies I need to rewatch/review list, for sure.

[Tugg]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/32/Neighbors_%282013%29_Poster.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2014/neighbors.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41397622

Neighbors - (2014)

Simply very typical for a comedy with Seth Rogan in it, though I'm happy Rose Byrne could use her normal Australian accent and not have to exaggerate it to a ridiculous degree. I actually found parts of this very funny, and through one or two set-ups I was laughing hard - so even though I might have rolled my eyes a few times, the movie simply does what it's here to do and I have to credit it with that. I guess most people know it's about a couple with a baby living next door to a fraternity house, and the war that ensues. Pretty good stuff.

7/10
I haven't seen "Neighbors" but I have seen "Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016)" and it's funny. Maybe I should watch "Neighbors" eventually.

[xSookieStackhouse]

https://64.media.tumblr.com/1b93a07831b36f4c39e7d162a9babcbf/d26840fd2af3d0f0-65/s500x750/4717f0b33e5dd9c90baaf52af24f1712d6aff369.jpg
Barbie in the Nutcracker (Owen Hurley, 2001)

I don't know what compelled me to start watching these Barbie movies but this is my new thing I guess. Yeah, this is an extremely basic children's adventure film that's only surprise is how much I liked it lol. We're still in the era of 3D animation that really appeals to me, so that helps but yeah I just really bought in on the adventure and the romance even though its as bare bones as possible in both regards and there's some mo-cap dance scenes that had a cool feel to them (kind of like the skating scenes in Yuri on Ice if anyone has seen that). Almost teared up once even lmao. Borderline loved this.
rating_3_5

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTMzNzc0NzcyMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTk5OTg5NA@@._V1_.jpg
Barbie as Rapunzel (Owen Hurley, 2002)

This is probably a stronger film overall to Nutcracker but the magic just isn't there for me. It's an upgrade visually, there's stronger character dynamics, its just generally more fleshed out but it didn't really need three different comic relief animal sidekicks (we stan Penelope the Dragon tho) and even though there is probably more direct use of magic throughout the film it still feels so much less magical and the sense of adventure of the previous film was definitely missed. It does come together for a fairly satisfying conclusion though and there's two great songs in the end credits (wish they were worked into the film itself).
rating_2_5
omg use to watch barbie films back in the day lol

[honeykid]

I've watched so many films (for me) over the last few months that I even toyed with starting a thread... But I really don't need to do that, so I'll try and jot down a few lines here about what I can remember. I will say that I viewed nearly all these while at the computer, so any which I've not seen before I know I'm not really being fair on.

Candyman (1992) 2.5 Firstly, I discovered this had been remade (don't remember that happening at all) and secondly this was the first time in nearly 30 years that I watched this and, I think, I feel the same about it now as I did then, although I probably think there's less wrong with it now and more realise that it just doesn't do what I like. It's a kind of fairly tale horror, with the feeling of The Phantom Of The Opera to it. Thinking about it, I feel this is probably a Clive Barker thing more than anything else, as I felt similarly about Hellraiser (which I'm also hoping to see again) so a viewing of that might clear this up a little more for me.

Scream And Scream Again - 2 It just felt like too much of a chop and shut for me to really get on board with it. Maybe a second viewing, knowing what it is, will make the transition less jarring? It really did feel like two different films edited together with little care as to when the narrative changed. Had this just been the 'vampire killer' part, I'd have enjoyed it a lot more I'm sure.

Another 48 Hours - 2.5 I like this film but it felt lazy when I saw it on release and it feels a lot more lazy after 30 years. What did really strike me this time around though was just how 90's it looked and felt. Too polished, too clean with none of the sleaze of grit which was the hallmark of the first one. Again, I felt that the first time I saw it on release, but now it feels just empty without it. As a way to pass a couple of hours it's fine, but it is like someone remembering the first film tried to make it.

48 Hours - 3.5+ A couple of days later the original was on, so I took the opportunity to see it again. This is the real thing. The proper version, with all the real feel of the 70's/80's. It's tough, not posing. It is what it is and it pulls no punches. Also, you get James Remar, who is someone I'm always very pleased to see onscreen and he excells here

I'll write more as and when I remember what I've seen/feel like it. :)

[EndlessDream]

I've been watching some Santo and Blue Demon movies, which are about masked Mexican wrestlers who fight crime and monsters. The novelty of luchadors fighting mummies, vampires, and other supernatural creatures makes up for a lot of issues the films have. All of the ones I've seen feature poorly integrated wrestling footage that goes on for too long. Santo in the Treasure of Dracula steals complete scenes from Dracula. And for starring professional wrestlers, the fight scenes should be better choreographed. But I endure it for the moments of cinematic gold like when Santo uses his time machine to find Count Dracula's buried treasure.

[WHITBISSELL!]

I've been watching some Santo and Blue Demon movies, which are about masked Mexican wrestlers who fight crime and monsters. The novelty of luchadors fighting mummies, vampires, and other supernatural creatures makes up for a lot of issues the films have. All of the ones I've seen feature poorly integrated wrestling footage that goes on for too long. Santo in the Treasure of Dracula steals complete scenes from Dracula. And for starring professional wrestlers, the fight scenes should be better choreographed. But I endure it for the moments of cinematic gold like when Santo uses his time machine to find Count Dracula's buried treasure.I watched a few of these documentaries in the past.

[Gideon58]

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2nd Re-watch...it's been at least 30 years since my last viewing of this film, definitely lesser Mel Brooks, but even lesser Mel Brooks provides some laughs. There's some funny stuff here, but most of the scenes play longer than the laughs they provide. The Burt Reynolds scene is still the funniest thing in the movie, but the Anne Bancroft scene, the Marcel Marceau scene, the scene on the carousel, and anything with Sid Ceasar still provides laughs. There's some nice details in some of the sight gags, like the running gag with the newsstand guy played buy Liam Dunn, but it's not as funny as it should have been. Big bouquet to John Morris' music though. 3

[Mr Minio]

The Big Hit (1998) - 3.5

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The Big Hit was directed by Kirk Wong. He is not the most talented of Hong Kong filmmakers, but he almost managed to transfer the trademark Hong Kong cinema style to an American film. And oh boy, Hong Kong-style comedy feels absolutely zany in the US setting. Well, Marky Mark's antics certainly do not help make The Big Hit any more serious. And yet, the film still works in some bizarre, otherworldly way. The Big Hit is fiendishly silly, but it embraces that silliness and turns it into an almost surreal grotesque. At this point the line between good and bad is thin. We basically have Mark Wahlberg dating a Jewish girlfriend (and meeting her parents) while having a black lover, and hitting it off with an Asian school girl. What can go wrong? I had lots of fun watching Mark Wahlberg try to hide tied China Chow away from his girlfriend. Typical HK humor still works in America, which is totally unexpected. Then there's that kinky scene with China Chow, Marky Mark, and a chicken. Has to be seen to be believed. You get some sneak peek at the second-to-last screenshot above. Oh, the action scenes are nice, too. All in all, much better than I expected but nowhere as good as the best Hong Kong comedy and/or action films.

中日南北和 [Spy Games] (1989) - 4.5

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Not gonna lie. I absolutely freakin' adored it. Just imagine 80s Hong Kong meets 80s Japan. Well, Spy Games is basically that. And it has Joey Wong. And Kenny Bee. The most amazing amalgamation one can think of! It's just so damn enjoyable, one can forget all problems and just melt into its music-filled stylish world. It's almost cartoony at times, almost anime-like, almost skippable, but somehow just incredible all the same. It's really hard to pinpoint what makes it stand out from hundreds of similar Hong Kong films. Well, it's just one of my recent HK favorites. That's that.

喜劇 一発大必勝 [Vagabond Schemer] (1969) - 4

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After having seen 76 films and then watching this, Vagabond Schemer feels like Yamada trying to be as anti-Yamada as possible. Anarchy instead of order, abrupt impulses instead of sincere purity. Every moment that would have otherwise ended with a gloriously moving scene was cut short, skewed, or downright ruined in favor of black comedy, sometimes verging on depressing. Decapitation? Check. Eating human ashes? Check. Threats of rape and cannibalism? Check. Damn. The dance scene is a work of a genius. But the way the film ends is Yamada denying everything he will ever stand for in the future. And I love Vagabond Schemer for that.

生きてはみたけれど 小津安二郎伝 [I Lived, But...] (1983) - 4

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A documentary on Yasujiro Ozu. Not particularly enlightening if you know a thing or two about the director before going into it. But it nicely paints a portrait of a genius filmmaker through interviews with people in the industry (including Yoji Yamada!) and clips from Ozu's films. The final outcome is much better than the individual parts that go into making it. My favorite part is obviously the interview with Yamada who seems to be surprised that so many people think his films are Ozu-like. He confesses that he disagreed with Ozu on many things and strived to make films different from Ozu's. And yet, people still see the resemblance to his work and claim Yamada carries on Ozu's tradition. "I suppose once I became a director, I began to see just how tall a mountain Ozu represented. Strive as I might, the summit remained out of sight. Then some people started saying things like that- that my films showed a strong Ozu influence. It took me completely by surprise. I'd never thought about it. It made me realize what a strange beast tradition is.", Yamada sums up.

The Beguiled (1971) - 4

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When you find out she was underaged

12 is old enough for kisses? Well, ain't that swell. Clint really goes loli mode at the beginning of my favorite Don Siegel film. He doesn't wait long before trying to seduce all the other ladies, including a seventeen-year-old vixen. Will he succeed in building his own Confederate harem or will the girls stop him? Watch to find out! This definitely gives off harem anime vibes. But it's much more sophisticated and psychologically rich. The ending, also involving the little girl, has something really evil about it.

Tantas almas [Valley of Souls] (2019) - 4

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How come one of the tensest scenes in recent memory is one from a slow cinema film? No, seriously. It surpasses any thriller I can think of. It's just so scary and thrilling. The slow pace makes it so much more effective because you start feeling like the protagonist himself. One of the most memorable tangible feelings I got from cinema. The film is a tribute to the victims of a massacre. It's about a man who's trying to find the bodies of two of his sons who were murdered. It's just that. But it's a deeply affecting film worthy of praise.

Omega Doom (1996) - 3

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Oh boy, where do I start? Rutger Hauer and some weird proto-Matrix people. And then some weirdo cyborgs. The beginning with the weird poetic narration and shots all in red hues really make you expect something better. But it's not bad.

放浪記 [A Wanderer's Notebook] (1962) - 3.5

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A slightly disappointing Naruse. Based on the autobiography of a woman writer whose works Naruse had adapted before. I really didn't care about the film that much. Its saving grace, however, is Hideko Takamine's brilliant performance. Simply outstanding!

かもめ食堂 [Kamome Diner] (2006) - 4.5

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Never underestimate the power of a good feel-good film. Naoko Ogigami is a director known for just that. Making feel-good movies. And Kamome Diner is certainly one of her best. A deeply relaxing piece of filmmaking. It's not a film that you can spoil, but at the same time, I think it's best to know as little as possible when going into it. So, I'll leave it at just that. If only the West achieved this level of feel-good greatness...

Susan Slept Here (1954) - 3.5

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Great. First Clint Eastwood fiddling with underaged girls. Now Dick Powell romancing a 17-in-the-film Debbie Reynolds. Tashlin is always good. But he used to be better than that. Still an enjoyable film.

愛と死をみつめて [The Crest of Man] (1964) - 4

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Well, the original title translates to Gazing at Love and Death, so what did I expect going into this incredibly depressing film about a sick girl?! This and The Heart of Hiroshima (that I also watched recently) are the so-called junai kombi or "pure love" films that were extremely popular back then. Well, I sure wouldn't call them that. I'd say they're more gravely depressive than pure. This made me feel really bad for a long time and I wonder if it's just the film or some external factors weighed in, but who cares. I definitely crave the pure love stories of Yoji Yamada now than this kind of sepulchral yarn.

Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022) - 4

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Wow, this film took me by surprise. I really enjoyed it! It's basically like a fantasy for lonely middle-aged bookworm women but who cares. It rocks! It's a little bit like The Fall but without the annoying little girl. Extremely engaging, which helped heaps after I was broken by The Crest of Man.

Losing Ground (1982) - 3.5

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I don't care about the story. But the aesthetics and colors were amazing. *.* I might actually uprate it for just that!

特區愛奴 [China Dolls] (1992) - 3.5

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Amy Yip and other girls take lots of abuse from Charlie Cho & his crooks in this sleazy CAT III film. That's all you really need to know. If you like this kind of stuff, you'll enjoy it. But there certainly are better films in Category 3.

To the Moon (2020) - 4

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Look, this film compiled of many other films is really good, atmospheric, and all, but I almost one-starred it after the film ended and there was no list of films used to make this in the ending credits. I did recognize some of the movies, but come on, half of the fun with films like these is watching the films used in such compilations afterward.

Ceux qui font les révolutions à moitié n'ont fait que se creuser un tombeau [Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves] (2016) - 3.5

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Adolescent commie filth enamored with the ideas of revolution leads their worthless, empty anti-establishment lives in a small commune. Hating the rich, government, their parents, authority, etc., etc., the unemployed three have no scruples to take money from the only one that works by prostituting herself. Coated in revolutionary nihilism, they start from vandalism but it doesn't take long before they climb the revolutionary ladder of every hongweibing. Setting fires to buildings is bound to end a certain way. And it does. And then, there's the rejection of parents and more bullshit. Of course, the struggle sessions (although self-inflicted) have their place here, too. But in the end, every idiot gets disillusioned with the ideology and sees the light. Some of them really cannot find any better solution but to set themselves ablaze. But surely, nobody gives a f*ck.

An infuriating if gargantuan film that narrates doubt but doesn't believe in it. People escape from starvation and dictatorship inevitably caused by Communism. And yet people who never lived in a Communist country crave Communism. Typical. The film is political Godard worship. A well-made film about a bunch of dipshits. I don't think I'm giving the film any justice, but I don't have to. This film has all the pros and cons of Godard's La Chinoise. And let me end with that.

血洗洪花亭 [An Eye for an Eye] (1990) - 4

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More Joey Wong to lift my spirits up! She's abused in this. But also is badass! And the penultimate scene is one of the best ever! And the love triangle is kind of like a worse version of Once a Thief. Oh well, if the film ended differently, I'd have rated it 4.5! Look, in the beginning, you watch films for katharsis or to find high artistic merit in them. And it's not like I never do that now. But sometimes, you don't really give a damn. You just want to see Joey Wong in front of the camera.

Paganini Horror (1989) - 3.5

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Pretty good for what it is! A nightmarish Italian horror! Great colors and orgone pyramid, I mean hourglass. Looks good on Bluray!

Door (1988) - 4

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What can I say?! I just love thrillers where a lonely female is stalked by some creep! A bored housewife ignored by her husband has only her son to somewhat keep her spirits up. The husband is largely inexistent, denying her the kinky time and spending all his time at work. But one day a psycho salesman pays her a visit, trying to open the door to her apartment. When he tries to squeeze his hand inside, she shuts the door, hurting his fingers. This propels the salesman's psycho-love. It starts from pestering but ends with a full-on home invasion. The wife, neglected by her husband, seems to be enraged by the salesman's phone calls in which he professes his love to her, but at the same time his words of "I love you" are ingrained in her mind perhaps out of fear, perhaps out of true longing for some closeness. But when the salesman finally finds his way inside the apartment, his intentions are clear. And that's when the bloody game of cat and mouse begins. The housewife's son is just another piece in this multi-layered puzzle of a suburban nightmare. Oh well, I'm probably already getting canceled for my interpretation of the film but who cares! It's great! The bird's eye view shot is a thing to behold. So is the incredible synth music, not very fitting to the content of the film, but still elevating it by its sheer brilliance. Definitely similar vibes to the Evil Dead Trap soundtrack!

血裸祭 [Blood Ritual] (1989) - 4

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What can I say? Another great film from Hong Kong! This one uses the satanic panic similarly to Angel Hunter and Satan Returns. And while it doesn't have Anthony Wong like the former or Chingmy Yau like the latter, it's still a great flick. Has lots of humor, too!

凌晨晚餐 [Vampire's Breakfast] (1987) - 4

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There's just something deeply relaxing about Hong Kong films. I can't get the same kind of feeling from movies made in any other country! Of course, this applies solely to films made in the 80s and 90s (pre-1997)! They just had the formula down and they used it! And the effect was brilliant! American entertainment never reached this level of awesomeness! Listen, they'd churn out hundreds of films a year. Hundreds. And so many of them would be good! Vampire's Breakfast is really good, too! This film is riddled with action! But it's the romance subplot that stole my heart. Kent Cheng and Emily Chu Bo-Yee are so cute together! Every little interaction they have is to die for!

Deadly Weapons (1974) - 2.5

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Just imagine waking up to an image like that!

Rockatansky-core. For a good measure. Why not. A weird mustachioed man and Chesty Morgan whose breasts could suffocate an elephant! Well, I still prefer Hitomi Tanaka of the two, but if anything, Chesty's pair of melons sure call for respect. The film is horrid, but there's a layer of weird enjoyment I got from its silliness.

[Allaby]

Don't Worry Darling- This was entertaining. Florence Pugh did a good job and Chris Pine is fantastically villainous. I thought Harry Styles was miscast and his performance didn't work for me. The story was interesting and I was satisfied by the resolution. I also really liked the cinematography and the score. 4

[WHITBISSELL!]

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Ride Lonesome - 1959 B Western directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott as bounty hunter Ben Brigade. As the movie opens he has captured outlaw and murderer Billy John (James Best) and intends to take him to the town of Santa Cruz to be hanged. Billy is counting on his older brother Frank (Lee Van Cleef) to effect a rescue as the two men avoid Apache war parties and eventually reach a stagecoach way station. Inside are two outlaws, Boone (Pernell Roberts) and Whit (James Coburn) and Mrs. Lane (Karen Steele), the station operator's wife. Brigade convinces Mrs. Lane to abandon the station and accompany him and his prisoner to Santa Cruz after the Apache chieftain takes a shine to her. The two outlaws also come along and it's soon apparent that they have their own agenda.

This was only 70 or so minutes long and even then their were numerous unremarkable scenes with the party meandering their way along on the trail. But this apparent filler also had a direct bearing on the plot. It is however a product of it's time with it's saturated color palette. The attacking Native Americans obligingly ride in slow circles around the besieged party giving the white eyes plenty of time to blast away at their leisure. And Karen Steele's bullet bra gets plenty of screen time as she spends an inordinate amount of time standing in silhouette. I did like how the screenplay took the time to flesh out a couple of the characters and thereby mess with audience expectations. This has some positive reviews although I never felt I was watching a true and memorable classic of the genre.

70/100

[Takoma11]

I really like the Boetticher westerns. I like how often they center very normal-seeming characters.

The Tall T is my favorite. I quite like the drama-western mix of Decision at Sundown.

[Takoma11]

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Frozen 2, 2019

Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel) are back in this sequel to Frozen. Along with companions Olaf (Josh Gad) and Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) they set off for an enchanted forest to discover the origins of Elsa's powers. But the answer may reveal a dark secret about their kingdom, Arendelle.

This is not an honest-to-goodness review because I had a really hard time paying attention to this film and just ended up mostly half-listening to it.

The positives are that the voice acting is great, and that includes new additions like Evan Rachel Wood, Alfred Molina, and Sterling K Brown. One of the best bits includes Olaf quickly reenacting the first film for the benefit of people in the enchanted forest. "Don't worry, their parents will protect them." "Their parents are dead."

I also thought that the music ranged from fine to actually pretty good. ("Into the Unknown" is just the kind of number that would be super fun to see on the big screen, though it lacks the propulsion of "Let It Go").

Ultimately I didn't find the story incredibly compelling. The film tepidly approaches the topic of colonialism and the damage it's done to people and environments, but in the end it kind of wimps out with a "make everyone happy" ending that feels kind of unearned.

Not bad, but didn't make a big impression on me at all.

3.5

[beelzebubble]

FUNNY PAGES (2022)


A hilarious movie about a young high school cartoonist looking for a replacement for his recently deceased mentor in a troubled man who was an asisstant colorist until he lost his job for reasons which seem obvious as the movie progresses.
The kid breaks into the school to steal his beloved teacher's work knowing that it will only be thrown away by the administration. He wants to head out on his own so he moves out of his parents' Princeton home to a hovel in Trenton. Actually it is the basement of a hovel which he shares with some down on their luck gentlemen.

He meets the colorist through his lawyer and invites this madman to his parents' house for Christmas. It works out as well as can be hoped.
I know I am not the best at hyping a movie but this came out this July and already has cult status. It reminds me of indie movies of yore. Owen Kline the writer/director is wonderful.
5/5

[MovieGal]

89072

Barbarian
(2022)
3.5/5

What the hell did I watch?!? I can say it kept me guessing.

[Takoma11]

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Desert Fury, 1947

Paula (Lizabeth Scott) is the 19 year old daughter of a Nevada casino owner named Fritzi (Mary Astor). Paula has returned home after being kicked out of yet another college. As the mother and daughter clash, more fuel gets added to the fire in the form of Eddie Bendix (John Hodiak), a gambler who rolls into town with his watchful partner Johnny (Wendell Corey). Paula and Laura strike up a romance, much to the chagrin of Fritzi and the local policeman, Tom (Burt Lancaster), who has some feelings toward Paula himself.

This is a really fun noir/melodrama mix, with a great performance from Scott in the lead role that really pulls together the film.

There's a really fabulous theme running through the whole film about all of the messed up, complicated reasons that people run toward and/or away from someone else. While a lot of noir films hinge on the deadly attraction of the femme fatale, this film interestingly inverts the dynamic. Yes, Paula is attracted to Eddie, but mainly she is driven toward him by her mother's hatred of Eddie and her overt, manipulative attempts to control Paula. Likewise, the intense, jealous friendship between Johnny and Eddie is, as we slowly discover through the film, driven by something much darker than camaraderie. Skirting on the edge of it all is Lancaster's surprisingly passive Tom, a man who sits somewhat on the sidelines for much of the time, bearing witness to the machinations of the other characters with vague disgust.

Scott and Astor are both really good in their lead roles. I went back and forth on how I felt about Hodiak as Eddie. On one hand, he is not a very compelling presence. On the other hand, I almost feel like that's part of the point. Eddie is a loser, and Paula can't see it because she's so determined to run in the opposite direction of whatever her mother wants. The halo around Eddie is all due to her mother's disapproval, and we wait for her to realize just what kind of person she's decided to hitch her wagon to.

The look of the film is also really neat, contrasting the sun-baked, rural exteriors with the more closed, cold interiors.

A solid noir drama with a satisfying plot progression, if somehow a bit slight.

4

[Gideon58]

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2.5

[SuperMetro]

The Battle of Algiers - I have now seen this and think it was interesting with some lines of dialogue that was rather quotable such as: "Starting a revolution is hard, and it’s even harder to continue it. Winning is hardest of all. But only afterward, when we have won, will the real hardships begin." Again, I liked the atmosphere and how there were those shooting scenes that looked visible and not too chaotic and confusing(Blackhawk Down which I dislike). There were just enough characters and all of them had a purpose, even the extras(or a pebble like The Fool from La Strada would put it). This thing was very well made in my book and I liked not knowing what was to happen next, despite knowing that Algierians would get freedom from France and that Ali la Pointe would get killed at the end. This thing was a two-hour history lesson on how the Algerians got independence from France. There will be another viewing of this someday. 4.5

Duelle - I watched this because I loved Jacques Rivette's other feature Celine & Julie Go Boating so much and also because I was satisfied by watching a minute of Duelle the night before. Curious with what I saw, I decided to watch Duelle and felt like I was in another planet. I was infatuated with the appearances of the two witches in the movie who was after the stone, especially the blonde one who looked dressed up for a magic show most of the time. The other witch was Celine from the other movie who ironically was a magician but not in Duelle. The piano music in the background also added to this movie's charm. The thing was though... I love it now, but after I was done watching this, I was confused with what just happened. I also felt really good after watching this as well and the feeling lasted for days.

I feel like I want to give Duelle a 5/5, but I still feel uncertain about what I saw so I am going to watch it a second time on probably 10/15 when I have more juice. This is the most underrated movie I have ever seen, I advise you to check it out. 4.5 bordering on 5

[Rockatansky]

Deadly Weapons (1974) - 2.5

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Just imagine waking up to an image like that!

Rockatansky-core. For a good measure. Why not. A weird mustachioed man and Chesty Morgan whose breasts could suffocate an elephant! Well, I still prefer Hitomi Tanaka of the two, but if anything, Chesty's pair of melons sure call for respect. The film is horrid, but there's a layer of weird enjoyment I got from its silliness.
How dare you sir. That weird mustachioed man is Harry Reems. The man is an inspiration to weird mustachioed men everywhere.

Also, is Paganini Horror the one where the song sounds suspiciously like Living on a Prayer? I remember being bored by the movie (nowhere near as cool as its poster) but liking the killer’s appearance. I do quite like Contamination from the same director. Amazing gore scenes in that one.

Also, as for Kirk Wong, have you seen Rock n Roll Cop? I mostly liked it but was a bit put off by how it treated Carrie Ng’s character.

(For the record, I liked the post for the wealth of HK reviews, not just the mention. No other national cinema hits the spot in the same way.)

[Mr Minio]

How dare you sir. That weird mustachioed man is Harry Reems. The man is an inspiration to weird mustachioed men everywhere. I know, but I prefer Swan. He and his beard are my inspiration.

Also, is Paganini Horror the one where the song sounds suspiciously like Living on a Prayer? I guess it reminded me of a song I'd heard before, yeah!

I remember being bored by the movie (nowhere near as cool as its poster) but liking the killer’s appearance. I do quite like Contamination from the same director. Amazing gore scenes in that one. Yeah, the director is quite nice. He made Starcrash, after all. The Killer Must Kill Again is his second-best!

Also, as for Kirk Wong, have you seen Rock n Roll Cop? I mostly liked it but was a bit put off by how it treated Carrie Ng’s character. Sure. But it's not that great! Digital Master is my favorite of his. A cyberpunk/sci-film made in HK. Very original!

(For the record, I liked the post for the wealth of HK reviews, not just the mention. No other national cinema hits the spot in the same way.) Oh yeah! Hong Kong for the win! Too bad the cinema deteriorated so fast after 1997. It's but a joke of its former glory now.

[PHOENIX74]

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By http://www.impawards.com/2022/nope_ver2.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68297324

Nope - (2022)

It's nice to go to a movie like this and not be thinking, "That was so stupid" when the credits roll - Jordan Peele's mix of sci-fi and horror slowly develops it's aims, and keeps you fundamentally guessing for a long time, and when the guessing ends it encourages a lot of thought. It also generates one hell of a lot of suspense. At first I would have said I wished there was more horror in it - but the fact that it took us as far as it could go for mere moments made my imagination do the rest of the work - and my imagination often works too well. It's very hard to walk this tightrope of not wanting to give too much away, and Nope is a film of gradual revelation, so the more you initially know the less that aspect works. Broadly it's about our relationship with animals, our exploitation of animals (especially for entertainment) and our need - urge really - to know and see. Exploitation, especially in a visual sense, is explored quite a bit. You'll be asking yourselves of the significance of a certain shoe! This is my second trip to the cinema since the pandemic ended - hoorah for the end of the pandemic!

7.5/10

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By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49119239

Neighbors 2 : Sorority Rising - (2016)

Nicholas Stoller eventually manages to wrangle his cast into the fine comedic form they all had in the first Neighbors movie, but it takes him a while, as more time is devoted to some of the film's characters - and while normally I'm all for character development, it does slow the film down to a crawl. I very much prefer the first film, but this second one has it's moments, and if you did enjoy the first there's more generally silly set-ups and even some further pay-offs from events that happened in the first.

6/10

[cricket]

The Gentlemen (2019)

4

https://66.media.tumblr.com/f4d47386639607e2c3546c0c7ce63a73/tumblr_pyriz9Mw9X1ter2rqo5_500.gifv

For me this was Guy Ritchie's best film since his first two. I didn't even always know what was going on or being said but I was always entertained. This will probably result in my wife calling me a c**t for the next 6 months just like she did after seeing Sexy Beast.

[Gideon58]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/Neighbors_2_Sorority_Rising.png
By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49119239

Neighbors 2 : Sorority Rising - (2016)

Nicholas Stoller eventually manages to wrangle his cast into the fine comedic form they all had in the first Neighbors movie, but it takes him a while, as more time is devoted to some of the film's characters - and while normally I'm all for character development, it does slow the film down to a crawl. I very much prefer the first film, but this second one has it's moments, and if you did enjoy the first there's more generally silly set-ups and even some further pay-offs from events that happened in the first.

6/10

I'm sorry, I thought this movie was stupid.

[PHOENIX74]

I'm sorry, I thought this movie was stupid.

I got a few laughs out of it, but it was typical sequel stuff and the movie wasn't taken seriously (apart from the girl power/respect angle) - you probably mean a different kind of stupid, but director and actors seemed to not really care how stupid the film got - the more the better really. I've plumbed the depths and seen a lot worse.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a7/Inherit-the-Wind-poster.jpg
By http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/pd--10129670/Inherit_the_Wind_Style_A.htm, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4380996

Inherit the Wind - (1960)

So, this was a recommendation for me from a friend with a lot of oomph behind it, and the film has a rating of 8.1/10 on the IMDb - so my expectations were probably far too demanding. Even the topic - the 1925 Scopes "Monkey" Trial, where a teacher was on trial for teaching evolution in the classroom contrary to a Tennessee law at the time, interests me. I was thinking more Judgement at Nuremberg but I got My Cousin Vinnie instead - with less comedy, but a lighter tone than I was expecting. Spencer Tracey plays defense lawyer Henry Drummond, with Dick York the teacher in the dock. One actor who quite unexpectedly turns up is Gene Kelly, as a cynical acid-tongued journalist covering the story - which did work, but still felt very strange. We've all seen fanatics, so everyone knows what these townspeople are like - a teacher wants to teach science (observation and fact) and the nice people of Hillsboro want to hang him. Amazingly, they learn nothing from the religion they so fervently follow - which is the tragic irony of all this. Fredric March is prosecutor Matthew Harrison Brady whose own zeal eats him alive. Overall, a film which espouses free thought - most winningly, at the end Tracey exits the courtroom with both the Bible and Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species tucked under his arm. Wherever we see fanatics, we see pain, death, horror and utter destruction - to learn is the way forward, always questioning and using our mind. Only the wise are really holy, and religious fanatics are not wise. An important and interesting film.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/46/Top_Gun_Movie.jpg
By POV - Impawards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7620986

Top Gun - (1986)

There was a chance I was going to go see Top Gun : Maverick the other day (I ended up seeing Nope instead - it started an hour and a half sooner) - so since I was going to watch this again anyway, I got it out of the way. I don't really get this movie's appeal - the jet fighter stuff is very confusing (from the cuts I can't follow the action - which is probably why all the characters spell it out - "he's on my tail!" - "I'm coming up right beside you" - "I'll swing around...") and the stuff on the ground is pure b-picture. I like the actors in this - Val Kilmer and Anthony Edwards especially, but overall the film doesn't stand out as superior. I guess the soundtrack does though - it's a big winner there. Just an average, okay movie.

6/10

[Allaby]

I just finished watching Blonde on Netflix. I can confidently say, regardless of what else comes out this year, this will be the most divisive film of 2022. Some of the reviews have been crazy and people have had strong reactions, both good and bad. So let me address a few questions first.

Is Blonde pornographic? No.
Is Blonde exploitative? No.
Is Blonde misogynistic? No.

Blonde is masterfully directed by Andrew Dominik and features a great performance by Ana de Armas. It's beautifully filmed and effectively haunting. For me, Blonde is one of the best films of the year. Love it or hate it, Blonde is a must see. My rating is a 4.5

[Marco]

Moffie (2019)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3e/Moffie_poster.jpg
Interesting biography about a homosxual person being conscripted into the South Africa army in the apartheid era with its brutality. He ends up fighting against the Angolans in a conflict I'm still trying to understand. It was also a centre for there Aversion Therapy Project that used ECT and chemical castration to "realign" folk they suspected to be "deviants". Well acted and good scenery but a bit flat in the writing.

2.5

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGMyNDVkZmMtYmFlYi00NmQ0LWI3MjEtNWU1OTA3ZjM1MjZhL2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjE5MjUyOTM@._V1 _.jpg


4

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fnotanotherfilmsite.co.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F09%2Fbad-day-at-black-rock-750.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=5648b9e3f4848553880ab422dccb5712983bdd40d7c0de74a6829cf5878516f1&ipo=images

Bad Day at Black Rock, 1955

A non-descript man named Macreedy (Spencer Tracy) steps off of a train in a little Western town called Black Rock. But his arrival rattles the locals because no one ever gets off of the train. As Macreedy genially inquires about a homestead called Adobe Flats, the sweat palpably breaks out on the faces of just about everyone in town. It's clear they're hiding a secret, and it's all centered on a vicious man named Reno Smith (Robert Ryan).

I had watched this movie one time years ago when I was really tired. And while I remembered the beginning pretty vividly, the whole second half was a blur. I never felt comfortable rating it on IMDb because I didn't feel like I'd really seen it.

Well this time there was nothing keeping me from enjoying the film from beginning to end, and it was awesome.

This isn't a thriller that hinges on a mystery. Yes, ostensibly Macreedy is in town to uncover some shady deeds, but anyone with half a brain will know almost immediately what was done and by whom, if not the exact specifics. This is a thriller that hinges on just how the cookie will crumble--how will everything fall out as the townspeople topple into either turning on Macreedy or turning on each other.

Tracy may be a little old to play a recently discharged war veteran (though I guess his past is kept vague enough that he may not be intended to be seen as a soldier), but he is absolutely perfect in the role. Macreedy is virtually unflappable. When a local (Lee Marvin), decides to rattle Macreedy's cage, the man just calmly backs down. Unnerved, Marvin's character notes that he gives in a little too easy. Also on hand are Anne Francis is apparently the only woman in the whole town, and John Ericson as her brother and the man who runs the local hotel. Ryan is a great counterpoint, his masculine posturing a stark contrast to Tracy's calm and collected Macreedy.

There are also some pretty great visuals on hand. It all starts with an astonishing head-on shot of an oncoming train (the shot was apparently accomplished by having a helicopter hover in front of a train and then running the train backwards, then running that footage in reverse). Several shots establish very well just how isolated a rural desert environment can be. It makes the threats to Macreedy seem all the more probable.

I really enjoyed the exploration in the movie of what happens when something bad occurs in a small community in which the perpetrator has a lot of power. There are people who know what happened, and people who don't exactly know what happened and want to keep it that way (including the local sheriff). Things quickly become a "with us or against us" situation the minute Macreedy steps off of the train and starts asking questions. Even theoretically innocent moments, like Francis's character renting Macreedy a car, turns ominous as Smith warns her "That's the most expensive $10 you ever made."

All in all, a satisfying Wester-thriller.

4.5

[MovieGal]

89099
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
(2013)

I probably haven't watched this more than 5 times even though it's a lot like The Brothers Grimm and Red Riding Hood which I watch quite a bit. Of course, they are not great films but enjoyable.

[cricket]

I just finished watching Blonde on Netflix. I can confidently say, regardless of what else comes out this year, this will be the most divisive film of 2022. Some of the reviews have been crazy and people have had strong reactions, both good and bad. So let me address a few questions first.

Is Blonde pornographic? No.
Is Blonde exploitative? No.
Is Blonde misogynistic? No.

Blonde is masterfully directed by Andrew Dominik and features a great performance by Ana de Armas. It's beautifully filmed and effectively haunting. For me, Blonde is one of the best films of the year. Love it or hate it, Blonde is a must see. My rating is a 4.5

You couldn't get me less excited to watch something

[WHITBISSELL!]

I watched Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters with my niece and we still mention it when talking about movies. We like to keep up a running commentary with these kinds of movies so it was a fun watch.

[MovieGal]

I watched Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters with my niece and we still mention it when talking about movies. We like to keep up a running commentary with these kinds of movies so it was a fun watch.

Has she watched the other two? I'm sure she would enjoy them as well.

[beelzebubble]

Moffie (2019)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3e/Moffie_poster.jpg
Interesting biography about a homosxual person being conscripted into the South Africa army in the apartheid era with its brutality. He ends up fighting against the Angolans in a conflict I'm still trying to understand. It was also a centre for there Aversion Therapy Project that used ECT and chemical castration to "realign" folk they suspected to be "deviants". Well acted and good scenery but a bit flat in the writing.

rating_2_5
Wow scary stuff. What is the timeline for this movie? I don't remember the Angolan and South African conflict. Sixties, Seventies or Eighties?

[SpelingError]

You couldn't get me less excited to watch something

We still got Nymphomaniac in the Group Watch thread ;)

[Wooley]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fnotanotherfilmsite.co.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F09%2Fbad-day-at-black-rock-750.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=5648b9e3f4848553880ab422dccb5712983bdd40d7c0de74a6829cf5878516f1&ipo=images

Bad Day at Black Rock, 1955

A non-descript man named Macreedy (Spencer Tracy) steps off of a train in a little Western town called Black Rock. But his arrival rattles the locals because no one ever gets off of the train. As Macreedy genially inquires about a homestead called Adobe Flats, the sweat palpably breaks out on the faces of just about everyone in town. It's clear they're hiding a secret, and it's all centered on a vicious man named Reno Smith (Robert Ryan).

I had watched this movie one time years ago when I was really tired. And while I remembered the beginning pretty vividly, the whole second half was a blur. I never felt comfortable rating it on IMDb because I didn't feel like I'd really seen it.

Well this time there was nothing keeping me from enjoying the film from beginning to end, and it was awesome.

This isn't a thriller that hinges on a mystery. Yes, ostensibly Macreedy is in town to uncover some shady deeds, but anyone with half a brain will know almost immediately what was done and by whom, if not the exact specifics. This is a thriller that hinges on just how the cookie will crumble--how will everything fall out as the townspeople topple into either turning on Macreedy or turning on each other.

Tracy may be a little old to play a recently discharged war veteran (though I guess his past is kept vague enough that he may not be intended to be seen as a soldier), but he is absolutely perfect in the role. Macreedy is virtually unflappable. When a local (Lee Marvin), decides to rattle Macreedy's cage, the man just calmly backs down. Unnerved, Marvin's character notes that he gives in a little too easy. Also on hand are Anne Francis is apparently the only woman in the whole town, and John Ericson as her brother and the man who runs the local hotel. Ryan is a great counterpoint, his masculine posturing a stark contrast to Tracy's calm and collected Macreedy.

There are also some pretty great visuals on hand. It all starts with an astonishing head-on shot of an oncoming train (the shot was apparently accomplished by having a helicopter hover in front of a train and then running the train backwards, then running that footage in reverse). Several shots establish very well just how isolated a rural desert environment can be. It makes the threats to Macreedy seem all the more probable.

I really enjoyed the exploration in the movie of what happens when something bad occurs in a small community in which the perpetrator has a lot of power. There are people who know what happened, and people who don't exactly know what happened and want to keep it that way (including the local sheriff). Things quickly become a "with us or against us" situation the minute Macreedy steps off of the train and starts asking questions. Even theoretically innocent moments, like Francis's character renting Macreedy a car, turns ominous as Smith warns her "That's the most expensive $10 you ever made."

All in all, a satisfying Wester-thriller.

4.5

I'm a fan of this one since I saw it randomly on TCM several years ago (maybe a decade?) and I am pleased that you also had a positive experience with it.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Has she watched the other two? I'm sure she would enjoy them as well.No, neither of us have. There was supposed to be a H&G:WH2 but I don't think it was ever filmed or released. And there is the Gretel & Hansel version from a couple of years back with Alice Krige playing the witch but neither of us have watched that.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1d/Conairinternational.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/1997/posters/con_air_ver2.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12689473

Con Air - (1997)

I'm not even sure what to say about this gleefully silly film, except that it's entertaining in it's way and is watchable more for it's array of character actors going full pelt than it's action. I'm sure Nic Cage is in there somewhere - but if his very odd Southern gentleman doesn't do the trick then there's Steve Buscemi as a serial killer, John Malkovich as an insane killer called "Cyrus the Virus", Ving Rhames, Dave Chappelle and Danny Trejo as a serial rapist. All of these people happen to be on the same plane when Cyrus takes it over and it's up to U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin (John Cusack) to stop them escaping across the border. There is no end of craziness, and I guess that's why this film is so popular. I'm surprised at myself for not having seen it before, except for bits here and there - I think by '97 I wasn't much of an 'action film' fan, but this one qualifies as an indulgent one which stacks the deck in favour of outrageous villains. Very colourful.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b7/Love_Story_%281970_film%29.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6778617

Love Story - (1970)

I keep thinking Love Story won an Oscar for Best Picture, but Patton won the year it was nominated, and Five Easy Pieces should have won. In any event, it only ended up winning for Best Score (deservedly - though it's a score I always confuse with the one The Deer Hunter has) and has gone down in history as an awfully average film. Honestly, you could tune in on your local television station and watch a made-for-TV movie at midday and it would be quite similar to Love Story - directed by Arthur Hiller, a great director with a very varied body of work. Knowing the Academy, I'm surprised this didn't take out Best Picture, come to think of it. I got a shock when, at one point in the film, a door opens and there stands an incredibly young Tommy Lee Jones - I kept expecting his character to come back into the film, but he's only in it for a few moments.

6/10

[SuperMetro]

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Hfu5ie5eOB4/maxresdefault.jpg
Barbie of Swan Lake (Owen Hurley, 2003)

So I was excited for this one since Barbie in the Nutcracker was so good but this kind of had all the worst elements of both the previous films. This is the same writing duo from Barbie as Rapunzel (and they write a lot the future entries as well) but sadly its the rough comedy and dialogue that carries over from Rapunzel and not the character depth and its even less eventful than Rapunzel as well. So little happens in the film but it somehow makes the film feel extremely short instead of dragging. Not sure how that works but I'm not complaining. Also its a noticeable step back visually and the only one that really triggered that uncanny valley feeling for me, probably due to having less expressive character models more than anything. Overall its just severely uninteresting but it was easy to sit through at least.
rating_2

This is very amusing that somebody is willing to take on them Barbie movies. It takes great courage to walk into your living room/theater and play a movie that features America's favorite fashion doll. Barbie movies are ironically more inaccessible than most arthouse, experimental, avant-garde, or exploitation films. Everyone else including me would be running into the woods over these movies.

[ueno_station54]

This is very amusing that somebody is willing to take on them Barbie movies. It takes great courage to walk into your living room/theater and play a movie that features America's favorite fashion doll. Barbie movies are ironically more inaccessible than most arthouse, experimental, avant-garde, or exploitation films. Everyone else including me would be running into the woods over these movies.
they are inaccessible in that they're surprisingly hard to find. had to watch two of them on facebook of all places in crisp 360p.

[MovieGal]

No, neither of us have. There was supposed to be a H&G:WH2 but I don't think it was ever filmed or released. And there is the Gretel & Hansel version from a couple of years back with Alice Krige playing the witch but neither of us have watched that.

That one is a more on the darker side, more horror than drama. Very artistic as well.

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://images.saymedia-content.com/.image/t_share/MTc1MTExMjkzNTQ3OTgwNjEy/the-thing-from-another-world-1951-movie-review.jpg
The Thing from Another World (1951, Christian Nyby)
2
Carpenter's remake is one of my favorite sci-fi horror films of all time, so I expected the original to be at least decent. I guess my expectations were too high. The rapid, snappy dialogue laced with wisecracks that may work in classic Hollywood comedies doesn't work here at all imo — there is no atmosphere, no suspense, nothing scary or even mildly creepy. The key plot element where the extra-terrestrial organism moves from person to person to survive is completely absent from Nyby's original. The creature itself is a ridiculous, lumbering Frankenstein ripoff. The scene where they set it on fire was probably the only moment in the entire movie that had some tension in it. That captain guy and the lady casually flirting and cracking jokes in the midst of what is supposed to be a scary battle against a bloodsucking alien invader was the worst. Oh, and who doesn't like a healthy dose of Cold War paranoia to put a wrapper on things: "Watch the skies, everywhere! Keep looking. Keep watching the skies!"

[Marco]

Wow scary stuff. What is the timeline for this movie? I don't remember the Angolan and South African conflict. Sixties, Seventies or Eighties?

It is set in '81 when conscription was in was in force in SA, they saw Angola as a Communist aggressor, I must admit I knew none of that before watching the film! Apperently called a "Proxy War"...I'm none the wiser!

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1d/Conairinternational.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/1997/posters/con_air_ver2.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12689473

Con Air - (1997)

I'm not even sure what to say about this gleefully silly film, except that it's entertaining in it's way and is watchable more for it's array of character actors going full pelt than it's action. I'm sure Nic Cage is in there somewhere - but if his very odd Southern gentleman doesn't do the trick then there's Steve Buscemi as a serial killer, John Malkovich as an insane killer called "Cyrus the Virus", Ving Rhames, Dave Chappelle and Danny Trejo as a serial rapist. All of these people happen to be on the same plane when Cyrus takes it over and it's up to U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin (John Cusack) to stop them escaping across the border. There is no end of craziness, and I guess that's why this film is so popular. I'm surprised at myself for not having seen it before, except for bits here and there - I think by '97 I wasn't much of an 'action film' fan, but this one qualifies as an indulgent one which stacks the deck in favour of outrageous villains. Very colourful.

7/10 Cage at his most restrained as a Southern gentleman with one sweet mullet. And like you said so many great villainous performances. You got The Marietta Mangler and Diamond Dog and Sally-Can't Dance and Pinball Parker. Plus you got Colm Meaney as DEA agent Duncan (AZZ KIKR) Malloy. Everyone's emoting up a storm and having fun with it. I liked Steve Buscemi's commentary when everyone is singing along to Sweet Home Alabama. Con Air may not be edifying but it's next to impossible to hate.

[EndlessDream]

Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) is a mildly entertaining action movie. The premise is very flimsy. Nic Cage is a former car thief who gets tasked with stealing 50 expensive cars because his brother owes a bad guy a large debt. I'm baffled why he would agree to this extremely dangerous endeavor because this bad guy is completely untrustworthy and his brother isn't even held captive.

What I enjoyed about the movie is some of the banter and some of the car chases. The characters aren't special, but they have a nice rapport. And the chases have way too many cuts and bad camera angles, but I enjoyed a few moments, like when Nic uses a ramp to jump over 100 feet of traffic. Its definitely a stupid movie, but it has a few charms.

[beelzebubble]

Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) is a mildly entertaining action movie. The premise is very flimsy. Nic Cage is a former car thief who gets tasked with stealing 50 expensive cars because his brother owes a bad guy a large debt. I'm baffled why he would agree to this extremely dangerous endeavor because this bad guy is completely untrustworthy and his brother isn't even held captive.

What I enjoyed about the movie is some of the banter and some of the car chases. The characters aren't special, but they have a nice rapport. And the chases have way too many cuts and bad camera angles, but I enjoyed a few moments, like when Nic uses a ramp to jump over 100 feet of traffic. Its definitely a stupid movie, but it has a few charms.
I think Gone in 60 Seconds was based on an older movie starring David Caruso. And that movie was based on an older Ben Hecht film. More info later if i have time.

[Rockatansky]

It’s a remake of a low budget movie by stuntman H. B. Halicki. The plot and acting are whatever, but it has a bananas all-timer forty minute car chase climax in which Halicki destroys a large chunk of his personal collection. Well worth a watch if you like car chase movies.

[Rockatansky]

Also, Con Air is a hoot (how can it not be with that cast), but I prefer The Rock when it comes to ‘90s Cage Bruckheimer blockbusters.

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://i.makeagif.com/media/10-11-2015/fgBZvh.gif
https://i.makeagif.com/media/4-24-2017/A1eei-.gif


When Worlds Collide - 1951 sci-fi dealing with a rogue planet on a collision course with Earth. I suppose the most benign approach to mentally filing this away is as a sort of quaint artifact. It opens with a Bible verse and is adapted from a 1931 novel so it's more fi than sci. And outside of a UN assembly there's not a single person of color in the movie and certainly not on the passenger manifest of the spaceship they end up building.

There's a scene early on in a general store somewhere in ... I don't know ... Hooterville. There's a full crowd gathered around the radio listening to the bad news that the so called "crackpot scientists" were right and Earth is doomed. A display table is piled high with loaves of Wonder Bread. To me all that white bread made for a great metaphor.

At a South African observatory pilot David Randall (Richard Derr) is handcuffed to a briefcase containing photos and scientific data and flies to the States to hand deliver it to Dr. Cole Hendron (Larry Keating). The info confirms the gathered scientist's worst fears and after some UN dithering the group finds some benefactors with deep pockets who agree to fund the start of the construction of a space ark. Veteran character actor John Hoyt shows up as ruthless rich guy Sydney Stanton. He's bent on surviving the extinction level event and ponies up the remaining millions in exchange for a reserved seat.

There's the requisite romance with Randall and Dr. Herndon's daughter Joyce (Barbara Rush) getting cozy. At around 80 or so minutes the movie does hold your attention. It's filmed in rich Technicolor and the scenes of devastation when the larger planet passes by are passable. It does end on a bit of a fatuous note though when the survivors land on what is apparently a cartoon planet. You half expect Bambi to come bounding out of the forest. Still though it's a George Pal production and he holds true to form with this, generating some not too shabby spectacle on a limited budget.

80/100

[GulfportDoc]

89129

I Wake Up Screaming (1941)

Although the title makes it sound like a horror picture, it’s instead a lollapalooza of an early noir. The title was changed to Hot Spot in order to better appeal to Betty Grable fans, but it was then changed back to its original, and that one remained.

The opening has Frankie Christopher (Victor Mature) proclaiming that he is being wrongly accused of a murder while being hard interrogated by several police detectives. From there out most of the story is done in flash backs. He was found standing over the body of Vicky Lynn (Carol Landis) by Vicky’s sister Jill (Betty Grable), but she soon believes that Christopher didn’t do it. Yet creepy Detective Ed Cornell (Laird Cregar) has a monomaniacal belief that Christopher did kill Vicky, and spends most of the film trying to prove he did it, using intimidation and other means. Along the way we’re treated to a number of offbeat characters, including the familiar Elisha Cook Jr., who plays the hotel’s front desk manager.

There are several meaningful twists in the story, which lead to a respectable finale. But to me the real life circumstances around the film are as interesting as the film itself. Director H. Bruce Humberstone and cinematographer Edward Cronjager had never before made a noir type film, nor did either man make another of them after this movie. But yet most of its stunning noir photography was actually better than in The Maltese Falcon (released a month earlier), which is the other of the two pictures that are considered by aficionados to have touched off the noir movement in Hollywood.

Betty Grable was reluctant to play a straight dramatic role, one of a very few that she did, believing that she didn’t have the acting heft to bring it off. Although Alice Faye was originally slated to play her part, Grable took it on, and her performance was enjoyable and convincing.

Both Carol Landis and Laird Cregar died very young a few years later-- Landis by suicide presumably after an affair with Rex Harrison in which Harrison refused to divorce his wife; and Cregar died as the result of amphetamine use and crash dieting while attempting to appear more as a leading man.

This was Victor Mature’s first film under his 20th Century Fox contract. I’ve never felt that Mature was a high quality actor. He once cracked, “I’m not an actor, and I have 64 films to prove it.” Yet he was as naturally good in this role as he was in many of his other notable films.

It’s nice to experience and enjoy a film thought to have started the noir movement. And it’s available on YouTube.

Doc’s rating: 7/10

[D54pod]

Gargi

https://m.timesofindia.com/photo/92741608.jpeg

Gargi takes a story which can easily be highly dramatised, and bravely strips it of all its bells and whistles. This adds a real rawness to the story, which takes us through the journey of what is looks like for those who are surrounding a highly suspected child rapist.

What makes this movie stand out is the number of perspectives we are presented with, and how each scenario is presented to us. Gargi (played amazingly by Sai Pallavi), the central character and protagonist, gives a deep insight into a daughter defending her father who she adamantly believes is not guilty of the rape of a nine year old girl. Pallavi's grounded and powerful performance here is dynamic and complex. The manner in which she is able to demonstrate emotions of despair and anger, as well as her methodical determined approach to ensuring her father's freedom is a highlight of this movie. To add to this, there are enough elements of mystery and suspense to keep the audience guessing, as again beautifully exhibited through Gargi. Pallavi's performance is captivating, so much so that she alone carries the audience with her throughout this entire journey, and take us through the emotional roller coaster that unfolds.

Aside from Gargi, the movie gives us perspectives of what the victims have to go through in this bleak scenario. In addition, it also gives us a close look at what systems of law and the police department have to go through during such a case. The movie does this in an unglamorous way, by never creating extra drama around the characters. Aside from the stellar acting, this is due to the overall direction of the movie from Gautham Ramachandran. A lot of credit has to be given here to the director and his team to intentionally make a movie which is so grounded in it's portrayal of the scenario. The colour palette is intentionally dim with an emphasis on mid-tones. The score throughout the film is minimal and adjacent to a crime thriller and helps to establish tone. But the strongest element here is the filming techniques and the framing of the entire movie. There appears to be effort put into how each scene is presented, with a mixture of slow motion panning, close and medium shots.

Gargi is one of the most layered and nuanced films of 2022. With a fresh and extremely bold approach to a delicate subject matter, Gargi is a testament to film making. It's the kind of movie that will stick with you for a long time to come, and all credit has to go to so those involved in creating this masterpiece.

5/5

----
Full review: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2SN5VexAynrFfPK2J7F2Jp?si=f3c7356f73a74802

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/Original_movie_poster_for_the_film_Who%27s_Afraid_of_Virginia_Woolf%3F.jpg
By www.moviegoods.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7035663

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - (1966)

Can a film you've already seen defy your expectations? Well, I've finally gotten to the age where what feels like a lifetime can separate viewings, and I'd forgotten how twisted George (Richard Burton) and Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) are in this adaptation of Edward Albee's play. In my memory they just reach a breaking point and have an enormous fight - but my memory was very wrong, and in this film they involve a young couple (the guy has just joined the university faculty, and George sees him as a rival) getting to know them in a night of debauched role play, one-upmanship, psychological manipulation and drunken near-psychosis. Not your usual 'getting to know you' little shindig. George and Martha's relationship has reached a level where the two are like two dragons in aerial battle - both with a death grip on each other and tumbling from the sky - but both still having a semblance of the love that brought them together pumping through their veins. When Nick (a really young George Segal) and Honey (Sandy Dennis) come into their sphere, then of course there will be collateral damage, especially since George sees Nick as a younger rival, both love-wise and career-wise. The dramatic tension is kept taught for nearly the entire run-time - and like a horror movie, you'll often be wanting to tell Nick and Honey to run for their lives. All involved put everything into their performances, and it turns out this was a far more complex film than I'd remembered - perhaps I can see a lot more in it because I needed to have much more life experience to see deeper into it.

8.5/10

[EndlessDream]

It’s a remake of a low budget movie by stuntman H. B. Halicki. The plot and acting are whatever, but it has a bananas all-timer forty minute car chase climax in which Halicki destroys a large chunk of his personal collection. Well worth a watch if you like car chase movies.
I was reading up on it after watching the Cage one and it sounds like the cast, crew, and any innocent bystanders were lucky to survive that shoot haha.

[mark f]

House of Darkness (Neil LaBute, 2022) 2.5 5.5/10
Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women (Joseph Pevney, 1979) 1.5+ 4.5/10
The Victim (Herschel Daugherty, 1972) 2.5 5.5/10
Another World (Stéphane Brizé, 2021) 3 6.5/10
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HeHOKBv-l7k/maxresdefault.jpg
Executive Vincent Lindon and his wife Sandrine Kiberlain[ are separating due to all his stress at work, but now he's not sure after all his years of service if he wants to be a hatchet man which is what they want him to he now.
Dig (K. Asher Levin, 2022) 2 5/10
Beverly of Graustark (Sidney Franklin, 1926) 2.5 6/10
The Enforcer (Richard Hughes, 2022) 2 5/10
Bodies Bodies Bodies (Halina Reijn, 2022) 2.5 6/10
https://filmvibes.files.wordpress.com/2022/08/tumblr_c0360a8bb9058f86f0c2149f4031faa3_bb8e053b_500.gif
Reasonably entertaining thriller is equally annoying when a group of "friends" meet for a hurricane party (?) and all manner of sex and death happen.
Deus (Steve Stone, 2022) 2 5/10
About Fate (Marius Vaysberg, 2022) 2.5 6/10
Out of the Blue (Neil LaBute, 2022) 2 5/10
Bullet Train (David Leitch, 2022) 2.5 6/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/b91d6cdf56d9540030a9db9cc6f63e1a/6af76f55fbbd4990-45/s540x810/523d5710d195f4857a1535232db5af4f17c8ab1e.gifv
Unlucky assassin Brad Pitt is subbing for another guy while working on his anger issues aboard a bullet train with lots of other assassins.
Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion (Andrew Marton, 1965) 2.5 6/10
The Infernal Machine (Andrew Hunt, 2022) 2 5/10
A Love Song (Max Walker-Silverman, 2022) 3- 6.5/10
Blonde (Andrew Dominik, 2022) 2.5 6/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/830e225c8e6b482c1faf9348a1dc74d1/3a9bd92242b47a3f-ca/s540x810/67bca824581a51288badde05d8d2446213d55f14.gif
The life of Marilyn Monroe AKA Norma Jeane (Ana de Armas) is shown through an extended Cliff Notes version highlighting her insecurities and her mommy and daddy issues.
The First Degree (Edward Sedgwick, 1923) 2.5 5.5/10
Do Revenge (Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, 2022) 2.5 6/10
Out Yonder (Ralph Ince, 1919) 2.5 5.5/10
Berlin (Julian Schnabel, 2007) 3 6.5/10
https://www.nziff.co.nz/assets/resized/sm/upload/3v/4x/af/9j/Lou%20Reed%27s%20Berlin-800-800-450-450-crop-fill.jpg?k=7dd42d1088
Lou Reed refused to perform his misanthropic masterwork Berlin for 33 years until he played the album live in 2006 for the first time, taking a five-night stand at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, New York.

[EndlessDream]

Tank Girl is hyper, ugly, and painfully unfunny. Its set in a world like Mad Max, where water is rare and valuable. The main character is an annoying girl who personifies 90's 'Tude. She battles with generic evil businessmen with the help of the Warriors of Virtue.

I thought this was going to be fun for about 10 minutes. Then my reaction to every scene was this: https://frinkiac.com/video/S06E19/qtVKjCNjgtG-8PNRA8vRxZCnhjs=.gif

[Ultraviolence]

https://images.fanart.tv/fanart/fist-of-legend-56e47e7ccf8ba.jpg
rating_4

https://imusic.b-cdn.net/images/item/original/883/5060710970883.jpg?dragons-forever-steelbook-bd-dragons-forever-steelbook-bd-blu-ray&class=scaled
rating_4

https://images.fanart.tv/fanart/police-story-53108eab83af4.jpg
rating_5

[Rockatansky]

Tank Girl is hyper, ugly, and painfully unfunny. Its set in a world like Mad Max, where water is rare and valuable. The main character is an annoying girl who personifies 90's 'Tude. She battles with generic evil businessmen with the help of the Warriors of Virtue.

I thought this was going to be fun for about 10 minutes. Then my reaction to every scene was this: https://frinkiac.com/video/S06E19/qtVKjCNjgtG-8PNRA8vRxZCnhjs=.gif
I want to like this movie because it definitely swings for the fences, but I kinda hate its hideous ‘90s aesthetic.

[Wooley]

Tank Girl is hyper, ugly, and painfully unfunny. Its set in a world like Mad Max, where water is rare and valuable. The main character is an annoying girl who personifies 90's 'Tude. She battles with generic evil businessmen with the help of the Warriors of Virtue.

I thought this was going to be fun for about 10 minutes. Then my reaction to every scene was this: https://frinkiac.com/video/S06E19/qtVKjCNjgtG-8PNRA8vRxZCnhjs=.gif

That seems about right. It is not a good film.

[beelzebubble]

https://images.saymedia-content.com/.image/t_share/MTc1MTExMjkzNTQ3OTgwNjEy/the-thing-from-another-world-1951-movie-review.jpg
The Thing from Another World (1951, Christian Nyby)
rating_2

You may hate the movie but that is a beautiful still.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDU2ZmM2OTYtNzIxYy00NjM5LTliNGQtN2JmOWQzYTBmZWUzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg



4

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://78.media.tumblr.com/09581f8c01b9888814b0dc6a1fb93203/tumblr_o3jip1aGKO1s7xfipo1_400.gifhttps://media.tenor.com/hLMifDkBD4oAAAAC/the-host.gif
https://78.media.tumblr.com/ab289b75e36b768cd72cd8c7e038aeaa/tumblr_oewhtm0jKT1ss8qfeo5_400.gif

The Host - If you haven't seen this 2006 monster movie hopefully you are familiar with director Bong Joon Ho, who won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay Oscars for Parasite in 2019. Just try to visualize the unlikely combination of a world class auteur tackling the giant-mutated-creature-feature genre and you'll get some idea. Some. But you still need to watch this to fully appreciate what he brought to the screen. It's a satire and a comedy but it's also a genuinely melancholy rendering of a broken family.

It starts with an U.S. Army pathologist (Scott Wilson) ordering one of his Korean subordinates to dispose of gallons of formaldehyde by pouring it down the drain and ultimately into the Han River. Some years later a giant creature emerges out of the water and starts attacking crowds of people. The daughter of Park Gang-doo (Song Kang-Ho) is captured by the monster and seemingly dragged to her death in the river.

This is where the story itself mushrooms and mutates into a polemic on everything from U.S. imperialism to governmental coverups to tabloid journalism to societal tendencies towards rushing-to-judgement. But at it's heart is the Park family, sister and national medalist archer Nam-joo (Bae Doona), brother Nam-il (Park Hae-il), a former political activist and now unemployed university graduate and their father Hee-bong (Byun Hee-bong) who runs a snack shop near the river. It is Gang-doo's daughter Hyun-seo (Go Ah-sung) that brings them all together and unites them in a quixotic quest to rescue her in the face of overwhelming government interference and public hysteria.

Korean cinema has been one of my most enjoyable and consistently impressive discoveries of the last couple of decades. Watch this if you haven't.

90/100

[SpelingError]

https://78.media.tumblr.com/09581f8c01b9888814b0dc6a1fb93203/tumblr_o3jip1aGKO1s7xfipo1_400.gifhttps://media.tenor.com/hLMifDkBD4oAAAAC/the-host.gif
https://78.media.tumblr.com/ab289b75e36b768cd72cd8c7e038aeaa/tumblr_oewhtm0jKT1ss8qfeo5_400.gif

The Host - If you haven't seen this 2006 monster movie hopefully you are familiar with director Bong Joon Ho, who won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay Oscars for Parasite in 2019. Just try to visualize the unlikely combination of a world class auteur tackling the giant-mutated-creature-feature genre and you'll get some idea. Some. But you still need to watch this to fully appreciate what he brought to the screen. It's a satire and a comedy but it's also a genuinely melancholy rendering of a broken family.

It starts with an U.S. Army pathologist (Scott Wilson) ordering one of his Korean subordinates to dispose of gallons of formaldehyde by pouring it down the drain and ultimately into the Han River. Some years later a giant creature emerges out of the water and starts attacking crowds of people. The daughter of Park Gang-doo (Song Kang-Ho) is captured by the monster and seemingly dragged to her death in the river.

This is where the story itself mushrooms and mutates into a polemic on everything from U.S. imperialism to governmental coverups to tabloid journalism to societal tendencies towards rushing-to-judgement. But at it's heart is the Park family, sister and national medalist archer Nam-joo (Bae Doona), brother Nam-il (Park Hae-il), a former political activist and now unemployed university graduate and their father Hee-bong (Byun Hee-bong) who runs a snack shop near the river. It is Gang-doo's daughter Hyun-seo (Go Ah-sung) that brings them all together and unites them in a quixotic quest to rescue her in the face of overwhelming government interference and public hysteria.

Korean cinema has been one of my most enjoyable and consistently impressive discoveries of the last couple of decades. Watch this if you haven't.

90/100

Yeah, aside from a few minor issues here and there, it's very good.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/518MKAJWFcL._AC_SY580_.jpg


3

[Gideon58]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/Original_movie_poster_for_the_film_Who%27s_Afraid_of_Virginia_Woolf%3F.jpg
By www.moviegoods.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7035663

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - (1966)

Can a film you've already seen defy your expectations? Well, I've finally gotten to the age where what feels like a lifetime can separate viewings, and I'd forgotten how twisted George (Richard Burton) and Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) are in this adaptation of Edward Albee's play. In my memory they just reach a breaking point and have an enormous fight - but my memory was very wrong, and in this film they involve a young couple (the guy has just joined the university faculty, and George sees him as a rival) getting to know them in a night of debauched role play, one-upmanship, psychological manipulation and drunken near-psychosis. Not your usual 'getting to know you' little shindig. George and Martha's relationship has reached a level where the two are like two dragons in aerial battle - both with a death grip on each other and tumbling from the sky - but both still having a semblance of the love that brought them together pumping through their veins. When Nick (a really young George Segal) and Honey (Sandy Dennis) come into their sphere, then of course there will be collateral damage, especially since George sees Nick as a younger rival, both love-wise and career-wise. The dramatic tension is kept taught for nearly the entire run-time - and like a horror movie, you'll often be wanting to tell Nick and Honey to run for their lives. All involved put everything into their performances, and it turns out this was a far more complex film than I'd remembered - perhaps I can see a lot more in it because I needed to have much more life experience to see deeper into it.

8.5/10

This is my #2 favorite film of all time.

[Gideon58]

89129

I Wake Up Screaming (1941)

Although the title makes it sound like a horror picture, it’s instead a lollapalooza of an early noir. The title was changed to Hot Spot in order to better appeal to Betty Grable fans, but it was then changed back to its original, and that one remained.

The opening has Frankie Christopher (Victor Mature) proclaiming that he is being wrongly accused of a murder while being hard interrogated by several police detectives. From there out most of the story is done in flash backs. He was found standing over the body of Vicky Lynn (Carol Landis) by Vicky’s sister Jill (Betty Grable), but she soon believes that Christopher didn’t do it. Yet creepy Detective Ed Cornell (Laird Cregar) has a monomaniacal belief that Christopher did kill Vicky, and spends most of the film trying to prove he did it, using intimidation and other means. Along the way we’re treated to a number of offbeat characters, including the familiar Elisha Cook Jr., who plays the hotel’s front desk manager.

There are several meaningful twists in the story, which lead to a respectable finale. But to me the real life circumstances around the film are as interesting as the film itself. Director H. Bruce Humberstone and cinematographer Edward Cronjager had never before made a noir type film, nor did either man make another of them after this movie. But yet most of its stunning noir photography was actually better than in The Maltese Falcon (released a month earlier), which is the other of the two pictures that are considered by aficionados to have touched off the noir movement in Hollywood.

Betty Grable was reluctant to play a straight dramatic role, one of a very few that she did, believing that she didn’t have the acting heft to bring it off. Although Alice Faye was originally slated to play her part, Grable took it on, and her performance was enjoyable and convincing.

Both Carol Landis and Laird Cregar died very young a few years later-- Landis by suicide presumably after an affair with Rex Harrison in which Harrison refused to divorce his wife; and Cregar died as the result of amphetamine use and crash dieting while attempting to appear more as a leading man.

This was Victor Mature’s first film under his 20th Century Fox contract. I’ve never felt that Mature was a high quality actor. He once cracked, “I’m not an actor, and I have 64 films to prove it.” Yet he was as naturally good in this role as he was in many of his other notable films.

It’s nice to experience and enjoy a film thought to have started the noir movement. And it’s available on YouTube.

Doc’s rating: 7/10

I really liked this movie...Grable was terrific.

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/65Y7pbj1/Rear-Window-film-poster.jpg
By Copyrighted by Paramount International. Artists(s) not known. - http://www.impawards.com/1954/rear_window_ver2_xlg.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25318643

Rear Window - (1954)

During my childhood my father would talk about this film, describing various parts of it to the point where it became legend - it took until the advent of VCRs till I finally saw it, and yesterday as I took time out to watch it I pondered it's uniqueness and what the film was saying to me. The way we snoop in the film, which is now complicated, because we snoop in every film we watch - so what Rear Window does, it make us especially conscious of the fact that we're breaking a kind of boundary we were never meant to break - but one that seems to prompt a primal need to do just that. Cinema gives us complete freedom to watch in absolute safety, but in this we're watching with a man who is always close to being caught, and one who is watching a murder mystery which he's slowly becoming part of. Even when presented with Grace Kelly, James Stewart's character feels compelled to continue his voyeurism - it becomes an urge which trumps all others. I tell you - if someone did have the power to become invisible - the very first thing he'd do is snoop - and once started he'd probably never stop. This is a supremely interesting film.

9/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/81/True_Lies_poster.png
By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52003485

True Lies - (1994)

Up until True Lies all of James Cameron's films seemed to be films of consequence. This one feels like high end, $100 million trash, and he should count himself lucky that it didn't sink at the box office. I found it sorely lacking in substance, and while the action was obviously handled with expertise by the master of high budget spectacle, there's just not much to True Lies - a weird hybrid of James Bond-type cinema and Arnold Schwarzenegger comedic pyrotechnics. It all works, but when compared to what we got from such films as Aliens and even Terminator 2 people must have wondered if Cameron had come to the end of his creative period. He'd answer with Titanic. It had been a while since I last saw True Lies, and while it entertained, it sorely lacked all of the elements that make certain films well worth thinking about after they end.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/75/The_Devil%27s_Candy.png
By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51585271

The Devil's Candy - (2015)

Well, if I loved metal, I might be feeling a little ripped off by The Devil's Candy, which steps back a little after promising to be a real heavy metal movie. Fortunately I don't really, so I didn't mind at all - and I found this film to just be what it is, a very well constructed horror film which is intelligent enough to be worth more than a passing glance. It won me over at a moment when I was probably hard to please and dismissive, and it did that with good filmmaking and a patient and thorough grounding in revealing it's characters fully. By the time it sets it's sights on terrorizing us we're so enveloped by the film's inner world that it really takes us away. Sean Byrne still hasn't made a film since this, and I don't know why.

6.5/10

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/08/My_Best_Friend%27s_Exorcism_film_poster.png/220px-My_Best_Friend%27s_Exorcism_film_poster.png

3

SF = Z


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

[Deschain]

I just watched Broadcast News, which was excellent. Three real strong main characters who feel natural and whose story isn’t predictable or falling prey to typical movie tropes. I especially liked the idea of Tom: a handsome, charismatic man who feels his success is fraudulent because he knows he’s dumber than a bag of rocks.

I love trying to keep up with all the Marvel and Star Wars Disney throws at us as much as anyone but a side effect of doing so makes me crave movies for adults more often. And this one was perfect for that.

[xSookieStackhouse]

rating_3_5 first hocus pocus always my favorite
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNmJmNDllYzItNmQxZS00MzhkLWI2Y2QtM2MwMjdmMGVjMTE1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTUzMTg2ODkz._V1_.jpg

[xSookieStackhouse]

5
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMGMwYzdmYWYtY2E0Mi00NTBkLWJhNGEtNDZkMmM3NjVkMmQ2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTEzMTI1Mjk3._V1_.jpg

[SpelingError]

I just watched Broadcast News, which was excellent. Three real strong main characters who feel natural and whose story isn’t predictable or falling prey to typical movie tropes. I especially liked the idea of Tom: a handsome, charismatic man who feels his success is fraudulent because he knows he’s dumber than a bag of rocks.

Yeah, it's very good. I liked how the characters weren't entirely likable, but were all self-aware of each other's flaws well enough so that you could still sympathize with them.

[Deschain]

Yeah, it's very good. I liked how the characters weren't entirely likable, but were all self-aware of each other's flaws well enough so that you could still sympathize with them.

Yeah especially when it comes to their love triangle. There’s nothing whimsical or romantic about it. In fact they’re all kinda selfish ******** to each other during those scenes.

[Wooley]

I just watched Broadcast News, which was excellent. Three real strong main characters who feel natural and whose story isn’t predictable or falling prey to typical movie tropes. I especially liked the idea of Tom: a handsome, charismatic man who feels his success is fraudulent because he knows he’s dumber than a bag of rocks.

I love trying to keep up with all the Marvel and Star Wars Disney throws at us as much as anyone but a side effect of doing so makes me crave movies for adults more often. And this one was perfect for that.

Yeah, I kinda miss when big mainstream movies were like this.

[this_is_the_ girl]

https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.c9d7df07bf7f3ee56f0e7bc1150c1c9d?rik=zyfib5zQm7xEnw&pid=ImgRaw&r=0
The Haunted Palace (1963, Roger Corman)
3
Classic gothic horror with Vincent Price, based on Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. Overall enjoyable, with beautiful sets and visual atmosphere, but it wasn't really scary (aside from a couple of mildly spooky moments / jump scares), and the story is too predictable — you know exactly where it's going from the moment Price's character steps into that palace.

[this_is_the_ girl]

You may hate the movie but that is a beautiful still.
Agree. If I remember correctly, it is the opening shot of the movie.

[Gideon58]

https://i.postimg.cc/65Y7pbj1/Rear-Window-film-poster.jpg
By Copyrighted by Paramount International. Artists(s) not known. - http://www.impawards.com/1954/rear_window_ver2_xlg.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25318643

Rear Window - (1954)

During my childhood my father would talk about this film, describing various parts of it to the point where it became legend - it took until the advent of VCRs till I finally saw it, and yesterday as I took time out to watch it I pondered it's uniqueness and what the film was saying to me. The way we snoop in the film, which is now complicated, because we snoop in every film we watch - so what Rear Window does, it make us especially conscious of the fact that we're breaking a kind of boundary we were never meant to break - but one that seems to prompt a primal need to do just that. Cinema gives us complete freedom to watch in absolute safety, but in this we're watching with a man who is always close to being caught, and one who is watching a murder mystery which he's slowly becoming part of. Even when presented with Grace Kelly, James Stewart's character feels compelled to continue his voyeurism - it becomes an urge which trumps all others. I tell you - if someone did have the power to become invisible - the very first thing he'd do is snoop - and once started he'd probably never stop. This is a supremely interesting film.

9/10

6.5/10


LOVE this movie

[Thief]

PREDESTINATION
(2014, Spierigs)

https://i.imgur.com/DB4cwuG.jpg


"The snake that eats its own tail, forever and ever."



Predestination follows an agent (Ethan Hawke) from an advanced government agency that uses time travel to stop crimes before they occur, something that takes agents back and forth as they track potential criminals. After an incident leaves Hawke's character scarred, he is to be sent on a final mission which is crucial to the continuity of the life he knows.

From the opening shots, it is evident that the Spierig brothers have a good eye for framing and blocking. Their direction is confident and assured, allowing the script and the actors to breathe as the story flows. There is also a certain atmosphere to the story that makes it feel kinda "classy", very "old school" scifi. It is also very pleasing to see a scifi that doesn't rely on bangs and explosions to create a compelling story.

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2337086#post2337086)

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/41/Memphis_belle_poster.jpg
By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22223445

Memphis Belle - (1990)

I appreciated a lot of the period detail in Memphis Belle, and it set up a promising opening that I thought might pay off when we go through the bombing run that is the plane's 25th and last mission before those serving on her got to go home. For me the best part was the detail - when the aerial combat starts I found myself surprised by how little excited or concerned I was. Perhaps this film just tried to do too much with far too many characters, and in the end I didn't get to spend enough time with any of them to relate or grow accustomed to their circumstances. The rest just depends a lot on cliché, and the fact that on this bombing run everything happens to the Memphis Belle, which stretched credulity way past the breaking point. No longer was this the believable war film, for we'd strayed far into fantasy. How many miraculous escapes can one crew go through in a single run? Turned out to be a very average movie after a very promising build up.

6/10

https://i.postimg.cc/MGYWr10C/Breakfast-at-Tiffany-s-1961-poster.jpg
Designed by Robert McGinnis. "Copyright © 1961 by Paramount Pictures Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=85711424

Breakfast at Tiffany's - (1961)

Oh the rude shock that was Mickey Rooney's character in Breakfast at Tiffany's - it put me in the wrong headspace while watching the film. I've never fully gelled with Blake Edwards, and he uses race to elicit laughs at the expense of characters at times. I didn't like Victor/Victoria all that much, and now the classic Breakfast at Tiffany's didn't do much for me either. I'm not on the same wavelength as the characters, and the things that are meant to be funny I simply don't find funny at all - so in the end the film starts to lose me. I liked the ending, where Holly Golightly at least makes up for throwing a cat out the window of a moving cab into the pouring rain - and I love Audrey Hepburn. It's just that this film's bad points made me kind of sore at it.

6/10

[Thief]

EVE'S BAYOU
(1997, Lemmons)

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


"Memory is a selection of images, some elusive, others imprinted indelibly on the brain."



This is the line with which this Southern Gothic drama opens up, because memory will play a key role in what will happen; how we remember some things while others elude us regardless of how traumatic or impactful they could've been. Set in the 1960s, Eve's Bayou follows the Batiste family as they are forced to deal with memories and secrets they've tried to hide.

This is a film I had seen back in the day. However, I barely remembered anything, so it was nice to come back to it. Director and writer Kasi Lemmons has a strong eye, but the story does get out of her hands at times. There are several references to the "gift of sight", possessed both by Eve and her aunt Mozelle (Debbi Morgan), but it isn't expanded or explained enough.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2337113#post2337113)

[Thief]

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
(1992, Marshall)

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


"Ballplayers?! I haven't got ball players! I've got girls!. Girls are what you sleep with *after* the game, not what you coach *during* the game!"



A League of Their Own focuses mostly on sisters Dottie and Kit (Geena Davis and Lori Petty), two softball players in Oregon that are recruited for this new league. Will their rivalries get in the way of their success, or will they allow to work together as a team? They are joined by an assorted cast that includes Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell.

This is a film that, for some reason, I hadn't seen before. Several people had mentioned it to me, so I was happy to finally check that box. But beyond that, the film is indeed well made and more important, a lot of fun. Although there is so much to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League that is not said, the film still succeeds in giving you an idea of what it was and what it meant.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2337126#post2337126)

[Thief]

PENINSULA
(2020, Yeon)

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


"Dad told us we should help the weak before he went to heaven. You looked weak."



Set a few years after the original zombie outbreak, Peninsula follows Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won), a former captain that is haunted by the guilt of not being able to save his sister and nephew. While living as a refugee in Hong Kong, he is recruited by some mobsters to enter the quarantined South Korean peninsula, which is now overrun by zombies, to retrieve a truck full of cash.

For the most part, Peninsula is a competent enough action/horror film with some pretty solid action setpieces. What it lacks, though, is the strong emotional anchor of the first one. Gang is a solid lead, but he never manages to evoke the same attachment that the leads of the original did. In addition, the reasonings for him to go back aren't that strong, and feel like what they are: an excuse to put our lead character back in the fray.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2337130#post2337130)

[NaaneVaruven]

Thro love and Thunder! 8/10

[Raven73]

Virtuoso
7/10.
Well-written suspense flick. It takes its time with each scene, delivering dialogue that builds the characters and creates tension between them. Anson Mount (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) delivers stylish interior monologues throughout and exudes a cool, calculating exterior that one would expect from an assassin. The twist at the end I did not see coming.
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjQ3NjkyNGMtMmVkZS00ZGQ0LTgyMjgtNmY1YTAzN2NlM2EzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDM2NDM2MQ@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg

[interretiarius]

Que la fête commence... (1975 - France): The IMDb users say that the story here is historically correct. The Bretons (or a couple of them) versus the French. Guess who won. Lol. It was a good movie. Good directing, good acting, and an engaging storyline. Not a striking or outstandingly impressive film, though. 8/10

Ne le dis à personne (2006 - France/UK): It has a very impressive scenario, very complex. A bit convulated but it is probably because the past events were unfolded somewhat hastily at times. Truly convincing acting is seen throughout. Some cool action scenes, the most prominent one being the protagonist being chased by the police. A must-see flick for the people who are into action-packed crime/mystery/thriller stuff. 8.5/10

The Empty Man (2020 - US/South Africa): Well, kinda generic American horror with some of its qualities, but the cultic aspect adds to it a lot of mystery and intrigue. This had been done before for sure, but this movie did it like stupendously. Some movies crossed my mind like The Candyman (a horror figure that you summon), Pickman's Muse (the cultic element) while watching it, but this movie stands on its own with many of its qualities; at least I haven't seen any movie that is too alike. I think what happens there can happen in real life (at least it is not impossible for me), which makes the movie different from many of the ridiculous supernatural horror flicks. It is a really powerful movie, so if you get scared while watching (some) horror films, you had better think twice before deciding on watching this one. 9/10

[edarsenal]

https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/topsy-turvy-2000/EB20000121REVIEWS1210305AR.jpg
https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/images/newsite/0a9b65bb5c3fe5fe804bc1e35ee86b9a_600.jpg
https://i0.wp.com/streamondemandathome.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/topsy-turvy.jpeg?fit=625%2C352&ssl=1

Laughter...
Tears...
Curtain

Topsy-Turvy (1999) 4.5 DirectorWriter Mike Leigh lays out a beguiling and appropriately constructed dedication to the genius of Gilbert & Sullivan and to the theatrical protocols of the Savoy Theatre that produced their shows.

While I have wanted to see this for quite some years now, it has been a more ardent endeavor, with it being on my second yearly Jab's Movie Challenge. The momentum to finally experience it came after watching Secrets & Lies. My third Leigh film after Naked (1999) and Mr. Turner (2014), and while I did have to break this over two and a half hour film into several viewings due to time restraints ONLY, I can easily see myself revisiting it as a whole in full enjoyment of each and every nuance of this cinematic treat.

Some twenty-five years into Gilbert (Allan Corduner )writing the words and Sullivan (Jim Broadbent) the music, they've hit a very hard rut of repetition. Until, on a forced outing with his wife, Kitty (Lesley Manville), Gilbert ventures to a Japanese festival and, soon after, is inspired to write one of their most famous works, The Mikado.

Those of you familiar with and even to many who scarcely heard of but instantly recognize the work of Gilbert & Sullivan, it can be said there is a certain hummingbird frenzy that fascinates and, should one delve, will find a definitive complexity that fascinates even further still.
Leigh does a smashing job of extending that sublime complexity (something he is quite proficient in) into - well, everything. Those minute, precise elocution of verse and song reverberated in each and every performance. While there is a certain grandness to the production, there is far more adherence to said details of the characters, and, like a Gilbert & Sullivan production, each note, each instrument, and each word is given a precise mode for it all to come together to a mercurial collaboration of mirth and pathos. Resulting in a more in-depth and complete grandness in the production itself. Mirroring the subject matter beautifully.

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://64.media.tumblr.com/4ab5e33cd5a07c423be2d1ed7d4ed0a0/2e266be9ef337960-e0/s500x750/90f0a498c6e03876abd2bb522b154a485f1d2abe.gifv
https://deepfocusreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/black-legion-6.jpg

Black Legion - 1937 potboiler directed by Archie Mayo and starring a still relatively unknown Humphrey Bogart. Mayo and Bogart had worked together previously on The Petrified Forest but that hadn't really found it's audience or the reputation it enjoys today. Bogart plays factory worker Frank Taylor, and he's convinced that he'll be offered the newly opened job of foreman. Taylor is incensed when it's instead awarded to hardworking Polish emigre Joe Dombrowski (Henry Brandon). Seething with resentment he takes note of a radio advertisement lauding the virtues of a pure America and blaming the loss of jobs to an unspecified "invading horde".

Meanwhile, Cliff Moore (Joseph Sawyer) another of his coworkers, approaches him and stokes Frank's ire against Dombrowski. He also informs him about a secret organization he belongs to that is working to set things right for "real Americans". After attending a clandestine meeting in the basement of a pharmacy Frank is soon formally inducted into the Black Legion. Complete with disturbingly familiar robes and hoods and a rambling, lurid and hyperbolic oath, he is threatened with death if he should ever betray his "brothers". He is quickly put to work on late night excursions where the hooded gang confronts mostly ethnic citizens, administering beatings, whippings and destroying their property and homes.

Taylor's secretive activities soon drive a wedge between him and his wife Ruth (Erin Obrien-Moore). His best friend and coworker Ed Jackson (Dick Foran) also sees the changes in Frank and suspects that it might be linked to the news reports detailing the recent spate of assaults and vandalism.

This film is based on a real event that happened in Detroit in 1935. There was an actual organization called the Black Legion which had split off from the Ku Klux Klan and operated mostly in the Midwest. After the kidnapping and murder of WPA organizer Charles Poole the group was investigated, and it's leadership arrested and prosecuted and sentenced to life in prison. This effectively ended their existence.

The film itself is compelling in it's own way. There are still the strictures inherent to the times and it is melodramatic but Mayo and the writers keep it simple without too much of the usual embellishments while Bogart shows flashes of the cinematic icon to come.

80/100

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a0/Poster_of_the_movie_Another_Earth.jpg
By https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1549572/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30806028

Another Earth - (2011)

A mirror image of Earth appears in space, and when we make contact we find ourselves living on it - in the meantime, high school graduate Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling) drives drunk, gets into an accident which kills a woman and her son, and spends 4 years in jail. I was in the right mood for this last night, and found it to be enjoyable and thought provoking - although while walking this morning I did conceive of a plot hole, which I won't share. This sci-fi film is focused squarely on this woman and the psychological problems she must overcome - especially guilt and self-hatred - so the conceit exists as something to ponder, and we don't go there or discover much about this second Earth - except for the possibilities it brings. It was something refreshing, and I loved Marling in The Sound of My Voice, which she also did around the time this was made. Good low budget movie-making.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bc/The_Next_Three_Days_Poster.jpg
By The cover art can or could be obtained from IMP Awards., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28725771

The Next Three Days - (2010)

Here's another movie I watched and enjoyed without knowing that it's a remake of a foreign language film. It's probably wrecked Pour elle for me, but regardless, I had a good time with it. The audacity, to break your wife out of jail - planning everything down to the last detail, and driven to extremes to make it work. Whenever I hear about a film being a remake I grow suspicious, and wonder what I missed out on - the last time it was After the Wedding, which I want to see (in it's original foreign language form) one day - hopefully after I've forgotten most of the remake I saw. I thought The Next Three Days was fast-paced with several interesting cameos - and a really tense last half hour. Good for a Sunday night.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/11/The_Hundred_Foot_Journey_%28film%29_poster.jpg
By The poster art copyright is believed to belong to DreamWorks Pictures or the graphic artist. - [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42751590

The Hundred Foot Journey - (2014)

If there's a film on my queue that I'm not too keen on, I throw it on anyway - and most times I'm pleasantly surprised by what I see. Not this time. This time I got a film that plodded along and didn't bring anything unique or noteworthy from director Lasse Hallström (usually good) or Who Wants to Be a Millionaire game show creator Steven Knight, who wrote the screenplay. It was dull, saccharine and featured a young Indian man becoming one of those chefs who create works of art in the kitchen that don't look edible. Those pretentious chefs. The main plot - two restaurants across the road from each other at war - only takes up half of the film.

5/10

[chawhee]

Den of Thieves (2018)
https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/denofthievesheader.jpg?resize=768%2C432
3.5
A pretty formulaic heist movie, but everything was executed pretty well. The balance between the 'badass' cops and 'personable' criminals was well done, and the cast was solid. The twist at the end wasn't much of a twist which I think helps the film feel more genuine. The only flaw was Gerard Butler's family sidestory which was emotional, but so underdeveloped that it probably should have been cut altogether.

[StuSmallz]

Dr. Strangelove (Kubrick, '64)

https://i.ibb.co/hBnKtHx/EB19990711-REVIEWS08907110301-AR.jpg (https://ibb.co/McjR3py)

We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

In the immortal words of Michael Stipe, while the "end of the world as we know it" may be the last thing you'd expect to make for good fodder for comedy, in the case of Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb, the unlikely combination of the subject matter and genre ends up being the perfect vehicle for satirizing the inherently absurdly nature of the Cold War, resulting in one of the legendary director's greatest efforts, and my current favorite Comedy movie of all time, in a movie that somehow feels just as fresh and timely today as it did upon its release over half a century ago.

Its plot kicks off with American Air Force General Jack D. Ripper (yes, that's the character's actual name) suddenly ordering his planes to begin bombing the Soviet Union, in retaliation to a supposed attack by the enemy. However, after it's discovered that no such Soviet aggression has taken place, it's clear that the insane, "bodily fluids"-obsessed General actually ordered a pre-emptive strike in a bout of Commie-induced paranoia, as part of a ploy to force Washington's hand in completely wiping out the bad ol' USSR, lest the same fate befall the States when the Ruskies have to counter-attack in response to Ripper's act. And thus, a mad, international dash commences across military and government bureaucracies, in order to abort this act of worldwide suicide, and that's before even factoring in the existence of a secretive "Doomsday Machine" to complicate matters, and make this incredibly dire situation somehow even worse than it already was.

And I know that all sounds like super-heavy stuff, and to a certain extent it is, with the film partially serving as a time capsule of genuine, prodding insight into the policies and mindset of such a tense era, but Kub and company were still able to find joy in the destruction of the world, or at least recognized the insanity present within the Cold War and brought it to the surface, exchanging the serious tone of the source novel Red Alert for that of a satire, starting with little touches like a bomber pilot absent-mindedly reading a Playboy magazine in mid flight, and steadily escalating things from there, until the film climaxes with the now-iconic image of a man "riding" an atomic bomb all the way to its target like it's a bucking bronco, hooting, hollering, and waving his ten gallon cowboy hat all the while.

However, Strangelove not only has the nerve to mock the Cold War around a time when tensions between the two superpowers were at their highest, but also takes its razor-sharp aim at the leaders behind such "MAD" ideas, with the sight of a feckless American President fumbling his way through a one-sided phonecall with a drunk Soviet premier serving to pierce the veil of respectability that often shrouds such officials in real life, and revealing them to be silly, petty men obsessed with the size of their arsenals and the potential prospect of a "mindshaft gap", non-chalantly dismissing the prospect of casualty figures in the millions, in-between stopping to take personal calls from their secretary/lovers waiting for them at home.

Of course, the cast does a lot of the heavy lifting in that regard as well, with George C. Scott's manic General Turgidson, Slim Pickens being, well, Slim Pickens, or Peter Seller's brilliant trifecta of performances, including the titular character's demented grin, wacky "German" accent, and struggles with his seemingly possessed right hand serving to bring every character to vivid life here, and heighten the absurdity, while still somehow keeping things grounded enough to have some sort of relation to the grim reality it's satirizing. Add on top of all of that Gilbert Taylor's cinematography, which balances striking, in your face compositions (which are often in the characters' faces as well) with jarring zoom-ins and ahead-of-its-time handheld camerawork, which gives the film an immediacy that was often lacking in Hollywood at the time, and you get a Comedy of (world-ending) errors, ensuring that if you have to watch the end of human civilization, at least you'll be laughing your head off as you do so.

Favorite Moment:
https://youtu.be/snTaSJk0n_Y

Final Score: 10

[xSookieStackhouse]

rating_5 rewatched
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1416/8662/products/flashdance_1983_original_film_art_94b0a207-c3ef-45c8-ab12-ed108a7e9b7d_5000x.jpg?v=1637796072

[Wooley]

rating_5 rewatched
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1416/8662/products/flashdance_1983_original_film_art_94b0a207-c3ef-45c8-ab12-ed108a7e9b7d_5000x.jpg?v=1637796072

Wow. Bringin' it back!

[xSookieStackhouse]

Wow. Bringin' it back!
well i saw it on paramount+ :D

[Thief]

REJECTED
(2000, Hertzfeldt)

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


"This is fun!"
"..."
"My anus is bleeding!"



Rejected is a collection of brief shorts allegedly devised as potential ads for both the fictional Family Learning Channel and Johnson & Mills Corporation. Their rejection subsequently drives the animator to progressively lose his sanity, which is in turn reflected in his work and the fictional world within it.

The truth is that creator Don Hertzfeldt has never worked in advertising, but he still uses the format to take jabs at consumerism, among other things, with a tone that goes from surreal and absurd to dark and gruesome. Most of the shorts are hilarious be it by design or just a by product of their "WTF-ery".

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2337422#post2337422)

[Thief]

IN THE BEGINNING WAS WATER AND SKY
(2017, Ward)

https://i.imgur.com/e7TuVqn.png


"When you return, everything you know will be gone."



In the Beginning was Water and Sky opens with the ominous lede about the hundreds of Indian boarding schools that were opened during the 19th Century in the United States. Their goal was to eradicate Native American culture by "reeducating" Native children in the "American way".

The short follows a very loose narrative, but it mostly focuses on two of these children (Norma-Sue Hill and Shohnáhose Davin Bomberry) as they are taken from their tribe into one of these boarding schools. There they are witnesses to mistreatment, torture, and abuse from the leaders.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2337435#post2337435)

[Wooley]

REJECTED
(2000, Hertzfeldt)

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




Rejected is a collection of brief shorts allegedly devised as potential ads for both the fictional Family Learning Channel and Johnson & Mills Corporation. Their rejection subsequently drives the animator to progressively lose his sanity, which is in turn reflected in his work and the fictional world within it.

The truth is that creator Don Hertzfeldt has never worked in advertising, but he still uses the format to take jabs at consumerism, among other things, with a tone that goes from surreal and absurd to dark and gruesome. Most of the shorts are hilarious be it by design or just a by product of their "WTF-ery".

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2337422#post2337422)

How does one see this?

[Thief]

How does one see this?

It's on YouTube. I put a link on my thread, right after the full review. Check it out.

[SpelingError]

How does one see this?

It's on YouTube.

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

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/03/AlexGarlandMenPoster.jpg/220px-AlexGarlandMenPoster.jpg

2

SF = Zzzz



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

[Stirchley]

Enjoyed this. Witherspoon totally made this movie. Bogged down a bit in the courtroom scenes, but, overall, a fun good movie.

89204

[Stirchley]

Never heard of this 2007 movie until very recently. (Was it here?) Very very good movie. I saw it twice in 2 days. Bad lighting in some of the interiors which drives me nuts. It’s nice to make things natural, but not if you can’t see anything.

89205

[Thief]

THE FALL
(2019, Glazer)

https://i.imgur.com/0ssF0gK.jpg


"Our greatest strength lies not in never having fallen, but in rising every time we fall."



The Fall is a short film from Jonathan Glazer. Set in an undetermined time, it follows a mob of masked men pursuing one of them (also masked) and enacting some sort of trial on him. The sentence? To be dropped with a noose down an eternally deep well.

At 7 minutes and with pretty much no dialogue, there is not much that can be said about this in terms of story. But that doesn't seem to be Glazer's motive. Instead, he manages to create an eerie atmosphere that's as unsettling as some of the films we know him for.

The grotesque design of the masks, the creepy vibe of the minimalist score, it all comes together to create a nightmarish short. The above quote is not from the short, since it has no dialogue, but it might encapsulate what seems to be the philosophy of the lead character. You gotta rise again; not necessarily for pride, but for survival.

Grade: 4


This one can be seen in its official website (https://us.thefall.film/).

[Thief]

WHAT'S OPERA, DOC?
(1957, Jones)

https://i.imgur.com/NnR4iuI.jpg


"Be vewy quiet... I'm hunting wabbits."



Words that are familiar to anyone around my age. But when you add a bit of opera, to the mix, the results are even more hilarious. That is the premise of this animated short film from Chuck Jones and WB Merrie Melodies.

What's Opera, Doc? follows the familiar setup of Elmer Fudd chasing Bugs Bunny, while parodying various operas from 19th Century composer Richard Wagner, along with storms, earthquakes, an overweight horse, and some ballet.

This is a short I had seen several times since I was a kid, but I think this is the first time I've seen it with a more critical eye. It's quite impressive the attention to detail from Jones, writer Michael Maltese, and composer Milt Franklyn. The way they seamlessly weave this story with the music and the animation is definitely pwiceless.

Grade: 4

[Wooley]

WHAT'S OPERA, DOC?
(1957, Jones)

https://i.imgur.com/NnR4iuI.jpg




Words that are familiar to anyone around my age. But when you add a bit of opera, to the mix, the results are even more hilarious. That is the premise of this animated short film from Chuck Jones and WB Merrie Melodies.

What's Opera, Doc? follows the familiar setup of Elmer Fudd chasing Bugs Bunny, while parodying various operas from 19th Century composer Richard Wagner, along with storms, earthquakes, an overweight horse, and some ballet.

This is a short I had seen several times since I was a kid, but I think this is the first time I've seen it with a more critical eye. It's quite impressive the attention to detail from Jones, writer Michael Maltese, and composer Milt Franklyn. The way they seamlessly weave this story with the music and the animation is definitely pwiceless.

Grade: 4

I wanna know what made this not a perfect 5 for you.
I think of it as High Art and legendary.

[Thief]

I wanna know what made this not a perfect 5 for you.
I think of it as High Art and legendary.

I don't know. It's a combination of how well it's made and how much it gets to me. My favorite Merrie Melodies short is One Froggy Evening, which would probably get a 5/5 from me. Duck Amuck would probably be close too. This one is perfectly made, but it doesn't get to me in the same way that those other two.

[cricket]

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

4.5-

https://media1.giphy.com/media/13x3fN0VnDgXEk/giphy.gif

I have never felt compelled to see this, I just watched it because it seems like a good bet to make the upcoming countdown. I'm very up and down on the Coens, and this immediately becomes one of my favorites from them. Of course I favor their crime films, but comparing this to The Big Lebowski, I actually thought this was funnier which I didn't expect. What a great cast of characters assembled here.

[SpelingError]

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

4.5-

https://media1.giphy.com/media/13x3fN0VnDgXEk/giphy.gif

I have never felt compelled to see this, I just watched it because it seems like a good bet to make the upcoming countdown. I'm very up and down on the Coens, and this immediately becomes one of my favorites from them. Of course I favor their crime films, but comparing this to The Big Lebowski, I actually thought this was funnier which I didn't expect. What a great cast of characters assembled here.

Yeah, that one is great. It'll surely make my ballot for the 2010s countdown.

[beelzebubble]

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

rating_4_5-

https://media1.giphy.com/media/13x3fN0VnDgXEk/giphy.gif

I have never felt compelled to see this, I just watched it because it seems like a good bet to make the upcoming countdown. I'm very up and down on the Coens, and this immediately becomes one of my favorites from them. Of course I favor their crime films, but comparing this to The Big Lebowski, I actually thought this was funnier which I didn't expect. What a great cast of characters assembled here.
This movie is hilarious!

[Allaby]

I went and saw Bros today. I enjoyed it. Bros is a smart and witty romantic comedy that is laugh out loud funny. The two lead actors, Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane, are both good. My rating is 4.

[Takoma11]

Never heard of this 2007 movie until very recently. (Was it here?) Very very good movie. I saw it twice in 2 days. Bad lighting in some of the interiors which drives me nuts. It’s nice to make things natural, but not if you can’t see anything.


While I thought it was a bit uneven, that sequence with Collette and Ribisi is something else.

[Deschain]

I went and saw Bros today. I enjoyed it. Bros is a smart and witty romantic comedy that is laugh out loud funny. The two lead actors, Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane, are both good. My rating is 4.
Im a big fan of Billy Eichner and I’m glad to hear his new movie is good. Looking forward to it.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/59/Death_wish_2017_poster.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2017/death_wish_xlg.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54750441

Death Wish - (2018)

Uuuuuuggggggh. Okay. Lets cut straight to the chase. This movie isn't Death Wish, or a remake on any derivation of Death Wish. It's your stock standard revenge flick, and nothing else. When you make a film that's purporting to be either a remake of that film, or anything related to the novel, and then you don't turn your character into a deranged vigilante - well, I have serious doubts about your credibility. I'll go straight to the producer here, Roger Birnbaum. He produced the 2014 remake of Robocop, the 2016 remake of The Magnificent Seven and the 2011 remake of Footloose. (Mike Myers' The Love Guru was one of his as well.) Truth be told, I was expecting something like this - and my curiosity got the better of me. This is the kind of movie where the wife of Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) is killed, and his daughter is put into a coma, and he reacts by shedding a quiet tear and then pretty much he's okay - I've seen people react worse when their football team loses. All he really does is hunt down the people that did it and kill them, while in what's meant to be Death Wish Kersey starts murdering any and all criminals he can find, no matter how serious their crime. There's a lot of difference - but I guess the people making this wanted the same standard they always dish out - predictable, safe, boring, and a complete waste of time. The movie doesn't say anything any more. The whole point has been missed, and cut from the film. Eli Roth, is this all you are? A complete hack? I don't like you sir - not now.

3/10

[Rockatansky]

I think Willis is actually pretty good in the Eli Roth Death Wish. I think the problem with the movie is that Roth doesn't have a clear angle he wants to take with the material. Some scenes feel like a straight ahead execution of the genre, others feel like parody, none are executed with enough conviction to really land.

[ueno_station54]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BM2NkNzE4NmQtZmRlYS00Y2NlLThjNjQtMDI2ZjhkMThiZjIyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAwNzIzMjg5._V1_.jpg
Barbie as The Princess & the Pauper (William Lau, 2004)

Y'all thought Barbie season was on hold just because spooky month showed up? So did I for a minute there but we're back bb and this one's A MUSICAL <3 <3 <3. After seeing this its like, why were they making Barbie movies that weren't musicals? The songs were all lovely too <3. It pains me to say, since this doesn't have the charms that endear me to Barbie in the Nutcracker, but this is the best one and its wonderful. I was swept up in the drama and the romance and it was just beautiful! Even the animal romance was cute as hell. The one cat also naturally barks and acts like a dog and has a song sung to him about how he's loved just the way he is and idc I'm taking this as trans representation. The poor attempts at comedy are cut down substantially as well, probably because there is a lot more characters that have proper arcs in this one while still having a strict 80 minute time limit. There's simply less time for that shit this time around. By the end my heart was full and my eyes were leaking a bit. Also they did the fake outtakes thing during the credits which really took me back lol.
4

[Daniel M]

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (John Irvin, 1979) 4

Knives Out (Rian Johnson, 2009) 3.5

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (Jay Roach, 1997) 3

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (Jay Roach, 1999) 2

Austin Powers in Goldmember (Jay Roach, 2002) 1.5

Lightyear (Angus MacLane, 2022) 1.5

Top Gun: Maverick (Joseph Kosinski, 2022) 4

Sleeping Beauty (Clyde Geronimi & 3 more, 1959) 4 [rewatch]

The Band Wagon (Vincente Minnelli, 1953) 4.5

Nope (Jordan Peele, 2022) 3.5

The Gray Man (Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, 2022) 1

Elvis (Baz Luhrmann, 2022) 1.5

Guardians of the Galaxy (James Gunn, 2014) 3

Public Enemies (Michael Mann, 2009) 4.5

Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988) 3

À propos de Nice (Jean Vigo, Boris Kaufman, 1930) 4.5

David Lynch: The Art Life (Olivia Neergaard-Holm & 2 more) 3

Irma Vep (Olivier Assayas, 1996) 4.5

Blonde (Andrew Dominik, 2022) 1

Hocus Pocus (Kenny Ortega, 1993) 2

Hocus Pocus 2 (Anne Fletcher, 2022) 0.5

V for Vendetta (James McTeigue, 2005) 2.5

The Crow (Alex Proyas, 1994) 1

Clifford the Big Red Dog (Walt Becker, 2021) 0.5

[matt72582]

The Last Band on Stage | Official Trailer | Chicago Band Documentary

Chicago has played 55 years straight... The longest they ever went was 3 months. But they also show how they made their latest album.... remotely.
https://youtu.be/0ytJKrNQPa0

[Ultraviolence]

https://images.fanart.tv/fanart/bullet-train-62ea049d455bb.jpg
rating_2

[Gideon58]

https://wwwflickeringmythc3c8f7.zapwp.com/q:i/r:1/wp:1/w:362/u:https://cdn.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Blonde-Ana-de-Armas-poster-600x889.jpg



2

[Thief]

THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD
(1951, Nyby)

https://i.imgur.com/hJjbcb3.png


"No pleasure, no pain... no emotion, no heart. Our superior in every way."



Released in 1951, The Thing from Another World follows a US Air Force crew sent to investigate an unusual aircraft crashing at the North Pole, and they end up finding an advanced but dangerous alien that feeds on other creature's blood. It's up to Captain Patrick Hendry (Kenneth Tobey) and his men to stop it.

This is one of those instances where it's good to know the context in which the film is released. Right at the peak of the Cold War, the presence of "the Thing" is meant to be seen as a metaphor of the threat of Communism sneaking up on us. Not sure if that was present in the novella, but it's very much in the film's DNA. From throwaway lines about the Russians being "all over the pole like flies" to the "ra-rah" closing warning to "keep watching the skies".

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2337743#post2337743)

[beelzebubble]

Feels Good Man (2020) 4/5
This is a highly entertaining and interesting documentary on the famous Pepe the Frog meme and how it went from being a happy-go-lucky cartoon character by a leftie San Franciscan artist to a hate-filled meme used by the alt-right. I highly reccommend this to anyone interested in our internet influenced culture.

[Citizen Rules]

THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD
(1951, Nyby) That fire walk! OMG, that was an intense and real practical stunt. For me it was the scariest thing I seen in the movie and when I say scary I mean I'm thinking of the real danger to the stunt man who did that. Good movie too.

[Thief]

That fire walk! OMG, that was an intense and real practical stunt. For me it was the scariest thing I seen in the movie and when I say scary I mean I'm thinking of the real danger to the stunt man who did that. Good movie too.

[/CENTER]

Oh yeah, but aside from the stunt, that whole scene was pretty intense. The film had a good bunch of decent scares.

[Allaby]

I went and saw Smile today. I have mixed feelings about this one. First, the positives. Sosie Bacon does a great job. The camerawork and score are all really good. The atmosphere is effectively creepy and suspenseful. However, there were some things I didn't like. Parts of the story elements didn't really work for me, there was one scene that I strongly disliked, and the ending wasn't completely satisfying. There are also too many unanswered questions. If you think about Smile too much, the implications of the films become quite disturbing. I'm not sure what the film was trying to say and I don't think I like what it appeared to be saying. Even with those issues that I had with the film, Smile is technically a (mostly) well made horror film boosted by a star making performance from Sosie Bacon. Just a heads up to those considering seeing this that there are some dark and heavy themes that are a core part of the film, including trauma, mental illness, and suicide. If you feel you can handle those and are okay with unanswered questions, you might end up enjoying Smile. 3.5

[Thief]

BE NATURAL
THE UNTOLD STORY OF ALICE GUY-BLACHÉ
(2018, Green)

https://i.imgur.com/anq7nUR.jpg


"How does one have the sense of *cinema*, when there was no *cinema*?"



Alice Guy-Blaché attended one of the first "surprise" film screenings from the Lumière brothers back in 1895, she started making films the next year for Léon Gaumont, was named Head of Production where she was one of the first, if not the first to explore with fictional storytelling as well as many other innovative film techniques... and still, most people – from regular audiences and cinephiles to actual filmmakers and scholars – don't know who she is. The fact that she was a woman either makes that fact more surprising, or sadly, more understandable.

Be Natural, from Pamela B. Green tries to correct that by chronicling Guy-Blaché's career, from 1895 to her death, and beyond. One of the things the documentary highlights is why so many people had/have never heard of her. The truth is that most of Guy-Blaché's work and contributions to film ended up being either dismissed, erased, or attributed to others. Maybe it was just a thing of time and place, but maybe it was ego or the nature of a male-driven society. Fortunately, Green does a great job of bringing it to the surface.

Grade: 4.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2337761#post2337761)

[Citizen Rules]

Oh yeah, but aside from the stunt, that whole scene was pretty intense. The film had a good bunch of decent scares.Yup, great scene all the way around. Also the older scientist dedication to the seedlings was ominous and the sound they made was unnerving. One of my fav 50s sci fi films.

[Thief]

THE CABBAGE-PATCH FAIRY
(1896, Guy-Blaché)
Freebie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS22S5MTHoI

So *this* is where Cabbage Patch Kids come from!


MADAME'S CRAVINGS
(1907, Guy-Blaché)
Freebie

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

Candy, absinthe, and tobacco... everything a growing baby needs!


A couple of old short films from Alice Guy-Blaché I saw in preparation for an interview for my podcast on female directors.

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTA1ZWQ1ZGQtZGU4My00NjAxLTljMzItYTA1NTE4NmZhNjY3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODIxNzIwMw@@._V1_.jpg
https://64.media.tumblr.com/eae7ef192d612890d7b4c66b20cd6f22/bb0f7b412f957649-fc/s540x810/cda729f521b3ed29f494a3787ae687bb7a2c0e64.gifv

The Red House - This is a 1947 noirish psychological horror tale with a touch of the supernatural to it. It's directed by Delmer Daves and stars Edward G. Robinson as Pete Morgan. He and his sister Ellen (Dame Judith Anderson), along with their adopted child Meg (Allene Roberts), live on the outskirts of a farming community surrounded by a sprawling property. Part of this property is the Oxhead woods. When Pete hires Nath Storm (Lon McCallister), one of Meg's classmates, to help around the farm he is adamant that the young man should avoid straying into the woods on his way home.

The two kids take Pete's dire warnings as a challenge of sorts especially when Nath get bashed over the head by an unknown assailant during one of his "shortcuts" home. I think most viewers will be able to figure out Pete's motivations early on. It doesn't end up mattering though since his secret is divulged not long after you've sussed it out. The screenplay, Daves direction and Robinson's solid performance nevertheless serve to draw you in. The rest of the cast including Julie London as Nath's spoiled and jealous girlfriend Tibby and Rory Calhoun as a local thug named Teller contribute significantly to the action. Robinson was money in the bank and I have yet to see a subpar performance from the man.

80/100

[Thief]

SUSPENSE
(1913, Weber & Smalley)

https://i.imgur.com/UccC5s1.jpg


"A tramp is prowling around the house!"



Words that no spouse wants to hear while their far away. The threat of danger to their family and the inability to do something has to be unbearable. That is the premise of this 1913 short film directed by Lois Weber and Phillips Smalley.

Suspense starts with a servant leaving a letter of notice to her bosses, leaving the mother and her baby alone. When the husband has to stay late at work, a vagrant takes advantage to sneak into the house and threaten the woman.

This is an impressive short for many reasons. First, the technical aspects and craft are great, especially for the time. There are numerous creative shots using mirrors and downward angles, and most notably, the split screen seen above. All of those were shots I really wasn't expecting in a 1913 film. Also, the car chase sequence between the police and the husband is neatly choreographed.

But finally, the way the short manages to build tension through the close-ups on the "tramp", and the back and forth editing between him, the mother, and the father was impressive. I really didn't expect being so on edge. A definitive must-watch, especially if you're a fan of early silent cinema.

Grade: 4

[cricket]

In a Better World (2010)

4

https://images.mubicdn.net/images/film/20620/cache-51153-1637915268/image-w1280.jpg

Danish winner of the best foreign language Oscar, and a blind watch for me. One family is struggling through tragedy and one family is struggling with possible divorce. A boy from each meet in school, become friends, and more drama occurs. This is a simple, sad, and well made film that kept me engrossed the whole time.

[GulfportDoc]

THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD
(1951, Nyby)

Released in 1951, The Thing from Another World follows a US Air Force crew sent to investigate an unusual aircraft crashing at the North Pole, and they end up finding an advanced but dangerous alien that feeds on other creature's blood. It's up to Captain Patrick Hendry (Kenneth Tobey) and his men to stop it.


This is one of those instances where it's good to know the context in which the film is released. Right at the peak of the Cold War, the presence of "the Thing" is meant to be seen as a metaphor of the threat of Communism sneaking up on us. Not sure if that was present in the novella, but it's very much in the film's DNA. From throwaway lines about the Russians being "all over the pole like flies" to the "ra-rah" closing warning to "keep watching the skies".

Grade: rating_3_5
I love that movie. IMO it's one of the very best '50s sci-fi/horror movies. I saw it with a pal when it came out in '51, and I've watched several times since.

There is something about the genuineness and wonder of films like this and Them! as the scientists try to root out the causes or nature of the monsters.

It wasn't until years later that I realized the monster was James Arness.

I like it better than the remake.

[Gideon58]

https://ifyouwantthegravy.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/img_4264.jpg?w=1024


3.5

[chawhee]

Dont Worry Darling (2022)
https://filmdaily.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/dont-worry-darling-1-600x720.jpg
3
I didn't have high hopes for this given that the trailer seemed to convey the strangeness and creepiness a bit too well, but this is worth a watch. It isn't as cunning as it wants to be, however Florence Pugh continues to be a miraculous force on the screen. Both Styles and Pine and Wilde were just okay for me otherwise.

[Thief]

LA CONCEJALA ANTROPÓFAGA
(2009, Almodóvar)

https://i.imgur.com/S2wAA1H.png


"We have to recognize desire as the main driving force of a better society – when you desire someone you don’t usually wish them harm – unless they reject you that is"



That is one of the many mantras that the lead character of this short rambles on. Desire is key, which is probably why in 7 minutes runtime, she gives in to numerous bites of sweets and multiple snorts of cocaine, all while she talks and talks about sex and want, and how to wallow in it, and in God knows what else.

That is the setup of La concejala antropófaga (or The Cannibalistic Councillor), a short from Pedro Almodóvar. Conceived during the filming of Broken Embraces, the short follows Chon (Carmen Machi), a councillor that enjoys giving in to her, umm, desires and talking about them.

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2337822#post2337822)

[PHOENIX74]

Watched 3 Anthony Quinn movies last night, and it turned out to be a more interesting and entertaining night than I suspected it would be. The films were wildly different from each other in tone :

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f8/Original_movie_poster_for_the_film_The_Secret_of_Santa_Vittoria.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10722889

The Secret of Santa Vittoria - (1969)

It's 1943, and the wine-making Italian town of Santa Vittoria is celebrating the ousting of Benito Mussolini. The town's fascist leaders have to think fast lest they be given the harshest treatment, so they decide to hand power to the town's drunken fool - Bombolini (Anthony Quinn), who puts together a council of his own. When he gets word that the Germans are on their way to occupy the town, he becomes determined to hide the town's massive stockpile of wine from them - some 1,370,000 bottles. But how do you hide over a million bottles of wine? And if you find a place, how do you transport them in just a matter of days? Bombolini and the town find a way, but when the Germans arrive they soon come to suspect they're being played for fools - leading to a battle of will and wits between Bombolini and Captain Von Prum (Hardy Krüger). This was kind of a delightful movie, and though the loud and boisterous Bombolini can grate at times, overall he's a loveable scamp who Anthony Quinn injects much fun and comedy into. The film's second lead - Krüger - doesn't appear until 71 minutes into the film! At 139 minutes, I felt this film's length, but I had left it till last. There's something joyous, and very life-affirming about The Secret of Santa Vittoria - it wasn't a big hit at the box office, but it won 2 Oscars (Score and Editing) and is as charming as they come. Directed by Stanley Kramer.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/The_Visit_%281964_film%29.jpg
By [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43579449

The Visit - (1964)

What a dark and unusual film this was. Set in a village in some Eastern European country - a village that has been hit with the worst of hard times. No money, no work - just poverty, destitution and little hope. Visiting this town is one of it's former residents, Karla Zachanassian (Ingrid Bergman), who after leaving married a wealthy man and inherited his money, becoming one of the richest people in the world (she own's 5% of the entire world's wealth!) The town is desperate for help, and she agrees to help under one condition - the execution of town councilman Serge Miller (Anthony Quinn) - a former lover of hers. It seems that Miller got her pregnant, and then denied the child was his in court, bringing in two false witnesses - which meant Karla lost the child (who later died) and ended up falling into a desperate life of prostitution before meeting her wealthy husband. At first the town rejects her proposal as outrageous - but after reflection, and a taste of the good life, decides that perhaps bringing back capital punishment wouldn't hurt. Who knows - perhaps Miller might die in a cougar hunting accident before they even need to. If The Secret of Santa Vittoria is feelgood, then this is feelbad - but a very interesting meditation on justice, the power wealth brings, revenge, a male-dominated world, the fickleness of friendship and the hold our tragic experiences have on us. Very interesting and different.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1c/The_River%27s_Edge.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7570721

The River's Edge - (1957)

This was a little more trashy and pulpy - just your average studio production about farmhand Ben Cameron (Anthony Quinn), who married Meg (Debra Paget) to help her get out of her 10 year prison sentence early (she's done something unspecified.) Unfortunately, life on a farm doesn't go well with Meg, and when her former partner, Nardo Denning (Ray Milland) shows up she leaves with him. Denning has a pretty hot suitcase with one million dollars in it, and it isn't long before he's forced to kill a cop - wrecking his car in the process. Meg and Denning have to call on Ben for help to get across the border into Mexico - and Ben will help them, for a price. Their adventure in the wilds has many twists and turns. This wasn't bad - everyone puts their all into it, and the story grips you like only pulp can - unabashedly throwing much melodrama and action into the mix. With looks and money, it seems that Denning has it all over Ben, but Ben's moral compass, decency and honour shine through as attractive as handsome looks.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a3/Maria%27s_lovers.jpg
By moviegoods.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24589394

Maria's Lovers - (1984)

No Anthony Quinn here, but we do get Keith Carradine, Robert Mitchum, Nastassja Kinski, John Savage, Bud Cort and John Goodman - which isn't a bad cast. Ivan Bibic (Savage) comes home from the Second World War to find he can't make love to his wife Maria (Kinski) - the trauma from surviving a Japanese POW camp too fresh in his mind. The pressure this puts everyone under only makes the situation that much worse, especially when a Don Juan sexual master, Clarence Butts (Carradine) arrives in town with eyes for Ivan's wife. I enjoyed watching all these actors strut their stuff, but the story wasn't evenly paced and could have been written a little better.

5.5/10

[Thief]

THE HUMAN VOICE
(2020, Almodóvar)

https://i.imgur.com/mBSuT9Y.jpg


"I'm a waste. I'm a ruin of what I once was."



The Human Voice follows Swinton's unnamed character as she walks around a stage/apartment, apparently after being left by her lover. After some cathartic moments of frustration and anger, she receives a call from the man, who we never see or listen, and she proceeds to talk with him for the rest of the short going through a series of emotional ups and downs.

Like La concejala antropófaga, this is another opportunity that Almodóvar gives to an actress, Swinton in this case, to run wild with a monologue that seems to be tailored for her. This one is actually based on a play, but Swinton totally owns the role and makes the most out of every sentence and inflection. She is spectacular in it.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2337842#post2337842)

[ueno_station54]

https://www.justwatch.com/images/backdrop/239186628/s640/barbie-fairytopia
Barbie: Fairytopia (Walter P. Martishius, 2005)

Okay this is another banger. We're back to the straight-ahead adventure style ala Nutcracker and it works again here with the biggest selling point being the production design. Elina travels through all these different areas of Fairytopia and just about everywhere she goes has some cool design choices whether its a misty forest of withering tulips or the villains cactus stronghold or even just this cool rock some mermaids are hanging out at. The themes of what makes you different being a strength and overcoming your insecurities hit well and the score is also super good and though the romance have been a strong element of the better films thus far it was a nice change of pace for the MCs prize to be something other than a man for once. There's still a romantic interest in the film but they only briefly cross paths here (there are Fairytopia sequels so I assume we'll get there eventually). This one's just super solid all the way through though they do take some shortcuts in the story as this thing is only 70 minutes with credits but its nothing serious at all. Oh and spoilers the villain gets hit with a gay laser beam and f*cking explodes <3. Barbie killing it again.
rating_4

[Wooley]

THE HUMAN VOICE
(2020, Almodóvar)

https://i.imgur.com/mBSuT9Y.jpg




The Human Voice follows Swinton's unnamed character as she walks around a stage/apartment, apparently after being left by her lover. After some cathartic moments of frustration and anger, she receives a call from the man, who we never see or listen, and she proceeds to talk with him for the rest of the short going through a series of emotional ups and downs.

Like La concejala antropófaga, this is another opportunity that Almodóvar gives to an actress, Swinton in this case, to run wild with a monologue that seems to be tailored for her. This one is actually based on a play, but Swinton totally owns the role and makes the most out of every sentence and inflection. She is spectacular in it.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2337842#post2337842)

Oh shit, a Tilda Swinton movie I didn't know about. Well, I'll just put that in my post-Halloween queue. I'll watch that woman in anything. Probably my favorite living actor at this point.

[Thief]

Oh shit, a Tilda Swinton movie I didn't know about. Well, I'll just put that in my post-Halloween queue. I'll watch that woman in anything. Probably my favorite living actor at this point.

It's a 30 minute short, so it shouldn't be much of a hassle either way.

[Stirchley]

While I thought it was a bit uneven, that sequence with Collette and Ribisi is something else.

LOL, ya think? Scariest part is I know she stayed with him.

[Stirchley]

89242

Re-watch of a terrific movie. Mirren nailed QEII.

[Tugg]

Bad Neighbours (2014) 3
I prefer Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising. Maybe because I saw it first or maybe I feel Sorority Rising had more twists and was funnier for me. This one has more jokes but feels more repetitive for me.
https://www.dafont.com/forum/attach/orig/3/9/397348.jpg?1
Blonde (2022) 3.5
I watched half an hour of Blonde and switched it off. Then, reading discourse on Movie Forums and Yoda provided Kermode's review of the movie where he says Blonde is actually a horror film made me want to see the full movie with different mind set and expectations. I quite enjoyed it. I would compare it with my favorite movies Mulholland Drive, Spring Breakers as well as films like Under The Skin and Green Room. As Minio said Blond is sort of stream of consciousness movie. You sort of have to drop your expectations of narrative to really appreciate it.
https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/marilyn-monroe-biopic-blonde-coming-to-netflix-in-september-2022.jpg
God's Country (2022) 1.5
Nothing burger,- thriller with no thrills. Attempted trills were a bit stupid. The protagonist is the villain of the story in my eyes, even though she's supposed to be righteous I guess.
https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Gods-Country.png?w=670&h=377&crop=1

[ueno_station54]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjEzNzkzNjk4Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTQwMDk5NA@@._V1_.jpg
Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus (Greg Richardson, 2005)

The run of hits continues with what is probably the most technically well written and put together film yet. This one is another adventure film and this is the only film in the series so far that was actually able to make me suspend my disbelief and feel like something bad could actually happen and it just generally feels more "substantial" I suppose. It maybe doesn't have quite as much charm as the other high end entries in the series as a result but Barbie is inherently charming enough thanks to Kelly Sheridan's voice, which I've failed to realize what a factor that is to my enjoyment of these films up to now. I don't know if she's technically giving a good performance in any of these but there's something so comfy about her voice. If at any point someone else is voicing Barbie in these films I'm going to cry full stop. In this one the character Barbie plays (Princess Annika) is a bit more of a girlboss which was cool and the villain sucks (in a good way). Like you actually want him to get his comeuppance and whatnot. Good side characters and romantic interest as well who all have satisfying enough arcs of their own. So yeah, this one mostly coasts off presenting you this technically sound script but there's some nice moments from the filmmaking side as well, most notably any of the ice skating scenes, ESPECIALLY the ice dance at the end that was so so beautiful. The only weird thing is one of the characters is a polar bear cub and they gave it bedroom eyes for some reason. Not okay with that but overall this is one is pretty great.
4

[beelzebubble]

F*CK FOR FOREST (2013) 3/5 contains hippy sex and nudity.

This is a documentary about a charity called F*ck for Forest. The are a bunch of eco-warrior hippies who have a an erotic film and still photography website that raises money for indigenous people to save their land from deforestation. The film follows Danny, a charming, young man with a Peter Pan mien as he hooks up with F*ck for Forest and takes to the streets of Berlin dancing and singing and asking people if they want to be filmed having sex to save the forests. The group goes to the Amazon to meet with several tribes of indigenous people in order to supply them with money so they can buy their land. But the negotiations do not go so well as the tribal peoples are suspicious of white people I know! Go figure!. I found this story fascinating and the two people who started it in 2004 are still at it.So If you want to see hippies having sex or donate to a project that is working for reforestation check out their website.

[Thief]

THE 9TH GUEST
(1934, Neill)

https://i.imgur.com/DiTyjd4.jpg


"You are about to meet my guest of honour: the ninth guest... his name is Death."



The 9th Guest follows a group of eight guests invited at a mysterious party by an unknown host. As they settle in, they are informed that they are part of a deadly game which will result in the death of each of them. Is the ninth guest "death" itself? or is "death" within one of them?

With a simple premise and a brief runtime of 65 minutes, The 9th Guest is a breezy and entertaining "whodunit" that manages to keep you guessing until the end. Most of the characters are colorful and well-delineated, even if some of their introductions feel a bit scattered. Edward Ellis and Hardie Albright are probably the top scene stealers of the bunch.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2338050#post2338050)

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/Holiday_poster.jpg
By May be found at the following website: http://www.modernpeapod.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16957383

Holiday - (1938)

Released the same year as Bringing Up Baby, this comedy trampled all over my expectations by being far more serious than I ever would have expected - despite Cary Grant being teamed up with Katharine Hepburn again. I haven't seen many George Cukor films (My Fair Lady and the 1954 version of A Star is Born are the only ones i think.) I'm afraid I kept on judging Holiday directly against Baby, without knowing that this was a stage adaptation - and the tagline on it's poster, "Heart-warming drama. Smiles, and the tears behind them," really indicates that this comedy had a very serious dramatic bent to it. Judged like that, it's a really good film, with Grant always about to be really funny, but always having to hold back in the face of so many dramatic moments. He's about to marry into a wealthy money-obsessed family, and the way this contradicts everything he's about slowly wears him down - but the sister of the woman he's going to marry, Linda (Hepburn) has very much the same spirit as he does. She just can't act on it, because that would be betraying her beloved sister. A really enjoyable film that didn't deliver many laughs, but was playful enough to give off a fun vibe.

7.5/10

https://i.postimg.cc/V6XJDdxG/A-Star-Is-Born-1976-film-poster.jpg
By Photographer and designer unknown. Distributed by Warner Bros. - Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86990232

A Star is Born - (1976)

Well, this is another version of A Star is Born - the only one I haven't seen now is the 1937 version, with the 1954 version the best on in my opinion. This wasn't bad - the music is okay and Kristofferson imbues his faded, burned out musical icon with believable drunkenness and 'who-cares-anymore' weariness. I've never been a huge Barbara Streisand fan (you'll never catch me watching The Prince of Tides again) and I wish she'd just rock out more, instead of always veering off into soft melody mode. My favourite part? When Kristofferson decides to borrow a fan's motorcycle, drive it up on stage for a few laps, and then promptly drive it off the stage injuring himself and who knows how many others.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6c/Reader_ver2.jpg
By Impawards.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20412575

The Reader - (2008)

I've always enjoyed The Reader a lot. Kate Winslet did well with Hanna Schmitz and steals most of our attention with her performance, being the central focal point even though the story is told from the point of view of Michael Berg (David Kross and Ralph Fiennes). Despite whatever Schmitz did, I always have so much sympathy for her, and that's thanks to what Winslet imbues her with - a kind of sad, pathetic emptiness, and a sense that life has passed her by because of her inability to read and the fact that she really was in the wrong place at the wrong time and had to cooperate a horrifying regime. A really sad film.

8/10

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTJhYjM4OWItOTA0MS00NWFiLTlkMWItZjZlMGNlMjAyMmFiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTA3MTI2ODc5._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg


1.5

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d7/c5/0f/d7c50fd1d79a67775883e73a0f1d87c2.jpg

https://shadowsandsatin.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/d-o-a.gif?w=265&zoom=2

D.O.A. - Finally watched this 1949 murder mystery and it's an odd one. Haven't watched any of the remakes outside of Crank. But that was so far afield of this, the original, that it hardly counts as one. The meat of the story happens in flashback because as the movie opens Frank Bigelow (Edmond O'Brien) walks into Los Angeles police headquarters and asks to see the man in charge. "I'd like to report a murder", he tells the chief of detectives and when asked who was murdered Bigelow waits the requisite beat and answers, "I was."

Bigelow is an accountant and notary public plying his trade in the small California town of Banning. He's itching to get away from his responsibilities which apparently include his secretary and longtime girlfriend Paula Gibson (Pamela Britton). He's arranged a "getaway" for himself in San Francisco where he meets up with some conventioneers and goes bar hopping with them. While there a mysterious stranger switches drink with him and when he wakes up the next morning he is clearly feeling off. After visiting a doctor they drop the bombshell that he's ingested a radioactive toxin and has only a few days to live. He spends the rest of the movie and his remaining time on earth attempting to solve the mystery of his own murder.

As for the odd part, there are weird little touches like an awkward slide whistle sound effect whenever O'Brien sees an attractive female at the hotel he's staying at. Then there's the protracted scene at the jazz club where he first gets slipped the deadly concoction. The movie leans heavily for some reason into the effect the uptempo "negro music" has on the all white patrons, showing some of them in an almost fugue state and on the precipice of losing control. I still don't understand the point of it unless it was some sort of half-assed cautionary tale about the evils of "jungle music".

And at times there was enough scenery chewing going on with various characters for it to qualify as high camp. Neville Brand plays Chester, a psychopathic hired goon who talks about himself in the third person. Needless to say, Chester is starring in his own movie. Then there's Beverly Garland as Miss Foster, a secretary who knows much more than she's letting on. And Britton as Paula, Frank's dutiful girl Friday and longtime love interest has her moments as well. There's a scene in which the two declare their undying love for each other that goes on a little too long and tilts into overkill. It ends with Britton's character staring into the camera as if to make sure the "subtlety" wasn't lost on the audience.

These might sound like complaints but they're trifling because the film rises and falls on the strength of it's script which is admittedly a bit confusing at times. But I thought that the mystery part and Bigelow's investigation of his own murder are handled well enough. But what really sells the movie is O'Brien's all-in and energetic performance. He runs and falls and picks himself up and then runs some more. He looks like he's having fun doing it too. The sometimes frenetic pace and outsized performances end up working in it's favor and ultimately help sell the story.

80/100

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTBlNTQwNjctOWEzMS00MjE5LWE2ZDItMzI4ZmE0MTBlZmIyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg


3.5

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTBlNTQwNjctOWEzMS00MjE5LWE2ZDItMzI4ZmE0MTBlZmIyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg


rating_3_5This was one of the few musicals I actually enjoyed. I think I have a weakness for hillbilly themed songfests since The Unsinkable Molly Brown is another one of my favorites.

[mark f]

God's Creatures (Saela Davis & Anna Rose Holmer, 2022) 2.5 6/10
Blank (Natalie Kennedy, 2020) 2 5/10
Bandit (Allan Ungar, 2022) 2.5 6/10
The Greatest Beer Run Ever (Peter Farrelly, 2022) 3 6.5/10
https://64.media.tumblr.com/6ef7184b236851e3466f8d1da9c6acc6/045d7078e50172ac-56/s500x750/f501c0f0774dc3bdd3592d7763a897a4f43342dc.gifv
Simple-minded but heartfelt Brooklyn sailor Chickie Donohue (Zac Efron) decides to take his buddies serving in Vietnam a beer but after awhile he begins to think it was a bad idea.
My Best Friend's Exorcism (Damon Thomas, 2022) 2.5 6/10
Control (James Mark, 2022) 2 5/10
Dead for A Dollar (Walter Hill, 2022) 3- 6.5/10
Vesper (Kristina Buozyte & Bruno Samper, 2022) 2.5 6/10
https://thepeoplesmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Vesper-Signature-Entertainment.jpg
In the future after climate change has taken its toll, 13-year-old Vesper (Raffiella Chapman) must choose who to trust - her flying A.I. assistant or weirdly-dangerous human Eddie Marsan.
Mr. Washington Goes to Town (Jed Buell, 1941) 2.5 5.5/10
George Harrison: Living in the Material World (Martin Scorsese, 2011) 3.5 7+/10
Tomato Red: Blood Money (Juanita Wilson, 2017) 2 5/10
Sylvie et le fantôme (Claude Autant-Lara, 1946) 2.5+ 6/10
https://images-cdn.bridgemanimages.com/api/1.0/image/600wm.XXX.17227070.7055475/7069092.jpg
On her 16th birthday, Odette Joyeux is romanced by three "ghosts" but one of them is a real one although they all wreak havoc during her party.
Les Visiteurs du Soir (Marcel Carné, 1942) 2.5 6/10
Space Is the Place (John Coney, 1974) 2+ 5/10
Mr. Harrigan's Phone (John Lee Hancock, 2022) 2.5 6/10
Invisible Demons (Rahul Jain, 2021) 3 6.5/10
https://static.kino.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/invisible-demons-2021-filmplakat-rct480x270u.jpg
As India's economy grows so does its air pollution and its citizens' health deteriorates. Some of the country is so messed up it's unidentifiable.
Songs for Drella (Edward Lachman, 1990) 3 6.5/10
Harlem on the Prairie (Sam Newfield, 1937) 2.5 6/10
Devil's Workshop (Chris von Hoffmann, 2022) 2 5/10
Reform School (Leo C. Popkin, 1933) 2.5 5.5/10
https://static.dw.com/image/62965216_401.jpg
Mother Barton (Louise Beavers) becomes the warden at a state reform school and attempts to bring about needed changes, but one tough kid (Reginald Fenderson) syill wants to buck her honor system.

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f9/Lightyear_%28film%29_poster.jpg/220px-Lightyear_%28film%29_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

[beelzebubble]

MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM (2022) 3/5
What if a John Hughes movie was crossed with a horror film? Would you get My Best Friend's Exorcism? Probably not. It would have better writing. This movie tries but just doesn't make it. The acting isn't great. But the art direction does give us that Eighties comedy vibe, very bright and cheerful.
I enjoyed it while I was watching it but it will fade soon. The only thing that really stayed with me is the insertion of modern slang in this obstensibly Eighties movie. "F@ck bae" was not a thing and the use of "awesome" as an intensifier didn't exist. It was kind of funny that the one girl was in love with Boy George but I think kids were savvy enough to know that he was gay. Now if it were George Michael...that is another story. Words like sh*t and f*ck were just coming out of the closet. Kids in a Catholic high school and their religious parents would not have used such language.

One should probably never watch a movie based on a time that one has lived through. Because the incongruities become more important than the film.

[mojofilter]

https://i.etsystatic.com/25432943/r/il/d777c2/4177815438/il_794xN.4177815438_po1j.jpg
BULLET TRAIN
(2022)

3

https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/medium/3/smile-2022-smile-horror-movie-horror-poster-horror-movie-2022-mohamad-maji.jpg
SMILE
(2022)

3

[Thief]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d7/c5/0f/d7c50fd1d79a67775883e73a0f1d87c2.jpg

https://shadowsandsatin.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/d-o-a.gif?w=265&zoom=2

D.O.A. - Finally watched this 1949 murder mystery and it's an odd one. Haven't watched any of the remakes outside of Crank. But that was so far afield of this, the original, that it hardly counts as one. The meat of the story happens in flashback because as the movie opens Frank Bigelow (Edmond O'Brien) walks into Los Angeles police headquarters and asks to see the man in charge. "I'd like to report a murder", he tells the chief of detectives and when asked who was murdered Bigelow waits the requisite beat and answers, "I was."

Bigelow is an accountant and notary public plying his trade in the small California town of Banning. He's itching to get away from his responsibilities which apparently include his secretary and longtime girlfriend Paula Gibson (Pamela Britton). He's arranged a "getaway" for himself in San Francisco where he meets up with some conventioneers and goes bar hopping with them. While there a mysterious stranger switches drink with him and when he wakes up the next morning he is clearly feeling off. After visiting a doctor they drop the bombshell that he's ingested a radioactive toxin and has only a few days to live. He spends the rest of the movie and his remaining time on earth attempting to solve the mystery of his own murder.

As for the odd part, there are weird little touches like an awkward slide whistle sound effect whenever O'Brien sees an attractive female at the hotel he's staying at. Then there's the protracted scene at the jazz club where he first gets slipped the deadly concoction. The movie leans heavily for some reason into the effect the uptempo "negro music" has on the all white patrons, showing some of them in an almost fugue state and on the precipice of losing control. I still don't understand the point of it unless it was some sort of half-assed cautionary tale about the evils of "jungle music".

And at times there was enough scenery chewing going on with various characters for it to qualify as high camp. Neville Brand plays Chester, a psychopathic hired goon who talks about himself in the third person. Needless to say, Chester is starring in his own movie. Then there's Beverly Garland as Miss Foster, a secretary who knows much more than she's letting on. And Britton as Paula, Frank's dutiful girl Friday and longtime love interest has her moments as well. There's a scene in which the two declare their undying love for each other that goes on a little too long and tilts into overkill. It ends with Britton's character staring into the camera as if to make sure the "subtlety" wasn't lost on the audience.

These might sound like complaints but they're trifling because the film rises and falls on the strength of it's script which is admittedly a bit confusing at times. But I thought that the mystery part and Bigelow's investigation of his own murder are handled well enough. But what really sells the movie is O'Brien's all-in and energetic performance. He runs and falls and picks himself up and then runs some more. He looks like he's having fun doing it too. The sometimes frenetic pace and outsized performances end up working in it's favor and ultimately help sell the story.

80/100

I really liked this film. The opening is iconic, but the film as a whole is pretty good. I love all the twists and turns it takes.

[Thief]

LA LLORONA
(2019, Bustamante)

https://i.imgur.com/Lv9jJaj.jpg


"Without justice, there is no peace."



I didn't know much about La Llorona, but saw it mentioned on several lists as I was looking for a good Central American film. I have to say that it was absolutely nothing like I was expecting. This is not the cheap, jumpscare filled, monster film that you might be led to believe, but rather a quite profound psychological thriller/drama with very strong political core about a man and his family haunted by guilt and regret.

From the first shot, the direction of Jayro Bustamante shines as he shows a great talent for framing and composition, as well as a patience to let the camera linger as we see every family member is suffering the fallout of Monteverde's crimes. The manifestation of these comes in the form of Alma (María Mercedes Coroy), a young villager that comes to work for the family as a maid. But is there more to her than what it seems?

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2338289#post2338289)

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/16/AffairtoRemember.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from 20th Century Fox., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3916540

An Affair to Remember - (1957)

The ending of this Leo McCarey film is what really got me - it was perfect and enough of an emotional punch to stir real emotions inside of me. The whole film wasn't bad though, with the charming Cary Grant wooing Deborah Kerr, at first in a friendly way. Both characters are engaged to other people, and they don't just jump into bed or suddenly fall in love. They just have one of those ship-board friendships that develop on cruises - but this one is deep enough to make both realise they're made for each other. First though, it's back on shore with a vow to meet each other at the top of the Empire State building in New York. You probably don't need me to tell you something goes wrong. The film is so very sweet and endearing - but also well made by a filmmaker I'm just starting to discover - despite having seen Ruggled From Red Gap some time ago. The only problem I had with everything was Cary Grant's rather extreme tan, which makes him look like he's been smeared with Vegemite before every take. I thought very highly of this film.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/40/Even_Cowgirls_Get_the_Blues_%281993_film%29_poster.jpg
By May be found at the following website: IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9250800

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues - (1993)

What the hell was this? This nonsensical tale had various surreal moments that I enjoyed, but by the end nothing had gelled together - making everything feel like meaningless nonsense. Despite that, I enjoyed seeing John Hurt, Crispin Glover, Udo Kier, Noriyuki "Pat" Morita and Keanu Reeves in their roles - it's just that the movie they were in ended up being a bit of a disaster. The first half I enjoyed, despite the nonsensical craziness - but the second half wasn't even enjoyable for it's nonsense. I've heard that Tom Robbins' novel reads better than it plays onscreen, so I'll take it at that. I might have even liked this if it hadn't of slowly trailed off and got lost.

Edit - has a great soundtrack made up mostly of K.D. Lang songs, which really fit the movie. Nearly forgot to mention.

5/10 (+1 for Udo Kier)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/01/Untraceableposter08.jpg
By Ignition Print - Impawards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14760460

Untraceable - (2008)

A solid, but ordinary, thriller/horror where the villain is murdering people by letting the numbers who watch the murders online hasten the victim's death. There's some effective scenes of horror in it - and it just happens to be one of those films that just ends so suddenly and prematurely that it felt like the filmmakers were apologizing to us and saying "we don't want to waste any more of your time."

6/10

[xSookieStackhouse]

5
https://ntvb.tmsimg.com/assets/p22086707_v_h10_aa.jpg?w=1280&h=720

[Allaby]

Catherine Called Birdy (2022) Bella Ramsey is fantastic in this enjoyable and energetic medieval comedy. 3.5

[Takoma11]

Catherine Called Birdy (2022) Bella Ramsey is fantastic in this enjoyable and energetic medieval comedy. 3.5

I really liked the book when I was, like, 10 years old. Debating whether or not I want to see this adaptation.

[beelzebubble]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/16/AffairtoRemember.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from 20th Century Fox., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3916540

An Affair to Remember - (1957)

The ending of this Leo McCarey film is what really got me - it was perfect and enough of an emotional punch to stir real emotions inside of me. The whole film wasn't bad though, with the charming Cary Grant wooing Deborah Kerr, at first in a friendly way. Both characters are engaged to other people, and they don't just jump into bed or suddenly fall in love. They just have one of those ship-board friendships that develop on cruises - but this one is deep enough to make both realise they're made for each other. First though, it's back on shore with a vow to meet each other at the top of the Empire State building in New York. You probably don't need me to tell you something goes wrong. The film is so very sweet and endearing - but also well made by a filmmaker I'm just starting to discover - despite having seen Ruggled From Red Gap some time ago. The only problem I had with everything was Cary Grant's rather extreme tan, which makes him look like he's been smeared with Vegemite before every take. I thought very highly of this film.

8/10




An Affair to Remember is a remake of the 1939 movie Love Affair starring Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne which is also good.

[Allaby]

I really liked the book when I was, like, 10 years old. Debating whether or not I want to see this adaptation.

I say check it out. I think you would probably like it.

[Takoma11]

I say check it out. I think you would probably like it.

I'll keep it on my radar. I'm often very defensive/critical of movie adaptations of books I like. In this case, though, I'll admit that I don't remember the book well enough that I'd notice plot changes, so it's probably safer territory.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7f/Smile_%282022_film%29.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2022/posters/smile_ver2_xxlg.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71110351

Smile - (2022)

I had a rollicking good time seeing Smile, with a theater full of frightened people. At first a couple of jump-scares had me thinking "here they go", and I decided to put a candy wrapper in my top pocket every time they did one - fearing I'd lose count. Well, there's bad news and good news about that - the bad news is I ended up with a top pocket stuffed full of candy wrappers, the good news is almost all of the scares in Smile depend on great horror imagery and genuinely scary moments. The quality of terror-inducing frights, storyline and real dread in this film make all of these scares the horror rollercoaster ride I'm always hoping for when I see movies like this, but so rarely get. Smile borrows heavily from all the best horror films from the last few decades, especially The Ring, It Follows, Hereditary, The Evil Dead and It - there's nothing really original to find here, but this Frankenstein monster of a film does it's job superbly and I enjoyed every minute.

I don't want to give much of the plot away, suffice to say the film is about a curse and plays like a much more serious and straight version of Drag Me to Hell - which I don't mind at all. I also want to say that my rating for this might go down a point when I see it on DVD with a smaller screen - there's something about horror on the big screen with lots of other people that heightens everything. But for now, I have to say I absolutely loved this movie in spite of it's derivative nature. It goes onto my favourite horror list for now. It has a terrific performance from Sosie Bacon and some visual elements which are out of this world - especially on the big screen.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/78/The_Dead_Zone.jpg
By Heritage Auctions: [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4035289

The Dead Zone - (1983)

It has been decades since I last saw The Dead Zone - and it's one of those films where, watching it again, I remembered virtually none of it. Usually some parts come back to me, even after a really long time, but not here. It felt more like a drama to me - there's very little horror in it, and the story mostly concerns itself with the personal life of Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) - who attains psychic gifts after being in a traffic accident. John Smith - I guess Stephen King wanted this guy to represent the average Joe. Anyway, he's in a coma for 5 years, loses the love of his life, and helps various people with his second sight. Eventually he comes across a shady politician and sees that this guy will start a nuclear war as president. Johnny Smith goes the political assassin route. It's a decent film, especially since it doesn't rely on the paranormal, but makes us care for the character.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/49/The_Producers_%282005%29.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2005/producers.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3321626

The Producers - (2005)

When you write and direct a popular and beloved comedy, and then in your later years your career and talent go down the gurgler, is it possible to take your previous great films and milk them for every penny you can get? Can you ever! Brooks created a Broadway hit from his 1967 film The Producers, and thus we ended up with a musical remake of sorts. Matthew Broderick imitating Gene Wilder feels blasphemous, and a lot of the comedy (especially new stuff) falls a little flat. This movie has it's moments, but for the most part it's telling jokes that are half a century old - and not as well as they were told in the original. Will Ferrell feels horribly miscast. There's enough great-good-bad-awful in this for it to fall right in the center.

5/10

[skizzerflake]

Amsterdam tonight. It seemed a lot like a junket for Hollywood A-Listers. I think it was supposed to be clever and cute in a Wes Anderson sort of way, but to me and my partner, it mainly came out overlong and inscrutable. I don't feel like trying to explain this this so, to quote Letterboxd

"In the 1930s, three friends—a doctor, a nurse, and an attorney—witness a murder, become suspects themselves and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in North American history."

Suffice to say, when it's over, after spending about a third of the movie scratching my head, I finally realized that it's a movie with a message - Fascism is bad. Well, whoop-dee-doo. I sat through 2+ hours, hoping it would get better, trying to scrute the inscrutable, only to find out that fascism is bad?

:popcorn::popcorn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLs2xxM0e78

[pahaK]

Goodnight Mommy (2014)
1.5
An exercise in boredom and a prime example of a twist movie done wrong. It's like being forced to spend 90 minutes on a test where the only question is 1 + 1 = ?.

--
Who Finds a Friend Finds a Treasure (1981)
2.5
As a kid, I liked Bud Spencer and Terence Hill a lot. The immature charms of the film still managed to entertain at some level, but it's not the masterpiece I once thought it was. For some reason, most of Hill's characters feel like sociopaths to me now.

--
Sinister (2012)
3.5
A rewatch for the next countdown. There are some pacing issues, but it's a pretty good investigative horror film. The home movies are very nice.

--
Bullet Train
2
Lots of forced humor and silly characters. It felt like a B-tier script that erroneously went into an A-tier production pile. Kick-Ass is the highlight of the film.

--
Trapped Alive (1988)
1.5
A dull and timid cannibal miner movie filled with stupid characters and bad acting. The few murders are lackluster but at least we get a pair of boobs and some underwear adventuring.

--
Blonde (2022)
3.5
A Marilyn Monroe biopic that's somewhere between Repulsion and Von Trier. I'd like to say that the pacing is a little weird, but then again, the film is not very traditionally structured. Maybe a tad too long, still, and I'm not a huge fan of so wildly behaving aspect ratio. It's a lot different than I expected, and I ended up liking it a lot more too.

--
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
2
Sometimes Trash is the best a film has to offer. That's definitely true in this case.

--
Hellraiser (2022)
1.5
I'm a little confused here. Why is this Hellraiser considered to be somehow different from the number of direct-to-video sequels we got between 1996 and 2018? Easily has 30 minutes of bloat but even the heavy editing wouldn't have fixed the bland and soulless horror tropes the series has sunk to.

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4b/Nitram_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

[ueno_station54]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1b/a8/d7/1ba8d73d2f06f284f66092e539a13ef6.png
Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia (Walter P. Martishius & William Lau, 2006)

Okay so there was some hype for this one and not only because the first Fairytopia film is pretty great but because I saw someone's ranked list of these films and there were so many comments of people being like "why tf you have Mermaidia so low", like it was basically every comment lmao. So I here I am, all jazzed up for this one and its... kinda not hitting. Out the gate we have a recap of the first film into the romantic interest being kidnapped (yawn) into introduction of secondary lead character I find annoying and even though I'm probably the biggest proponent of jank 3D animation, god there's a lot of character designs here that are simply nightmare fuel. But that's only the beginning of the film though as once we actually get to actual adventure Mermaidia does so much to win me back and straight up just has some of the strongest moments in the franchise to date. Even though I found Nori quite annoying off the bat, she ends up being likeable and I like how her and Elina's friendship develops over the course of the film. A thing I liked about the first Fairytopia film was having Barbie's character's prize not being a man for once but it seemed pretty obvious they were going to head back in that direction for this sequel, but they actually subverted it, which was cool. By the end its a pretty solid adventure with some stakes that feel substantial and a few moments that are pretty impactful. Some nice environments through out as well. This is a tough one to rate with how not into it I was at the start vs. how into it I was by the end but its definitely still a good one at the end of the day.
rating_3_5?

[Wooley]

Sinister (2012)
3.5
A rewatch for the next countdown. There are some pacing issues, but it's a pretty good investigative horror film. The home movies are very nice.

I think the home-movies were the only thing about this film I did like.
Mr. Edgelord Boogedy was a pretty sorry-looking villain.

And, obviously, you are completely wrong about Return Of The Living Dead, which I will heaping praise upon next week in my thread.
:p

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDNmYjBhNWQtZDUyYS00ZWUzLTkyYWYtMDhkNTMwZWFjNDZiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTM1MTE1NDMx._V1_.jpg



3.5

[doubledenim]

Amsterdam tonight. It seemed a lot like a junket for Hollywood A-Listers.

:popcorn::popcorn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLs2xxM0e78

The vibe of the trailer was less than the sum of its parts. And needle drops make me claw my eyes out meow.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/36/Frantic_%28movie_poster%29.jpg
By impawards.com/1988/frantic.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4104754

Frantic - (1988)

This didn't do much for me when it first came out, and does a lot more for me now - with many noir conventions and a deliberate pace that sits uneasy with a person used to much faster, more physical films. I still think it might be a few taxi rides too long, but it does seem to have one of Harrison Ford's more interesting performances - an actor who has never really stretched himself too much. A mystery first and foremost, with Dr. Richard Walker (Ford) checking into his Paris hotel with his wife, who suddenly goes missing while he's in the shower. Where did she go? Well, the fact that they grabbed the wrong suitcase at the airport is the key to everything - something Walker doesn't pick up immediately. We go on a trip around Paris as he searches for her, with murder, espionage, drug dealing and many shady characters cropping up. It has a nice atmosphere of dread - but we all know why Polanski is making yet another film in Europe, and that still sits in the back of my mind. It's by no means a brilliant piece of moviemaking, but it's not bad.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/53/Let_Me_In_Poster.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from IMP Awards., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25013541

Let Me In - (2010)

Having seen Let the Right One In, this film did nothing for me, of course - I've seen it once before. On a second viewing, I found that despite some baffling changes to the story, it mostly sticks to the original and I didn't think it was too bad by itself. If I hadn't of seen the far superior original, I might even be saying this is a really good horror film. It's happened to me twice, with After the Wedding and The Next Three Days - but don't let it happen to you. If you haven't seen either film, see Let the Right One In and not this. If making this movie means that some people who refuse to watch foreign language films got to see an approximation of it, then I guess it's serving some kind of purpose - but I get tired of all these English language doubles walking around, bumping into me by mistake. Chloë Grace Moretz is pretty good as Abby, and the film is well made. Matt Reeves did a good job (blasphemous to some - but a good job nonetheless.)

6/10

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.highonfilms.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F02%2FOn-the-Count-of-Three-Sundance-Review.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=af54cb8b53730efd42924115b16edba963fa89c05b8b020641cbf465f2437c28&ipo=images

On the Count of Three, 2021

Val (Jerrod Carmichael, who also directs) has had enough. When a suicide attempt at work gets interrupted, he goes to visit his childhood friend, Kevin (Christopher Abbott), who has been institutionalized for a suicide attempt. Val busts Kevin out of the facility, and they decide to enter a suicide pact. But when it comes time to pull the trigger, Kevin asks for one more day before they end it all. Together they set out to live a little and right soem wrongs from their pasts.

I really enjoyed this film, which was full of conversations and confrontations that often did not go the way I expected.

For me, this movie entirely succeeded in doing what it needed to do on both sides of its story. I thought that it was consistently funny and also carried through two compelling character arcs via its lead characters.

The comedy aspect works both because of the writing itself and the chemistry and timing of the two leads. While Kevin is the one who delayed their deaths, it ends up being Val who is the more cautious of the two as they go about their day. Kevin's dominant mood is one of manic, uninhibited joy. Carmichael has great comedic timing, which is impressive because he often ends up as more of the straight man in their conversations. Abbott brings moments of unfettered joy to Kevin, as the relief of knowing he will die (and with a friend) snaps him out of his funk.

The comedy here carries the film and the characters through some pretty heavy stuff. Very early on in the film, we learn that Kevin was mercilessly bullied in school, including being hit by a classmate's truck in the school parking lot and suffering serious physical injuries. We learn this from the man who hit him, while the man's wife stands by and does the whole "Oh that's terrible!" thing through laughter of her own. As the film unfolds, we learn more about the childhoods that shaped Kevin and Val, including some pretty serious traumas. I didn't feel that the film was drawing a direct link between their past experiences and their desire to die, necessarily, but rather you can see how the isolating impact of these experiences has deepened their depression, especially Kevin's.

I also really appreciated the way that the film handled the "one last day" plot trope. Kevin and Val are living in a frame of mind where there are no real consequences. On the milder end this means things like Val quitting his job without any diplomacy. On the more extreme end, it means that they are free to commit acts of revenge, including violence. There's nothing to keep Val and Kevin from hurting, or even killing, anyone who has wronged them except their own sense of conscience. Watching the way that this plays out through the film is really interesting and generates a lot of suspense.

No complaints. I thought that this film was excellent, buoyed by great performances, great writing, and a strain of empathy that balances perfectly with the film's humor.

4.5

[cricket]

13th (2016)

2

https://www.artofthetitle.com/assets/sm/upload/6r/1t/6l/xh/13th-graphics-still-_0021_Layer%2032.jpg?k=4d7a539890

Blind choice from the female director's list. A quick look at the poster tells me it's a documentary that should be interesting and relevant. Then seeing that it's part of the Black Lives Matter Collection, I say uh oh as I believe the BLM movement is the worst thing to happen to black people in years.

I thought the first half of this was slanted and misleading, but also pretty excellent. It shows some of the history of mistreatment towards black people in America, that while shown many times before, is still important to be reminded of. I certainly had a problem with the way it lead the viewer, but it was compelling nonetheless. The American prison population is this, ok but that means what exactly. The rate that black men are imprisoned is this, ok but that means what exactly. We are just lead to believe it must be one thing, but there's never any talk about crime, crime rates, or victims of crime. Of course no solutions either, although we have recently seen things like letting people out of jail early and getting rid of bail, and the results have been disastrous.

The second half of the movie I really started to get uncomfortable, and that's because I detected flat out intentional dishonesty. Lies were spoken and that's disgusting when dealing with important subject matter like this.

http://internetisinamerica.blogspot.com/2016/11/26-errors-inaccuracies-and-flat-out.html

I do not want to get political, but I have to give an example of the dishonesty. There was a point in the movie when it was showing historical clips of black people being abused. While showing these clips, it played Donald Trump talking over it, as if he was talking to or about black people, and perpetuating a racist time in our history. While you hear him say "In the good old days law enforcement acted a lot quicker than this", it shows clips of black people being dragged down the street and put in jail cells. The implication is clear, but this is the actual video when he said those words-

https://youtu.be/1evyptWWgDE

Now seriously wtf is that? It doesn't matter who you are, who you like, or what you believe in, anybody should be offended by that. What really happened is the complete opposite of what they are telling us.

With about 15 minutes left, I was thinking to myself that people are going to die because this film was made. Sure enough, it suddenly goes to a BLM segment. I would later read that the viewing of this film went up over 4,000% during the George Floyd protests. Hmmm, you don't have to be that smart to know what that might cause to happen. There's much better ways to do things.

This movie was a good watch, but it's so flawed that I cannot give it a good rating.