Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[Torgo]

Siege - 4

This is a tense and uncompromising Canadian thriller set in Halifax during a police strike that actually happened. A gang of domestic terrorists take the opportunity to enforce their own brand of justice at a gay bar. When something unplanned happens, a witness manages to escape, fleeing to an apartment where the neighbors are taking refuge. What follows isn't quite on par with the 1976 Assault on Precinct 13, but it comes pretty close.

The best movies like this one have heroes who are severely unequipped and villains who are...well, not, which this one fully realizes. Only a couple of the neighbors have experience with weapons, and what's more, their inventory is limited, and the movie's decision to show how limited it is inspired since it makes every shot count. Except for Cabe (Doug Lennox), the gang's Lurch-like boss, the villain actors resemble people you would not give a second look if you walked past them on a sidewalk, which I believe makes them scarier for how they demonstrate the banality of evil to a T. As for the moments of payoff (and setback), they're as unpredictable as they are brutal.

This is an obviously low budget movie, and while it cuts deeper than many similar movies with higher budgets I've seen, some aspects, such as its comical sound effect for a gun firing, make it hard to take seriously at times. Also, some characters make uncharacteristically dumb decisions out of convenience and little else. Other than that, it proves that just because a movie has a "sploitation" label (in this case, Canucksploitation) does not mean it should be immediately side-eyed. Oh, and hopefully not to spoil the ending too much, but it could make a certain Rage Against the Machine song come to mind.

[ScarletLion]

92783

Enjoyed this. Why a beautiful 19 year old from a good family in Sweden would come to L.A. with her dream of becoming a “porn star” is beyond ludicrous. Who does this?

The porn was tame, lots of sweaty very creepy guys & our heroine is abused in all kinds of ways, but we hardly see anything.

So, strange in the extreme, but lead actress is exceptionally good. Swedish cinema, what can I say. :rolleyes:

Very brave performance by Sofia Kappel as Bella in that one.

[Chypmunk]

Latest watches:
Annie 1982 2+
Hidden Agenda 2001 1.5+
Father Brown 1954 3
The Hot Snow 1972 3.5
Ghosts Of War 2020 2+
Meteor Moon 2020 1
Girls Trip 2017 1.5+

[Stirchley]

Very brave performance by Sofia Kappel as Bella in that one.

Very. Can’t imagine what her parents think. She’s a grown woman, but, still.

What did you think of the movie?

[ScarletLion]

Very. Can’t imagine what her parents think. She’s a grown woman, but, still.

What did you think of the movie?

My very short review at the time:

Quite a disturbing film, and a really great, brave performance by Sofia Kappel as Bella - a wannabe porn star trying to make waves in the L.A. adult entertainment industry. I imagine it's pretty true to life.

3.5

.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYWI1YmQ0NWQtYTA4Yi00OWJjLWEzNTQtYjI3NTJhZTdhOTMyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA@@._V1_.jpg


3.5

[Corax]

Very brave performance by Sofia Kappel as Bella in that one.


Brave, yeah that's the word.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/Go_1999_film.jpg
By [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2958307

Go - (1999)

When Quentin Tarantino made Pulp Fiction in 1994, he ended up influencing an entire new generation of filmmakers. Go seems to fit the mold in a very obvious way, with various interconnecting stories, one told after the other. At certain points the stories intersect, and you'll end up understanding more about a different story when the one you're watching comes into contact with it. Drug dealers, Vegas strip joints, gangsters and narcs - the various characters get themselves in over their heads, and violence often ensues - but despite that, there's still a necessary lightheartedness to Go, and it has a fun feel to it. No Doubt's "New" was the big single tie-in, and the video for that song features the same kind of rave the film's plot revolves around. Doug Liman had directed Swingers and has gone on to have a decent career, with the likes of Edge of Tomorrow and The Bourne Identity being on his resume.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/36/The_Stratton_Story-_1949-_Poster.png
Copyright held by the film company or the artist. Claimed as fair use regardless., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29297865

The Stratton Story - (1949)

You'd think having a leg amputated would end a career in any highly competitive sporting league, but Monty Stratton (James Stewart) makes a surprise comeback as a pitcher after an unfortunate hunting accident in this true-story biopic. The Stratton Story is kind of bland and plods along during an hour-long set-up portion which tells the story of Stratton's marriage and rise up the ranks in the Major League as a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox - it improves markedly when we get to the grist of his sudden, shocking predicament, and the way he overcomes an almost impossible obstacle. My James Stewart impression still isn't there, but I get a little better each time I try it.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f1/Beaches_-_poster.jpg
By https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094715/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18794785

Beaches - (1988)

Beaches might be sappy and formulaic, but it's still a well made weepy that will break down the defenses of anyone willing to sit down and give it a fair go. It focuses very clearly on the theme of friendship, telling the story of a lifelong platonic love between characters "C.C." Bloom (Bette Midler) and Hillary Whitney (Barbara Hershey) which has it's ups and downs, but is fully realised and well written. If you think of your own friendships while watching this movie, you might need a box of tissues handy - but if you're a complete cynic, you might spot the strings being pulled quite easily. As far as 80s dramas go, it stands out because of some pretty decent musical numbers, and the two leads really commit themselves. This film was popular, but walloped by critics - I thought I'd hate it, but surprisingly didn't.

The song "Wind Beneath My Wings" was an Australian hit for Colleen Hewett before Bette Midler came along and drowned her version out completely.

6/10

[ScarletLion]

'The Eight Mountains' (2023)

https://resizing.flixster.com/F7fQW32K30dS3Gzr5tlXfsAoNL0=/300x300/v2/https://resizing.flixster.com/-vnln3p-lebsnP1RRO2KNpqYN1c=/ems.cHJkLWVtcy1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzL2ZjYmEwMTk0LWEzZTEtNDZmYy04ZjYyLTIzMWU4MzA5NWM5OS5qcGc=


The Eight Mountains is Felix van Groeningen and his wife Charlotte Vandermeersch's latest film. Van Groegingen directed 'Beautiful Boy' and the brilliant 'Broken Circle Breakdown'. 'The Eight Mountains' though is a different beast. Based on the book of the same name written by Paolo Cognetti it charts 25 years or so in the lives of two best friends who meet in a tiny village in the Italian alps. The two friends Pietro and Bruno seem inseparable as they more or less live a mountain life but they are different. Pietro is the lead character and via his narration we see themes of self doubt, self discovery, regret, belonging. The cinematography is obviously therefore brilliant with vast sweeping mountainous landscapes and lakes.

But what makes this film stand out is the writing. The dialogue and the moments of deep emotion are truly brilliant. The film itself explores family, friendships in small communities but asks the viewer to think about their life choices......who did life correctly? Who made the right choices? Who won at life? Who conquered it? Along the way are relationship dramas and some tragedy but by the end I was left philosophising over a magnificently emotional picture.

'The Eight Mountains' is one of the most profoundly beautiful and moving films I have seen in recent years. Stunning film.

9.2/10

4.5

[Deschain]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0f/In_a_Valley_of_Violence_poster.jpg
By The poster art copyright is believed to belong to the distributor of the film, the publisher of the film or the graphic artist. - Bloody Disgusting, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49706097

In a Valley of Violence - (2016)

This revenge western isn't breaking any new ground, but performances of note from the likes of Ethan Hawke, James Ransone and Taissa Farmiga raise it a level. Hawke especially is convincing as a damaged army veteran who has seen too much and done too much killing. When oafish parties kill his dog, you know a massacre is in the offing, which includes an equally damaged town marshal played by John Travolta, who is left trying to clean up another mess his wayward, idiotic son has made. Ti West wrote and directed this just before writing and directing X, showing that he's in a certain filmmaking groove at the moment.

7/10

I thought I’d seen most Ti West films but I never heard of In a Valley of Violence. This movie is kind of awesome. I wasn’t expecting it to be as funny as it is. The first scene with Gilly made me think the whole thing was going to be a comedy because he’s such a ****ing joke. Mary-Anne was surprisingly endearing. The whole thing feels less like a western and more like everyone playing old west, if that makes any sense. I think I loved it.

[matt72582]

Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff - 6/10
35-yr old teacher who is still a virgin seeks psychiatric help as she's having a breakdown. But it only gets worse. If made today, I think it could make some money.. if it's done right.

Funny in the first scene, the lodgers ask to see a Marlon Brando, and one of the lodgers is Jocelyn Brando, who was blacklisted for years.



https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a3/MissWyckoff.jpg

[Gideon58]

https://i.etsystatic.com/28976030/r/il/e5ed73/4577271638/il_1080xN.4577271638_ilsg.jpg



2

[WHITBISSELL!]

The whole thing feels less like a western and more like everyone playing old west, if that makes any sense. I think I loved it.I had the exact same thought when I watched it. But, like you, I ended up really liking it.

[GulfportDoc]

https://i.etsystatic.com/28976030/r/il/e5ed73/4577271638/il_1080xN.4577271638_ilsg.jpg



rating_2
I rated it about the same as did you. Horrible miscasting of Liam Neesom as Philip Marlowe, and the Marlowe character is one of the first in memory to use the Chandler shamus' name in a non-Chandler story.

Here is some commentary:

Marlowe (2022)
The film’s title reference is to Philip Marlowe, the famous shamus of Raymond Chandler’s 7 novels featuring Marlowe (an 8th was incomplete at Chandler’s death). However this screenplay was based upon a 2014 novel, The Black-Eyed Blonde, by John Banville. Reportedly the novel was intended as an extension of Chandler’s The Long Goodbye (1953), with permission from the Chandler estate. The screenwriters for this film were William Monahan and Neil Jordan (who also directed). Monahan especially has some bona fides, having written The Departed, but any reference in this picture to The Long Goodbye is remote.

In familiar detective noir fashion, a lovely wealthy heiress named Cavendish (Diane Kruger) enters Marlowe’s (Liam Neesom) seedy office wanting to have him find her missing lover, Nico Peterson (Francois Arnaud). Marlowe accepts, but soon finds that Peterson is dead. However this may not turn out to be the case, and Marlowe’s search for Peterson and the trouble he gets into, along with the clever and tawdry plot, forms the dramatic story for the film.

In turn we meet Cavendish’s aging film star mother, Dorothy Quincannon (Jessica Lange); club owner Floyd Hanson (Danny Huston), who appears complicit in Peterson’s murder; Peterson’s sister, Lynn (Daniela Melchior); and a host of other participants in this nicely crafted period neo-noir.

Marlowe is an Irish, French and Spanish production, with the emphasis on Irish-- with both director and lead actor, along with some of the cast being Irish. The story is set in late 1930s Los Angeles, but Barcelona substituted for L.A. in its exterior shooting locale, while the interiors were shot in Dublin.

The chief detraction in this otherwise interesting production is it’s casting, most especially of Liam Neesom as Marlowe. Although Marlowe at the time of this story set in the late 1930s would have been 30s/early 40s, and Neesom is 70, it is not the character’s age which strains credulity, but it is Neesom’s demeanor and underlying personality. He’s a fine actor, but not a good pick for Philip Marlowe. Kruger is iffy as a believable femme fatale, notwithstanding her beauty. Even is a lesser role, Ian Hart as police detective Joe Green makes one squirm with incongruity.

On the plus side Jessica Lange turns in a nice portrayal as the nosy aging movie star; and Danny Huston is very acceptable as the shady club owner. Also Daniela Melchior has the perfect look for a 1930s damsel.

The music score didn’t help with it’s contemporary sounding music.

This is a very watchable but mediocre detective neo noir which could have had more punch with better casting and a slightly more authentic production design.

Doc’s rating: 5/10

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/9MmX3G01/love-the-beast.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5582236

Love the Beast - (2009)

Following on from Beaches in my "movies I wouldn't have ordinarily watched" series comes this Eric Bana film, Love the Beast. An excessive love for cars is a part of Australian culture that I was particularly immune to, so this documentary about Bana and his beloved 1974 Ford XB Falcon Hardtop, which he first purchased at the age of 15, didn't seem overly attractive. I did enjoy the glimpse we get into Bana's personal life, family and friends. Eric Bana is a person who has basically won life's lottery - and it's given him freedom to do whatever he likes with his hobby - his car. He completely modifies it into a full on motorsport vehicle, and crashes it at the 2007 Targa Tasmania tarmac rally, completely destroying it. No bother - he has the cash to rebuild it 100 times over. I thought the documentary was very well made, but the inclusion of the likes of Dr. Phil and Jeremy Clarkson rubbed me the wrong way.

5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7d/Devils_own_film.jpg
By Impawards.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20973748

The Devil's Own - (1997)

I don't know. You watch movies like The Devil's Own and think to yourself, "Was that any good? No. Was that a really bad movie? No." - it's these movies that the little memory men in your head don't even bother filing away, so that when you come across the title 7 years later, and recall that you did watch it, you can't remember a single thing about it. This was a production with many, many writers and a bunch of producers who constantly interfered - so by the end it's cobbled together minus what would have made it work really well. Harrison Ford is a New York cop who accepts an IRA supremo terrorist (Brad Pitt) into his home without knowing who he really is. Pitt's character is a good man however, which is where the moral ambiguity will come into play late. Of course, Pitt staying there puts Ford's family at risk, with Treat Williams playing an arms dealer who wants his money, despite a late cancellation of Pitt's stinger missile order. If you live in a movie, don't marry Harrison Ford - because your family will probably be in some kind of danger pretty frequently. This is a very conventional and predictable film which could have done with more tension and conflict - with both Pitt's and Ford's characters being such all-around nice guys, there's not as much friction as a thriller should have. The villains make very brief appearances, and we know nothing about them.

5/10

[Stirchley]

92810

Loved this very strange movie, which I’ve never seen before. Always thought it had steamy sex scenes, but it doesn’t at all.

The physicality of the rôle that the male lead had to endure is amazing. Did his woman & their baby return to him? Haven’t a clue which way that would go.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNGY5OTIwOTItNzU3ZS00ZDEwLWFiMDktMDNlZDU5MmZlODg5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTUzMDUzNTI3._V1_.jpg



2

[Marco]

48 Hrs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Forty_eight_hrs.jpg
Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte play opposites in on of the 1st cop "buddy" movies I'd say. It was funnier when I was younger but now I can see it as a paper thin plot (apart from the main 2 characters' interaction). It sure didn't plod but relied too heavily on the "opposites" theme rather than the plot. Black guy in White bar, White guy in Black bar etc....of it's time.

2

[beelzebubble]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=92783

Enjoyed this. Why a beautiful 19 year old from a good family in Sweden would come to L.A. with her dream of becoming a “porn star” is beyond ludicrous. Who does this?

The porn was tame, lots of sweaty very creepy guys & our heroine is abused in all kinds of ways, but we hardly see anything.

So, strange in the extreme, but lead actress is exceptionally good. Swedish cinema, what can I say. :rolleyes:
Porn is seen by the young as a legitimate way to make a living and become famous nowadays. Sad but true.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4b/RandomHeartsfilm.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1834440

Random Hearts - (1999)

Well this was a doozy. We often talk about chemistry, and never was there any less than what Harrison Ford and Kristen Scott Thomas had in this steamy, mystery-teasing romantic drama that should have been a lot better. It's a 133-minute slow burn to nowhere, with Washington, D.C. police sergeant Van Den Broeck (Ford - why does he always have to play a cop?) and Congresswoman Kay Chandler (Thomas). They both find out their spouses were having an affair when the plane they were on crashes, and their stories exposed. Perhaps this was one of those productions where the two leads hated each other, for it seems that way. Ford grumbles, and Kristin stares - two modes that seem to forgo acting altogether. Many reviewers call the film boring, but I don't mind a story that can examine grief, betrayal and anger by having two characters wander lost in a maze of recrimination and pointless searching for answers - if I have three-dimensional characters with actors who are really selling it. Unfortunately, Random Hearts doesn't have that.

4/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/Hollywood_homicide.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8005649

Hollywood Homicide - (2003)

Let's start with the positive - Hollywood Homicide ends with the chase to end all chases - a marvelous tour-de-force that seems to last around 20 minutes and has Detective K.C. Calden (Josh Hartnett) and Sergeant Joe Gavilan (Harrison Ford - why does he always have to play a cop?) chase two suspects until the suspects split up, whereby the chase splits into two separate strands. The chase features some of the film's best humour, and is a great action set-piece all by itself. Okay, now the negative - pretty much all of the rest of this film is doo-doo, and while I'd gladly watch that chase again, I could never bring myself to watch the first 100 minutes again. Comedy falls flat, and the plot wants to jump into a dozen different places at once, spoiling any rhythm and pace it tries to maintain, and making it disjointed. The partners are trying to solve a multiple murder in Hollywood, while Gavilan has a side-job as a real estate broker, and Calden teaches yoga and wants to be an actor. We get it - Hollywood is a weird place. Lots of cameos in this - Smokey Robinson, Robert Wagner, Frank Sinatra Jr., Eric Idle etc etc. Another Ford misstep.

5/10

[Marco]

Porn is seen by the young as a legitimate way to make a living and become famous nowadays. Sad but true.
I had mixed feelings about this, it wasn't great but a look into the industry, and then thought, there's many documentaries that do a better job. It wasn't bad but nothing I'd choose to watch again.

[SpelingError]

Porn is seen by the young as a legitimate way to make a living and become famous nowadays. Sad but true.

To be fair, it seems to be working out well for me so far.

[Chypmunk]

Latest watches:
The Mummy 1959 2+
Mr. Jones 2019 3
Dersu Uzala 1975 3.5+
Last Passenger 2013 2+
Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. 1966 3
Triassic Hunt 2021 1
Last Orders 2001 3.5

[Mr Minio]

To be fair, it seems to be working out well for me so far. Aaah, so you are the director of Shit Fantasy 7: Toilet Is My Home!

[Allaby]

No Time for Sergeants (1958) A war comedy with a fun performance by Andy Griffith as a country bumpkin type of character drafted in the Air Force. Lots of wacky shenanigans. Not all of the jokes/humour land, but there are some good laughs and amusing moments. 3.5

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/03/M3GAN_Poster.jpeg

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

[Gideon58]

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3.5

[LChimp]

https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2023/02/03/foevbcsayamvqpf-1675462826997.jpg

Wasn't expecting much, but it's actually kinda fun. Watched it with my oldest son (14yo), he also enjoyed it quite a bit.

[Gideon58]

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Umpteeenth Rewatch...It's been several years since I've watched this instant classic. In my review of this film, I called it a textbook om how to make the perfect comedy film and I was wondering if it has held up. I am delighted to report that after 40 years, this movie is as fresh and funny as it was in 1982. Most of the credit has to go to director Sydney Pollack and the one and only Dustin Hoffman. I have never seen Gandhi but I think Hoffman was robbed of the Best Actor Oscar for this rich dual role, where the character of Dorothy is actually a lot more endearing than the Michael Dorsey character. Treat yourself if you've never had the pleasure and pay attention to those scenes during the opening credits where Michael is observed teaching an acting class and going to auditions. More than any of his other work, I think these scenes are cinema's closest onscreen glimpse into the real Dustin Hoffman. 5

[disassociated]

Well, we're Kanopy members. For anyone unfamiliar with Kanopy, their viewing catalogue is largely made up of indie productions, though there are some more well known titles also. The films on offer are quite the mixed bag, but there are a few gems to be found. Anyway last night we watched One Wild Moment AKA Un moment d'égarement.

We try to avoid finding out too much about the Kanopy films we stream at home (don't watch trailers, read reviews etc) as they're free to watch, but since Francois Cluzet and Vincent Cassel star, we took a chance on it. Well, what can I say? Has anyone else seen this (it was made in 2015)? Not even sure how to rate it, and we're still discussing the ending…

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/8CSxsj6n/rebel.jpg
By "Copyright 1955 Warner Bros Pictures Distributing Corporation" - Scan via Heritage Auctions. Cropped from original image., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86223914

Rebel Without a Cause - (1955)

Rebel Without a Cause has much more than just a knockout performance from James Dean, although it does have that. It's a film with a brilliant screenplay which undertakes to examine the post-war phenomenon of wayward youth, and generational differences that were really beginning to stand out in the mid-50s. These differences are so mountainous that Dean's Jim Stark seemingly speaks a language that his parent's can't understand or interpret, and it's his isolation that leads him into conflict with his peers and identification with a sympathetic young psychopath, Plato (Sal Mineo - Oscar-nominated for this role.) Plato kills puppies for fun, but Jim can still relate to him better than he can his parents. A young Natalie Wood - destined for tragedy - plays love interest Judy, a girlfriend for Jim and a mother-figure for Plato. Thankfully, most of us don't have to deal with knife fights and Chickie Runs in high school - although the psychopaths are still a dangerous feature.

9/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3c/TheInformant2009MP.jpg
By The cover art can or could be obtained from Yahoo! Movies or Warner Bros. Pictures., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23463609

The Informant! - (2009)

In the early 1990s, FBI agents Brian Shepard (Scott Bakula) and Robert Herndon (Joel McHale) have a massive catch on their hands when Archer Daniels Midland executive Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) confesses that price fixing is rife through his industry, and they manage to collect evidence in huge quantities when he turns informant and starts to secretly record his meetings. All well and good, but what the agents don't realise is that Whitacre is suffering with a troublesome bipolar disorder, and is a compulsive liar and cheat. An amusing film with a strange score that at times evokes a quaint 1950s kind of suburban comic feel - the lies mixed with truth at times makes it hard to follow when Whitacre is conning people, or is being genuine, but I guess that's kind of the point. Good enough to make me want to read Kurt Eichenwald's nonfiction book about what really happened.

6/10

[Allaby]

Twelve O’Clock High (1949) Gregory Peck is good, but I didn't find the story as interesting or as compelling as it could have been. It also felt a little too long to me, but I still liked it and would recommend it in preparation for the war countdown. 3.5

[John McClane]

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
2.5

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
3

[Tugg]

Cocaine Bear (2023) 2.5
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/i/10b1df17-9b3e-455b-aa27-cd3c6a602a43/dfj5jbj-cd4f3adc-1257-494d-ae12-c032a7bd75c0.png
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) 3.5
https://syn.org.au/app/uploads/portrait-of-002819_1920-768x432.jpg
Resurrection (2022) 3
https://www.geeky-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Resurrection-film.webp
Ghosted (2023) 3
https://statics.indozone.news/content/2023/04/24/8JsaNDb/review-ghosted-2023-kisah-pria-biasa-yang-jatuh-cinta-dengan-agen-rahasia18_700.jpg
To Catch a Killer (2023) 3
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSBzpP3KG3UGQjtgkrDM7TUe837IRS8hqYxMQ&usqp=CAU
Air (2023) 3.5
https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/lZ4uJuecELe_fzDTOKTO_194PfM=/0x0:4800x2700/960x540/media/img/mt/2023/04/air_1/original.jpg

[Fabulous]

Humoresque (1946)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/3N4Kk0rMzCBL1eqYbO6x0UAk2eQ.jpg

[GulfportDoc]

https://i.postimg.cc/8CSxsj6n/rebel.jpg
By "Copyright 1955 Warner Bros Pictures Distributing Corporation" - Scan via Heritage Auctions. Cropped from original image., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86223914

Rebel Without a Cause - (1955)

Rebel Without a Cause has much more than just a knockout performance from James Dean, although it does have that. It's a film with a brilliant screenplay which undertakes to examine the post-war phenomenon of wayward youth, and generational differences that were really beginning to stand out in the mid-50s. These differences are so mountainous that Dean's Jim Stark seemingly speaks a language that his parent's can't understand or interpret, and it's his isolation that leads him into conflict with his peers and identification with a sympathetic young psychopath, Plato (Sal Mineo - Oscar-nominated for this role.) Plato kills puppies for fun, but Jim can still relate to him better than he can his parents. A young Natalie Wood - destined for tragedy - plays love interest Judy, a girlfriend for Jim and a mother-figure for Plato. Thankfully, most of us don't have to deal with knife fights and Chickie Runs in high school - although the psychopaths are still a dangerous feature.

9/10
...
I loved this film, and have seen it 8-10 times. "Rebel", along with The Wild One (1953) were the two chief films of the earlier '50s that spoke to the new rebelliousness of youth. Nobody was cooler than James Dean and Marlon Brando, and the teen crowds went nuts over the two movies.

I recall my mother taking me out of the theater when we attended The Wild One, because the crowds were too loud and unruly. She complained to the manager, who refunded her the ticket prices. I saw it all later by myself..;)

My high school band was invited to the '59 Rose Bowl Parade. We got a bus tour to the Griffith Park Observatory where much of "Rebel's" action took place. I couldn't believe I was at the actual place where Dean et al starred in the picture! It looked just like it did in the movie. OTOH we all wanted to see 77 Sunset Strip (after the series), but there was no such place...:(

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Fearless_film.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3861670

Fearless - (2006)

This is a nearly completely fictional recounting of the life of Huo Yuanjia, founder of a famous Chinese martial arts school. He'd probably be bemused by how crazily dramatic his life is made out to be, but it makes for an exciting film so I'm not complaining. The fights in this film are extremely exciting to watch - and I'm not usually a person taken by the fighting aspect of these films. It's doesn't wander too far into the "magical" realm of walking on air, while at the same time having fighters do incredible things. I liked the fact that the narrative was very streamlined, and the pace fast (much like this review), but there is a director's cut out there somewhere which adds another 35 minutes to proceedings. It just sticks to the essentials, and has an epic drama kind of feel in the short stints between the wonderfully choreographed fights. A great collaboration between Ronny Yu and Jet Li, and a very simple but enjoyable and varied martial arts film.

8/10

[StuSmallz]

Pan's Labyrinth (del Toro, '06)

https://i.ibb.co/HdxKXg1/rexfeatures-5885633a.jpg (https://ibb.co/16d0b2h)

Dare to enter.

It's a sad reality, but the truth is, no one is immune from the various horrors of the real world, whether it by death, emotional sorrow, or even war, and that's especially true for those among us who are the least prepared to deal with them, particularly children; in fact, the helplessness of childhood can often actually magnify such horrors, and make them even worse than they already are, leaving the people affected desperate for any sort of escape from them. And, what better escape than the one that's offered to us in cinema, the artform that's given people temporary relief from reality for well over a century now? However, rather than serving as a denial of such reality, Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth serves as a cold reaffirmation of it, yet one that derives its power from the way that it blends the real with the fantastical, creating what is, at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, an absolute masterpiece, as a film that's not only my favorite from del Toro to date, but also just one of my favorite movies of all time.

It tells the story of Ofelia, a highly imaginative girl who's forced to move to the Spanish countryside with her pregnant mother, in order to live with her cruel, sadistic stepfather, an army captain who's waging a brutal campaign to eradicate the last of the local rebels in the area, left over in the aftermath of the country's civil war. Faced with this harsh new reality, Ofelia begins escaping into a fantasy world with the help of an ancient Faun (the purveyor of the titular "labyrinth"), who gives her three tasks to complete before the next full moon, in order for her to achieve immortality, and return to the idyllic underground kingdom that she supposedly came from, where Ofelia's real family is awaiting her return (or so he claims). And so, undertaking this quest, Ofelia must deal with the lines between her fantasy and reality, and the various kinds of horrors contained within both realms, becoming increasingly ambigious and blurred, as she becomes ever more desperate to find an escape from her cruel new life, and the conflict outside creeps closer and closer to her front door.

Because of all this, Pan's Labyrinth ends up being a highly unique mixture of genres, blending disparate elements of Fantasy, Horror, and War films all into one, but it's a mix that del Toro makes work superbly well together, by taking his time to build the world here, and maintaining a tonal consistency even as he "shifts gears", with the horrors of the rich fantasy world serving to be almost as disturbing as the stomach-churning violence of the actual guerrilla warfare depicted outside it, as the two tones serve to compliment each other, making us sympathize with Ofelia's desperate plight, and yearn for an escape from it right along with her, creating a dark, violent fairy tale that's experienced by a child, but one that holds just as much weight (if not moreso) for the adults watching it.

Besides that, Pan's also excels on a technical & emotional level, with its eerie, darkly enchanting tone, rich color hues, and ornate sets and production design bringing the murky underworld within it to undeniable life, as its elaborate fantasy setpieces, lead by a solitary Ofelia all on her own, make us feel just as immersed in them as she does. Additionally, del Toro's lifelong fascination with fantastical creatures reaches its creative peak here, particularly with the character of The Faun, who, even buried underneath a mountain's worth of makeup and prosthetics, still very much comes alive with the wise, earthy performance of frequent del Toro collaborator Doug Jones stealing the show. Of course, he's far from the only memorable character here, as Sergi López's Captain Vidal proves to be just as memorable a presence, even in a far more grounded form, as his particular brand of authoritarian evil serves to horrify just as much as any of the creatures in the film, in a way that is as as chilling as it is believable, proving that the evil of people in the real world can be just as bad, if not worse, than the monsters of our imaginations.

Finally, on that note, Pan's Labyrinth leaves a lasting impression with its political themes, and the way it deconstructs the message of many fairytales that are designed to instill obediance in children, by creating an ode to the virtue of disobediance in the face of oppression, a message that has become sadly more urgent in the decade and a half since its release (for more detail, go watch the Nerdwriter1's excellent video essay on Youtube on the subject). But, outside of its particular historical or political contexts, the greatest power of Pan's ultimately lies on a personal level, particularly with its tragic ending, which is set to the haunting sound of a forgotten lullaby, and the sight of a fading life proving to be one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever seen in a film, albeit in the most beautiful of ways; do you dare enter?

Final Score: 10

[Chypmunk]

Latest watches:
The Holly And The Ivy 1952 3.5
Danger Within 1959 3.5
Shark Attack 2020 1+
Curse Of The Crimson Altar 1968 3
w Delta z 2007 2.5+
Proxima 2019 3

[LChimp]

https://www.europanet.com.br/image_gen/resizeimg.php?cod_produto=107236

DCU levels of movie quality here.

[Daniel M]

Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk, 1959) 4

Only my second Sirk which I need to change considering how much I love Written on the Wind which previously (pardon the pun) blew me away. This is another great film tackling interesting social themes. I love how Sirk blocks his films which really works in reinforcing the power of each scene.

Burning (Lee Chang-dong, 2018) 4.5

Incredible atmosphere from the off, a masterclass in creating an uneasy, unsettling mood through sound and vision. Felt like a horror movie and I had no idea where it was going in terms of plot which was great for such a highly regarded recent film. Been thinking about it ever since and want to show my brother it as I think he'll love it too.

It's Such a Beautiful Day (Don Hertzfeldt, 2012) 3

Finally got round to watching the feature-length version of this and I feel similar to the rest of the stuff I had already seen. Enjoyable enough.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (Peter Weir, 2003) 3.5

I can see why this has a lot of fans, it doesn't try to hide what it is but does everything in a really well-crafted way. Entertaining with interesting performances and when the action comes I was really into it and rooting for the characters.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Gareth Edwards, 2016) 3.5

Very good, the third act is especially well crafted. I think I've heard some people moan that the story is "inconsequential" or however you want to describe it as we kind of know what happens in the end, but I felt this got me more invested in the heroes of the story. It felt like a film celebrating revolution, rebellion, it got me invested in the "cause" more strongly that some of the other films have.

[matt72582]

Oslo, August 31st - 6.5/10
I liked the first half very much. The movie was only about 90 minutes long, and I felt there could have been things cut, especially irrelevant characters. I mean if there's a great line the writer has had, ok, find a way to add some of your talent in the movie... The whole bar, rave (and to the end) was exactly like I thought it would be. Slow-motion, horrible noise, the same old angles, and it took up the last 30 minutes of the movie.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a9/Oslo%2C_August_31st_poster.png

[matt72582]

I loved this film, and have seen it 8-10 times. "Rebel", along with The Wild One (1953) were the two chief films of the earlier '50s that spoke to the new rebelliousness of youth. Nobody was cooler than James Dean and Marlon Brando, and the teen crowds went nuts over the two movies.

I recall my mother taking me out of the theater when we attended The Wild One, because the crowds were too loud and unruly. She complained to the manager, who refunded her the ticket prices. I saw it all later by myself..;)

My high school band was invited to the '59 Rose Bowl Parade. We got a bus tour to the Griffith Park Observatory where much of "Rebel's" action took place. I couldn't believe I was at the actual place where Dean et al starred in the picture! It looked just like it did in the movie. OTOH we all wanted to see 77 Sunset Strip (after the series), but there was no such place...:(


This is retroactive, I was born in the 80s, my uncle has these plaques of James Dean (and Elvis, who I thought was cool) but James Dean was a bad Brando copycat. Copied everything he did (even off the camera), and only did a few movies. Great directors, but not their best movies by a long-shot. I didn't even think he was great actor.



Brando got screwed over "Mutiny" (monsoons, three different scripts, no finished ending, problems with the locals) but because he was the biggest star, who are you going to sue? The biggest star, or a guy making $50/week? And the movies he made for the next ten years were so awful. "Candy" - parody, mockery, satire, still stupid. Or the others. Until 1972, where given the opportunity, could give you "The Godfather" and "Last Tango In Paris"

[matt72582]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=92810

Loved this very strange movie, which I’ve never seen before. Always thought it had steamy sex scenes, but it doesn’t at all.

The physicality of the rôle that the male lead had to endure is amazing. Did his woman & their baby return to him? Haven’t a clue which way that would go.


I can't answer the spoiler, as it has been a few years and I don't remember that... I just loved the setting. I almost want to watch a few minutes of this. Anything to distract my imagination.


If you liked this movie, I highly urge to check out "The Face of Another" which I think is even a little better.

[Fabulous]

The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954)

2.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/5f5Qh9tpxIaQK9EkHzZ4oYZmy4.jpg

[GulfportDoc]

This is retroactive, I was born in the 80s, my uncle has these plaques of James Dean (and Elvis, who I thought was cool) but James Dean was a bad Brando copycat. Copied everything he did (even off the camera), and only did a few movies. Great directors, but not their best movies by a long-shot. I didn't even think he was great actor.

Brando got screwed over "Mutiny" (monsoons, three different scripts, no finished ending, problems with the locals) but because he was the biggest star, who are you going to sue? The biggest star, or a guy making $50/week? And the movies he made for the next ten years were so awful. "Candy" - parody, mockery, satire, still stupid. Or the others. Until 1972, where given the opportunity, could give you "The Godfather" and "Last Tango In Paris"
I don't know if James Dean was a great actor. He didn't have the range that Brando had (few did). And the 3 movies he made were done within 2 years ('55-'56). He had been slated to play the lead in Somebody Up Their Likes Me (1956), but his shocking untimely death at aged 24 ended all that. It's hard to say if he would have morphed into a truly great actor had he lived.

But what Dean had was the ability to capture the teen angst of the era like no one had done in that way before, or possibly since. He instantly became wildly popular. As Elvis Presley was to rock 'n roll, James Dean was to films.

His scenery chewing in East of Eden seems over the top today, but at the time it was ground breaking for that type of role. Of course it was Rebel Without A Cause that made him a super star. I think the film still has appeal today. But I think he really showed his talent in Giant, where he played a wild ranch hand who gradually aged into an oil man nouveau riche.

IMO a better comparison to Dean would be Paul Newman.

[sawduck]

Shutter Island 8/10 even thought i found the twist kinda predicable it was still a wild ride

Bend of the River 6/10 not James stewarts best film but he's still great in it

Cocaine Bear 7/10 i enjoyed this a lot, it's stupid but really fun

The Five Heartbeats 7/10 great acting by all involved,great music too

[Deschain]

The Silent Partner (1978). A mild-mannered teller gets involved in a plot to rob the bank he works at. This. Movie. Is. HORNY. A lot of the attempts at humor derive from this fact. It’s watchable but there’s some baffling choices on the part of the filmmakers and characters alike. And John Candy is in it. (Yes he’s horny too).

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8f/Selma_poster.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44326920

Selma - (2014)

I thought this was a decent dramatization of real life events, managing to construct a conflict/resolution framework to have historical figures fit in and play the roles they did during the Selma to Montgomery protest marches. For example, the filmmakers give a good illustration right at the start of the problem - Annie Lee Cooper (Oprah Winfrey) tries to enroll to vote, as was her civil right, but is obstructed by the clerk who accepts the enrollment forms. A Federal Law needed enacting at a time when it wasn't expedient, and reactions to the civil rights movement such as the bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama church, killing four black children, underlined how high the stakes were. British actor David Oyelowo as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. really surprises, and fellow Brit Tom Wilkinson adds to the surreal nature of this film's casting as Lyndon B. Johnson*. A great story - those marches - and this film, while it does blend into the plethora of staid historical dramas we get these days, is important, as it acts as a reminder of the fact that the civil rights era was bloody and hard fought for African Americans. Movies like this, Detroit and Judas and the Black Messiah are opening a window into a significant era which we hear about, but haven't yet experienced in such a visceral way - the cinematic adaptation of events is a necessary step, I believe.

8/10

*Edit - I forgot, Tim Roth too as George Wallace

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/18/The_Innocent_%282022%29_film_poster.jpg
By https://www.advitamdistribution.com/films/linnocent/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72816873

The Innocent - (2022)

A crime film, a romance film and a comedy all mixed into one, The Innocent is cute, but it so often misses golden opportunities to go for the comedic jugular that I have to reason that the dramatic aspects of what was going on were more important for director/star Louis Garrel and co. So many times I thought, "Oh, this will be good" only for the moment to be missed. Still, there were some absolute gems in this all the same. Sylvie (Anouk Grinberg) falls in love with prisoner Michel (Roschdy Zem) while teaching theater to convicts, and she goes on to marry him - much to the horror of son Abel (Louis Garrel) who will stop at nothing to find something wrong with this interloper. Aiding him is the 'always in the mood for fun' Clémence (Noémie Merlant) and the four actors/characters really gel - the dynamics are at times adorable, and at others really funny. While I admit to having a huge soft spot for this one, I thought it could have been more than good, and that missed opportunity is a shame. This is the kind of movie though, that I really want to see again just to bask in it's warm glow - so perhaps there's more to it than I'm giving it credit for.

6/10

[honeykid]

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Gareth Edwards, 2016) 3.5

Very good, the third act is especially well crafted

You mean the only bit that is actually like a Star Wars movie? I'd agree. It's the only part worth watching, IMO.

[Fabulous]

Henry V (1944)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/s1FCYQkMdTkSU5HR1xSQlKzU27y.jpg

[Raven73]

Three Thousand Years of Longing
6.5/10.
I liked the premise of a djinn confronted by a woman who thinks she doesn't want anything. I also enjoyed the first act, but the rest of it didn't grant my wishes.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/27/Three_Thousand_Years_of_Longing.jpeg/220px-Three_Thousand_Years_of_Longing.jpeg

[GulfportDoc]

92866
Deception (1946)

This film starring Bette Davis, Claude Rains and Paul Henreid (Casablanca) is a mixture of melodrama, romance, mystery and noir, with the emphasis on melodrama.

Davis’ character (a pianist) discovers that a former lover (a concert cellist played by Henreid) thought to be killed in Europe turns up as the soloist at a symphonic concert. She rushes to the concert hall, and after the concert surprises him in his dressing room where they have an emotional reuniting. She takes him back to her apartment which is surprisingly well appointed. Henreid is surprised and suspicious at the apartment and Davis’ expensive wardrobe. She states that she has made good money teaching piano to wealthy students.

They marry, but at the reception, conductor/composer Alexander Hollenius (Rains) shows up, soon making it obvious that it was he who was keeping Davis in high style while using her as his muse and lover. Hollenius leaves in a huff, and Henreid instantly becomes jealous, yet later swallows his pride when Hollenius shows Henreid his cello concerto, and offers him the opportunity to premier it with Hollenius conducting the orchestra. Davis suspects Hollenius will pull the rug out from under Henreid by replacing him at the last minute with another cellist, thereby worsening Henreid’s fragile mental state.

The tension keeps building between Davis and Hollenius, as she learns that he in fact is out to sabotage Henreid. That knowledge steels her resolve which leads to an inevitable noirish climax.

The Davis role was initially intended to be for Barbara Stanwyck, but Davis dove into the part with her trademark histrionic approach. But surprisingly it was Claude Rains who stole the show as the egomaniacal Hollenius. He let out all the stops in his portrayal of the treacherous and deceitful conductor.

The other memorable facet of this picture was the cello concerto itself written by Erich W. Korngold, a highly regarded composer in Europe who was convinced to write music for Hollywood films. Other incidental music throughout is From Beethoven, Schubert and Haydn. There was very convincing impersonating performing by both Henreid at the cello, and Davis at the piano. The both seemed as if they were really performing their respective pieces.

Because of the very high budget, the film became the first movie Davis did for Warner Brothers that lost money. This one should be watched for its acting, especially by Rains, and also for the fine music. It’s available on the Internet Archive.

Doc’s rating: 6/10

[beelzebubble]

Three Thousand Years of Longing
6.5/10.
I liked the premise of a djinn confronted by a woman who thinks she doesn't want anything. I also enjoyed the first act, but the rest of it didn't grant my wishes.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/27/Three_Thousand_Years_of_Longing.jpeg/220px-Three_Thousand_Years_of_Longing.jpeg
I started watching this but it didn't hold my interest. It could be because they did a flashback to the djinn's life and I often give up during a change of the story in a book or a movie.

[Act III]

92868

Drive (2011)

Good movie. Quiet, somber, some familiar faces. Done well.

65/100

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fe/TheTigerAndTheSnow.jpg
By Source: http://www.a-film.nl/film/poster/RELx550/00001202.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8618944

The Tiger and the Snow - (2005)

Roberto Benigni can be a little too manic for me, and annoying - something like a hyperactive child. Watching yet another film he's made with wife Nicoletta Braschi was pretty chancy, but it's a risk that somewhat paid off - The Tiger in the Snow isn't too bad. At times the comedy really works, and the idea of a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale set in Baghdad during the Iraq War is just crazy enough to be interesting. Benigni's character, poetry professor Attilio de Giovanni, is the same old Benigni we always see - rapid-fire jokes, clumsiness and silly mistakes. He has the aura of an old silent film comedian such as Buster Keaton or Chaplin, and like them he basically plays the same character in every film he appears in. Giovanni dreams of marrying the woman he loves every night, Vittoria (Braschi) - replete with Tom Waits singing the excellent "You Can Never Hold Back Spring" - but this woman doesn't want him. Regardless, when Giovanni hears that Vittoria has been badly hurt while reporting in Iraq during the war, he rushes to be with her. He'll have to face the many dangers occurring at the worst of times, and try to save the love of his life any way he can. The cast includes Jean Reno as Giovanni's friend Fuad, but he isn't given nearly enough to do in this. I have to admit that The Tiger and the Snow made me laugh from time to time, and the only off-putting aspect to Benigni's writing is that he makes himself a sex-magnet who everyone loves, and his college students all laugh their head off at his somewhat middling improvised jokes - it's that manic "20% of these quick-fire jokes work" energy that needs to be toned down, but otherwise this was a kind of sweet, funny and charming movie.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3b/DiaryofDeadPoster2.jpg
By moviesonline.ca, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15334755

Diary of the Dead - (2007)

I really wanted to like Diary of the Dead, but I couldn't. George A. Romero was going for the found-footage version of his usual zombie films, but he wasn't willing to sacrifice what you have to sacrifice to get that done - cheating enough to make the whole enterprise kind of pointless. Therefore he ends up giving us overloaded exposition to explain away different shots, points of view, score, effects and editing - but little matter, because this doesn't feel in any way like a found footage film regardless. When a dear friend is getting attacked by a zombie, two of our characters just stand there recording it while she fights for her life - and this has it's own explanatory exposition, with characters mentioning how addictive and all-consuming filming these events are. Romero wants everything in each shot - everything - so it never feels improvised or real at all, and the whole process is ruined. It probably doesn't matter, because Diary of the Dead has a turgid screenplay, is dumb, and has sub-par performances. The plot holes and lack of nous ate away at me, and I tried hitting a mental reset button numerous times - to no avail, it never gets any better and when you add bad CGI effects to the list of offenses this film commits, you have to conclude that this chapter of the Dead franchise will never rise from the grave. Hated it.

3/10

[Act III]

92869

Earth Girls Are Easy (1989)

This movie suffers from some technical difficulties, mainly the sound, but it isnt that bad. I remember it playing constantly on cable TV in the mid to late 90s but I didnt really see the whole thing back then. You cant help but think it needed one more notch of quality in there to up the score. Everything about this movie is pure 80s if you wanna check out what that looks like.

60/100

[ScarletLion]

'Falcon Lake' (2022)

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTYyYzQ4ZmUtMDAxNC00NjE2LWE4NjAtMDJjYWU0NmQ4ODZkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODgxMDAxMjY@._V1_.jpg

Sweet little Canadien film portraying the first love and coming of age of a 14 year old. I wasn’t sure how to feel about this film initially as it does rather sexualize a young teen – but how else is the Director Charlotte Le Bon supposed to make a film about the desires of those at that age. In the end it is done very tenderly and sensitively.

The film is rather beautiful in that respect as we see Bastien who is on a family holiday, lust after Chloe who has several other, older male admirers. The film captures a lot of the excitement, adventure, awkwardness and aloofness of first encounters with love and lust at that age, as well as the stomach sickening nervousness and horror of it all.

It does though have a tiny choreographed and obvious climax but - the third act is impossible to write about without spoilers, so I won’t try.

A convincing debut from Charlotte Le Bon.

7.8/10

4

[Stirchley]

92880

Daft movie, but I wanted to see Toni Collette & Rachel Griffiths at the start of their respective careers & before they both got their teeth fixed. :)

[Thief]

I CONFESS
(1953, Hitchcock)

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


"I never thought of the priesthood as offering a hiding place."



I Confess follows Father Logan (Montgomery Clift), who finds himself in the above predicament after the housekeeper of his church confesses killing a lawyer. Unfortunately for Logan, as a result of a series of coincidences which ties him to the lawyer, he ends up as the main suspect in the eyes of relentless Inspector Larrue (Karl Malden), along with Ruth (Anne Baxter), a childhood friend of Logan that might also be tied to the lawyer in some way.

This is one of Hitchcock's lesser known films and one of those that's not as well regarded as his other work, which is probably the reason why I hadn't seen it yet. However, when writer Tony Lee Moral spoke highly of it on a past episode of the podcast, I decided to bump it up on my Hitchcock queue. The film comes at a time when Hitchcock seemed to be interested in more thematically deep films that explored the nature of man rather than more stylistic and visual exercises.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2389298#post2389298)

[Fabulous]

7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964)

2.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/406x8iaMITOiYtvb1HmxcE8NV7W.jpg

[Stirchley]

'Falcon Lake' (2022)

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTYyYzQ4ZmUtMDAxNC00NjE2LWE4NjAtMDJjYWU0NmQ4ODZkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODgxMDAxMjY@._V1_.jpg

Sweet little Canadien film portraying the first love and coming of age of a 14 year old. I wasn’t sure how to feel about this film initially as it does rather sexualize a young teen – but how else is the Director Charlotte Le Bon supposed to make a film about the desires of those at that age. In the end it is done very tenderly and sensitively.

The film is rather beautiful in that respect as we see Bastien who is on a family holiday, lust after Chloe who has several other, older male admirers. The film captures a lot of the excitement, adventure, awkwardness and aloofness of first encounters with love and lust at that age, as well as the stomach sickening nervousness and horror of it all.

It does though have a tiny choreographed and obvious climax but - the third act is impossible to write about without spoilers, so I won’t try.

A convincing debut from Charlotte Le Bon.

7.8/10

4

Not available here for streaming right now, but it’s in my Letterboxd watchlist now. :)

[Thief]

PURL
(2018, Lester)

https://i.imgur.com/PZhg7Am.png


"What I mean to say is that I can't wait to be part of the team."



Purl follows the titular character, an enthusiastic ball of yarn, as she arrives at her first day of work at investment company B.R.O. Capital (get it?... BRO) Unfortunately, the place is plagued left and right by narrow-minded male co-workers all of which look the same, dress the same, and act the same, which ends up leaving Purl a bit on the courtside.

Directed by Kristen Lester, she took inspiration on her own career journey towards Pixar where she was often the only woman; something that she described as "isolating". Purl does a pretty good job at illustrating that in a creative way, while showing the lengths that sometimes we go in order to fit in and be accepted.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2389348#post2389348)

[Act III]

92885

Blade Runner (1982)
Final Cut (2007 version)

I'm glad I watched it and wonder why I never happened to see it before. There's a lot that could be said about this film, so if you're a sci-fi fan you should probably check it out. Appropriate for our present time with all the AI and quantum computing right around the corner.

84/100

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/08/Munich_1_Poster.jpg
By http://24orefilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/munich-2.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3002302

Munich - (2005)

Munich was bound to stir up a little controversy no matter which way it leaned, but to me the film seems to be about the soul destroying capacity assassinations have on those who are tasked with them, and their ultimate futility when carried out for a political purpose. That's pretty much the message I would have hoped Munich to have, and each assassination in it has a very real feel to it. We're spared nothing, and there's probably more blood and gore in this than there is in many horror films - which makes each killing shocking, and brings home the fact there's a brutality to all of this no matter how justified the actions are. Spielberg is clever not to show us the entire reenactment of the Munich Olympics terrorist attack before the main story starts, instead doling it out in flashback style throughout the film so that the climax of that ill-fated event coincides with the movie's uncertain denouement - neither a celebration of what Israel did, nor a condemnation. Just an acknowledgement that murder is messy, and murdering destroys the soul. Really great movie - a cut above most.

9/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b8/Searching.png
By http://www.impawards.com/2018/searching_ver3.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57367627

Searching - (2018)

The computer screen has become an integral part of our lives - at least it has for many of us, and this film is an early conceptual look at the "Screenlife" motion picture - one where all of the film's events are shown via actions and video clips on a computer screen. As a mystery it's not bad, and it showcases why a screenlife film is a good fit for the mystery genre, with little clues which pop up almost unnoticed in various windows, and Easter eggs galore via the packets of information which litter the screen. Loved the false leads that desperate father David Kim (John Cho) chases down, looking for his missing daughter, before the truth is eventually revealed - they were all convincing going by first impressions. Quite a feat to keep an audience invested for around 100 minutes without using traditional cinematic language.

7/10

[Thief]

THE TRAIN
(1964, Frankenheimer)

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


"You know what's on that train? Paintings. That's right, paintings. Art. The national heritage. The pride of France. Crazy, isn't it?"



What a pleasant surprise this film was. Not only does it manage to be both entertaining, intense, and thrilling, but there's also a certain depth to the two main characters that I really wasn't expecting from it. The film is full of masterfully staged setpieces and cracking action sequences. Director John Frankenheimer frequent use of pans and zooms, wide shots, long takes, and practical effects is amazing and effective. The whole production value of the film is top of the line.

But again, the film is so much more than great action setpieces. Frankenheimer neatly puts both lead characters – Labiche and von Waldheim – as "mirror opposites" as far as their determination goes, and the length that each of them will go to achieve their goals. There is a perfect contrast between them that goes down to the very last scene, which I found to be profound, tragic, and kick-ass at the same time, as weird as that might be.

Grade: 4.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2389453#post2389453)

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTI0NzkwNTI1NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjQwOTIzMQ@@._V1_.jpg



3

[Thief]

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2
(2017, Gunn)

https://i.imgur.com/HmyvYi0.jpg


"For the first time in my existence, I am truly NOT ALONE!!"



Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 mostly follows this relationship, as Peter has to come to terms with his true self and the consequences it might have on the team. Meanwhile, Yondu (Michael Rooker) is tasked by Ayesha, the Golden Priestess of the Sovereign, to find the Guardians after she is slighted by them, something that Yondu takes as an opportunity to redeem himself as a Ravager and maybe something more.

This was actually the third time I watch this film, but it's the first time that I can say I enjoyed it. First time, the conditions were simply not the best, but even the second time, it really didn't hit. Not sure why, but this time the central themes were clearer for me and, although I still think it has its flaws, I really appreciated it more.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2389481#post2389481)

[Mr Minio]

BREAKING: Minio watched a normie movie!

Overboard (1987) - 2.5

https://i.imgur.com/z0Yf7XG.png

Well, the film's title is not lying. They really went overboard on that one. I mean, in the first third of it. And even the first third wasn't great. Stuff like this isn't funny when it's not directed by Jing Wong. And the movie certainly deep-dives into the worst cliches of the American rom-com territory in its last third. The middle has lots of annoying kids. It wasn't the worst movie ever made, but I seriously hoped that the low ratings come just from people pissed off with it being non-PC. But apparently, it's mostly people seeing it as a subpar film and being right. Maybe if Billy Wilder directed it...

[Fabulous]

The Rose Tattoo (1955)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/ArUM8VSk89fLSoF1akeR8Zqgqfs.jpg

[mrblond]

Two evenings ago, I caught on the national television this classic. It was probably my third or even fourth view of the movie (first time more than two decades ago).

Two Men in Town (1973)

Directed by José Giovanni
Starring Alain Delon and Jean Gabin

One of the last Gabin appearances. He is outstanding here. Of course, Delon aura adds everything needed for a movie.
It is about very painful problem about the system, directly exposed here. Decades later, they have something of this in Dancer in the Dark (2000).

4 83/100
92888
92889

[GulfportDoc]

Earth Girls Are Easy (1989)

This movie suffers from some technical difficulties, mainly the sound, but it isnt that bad. I remember it playing constantly on cable TV in the mid to late 90s but I didnt really see the whole thing back then. You cant help but think it needed one more notch of quality in there to up the score. Everything about this movie is pure 80s if you wanna check out what that looks like.

60/100
Haven't seen that film, but I've liked both G. Davis and Jeff G. in roles that I've seen them in, especially Goldblum. I always thought those two made an attractive couple, but Hyd being what it is.... Davis has the greatest smile since Sally Kellerman's!

[GulfportDoc]

I CONFESS
(1953, Hitchcock)

I Confess follows Father Logan (Montgomery Clift), who finds himself in the above predicament after the housekeeper of his church confesses killing a lawyer. Unfortunately for Logan, as a result of a series of coincidences which ties him to the lawyer, he ends up as the main suspect in the eyes of relentless Inspector Larrue (Karl Malden), along with Ruth (Anne Baxter), a childhood friend of Logan that might also be tied to the lawyer in some way.

This is one of Hitchcock's lesser known films and one of those that's not as well regarded as his other work, which is probably the reason why I hadn't seen it yet. However, when writer Tony Lee Moral spoke highly of it on a past episode of the podcast, I decided to bump it up on my Hitchcock queue. The film comes at a time when Hitchcock seemed to be interested in more thematically deep films that explored the nature of man rather than more stylistic and visual exercises.

Grade: rating_3
Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2389298#post2389298)
Yeah, I think this is one of Hitchcock's most underrated films. It's actually quite good. It's unusual having been shot in Canada-- Quebec City, with some nice typically Hitchcockian famous city landmarks.

But Hitchcock had already started to be known as a master of suspense, and there really was not much suspense in this picture. I think Montgomery Clift was a genuine weirdo, but he turned in a fine performance in this one. Anne Baxter and Karl Malden didn't hurt the picture either..;) Altogether I think it was a very well done film, but just not typical Hitchcock.

[Gideon58]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/80/Love_to_Love_You%2C_Donna_Summer_poster.jpg



3.5

[beelzebubble]

BREAKING: Minio watched a normie movie!

Overboard (1987) - rating_2_5

https://i.imgur.com/z0Yf7XG.png

Well, the film's title is not lying. They really went overboard on that one. I mean, in the first third of it. And even the first third wasn't great. Stuff like this isn't funny when it's not directed by Jing Wong. And the movie certainly deep-dives into the worst cliches of the American rom-com territory in its last third. The middle has lots of annoying kids. It wasn't the worst movie ever made, but I seriously hoped that the low ratings come just from people pissed off with it being non-PC. But apparently, it's mostly people seeing it as a subpar film and being right. Maybe if Billy Wilder directed it...


What made you do this?

[Thief]

Yeah, I think this is one of Hitchcock's most underrated films. It's actually quite good. It's unusual having been shot in Canada-- Quebec City, with some nice typically Hitchcockian famous city landmarks.

But Hitchcock had already started to be known as a master of suspense, and there really was not much suspense in this picture. I think Montgomery Clift was a genuine weirdo, but he turned in a fine performance in this one. Anne Baxter and Karl Malden didn't hurt the picture either..;) Altogether I think it was a very well done film, but just not typical Hitchcock.

Yeah, I think it might've been a bit of growing pains as he got used to this more realistic approach to his stories and characters, something which he perfected later with The Wrong Man and especially Vertigo.

[Mr Minio]

What made you do this? Wanted to add more variety to my movie-watching choices. But it almost always ends up in this.

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/x1Vsn11v/avanti.jpg
By [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24583384

Avanti! - (1972)

I've often felt myself divided when it comes to Billy Wilder - I absolutely love his serious stuff, but when it comes to his much-heralded comedic films they consistently fail to tickle me in the way they should. Avanti! isn't as farcical as the likes of Some Like it Hot or The Seven Year Itch, and that makes it a little easier for me to handle - but that's not to say it doesn't get a little silly now and then. Overall it's a really pleasant film, and the natural chemistry between the likes of Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills helps a lot. Wendell Armbruster Jr. (Lemmon) has arrived on the Italian island of Ischia to collect the body of his father, and along with all of the red tape comes the daughter of his father's lover, Pamela Piggott (Mills) whom Armbruster knew nothing about - his father died in a car accident with said lover, and both have come for the same reason. In spite of his gruffness and rude manner, the two grow closer the longer their entanglement at the Grand Hotel Excelsior continues - and they find themselves following a similar path to what their parents did. I can't help but enjoy the performances, and the parts that were filmed on Ischia, Sorrento, Capri and the Amalfi Coast - beautiful places that have the added interest of having histories that go back thousands of years. Some jokes fell flat for me, but some were appreciated and overall this is a breezy clash of cultures and love story that's very easy to watch.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/60/Jeepers_Creepers_%282001_film%29_poster.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2001/jeepers_creepers.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2804523

Jeepers Creepers - (2001)

Jeepers. I remembered really liking this horror film going way back, and it held up again for most of it's first two-thirds. Trish (Gina Philips) and Darry Jenner (Justin Long) have a run in with an old, rusty death-car out in the Florida countryside, and notice that when it stops at a property, the "person" operating it is unloading a batch of what looks like fresh corpses. They go investigate, of course - and Darry goes the extra mile (with the audience screaming at him I'd think) and trundles all the way into a monster's lair with preserved bodies decorating a cavern of horror - walls and ceiling included. Best. Lair. Ever. To say a lot more would be giving away what's behind this - but just let me say that I think the movie would have been better if the villain remained more in the shadows, and less revealed. The reveal often makes or breaks a horror film, and with the promising lead up this one had I think our imagination could have filled many blanks better than make-up effects artists.

6/10

[xSookieStackhouse]

4.5 i loved the cast and i love the music, melissa mcarthy was perfect as ursula shes perfect as a villian , halle bailey has amazing singing voice
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/fXJSYPjkZcH4cOKhl7K1ww6ghQB.jpg
5 i saw it few weeks ago may 3rd on advance screenings https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/images/au_movies_guardiansofthegalaxyvol3_poster_white_d728977f.jpeg?region=0%2C0%2C540%2C810

[ScarletLion]

'Cherry' (2023)

https://resizing.flixster.com/7htMWKUy7KwPazHvV6dmp_kK8zM=/ems.cHJkLWVtcy1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzL2ZiY2Y1OWE4LWQ4YTMtNDQ1Ny05MDFjLTM4ZjczODY3YzhiNC5qcGc=



Cherry is a young magician who hasn't found her calling in life yet. She lives in the shadow of her successful sister. She falls pregnant to her boyfriend who isn't that into her, and must decide whether to keep the baby.

It's a comedy drama abortion film. Sounds very difficult to pull off and the director Sophie Galibert doesn't quite nail it . There are some laughs but it's just a little short on the drama and dialogue, and there are alot of noticeable editing / dubbing issues which takes the viewer out of the film.

A film with alot of heart but not enough meat on the bones. if you're after an abortion drama you're better off watching the excellent 'Never , rarely, sometimes, always'.

5.8/10

3

[Stirchley]

'Cherry' (2023)

https://resizing.flixster.com/7htMWKUy7KwPazHvV6dmp_kK8zM=/ems.cHJkLWVtcy1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzL2ZiY2Y1OWE4LWQ4YTMtNDQ1Ny05MDFjLTM4ZjczODY3YzhiNC5qcGc=



Cherry is a young magician who hasn't found her calling in life yet. She lives in the shadow of her successful sister. She falls pregnant to her boyfriend who isn't that into her, and must decide whether to keep the baby.

It's a comedy drama abortion film. Sounds very difficult to pull off and the director Sophie Galibert doesn't quite nail it . There are some laughs but it's just a little short on the drama and dialogue, and there are alot of noticeable editing / dubbing issues which takes the viewer out of the film.

A film with alot of heart but not enough meat on the bones. if you're after an abortion drama you're better off watching the excellent 'Never , rarely, sometimes, always'.

5.8/10

3

I have this in one of my numerous watchlists.

[Stirchley]

92901

Strange teenagers who murder the mother of one of them. True story from NZ.

Best thing in this movie is that it introduced Kate Winslet & Melanie Lynskey to the movie world.

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://i.postimg.cc/x1Vsn11v/avanti.jpg
By [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24583384

Avanti! - (1972)

I've often felt myself divided when it comes to Billy Wilder - I absolutely love his serious stuff, but when it comes to his much-heralded comedic films they consistently fail to tickle me in the way they should ... 7.5/10I'm curious as to whether or not you've ever seen Wilder's One, Two, Three and, if so, what you thought of it.

[Fabulous]

Helen of Troy (1956)

2

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/btmQVS7TGeXDOFPfh8Adv46oYX.jpg

[GulfportDoc]

Yeah, I think it might've been a bit of growing pains as he got used to this more realistic approach to his stories and characters, something which he perfected later with The Wrong Man and especially Vertigo.
It's interesting that in Truffaut's interviews of Hitchcock, Hitchcock felt that the fundamental problem with I Confess --certainly in regards the audience-- was that only Catholics would understand that the priest may not disclose the secret of the confessional; but that Protestants, atheists and agnostics basically feel it is ridiculous that a priest would sacrifice his life for such a thing, even in 1952.

Because of that circumstance he later said in the interview that the picture ought not to have been made. I don't know if he was joking or not. Sandwiched between Strangers on a Train and Dial M for Murder, I Confess is an anomaly, although IMO a very good one.

[Thief]

92901

Strange teenagers who murder the mother of one of them. True story from NZ.

Best thing in this movie is that it introduced Kate Winslet & Melanie Lynskey to the movie world.

So not a fan? I think this film is great.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQ2MTIzMzg5Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTc5NDI1MDE@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg


10th Rewatch...An Emmy award winning actor and writer named Rob Reiner put himself on the map as a director and created a brand new movie genre called the Mockumentary, which was the basis of the Christopher Guest rep company, most of whom appear in this wicked satire about an aging rock and roll band struggling with coming back with the release of a new album for the first time in decades. Brett Michaels of Poison says watching this film makes him incredibly uncomfortable because everything in the movie is so on target. After almost 40 years, this movie still makes me laugh out loud. Love Bruno Kirby as the limo driver and Nigel complaining about the small sandwich bread backstage. Also love when they can't find their way to the stage in Cleveland. 4.5

[PHOENIX74]

I'm curious as to whether or not you've ever seen Wilder's One, Two, Three and, if so, what you thought of it.

That's on my watchlist for sure - I've never seen it and I'm growing more and more curious about the Wilder films I've yet to see.

[Captain Steel]

A Chorus Line (1985)

https://www.alternateending.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/aXr2rlFqNKWqpGfIA8mClvudJrZ.jpg

I never saw the Broadway show (which, according to critics, should have made me like the movie more since I had nothing superior to compare it to), but I did own the original Broadway album when I was young, so I knew all the words to the songs (and I loved the album so I was looking forward to finally viewing the movie version).

I tell ya... I almost put this down in the movies I couldn't even finish thread... but I stuck it out (although, since I was watching it on TCM OnDemand, I fast-forwarded through a couple parts).

Except for some of the chicks in their dancing outfits, I found this movie almost painful to sit through. Even though I was familiar with the basic premise due to the album, it was not what I was expecting. The dreary subplot with the Director's (Michael Douglas) ex-girlfriend auditioning for a job was almost as unwelcome as commercials - it just felt like it kept interrupting the only interesting parts which were the other dancers, and I was like, "Get back to the dancing girls & songs!"

The dancing was good, the singing - not so much, especially for a musical - and the vocal performances didn't compare to those on the original album.

Halfway through the movie it literally felt like it still hadn't actually started (then you realize what feels like a long intro IS the entire movie).

This kind of review isn't like me as I usually find something I enjoy in most movies, but I found this one overall "cringey". The best part was the final number at the end, which had the big song & everyone in golden tuxedos with top hats, but it was really only the best part because it marked the end of the movie.

1.5

[Citizen Rules]

A Chorus Line (1985)

I never saw the Broadway show (which, according to critics, should have made me like the movie more since I had nothing superior to compare it to), but I did own the original Broadway album when I was young, so I knew all the words to the songs (and I loved the album).

I tell ya... I almost put this down in the movies I couldn't even finish thread... but I stuck it out (although, since I was watching it on TCM OnDemand, I fast-forwarded through a couple parts).

Except for some of the chicks in their dancing outfits, I found this movie almost painful to sit through. Even though I was familiar with the basic premise due to the album, it was not what I was expecting. The dreary subplot with the Director's (Michael Douglass) ex-girlfriend auditioning for a job was almost as unwelcome as commercials - it just felt like it kept interrupting the only interesting parts which were the other dancers, and I was like, "Get back to the dancing girls & songs!"

The dancing was good, the singing - not so much, especially for a musical - and the vocal performances didn't compare to those on the original album.

Halfway through the movie it literally felt like it still hadn't actually started (then you realize what feels like a long into IS the entire movie).

This kind of review isn't like me as I usually find something I enjoy in most movies, but I found this one overall "cringey". The best part was the final number at the end, which had the big song & everyone in golden tuxedos with top hats, but it was really only the best part because it marked the end of the movie.

rating_1_5You're in good company, Gideon who LOVES musicals and even performed in some in college gave A Chorus Line a 2.5/5
I 'think' maybe I seen this and didn't like it and I really like musicals too. But I suppose one of these days I'll have to watch (or rewatch) it and find out for sure.



Except for some of the chicks in their dancing outfits, I found this movie almost painful to sit through.
Hot chicks in any movie is always a plus:D

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9e/Shadowlands_ver2.jpg
By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22535350

Shadowlands - (1993)

Interesting biopic here, exploring the nature of pain and suffering - especially in light of how you have to open yourself up to it in order to enjoy things and love. Famous author C. S. Lewis (Anthony Hopkins), staid, scholarly and intellectual, meets American poet Joy Davidman (Debra Winger). A friendship forms, and it's one of discussion and mental jousting - but as much as Lewis becomes more and more eager to be around Joy, she becomes frustrated that he doesn't open himself up emotionally. That changes when Joy collapses, and doctors discover that she has terminal cancer, and Lewis confesses his love for her. What was initially a marriage of convenience that let Joy stay in England is reconsecrated and the two enjoy what little time they have left together - after which Lewis has a new perspective on pain and suffering. Richard Attenborough brings a certain kind of cinematic mastery to every scene, and screenwriter William Nicholson found himself nominated for an Oscar - along with Debra Winger. This is the kind of film that has Oscar bait written all over it, and despite it being nearly perfect in every way - direction, writing, performance, cinematography etc, it didn't move me as much as I thought it might. Still, excellent movie - always a pleasure to watch an Attenborough film, as rich as they are in detail.

7.5/10

[fabioloved]

GOTG 3 9/10

[SpelingError]

Raising Arizona (1987) - 4.5

This is yet another Coen brothers film I would consider great. While the overall kidnapping plot is memorable, I also found myself taken in by the smaller moments in the film which reaffirmed the various difficulties/anxieties of being a parent. Whether you're referring to H.I. attempting to take a family portrait, Ed's reaction to seeing their baby for the first time, or Glen's unruly family causing problems throughout H.I.'s property, there's a lot which leaves an impression on you. In addition to these small moments, a wide array of colorful characters populate H.I.'s and Ed's lives. There are prison escapees Gale and Evelle, furniture magnate Nathan Arizona, Glen's aforementioned unruly family, and a mysterious biker who attempts to rescue Nathan's kid. All these characters are vital to the plot as they all directly interfere with and complicate H.I.'s and Ed's wishes to start a family in one way or another. These subscenes and characters suit the film's parental themes really well and pair nicely with the anxieties/guilt H.I. and Ed have from the kidnapping. Speaking of which, though they're not the most likable characters, we at least get the only true ending for them (and some of the other side characters) which the film could've had, in typical Coen brothers fashion. The balance of hope and uncertainty we get suits their remorse over their crimes very well. The film is also quite fun as the various chase/fight scenes spread throughout are well-choreographed and consistently inventive with the set pieces and tension on display. Overall, this film really struck a chord with me and I wouldn't mind rewatching it sometime in the future.

[GulfportDoc]

Raising Arizona (1987) - rating_4_5

This is yet another Coen brothers film I would consider great. While the overall kidnapping plot is memorable, I also found myself taken in by the smaller moments in the film which reaffirmed the various difficulties/anxieties of being a parent. Whether you're referring to H.I. attempting to take a family portrait, Ed's reaction to seeing their baby for the first time, or Glen's unruly family causing problems throughout H.I.'s property, there's a lot which leaves an impression on you. In addition to these small moments, a wide array of colorful characters populate H.I.'s and Ed's lives. There are prison escapees Gale and Evelle, furniture magnate Nathan Arizona, Glen's aforementioned unruly family, and a mysterious biker who attempts to rescue Nathan's kid. All these characters are vital to the plot as they all directly interfere with and complicate H.I.'s and Ed's wishes to start a family in one way or another. These subscenes and characters suit the film's parental themes really well and pair nicely with the anxieties/guilt H.I. and Ed have from the kidnapping. Speaking of which, though they're not the most likable characters, we at least get the only true ending for them (and some of the other side characters) which the film could've had, in typical Coen brothers fashion. The balance of hope and uncertainty we get suits their remorse over their crimes very well. The film is also quite fun as the various chase/fight scenes spread throughout are well-choreographed and consistently inventive with the set pieces and tension on display. Overall, this film really struck a chord with me and I wouldn't mind rewatching it sometime in the future.
Very nice review! I've loved this film from the time I saw it when it was released. It's still my favorite Coen Bros. The flick really put N. Cage on the map, and it's one of his best roles. The film is full of belly laughs. Even though I've seen it a bunch of times, it's still hilarious. Randall "Tex" Cobb was perfect as the invincible outlaw biker. Even the music score was perfect.

[cricket]

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

3.5

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/AllQuietOnTheWesternFront_ReinerBajo_02.jpg?w=1296

The 1930 version is much better but this was worth the watch. Technically impressive even if I thought it wasn't always technically appropriate. The battlefield scenes were the big highlight for me and thankfully there were a lot of them. Otherwise it was still good but nothing stood out and I don't think it will stay with me.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTMyZDEwNGQtNGJiYy00ODc3LThhNTUtZWMwZDZhZjM3NDFlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzg1ODEwNQ@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg


3.5

[Fabulous]

The Importance of Being Earnest (1952)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/vGiFOgXU0bHjXRCtilWRVmoNTyu.jpg

[Mr Minio]

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

https://media.tenor.com/f9QcNzyB7noAAAAC/party-john-wick-chapter-4.gif

Jesus Christ, Chapter 3 was already much better than 1 & 2, but this is even better. Some of the best action sequences ever since Hard Boiled. Unabashedly kinetic, superb cinematography, and many references that do not feel like rip-offs (The Matrix, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Hotline Miami). Hands down my favorite set pieces in the series, from Osaka to Berlin to Paris. Let's hope the 5th one is even better, as it's totally a 4 > 3 > 2 > 1 series for me!

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Zaytoun_Poster.jpg
The poster art copyright is believed to belong to the distributor of the film, the publisher of the film or the graphic artist. - http://www.embassyofisrael.co.uk/news/panewsletter/israeli-embassy-newsletter-12-10-2012-2/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37528039

Zaytoun - (2012)

I'd have been better off watching a bad movie last night. Zaytoun is average, pedestrian and unoriginal - another odd couple pairing in extreme circumstances that The Defiant Ones pulled off so well. Yoni (Stephen Dorff) is an Israeli pilot who has had to bail out over Beirut during the 1982 Lebanon War, and is captured by the PLO. He escapes with the grudging help of Fahed (Abdallah El Akal), a young Palestinian refugee whose father has been killed in the conflict - but as the pair deal with situation after situation a bond develops, and they grow close. I usually like films like this, but along with being a little irked by how ordinary it was I also learned that Israeli censors absolutely destroyed the screenplay in an overzealous attempt to have their side portrayed in the best light possible. I tell you, if you're so sensitive to phosphorus and cluster bombing along with indiscriminate destruction you should either not do it, or live with it - but trying to pretend it never happened doesn't sit well with me. In the end a film that was meant to make me feel warm and fuzzy made me feel cold and not the least bit fuzzy at all.

4/10

[mrblond]

The Driver (1978)

Directed by Walter Hill
Starring Ryan O'Neal, Bruce Dern and Isabelle Adjani

92921

4.5 94/100

I saw the adverts that it will be on the TV this Saturday evening and immediately planned the view.
Probably my tenth watch of the movie, half of them during the school time when it was in the movie theaters every year and we've enjoyed it every time.
A real classic. One of the best works in a truly US genre. I can even say a real American contribution to the art of cinema. Dream cast, amazing cinematography and stylish screenplay. All this masterly directed by Walter Hill.

[ApexPredator]

'Cherry' (2023)


A film with alot of heart but not enough meat on the bones. if you're after an abortion drama you're better off watching the excellent 'Never , rarely, sometimes, always'.

5.8/10

3

What's your opinion of the other Eliza Hittman films (It Felt Like Love, Beach Rats)?

[matt72582]

El - 7.5/10
When it comes to surrealism, Bunuel is the only guy I go to.... And it's on YouTube for free.
https://youtu.be/ihqLQnuOWDY

[Fabulous]

Pork Chop Hill (1959)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/ceB7vL3GOtB3rfA88OhQiCbtABf.jpg

[Act III]

92927

Zero Contact (2022)

This movie is actually a non-fungible token and was filmed using Zoom cameras during lockdown in the pandemic. At times you can't help but feel like you're attending an acting class in the actors studio, but it isnt that bad. You'd think this would fill some time on the Sci-Fi channel and maybe you'd lay on the couch and stare at the TV while drooling.

52/100

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b4/Maria_Full_of_Grace_movie.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1060176

Maria Full of Grace - (2004)

Full of impressive realism and taut dramatic tension, Maria Full of Grace tells us a story of one woman's transformation from flower plantation worker to Columbian drug mule in a brutal and faithful fashion. This is a film that had me up out of my seat and pacing, and at several instances I had to implore main character Maria Álvarez (Catalina Sandino Moreno) to simply be smart. This is a lady that makes quite a few bad decisions and some terrible life choices - but in the end it's the economic reality of living day to day in Columbia that sends many along this path. Maria constantly courts disaster, and through her ordeal we get to learn all the varied ways Columbian drug smugglers use mules to slip drugs through into the U.S. and the various ways these runs can go bad - but most of all this is about Maria's emotional journey, and the various horrors she submits to for a life-changing paycheck. A real surprise for me, and very much a recommendation for those who haven't seen it.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4e/The_Wild_Geese_%281978_film%29_poster.jpg
By moviegoods.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6629753

The Wild Geese - (1978)

Combination war film and action movie, The Wild Geese continued the tradition of The Guns of Navarone and other adventure-filled film star vehicles. Here we have a squad of geriatric mercenaries with Roger Moore, Richard Burton, Richard Harris and Hardy Krüger banding together to rescue Julius Limbani, fictitious president of a Southern African nation. We get to see an expert military operation that runs flawlessly, and then an improvised disaster as the four men and their 49 hired guns are double-crossed by the wealthy magnate who hired them. I've always thought this film was fun - especially with those four heavyweights together in one movie. The messaging is a bit mixed and garbled, and Krüger's racist character undergoes a change of heart that's both touching and a little ridiculous, so you have to forgive it it's foibles to really enjoy it. You can't deny though that it's well made, and as a whole works really well.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a3/Splash_ver2.jpg
By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7851840

Splash - (1984)

Studio comedies were a staple of the 1980s, and Ron Howard cut his directing teeth on a few of these popular yet empty vehicles. They don't age well either. I don't think I'd ever seen Splash before, or if I had I probably saw it when it came out, nearly 40 years ago, so you can forgive me if I remembered none of it. Not much of it was worth remembering, apart from an early look at Eugene Levy. I don't think Tom Hanks had really grasped what he needed to do to be likeable either, and in this even his talent for comedy never stood a chance with a D.O.A. screenplay. Daryl Hannah is lovely and charms thoroughly though, and John Candy gives it everything, making me miss him still. A real mixed bag - I feel bad for saying negative things about it, but as a comedy it's simply so bereft of laughs.

5/10

[LordWhis]

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish- 9/10

Even the Disney fangirl in me has to admit that this movie was absolutely amazing.

The art style ! Oh my god I am obsessed with the artstyle. The storybook look was amazing. And the fight choreography was just top notch.

The characters were all charming and likable, even the villains.

And the writing was amazing. I don’t think there was a single line I didn’t laugh out loud at.

The story was good, it was both a rollicking good adventure and a deep look into Puss’ psychology.

Maybe the movie wasn’t absolutely perfect. I guess they sort of glossed over the whole Kitty also not coming to the Church bit and I’m not sure there was enough explanation for Goldilocks’ motives… though I guess there was the storybook scene, but it was kind of subtle.

I hold that Puss in Boots and Turning Red were stronger than Pinocchio as movies, even if Pinocchio was the superior artistic achievement. Whether that meant it deserved the Oscar nod is up to what you think is more important in a movie.

[Act III]

92930

Lucky Numbers (2000)

I really liked this one. Good comedy filled with many familiar faces. You should see it if you haven't. Without IMDb I wouldn't have known about it.

74/100

[ScarletLion]

What's your opinion of the other Eliza Hittman films (It Felt Like Love, Beach Rats)?

I really liked Beach Rats. My review at the time:

This film confirms for me that Eliza Hittman is a very special director. She's so unafraid to go as slow / dark / seedy / emotive / arthouse or whatever the scene needs to push on. Plus I think she films on 16mm film (technical buffs can correct me), which gives the neorealistic look an even more authentic touch.

It centres around a young Brooklyn man desperately discovering his sexuality in an environment that is not easy. It's a well trodden path, but it's testament to Hittman's craft and vision that she can make a film with old substance feel relatively new. With this film and 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always', Hittman seems to be striking a chord with new American cinema. I hope she's got plenty more in her to come.

8/10


Not seen It felt like love though. Must find time to watch it.

[ScarletLion]

'Riceboy Sleeps' (2022)

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/478427a4267385753a26eab603ba8a81cff3130fe81fe2316204aed050a7519e._RI_SX720_FMjpg_.jpg

This is an absolutely beautiful film. Director Anthony Shim has crafted a deeply personal movie about his youth, growing up in Canada, being raised by his mom, who was shamefully shunned by Korean society as she was a single mother, so had to emigrate.

The photography is very similar to Wong Kar Wai and Edward Yang in it's framing and depth of focus. The drama is so well written. The narrative is extremely moving - we see the young son 'David' grow up amid a host of challenges both at school and at home. His mother wants nothing but the best for him, but the challenges mount up for the pair of them.

Riceboy Sleeps seems to be part of a growing number of films that explore assimilation into overseas cultures and remembering 'home', that include the likes of Minari, Tigertail, Ms. Purple, The Farewell and Return to Seoul - but I think this might be the best of the lot.

8.5/10

4

[Chypmunk]

Latest watches:
Amulet 2020 3+
Direct Contact 2009 1+
The Mustang 2019 3+
Night Of The Prowler 1962 2+
Who Killed The Cat? 1966 3.5
Red 2008 2.5
The Young Cannibals 2019 1.5+
Super Storm 2011 1.5
Empire State 2013 2+
The Phantom From 10,000 Leagues 1955 2
Lust For A Vampire 1971 2+
Flight 1942 aka Flight World War II 2015 2+

[LChimp]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMmZiN2VmMjktZDE5OC00ZWRmLWFlMmEtYWViMTY4NjM3ZmNkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI2MTc2ODM3._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg

History is kinda basic, but the gore factor is cranked up to 11

[Stirchley]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b4/Maria_Full_of_Grace_movie.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1060176

Maria Full of Grace - (2004)


One of my favorite movies with my favorite theme of a woman’s journey both metaphorically & in reality.


92934

Excellent movie that doesn’t have to be set in France. It could be in any developed country. I liked it so much as it has the theme I referenced above & I saw it twice.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYWY1ZDY4MmQtYjhiYS00N2QwLTk1NzgtOWI2YzUwZThjNDYwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDM2NDM2MQ@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg



4

[Torgo]

Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes - 4

This is a funny and clever Japanese movie about an aspiring musician, Kato, who discovers that his TV shows video messages that are two minutes into the future. The messages come from another TV in the downstairs cafe where he works. Shot with a mobile phone camera, the movie looks like it's filmed in one take, but I didn't discover this until I read the trivia afterwards. I was too wrapped up in the action to notice, which I think is a good thing.

Kato's coworkers and bandmates eventually make the same discovery, and I like that they cover the gamut of reactions to such a phenomenon, which range from disinterest to dangerously opportunistic. If you're considering the possibilities of this concept while reading this, chances are they're all in this movie. If you're also thinking about what a logistical can of worms it presents, I'll just say that the movie is one step ahead of you in that regard as well (no pun intended). What's more, all this manipulation of the space-time continuum has the benefit of being hilarious. I am totally okay with time travel movies that have extravagant special effects and big budgets; in fact, I could rewatch Twelve Monkeys or Back to the Future any day of the week. Regardless, there's something extra special about seeing one that's just as thoughtful that only has a small cast, two rooms and two TVs (oh, and a really long power cord. You'll see what I mean).

[Fabulous]

Don't Bother to Knock (1952)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/m7Ry2n8ZoJ731R2Ycq7HwPA616V.jpg

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzI3YTdhNDYtZDMwZC00NTJlLTgwZDgtYzQ0OThkYjZiZTQwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTUzMDUzNTI3._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg


4

[Act III]

92943

Beyond the Time Barrier (1960)

Good story but the way its filmed and the unconvincing acting make it your typical mediocre sci-fi fare. The silent girl gets the award here. This was probably hastily thrown together like many 50s westerns and sci-fis.

55/100

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b8/Saint_Omer_2022_film_poster.png
By https://filmsdulosange.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/04/SAINTOMER_MAQ_120x160_FRANCECULTURE.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72214747

Saint Omer - (2022)

This was a troubling and thought-provoking French legal drama based on a real-life case - that of Fabienne Kabou, who purposely left her 15-month-old child to drown by a beach and was convicted of murder. It seems to be pretty open and shut - Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda) is on trial, and Rama (Kayije Kagame) is following the proceedings as she plans to write a book about the case - she's kind of like the director's surrogate. Both women are Senegalese, in a relationship with a white guy and have a troubling history with their mothers, so there's a kind of kinship between the two, who never actually meet. At first Coly simply seems unrepentant and lacking in remorse, but as layers are dug away we get to some kind of sense of how this woman got where she's ended up - starting with her supposed boyfriend, who is 30 years older than her and hides her from his daughter and family. Coly ends up being like some kind of stashed away plaything, and eventually she begins cutting herself off from the rest of the world. Every place Coly ends up, she has cultural baggage and is treated according to this, even after the murder with her defense counsel. Underneath the skin there's a crushed, damaged and dead soul within. The film's themes include motherhood, and what women carry within them that was part of their mother and will be part of their daughter, along with being judged by the standards of a different culture from which you were born into. It's all summed up wonderfully in the defense counsel's closing statement - which puts it far more eloquently than I could. She's done the wrong thing and should pay for her actions, but we should also strive to understand what has gone wrong - and better ourselves as well.

7.5/10

[LChimp]

https://casapark.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/John-Wick-4-691x1000-1.jpg

Never thought an action movie could be... well, boring. The action sequences take too damn long, my God

[Mr Minio]

Never thought an action movie could be... well, boring. The action sequences take too damn long, my God It's everything but boring. The length of the action sequences makes them hypnotizing, contemplative even. This movie is action made art.

[ScarletLion]

'Cul-de-Sac' (1966)

Directed by Roman Polanski

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZDlmZTVlYzktN2M2Ni00NzMxLWI4NTAtNTgxZWFkNzkwMzlkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzUxNjAwMTg@._V1_.jpg

Slightly wild and weird Roman Polanski film that is a mix of thriller, relationship drama and a comedy. Two American gangsters botch a heist and end up taking George (Donald Pleasance) and his French wife Therese the beautiful Françoise Dorléac who is Catherine Deneuve's sister) hostage at their castle residence on Lindisfarne Island.

Polanski said he just wanted to make a film his way and one that reflected his inspirations, not some cliched story, and that must be admired. Some of the images have echoes of Michelangelo Antonioni's 'Lavventura' which was made 6 years prior.

The film seems to explore themes of marriage, infidelity, crime and isolation. Donald Pleasance's performance gets slightly madcap as he teeters on the edge of insanity. And this would be one of Dorléac's last ever performances as she died in a car accident the following year aged just 25.

4

[Thief]

CASABLANCA
(1942, Curtiz)

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


"My dear Ricky, I suspect that under that cynical shell, you are at heart a sentimentalist."



Set in the titular city in 1941 Morocco, Casablanca follows Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), an American cafe owner with a cynical shell, but maybe a sentimentalist heart. So when a former lover, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) unknowingly ends up at his cafe looking for safe passage to America for her husband, Rick has to decide whether to help them or not.

Casablanca is the perfect example of a studio production coming to fruition in a way that feels harmoniously constructed from all angles. The film is a masterpiece and by most accounts, pretty much perfect; Curtiz direction is flawless, the script offers depth to the characters while giving an endless supply of memorable lines, the performances are all top-notch, and that ending!

Grade: 5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2390172#post2390172)

[Act III]

92947

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

Difficult to rate this on a point system so I will have to rate it relative to the other movies I watch. Big stars, top notch special effects, solid story, not too serious or demanding of the audience. Action, eye candy, light hearted dialog.

72/100

[doubledenim]

https://casapark.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/John-Wick-4-691x1000-1.jpg

Never thought an action movie could be... well, boring. The action sequences take too damn long, my God

Yep. It becomes a law of diminishing returns. Well executed, but too much.

[Fabulous]

Local Hero (1983)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/z6U6JNTaLqR0Kj3ewK38z9Ph6AH.jpg

[Allaby]

Reality (2023) New HBO film (watched on Crave in Canada) Sydney Sweeney is fantastic in this riveting and tense true story. 4

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a1/Offside_poster.jpg
By Trailerdownload.net,, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13723084

Offside - (2006)

This is the most light-hearted film I've ever seen come from Iran, but it still managed to get itself banned there. Offside takes place during the Iran vs Bahrain football/soccer match which would decide which country went to the 2006 World Cup, and features a group of soccer-mad girls who are dying to go to the stadium to see it. Women are banned from going to matches of course, but that doesn't stop our die hard fans who try their best to disguise themselves as boys - and most of the film takes place in an area where those caught are herded and watched by a group of soldiers. These soldiers will spend most of their time being comically harassed and sometimes duped by the girls, one of whom tried to disguise herself as a soldier and could be in serious trouble. Meanwhile, out of sight but still within earshot, the important match plays out. It's a very nonconfrontational asking of a question - "Why on earth aren't these girls allowed to attend football matches?" The soldiers guarding the girls struggle to answer this question, and the best they can come up with is that women would be exposed to the bad language the guys shout at games. Really, it's a power play by a patriarchy which enjoys the control it has over it's female denizens. Despite it's subject, there's a joyful feel to the whole production, and a kind of kinship shared between guards and prisoners during a sporting event which involves all Iranians, and one which all Iranians should be able to go and see.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/The_Milk_Of_Sorrow.jpg
By latetaasustada.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26477198

The Milk of Sorrow - (2009)

The Milk of Sorrow was the first Peruvian film ever nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. It involves Fausta (Magaly Solier), whose mother had to endure unspeakable atrocities during a civil conflict in Peru, including rape and the execution of her husband. Because of this, her family believes that the milk she breastfed to her baby was soured - it explains why Fausta is so eccentric and withdrawn. Early in the film we learn that Fausta has inserted a potato into herself, as a means of preventing rape - but this is obviously unhygienic, and also - the potato grows while inside of her. When Fausta's mother dies, she has to go out into the world to earn enough money so that the one person who was precious to her can have a dignified funeral, and as such she's running two races at once. One is to earn the money fast enough, before her relatives bury mother in the backyard, and the other is to gain enough confidence and bravery to have that potato removed before it kills her. A really strange film, and I only realised how strange when I had to put together a synopsis - a lot of metaphorical grist, and the film also shows us much Peruvian culture that's unique to that country. "A journey from fear to freedom" is it's tagline - a really interesting feature from director Claudia Llosa, who also wrote it's inventive screenplay.

7/10

[crumbsroom]

Local Hero (1983)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/z6U6JNTaLqR0Kj3ewK38z9Ph6AH.jpg

I've always wanted to like this more than I do. I'd probably rank it about the same but it feels like it should be way more up my alley


I'm much more on board his Gregory's Girl, which I definitely love

[SpelingError]

Ariel (1988) - 4

Did anyone else immediately think of The Little Mermaid after reading the film's title or was it just me?

The Match Factory Girl is the only other film I've seen from Aki Kaurismäki and, while I wasn't quite sure what to make of it at the time, this film helped me to get a better grasp on his style of dark and deadpan comedy. In the first 15 minutes, Taisto loses his job, his father commits suicide, and his entire life savings are stolen from him. And that's only the beginning of his troubles! While Robert Bresson has a similar style of depicting characters suffering/being hurt repeatedly, both directors are able to depict this without wallowing in misery. From a stylistic standpoint at least. Throughout this film and The Match Factory Girl, Kaurismäki mainly focuses on the reactions, or lack thereof, of the main characters. Taisto is stuck in a low-paying job, he's constantly on the move, and it's unlikely he'll ever dig himself out of his rut. In spite of every adversity he goes through though, he emerges from them seemingly unharmed. Which isn't to say he's devoid of emotions by any means (his dreams of finding a better future are made clear at a few points in the film), but that he's no longer 'impressed' by them. His misfortunes, though they clearly pile up and weigh on him, are an everyday reality for him. One scene, for instance, shows Taisto lying on a beach while his jeans and leather shoes are resting right smack in the water. It's a weird and uncomfortable position to rest in for sure, but he had already been through much, much worse at that point, so what's the big deal of getting his clothing wet? Given this, one could watch the film and laugh at Taisto's misfortunes, but I would argue this misses part of the film's point. Because Kaurismäki also displays a great deal of empathy for his struggles. He's stuck in the lower class, has little hope of improving his social status, and (like most people, I would imagine) wants to live a good life. Except bad decisions and misfortunes constantly ruin his dreams time and time again. Regardless of whether you've experienced the same misfortunes as him, his dreams and worries are all too relatable to not feel sympathy for his plight. But Kaurismäki never goes overboard with this since Taisto's stoicism prevents the film from dipping into sentimentality. I imagine Kaurismäki will be an acquired taste for most people since the contradictory elements of his style won't gel with everyone, but I think the tonal clash between the onscreen misery and Taisto's stoic reaction throughout it pair very well together.

[ScarletLion]

‘It Felt Like Love’ (2013)

Directed by Eliza Hittman

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTcxOTIzNDk3OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDQzNjMyMTE@._V1_.jpg

First feature film from Eliza Hittman - about a young teen's sexual awakening. I just love the way Hittman captures bodies - camerawork that is extremely sensual, with close ups on hands, midriffs and thighs. It's really drawing from the French new wave / cinema verite style that exudes intimacy. Hittman is like the American Celine Sciamma.

The film follows Lila (Gina Piersanti) who is desperate to have her first sexual encounter as her friend Chiara has a boyfriend and seems to be exploring her body in that way. Lila is so desperate that she chases an older boy Sammy in the hope that he’ll pay her attention and maybe even take her virginity. Lila soon sees that this is not the path to go down.

What Hittman does so well is make the audience feel a little sorry for Lila, perhaps in the same way that we root for Kayla in the film ‘Eighth Grade’. These are introverted young teens desperate to match up to their peers and not be left behind in a daunting world that may lead to further mockery and ostracizing and even more loneliness at any stage. ‘It Felt Like Love’ isn’t the complete article, but it’s proof that Eliza Hittman is a huge talent and one of the brightest indie filmmakers around, destined for huge things.

3.5

[ScarletLion]

‘Once Upon a Time in America’ (1984)

Directed by Sergio Leone

https://film-grab.com/wp-content/uploads/photo-gallery/thumb/33%20(784).jpg?bwg=1547240821

I’d never seen this film in one go until now. I watched the extended cut (4 hours and 11 minutes), so it was nice to see the additional scenes that Leone had wanted in the film that were thought to be lost. One of which includes Louise Fetcher as a cemetery directress.

Where to start. The film has many flaws. The length isn’t one of them though, if that is a Director’s vision to have a story take 4 hours to tell, then that has to be respected. What I didn’t particularly like was the cartoonish style of some characters and dialogue. The chief of police was especially setup like this, and totally took me out of the films reality. This character was more in keeping with something more comic book style like Dick Tracy (1990). And did street kids without a penny to their name really wear bow ties and expensive suits? Maybe that’s a harsh criticism. There’s also a terrible cover of The Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’ which can’t be ignored – nice sentiment given the different timelines and the film is about regret / looking back, but just no.

Then you have de Niro’s character ‘Noodles’, that the film focuses on. He’s the lead, he’s what Leone wants us to analyse…..but I couldn’t work out if he is an anti-hero that we are supposed to sympathise with or root for. Are we really supposed to buy in to this character’s behaviour? A serial rapist? After the second rape I just wanted him to get shot in the face. Maybe that is the reaction that Leone wanted, but it seems strange that the rest of the film has Noodles on the more compassionate side of things when compared to the rest of the gang. He’s way more level headed than James Woods’ character. He’s less self destructive and at one stage even seems to want to go straight. And indeed he does disappear for a normal life for 30 years while Max is still a corrupt politician. I get that the younger Noodles is conditioned to experience violence as a norm. He is desensitized to it and this is his arc, because it’s the violent outbursts that lead to huge consequences in terms of losing the only person he loves. It just goes past the point of any sort of redeemable forgiveness after those acts are committed, and there is never any come-uppance, instead the heinous acts are actually used for comic effect at one point and almost romanticised.

That all said the rest of the film is just sumptuous. From the framing to the colours to Morricone’s score to the gradual construction of the Manhattan bridge. It’s an epic in the truest sense of the word with terrific casting and Leone’s great directing. I just went in with huge expectations and they weren’t quite met and it’s marked down because of y’know the rapey bits.

3.5

[Stirchley]

Reality (2023) New HBO film (watched on Crave in Canada) Sydney Sweeney is fantastic in this riveting and tense true story. 4

Looking forward to it. It looks like she won’t be carrying the rôle through her beauty & breasts, which would be a significant good change for her future in movies. Huge fan.

[Thief]

SMASH AND GRAB
(2019, Larsen)

https://i.imgur.com/yntYGn5.jpg


"It was during a time when I felt tethered to things that I couldn’t fully crack at that moment in time in my life, things I couldn’t quite accomplish. Doing SparkShorts allowed me to break free, and it fulfilled me."



Smash and Grab follows the titular robots, who are forced to continuously work inside the engine of a futuristic train, all while being tethered to the machine, unable to move freely and even "high five" themselves. However, much like Larsen did when making this short in order to "break free" and feel "fulfilled", Smash and Grab will try to find a way to do so.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2390324#post2390324)

[Thief]

FLOAT
(2019, Rubio)

https://i.imgur.com/FFGGjG5.jpg


"Why can't you just be normal?!"



Float follows Alex, a young boy that can somehow float; something that his father goes to great lengths to hide in order to shield him from ridicule or obsessive lookers. However, sometimes Alex can't help but float, which sparks his father's desperate scream of anguish with the above quote.

Director/writer Bobby Rubio decided to use his son's autism as an inspiration for this short film. The short is an invitation to parents and people to accept their children for who they are, regardless of any diagnose or condition, or how diverse and different they might be. This is something that hit close to home for me, which has me struggling on how much to write here.

But I will rather keep it simple and not that personal. Regardless of how much it hit me, I still felt the short needed a bit more to close things up. That small quibble aside, I think this is a really creative and powerful way to put that message of acceptance out. There's no such thing as "normal", and we all should do our best to love our kids without reserves, and let them "float".

Grade: 4

[aetherpirate]

Cocaine Bear:

It was the best movie featuring both cocaine and a bear that I have ever seen.

Entertaining and definitely captured the 80's vibe without needing to put ALL of the 80's stuff on display, all the time. The movie did have a much larger cast of characters than I expected for a movie about a cocaine bear. The violence was over-the-top in a almost-but-not-quite cartoony way, which was appropriate.

All-in-all, would recommend if you want a fun time.

[LordWhis]

Fast X- 7/10

I would describe it as stupid but fun. The film clearly doesn’t take itself seriously and you’re not supposed to take it seriously. You’re supposed to switch your brain off and enjoy and if you do you will enjoy yourself a lot.

I will say it wasn’t as aesthetically unique as previous instalments in the series. Brazil and London have been covered by the series many times. There was a sequence in Rome and Vatican City but it was pretty small. With a movie like this your rating of it and your enjoyment of it depends a lot on the aesthetics of the movie, choreography and quality of set pieces. That’s what separates the truly great action movies like Kill Bill and John Wick from your regular blockbuster.

And the nobody ever dying and previous villains becoming friends part can get annoying but to be fair the movie does acknowledge this and lampshade itself. Maybe it could have emphasized the satire a little bit more.

Also not too sure about how rewatchable it is. Especially with the cliffhanger ending.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjA3ZWRmZTgtZWJhNi00NjgxLWIzZWQtODdjZDMxODVkODAyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjI0NjI0Nw@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg


2.5

[beelzebubble]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b8/Saint_Omer_2022_film_poster.png
By https://filmsdulosange.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/04/SAINTOMER_MAQ_120x160_FRANCECULTURE.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72214747

Saint Omer - (2022)

This was a troubling and thought-provoking French legal drama based on a real-life case - that of Fabienne Kabou, who purposely left her 15-month-old child to drown by a beach and was convicted of murder. It seems to be pretty open and shut - Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda) is on trial, and Rama (Kayije Kagame) is following the proceedings as she plans to write a book about the case - she's kind of like the director's surrogate. Both women are Senegalese, in a relationship with a white guy and have a troubling history with their mothers, so there's a kind of kinship between the two, who never actually meet. At first Coly simply seems unrepentant and lacking in remorse, but as layers are dug away we get to some kind of sense of how this woman got where she's ended up - starting with her supposed boyfriend, who is 30 years older than her and hides her from his daughter and family. Coly ends up being like some kind of stashed away plaything, and eventually she begins cutting herself off from the rest of the world. Every place Coly ends up, she has cultural baggage and is treated according to this, even after the murder with her defense counsel. Underneath the skin there's a crushed, damaged and dead soul within. The film's themes include motherhood, and what women carry within them that was part of their mother and will be part of their daughter, along with being judged by the standards of a different culture from which you were born into. It's all summed up wonderfully in the defense counsel's closing statement - which puts it far more eloquently than I could. She's done the wrong thing and should pay for her actions, but we should also strive to understand what has gone wrong - and better ourselves as well.

7.5/10


Sounds fascinating.

[beelzebubble]

Raising Arizona (1987) - rating_4_5

This is yet another Coen brothers film I would consider great. While the overall kidnapping plot is memorable, I also found myself taken in by the smaller moments in the film which reaffirmed the various difficulties/anxieties of being a parent. Whether you're referring to H.I. attempting to take a family portrait, Ed's reaction to seeing their baby for the first time, or Glen's unruly family causing problems throughout H.I.'s property, there's a lot which leaves an impression on you. In addition to these small moments, a wide array of colorful characters populate H.I.'s and Ed's lives. There are prison escapees Gale and Evelle, furniture magnate Nathan Arizona, Glen's aforementioned unruly family, and a mysterious biker who attempts to rescue Nathan's kid. All these characters are vital to the plot as they all directly interfere with and complicate H.I.'s and Ed's wishes to start a family in one way or another. These subscenes and characters suit the film's parental themes really well and pair nicely with the anxieties/guilt H.I. and Ed have from the kidnapping. Speaking of which, though they're not the most likable characters, we at least get the only true ending for them (and some of the other side characters) which the film could've had, in typical Coen brothers fashion. The balance of hope and uncertainty we get suits their remorse over their crimes very well. The film is also quite fun as the various chase/fight scenes spread throughout are well-choreographed and consistently inventive with the set pieces and tension on display. Overall, this film really struck a chord with me and I wouldn't mind rewatching it sometime in the future.


What a wonderful movie. It was such a surprise in 1987. And who doesn't love Holly Hunter?

[Takoma11]

Sounds fascinating.

It's been on my watchlist ever since I read a really interesting article about it in the Film Comment newsletter. I'm very much looking forward to it.

[Thief]

What a wonderful movie. It was such a surprise in 1987. And who doesn't love Holly Hunter?

I agree. I saw it a couple of years ago for the first time and it became one of my Coen favorites.

[SpelingError]

I would probably rank A Serious Man as my favorite Coen film, but it's hard to rank their films due to how great many of them are.

[Fabulous]

A Chorus Line (1985)

2.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/zTpR6hXDuRr2od4b7uVjwTOq685.jpg

[beelzebubble]

I would probably rank A Serious Man as my favorite Coen film, but it's hard to rank their films due to how great many of them are.
And the many differences in theme, style and genre.

[GulfportDoc]

CASABLANCA
(1942, Curtiz)

Set in the titular city in 1941 Morocco, Casablanca follows Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), an American cafe owner with a cynical shell, but maybe a sentimentalist heart. So when a former lover, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) unknowingly ends up at his cafe looking for safe passage to America for her husband, Rick has to decide whether to help them or not.

Casablanca is the perfect example of a studio production coming to fruition in a way that feels harmoniously constructed from all angles. The film is a masterpiece and by most accounts, pretty much perfect; Curtiz direction is flawless, the script offers depth to the characters while giving an endless supply of memorable lines, the performances are all top-notch, and that ending!

Grade: rating_5
Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2390172#post2390172)
I agree. One of the great films. Seems to me I read that at the time they didn't think the picture was going to be anything special, but it turned out going through the roof right away upon release. Even the old curmudgeon Bosley Crowther praised it!

[GulfportDoc]

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

Difficult to rate this on a point system so I will have to rate it relative to the other movies I watch. Big stars, top notch special effects, solid story, not too serious or demanding of the audience. Action, eye candy, light hearted dialog.

72/100
I rated it about the same as did you. It was a rather peculiar picture: the combination of an old western and other-worldly aliens. I thought Paul Dano had an interesting if unflattering part. Pretty good special effects with the "lassoing parts".

[Act III]

I rated it about the same as did you. It was a rather peculiar picture: the combination of an old western and other-worldly aliens. I thought Paul Dano had an interesting if unflattering part. Pretty good special effects with the "lassoing parts".

With me, rating these newer scifis (2010-present) against the older ones gets difficult because the standards for special effects are pretty much at their max for 2D screens, so I look to the story and originality and for other elements that make it stand out as its own thing.

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/hPk2LSzc/800px-All-That-Heaven-Allows-1955-poster.jpg
By Reynold Brown - Scan via Heritage Auctions. Cropped from original image and retouched by uploader; see unretouched version in upload history., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86856075

All That Heaven Allows - (1955)

On it's surface, All That Heaven Allows looks like it might be your average 50s romance - paper-thin and hackneyed. It's really not. This film really takes aim at the conformity of the time, and questions a person's need to be liked over and above what makes them happy. Cary Scott, (Jane Wyman) is a recently widowed, middle aged woman living a typical suburban life. Part of the upper middle-class, she has two adult kids but seems bored with what the future is offering her - namely, the new invention of the day : television. Along comes young gardener Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson), uber-confident in himself, with plans to start a tree nursery. Ron sweeps Cary off of her feet, and as a couple they fix up the old mill on Ron's property into a cozy and beautiful home - but when Ron asks Cary to marry her, she faces rejection from all of her friends and her two offspring. Ron's philosophy is to never worry about what other people say, and follow your inner compass wherever it might lead - but Cory is so used to the validation of others that she might prefer to be miserable if that means she's accepted by her peers. If she's to change her mind though - it might be too late. I guess this film is kind of like the 50s Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, except instead of race it's the age difference between Cary and Ron - and it's so perfectly paced with wonderful performances. I was with it from start to finish, and despite this film coming from the 50s every theme it touched on rang true. Superb.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ed/Unleashed_poster.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1690973

Unleashed - (2005)

There's something missing from Unleashed, but it's hard to say what it is. Perhaps it's a satisfyingly complex plot - Jet Li and Bob Hoskins bring their absolute best to this, and I enjoyed watching the latter act and the former do crazy kung-fu and enact Yuen Woo-Ping-choreographed mayhem. Li features as Danny, and is Bart's (Bob Hoskin) "pet dog" - whenever Bart removes Danny's leash, people get beat up pretty bad - especially if they haven't paid the gangster what's owed to him. One day, after a particularly nasty car crash, Danny escapes and finds himself being looked after by blind piano tuner Sam (Morgan Freeman) and his virtuoso charge Victoria (Kerry Condon) - but Danny can't fully escape his violent and bloody previous life. It's okay - but martial arts connoisseurs might wish there was a tad more action. Hoskins plays a great evil kingpin, and Freeman is his usual wise self (his character being blind makes him seem even wiser for some reason.) There's not really much more to it than what I've described - and it needed that extra added touch to be really worthwhile.

5/10

[Act III]

92964

Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

This wasn't the hard laugh comedy I thought it was going to be, but instead was more of a mildly dramatic comedy with an original story.

63/100

[cricket]

The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)

3

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n7tw5bJsJJA/U_wRy-2AMdI/AAAAAAAAMFU/dersiUynGUM/w1200-h630-p-k-no-nu/Charge%2Bof%2Bthe%2BLight%2BBrigade%2B3.jpg

#97 on the 30's list, I watched it because it's eligible for the war countdown. Errol Flynn is always cool and Olivia De Havilland is always a babe, and they make the movie. I liked the love story/triangle more than the action/war angle.

[matt72582]

Family Relations - 7.5/10
This is the Russian movie I've been looking for. It's not as good as "The Cranes Are Flying", but that's kinda mainstream, while again, I could judge by the cover (as I scrolled on YouTube) that the main character was great. It's always the face. I've got a handful of great recommendations here because they uploaded the movie poster, and the face of some woman appealed to me. Unique face seem to bring in a unique movie, and this is one and it's Free.


https://youtu.be/yG31sn32qe0

[matt72582]

Ariel (1988) - rating_4

Did anyone else immediately think of The Little Mermaid after reading the film's title or was it just me?

The Match Factory Girl is the only other film I've seen from Aki Kaurismäki and, while I wasn't quite sure what to make of it at the time, this film helped me to get a better grasp on his style of dark and deadpan comedy. In the first 15 minutes, Taisto loses his job, his father commits suicide, and his entire life savings are stolen from him. And that's only the beginning of his troubles! While Robert Bresson has a similar style of depicting characters suffering/being hurt repeatedly, both directors are able to depict this without wallowing in misery. From a stylistic standpoint at least. Throughout this film and The Match Factory Girl, Kaurismäki mainly focuses on the reactions, or lack thereof, of the main characters. Taisto is stuck in a low-paying job, he's constantly on the move, and it's unlikely he'll ever dig himself out of his rut. In spite of every adversity he goes through though, he emerges from them seemingly unharmed. Which isn't to say he's devoid of emotions by any means (his dreams of finding a better future are made clear at a few points in the film), but that he's no longer 'impressed' by them. His misfortunes, though they clearly pile up and weigh on him, are an everyday reality for him. One scene, for instance, shows Taisto lying on a beach while his jeans and leather shoes are resting right smack in the water. It's a weird and uncomfortable position to rest in for sure, but he had already been through much, much worse at that point, so what's the big deal of getting his clothing wet? Given this, one could watch the film and laugh at Taisto's misfortunes, but I would argue this misses part of the film's point. Because Kaurismäki also displays a great deal of empathy for his struggles. He's stuck in the lower class, has little hope of improving his social status, and (like most people, I would imagine) wants to live a good life. Except bad decisions and misfortunes constantly ruin his dreams time and time again. Regardless of whether you've experienced the same misfortunes as him, his dreams and worries are all too relatable to not feel sympathy for his plight. But Kaurismäki never goes overboard with this since Taisto's stoicism prevents the film from dipping into sentimentality. I imagine Kaurismäki will be an acquired taste for most people since the contradictory elements of his style won't gel with everyone, but I think the tonal clash between the onscreen misery and Taisto's stoic reaction throughout it pair very well together.


This was the first movie by Aki Kaurismaki I had seen (I've seen them all, and a few of Mika's) and it's one of the best, and it's his favorite. Matti Pellonpaa is one of my favorites. But I love the scene when the couple are in bed, and she wants .. something more sentimental and romantic, and he says something like, "OK, I will love you for the rest of my life" to some supposed one-night stand..


You are so lucky to have some great movies ahead of you. May I recommend one of my Top 10-15 movies and my favorite of his, "Shadows in Paradise". It's interesting to see him go from supporting to lead, but in retrospect, it's weird seeing Matti as a supporting character, because other than his first couple, he was always the lead.

[cricket]

Terrifier 2 (2022)

3.5-

https://www.icegif.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/icegif-729.gif

I didn't think much of the 1st but tried this one because it seems pretty popular. With how popular it is, I was surprised right away that it wasn't a little more well made. It wasn't poorly made at least so I settled in pretty well. It's long and started to drag out in the end as it got a bit more ridiculous. I enjoyed it though because it felt nostalgic. It's a nice throwback to 80's horror. Art is a good villain and the leading lady was pretty good. One big complaint is the sound. The voices were very low while everything else was very loud. It was quite a distracting imbalance that often made it hard to hear what the characters were saying. With about 10 minutes left my wife says, this is disgusting I'm never watching a movie like this again. Oh sure, but you watched the whole thing.

[Fabulous]

Fame (1980)

2.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/jekdv0OUnppLnpbPdBIkwCoeENo.jpg

[chawhee]

Waiting... (2005)
https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/movie/movie_poster/waiting-2005/large_1IKzRnqWjfcnUnsiBcIawQiHitV.jpg
5
Another one of my favorite comedies over the years. You get the expected performance from Ryan Reynolds, but the rest of the supporting cast does an excellent job carrying the comedy and plot otherwise.

[Thief]

NONA
(2021, Gonzales)

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


"I’ve taken too much time on this and I can’t get it to work; I just dug myself in a deeper hole. We need to stop. I like the other version, [and] I need to tell the team."



Nona follows the titular grandmother (Wilma Bonet), a huge wrestling fan, who is just preparing to watch her favorite wrestling event. As she's "turning off the world" to focus on the show, her granddaughter is unexpectedly dropped at her apartment, forcing her to choose between her beloved wrestling show and her family.

There really isn't much to the short. It's very simple and cute. Apparently, the biggest conflict between Gonzales and his team was in how "neglectful" the grandmother should be with her granddaughter, and how "confrontational" should she be as a result. After all, Gonzales jokingly describes the two characters as "opponents" in an interview.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2390483#post2390483)

[SpelingError]

This was the first movie by Aki Kaurismaki I had seen (I've seen them all, and a few of Mika's) and it's one of the best, and it's his favorite. Matti Pellonpaa is one of my favorites. But I love the scene when the couple are in bed, and she wants .. something more sentimental and romantic, and he says something like, "OK, I will love you for the rest of my life" to some supposed one-night stand..


You are so lucky to have some great movies ahead of you. May I recommend one of my Top 10-15 movies and my favorite of his, "Shadows in Paradise". It's interesting to see him go from supporting to lead, but in retrospect, it's weird seeing Matti as a supporting character, because other than his first couple, he was always the lead.

Shadows in Paradise will likely be my next Kaurismäki film. I've seen it pop up a few times here and there.

[John-Connor]

BALLAD OF A SOLDIER 1959 Grigoriy Chukhray
92969
1h 28m | War | Drama
Writers: Grigoriy Chukhray, Valentin Ezhov
Cast: Vladimir Ivashov, Zhanna Prokhorenko, Antonina Maksimova

4+ (84/100)

[beelzebubble]

BALLAD OF A SOLDIER 1959 Grigoriy Chukhray
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=92969
1h 28m | War | Drama
Writers: Grigoriy Chukhray, Valentin Ezhov
Cast: Vladimir Ivashov, Zhanna Prokhorenko, Antonina Maksimova

rating_4+ (84/100)



Lovely photograph!

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTc4NTM5NDQ4NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDg1MjkwMzE@._V1_.jpg


2

[GulfportDoc]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=92970

Under the Silver Lake(2018)

There has gradually arisen a sub-category of noir which is beginning to be known as “stoner noir” (more accurately, stoner neo-noir). Arguably the style began with Roger Altman’s misfire of Chandler’s The Long Goodbye (1973), but it came to full fruition in The Big Lebowski (1998) with “The Dude” alternating pot and White Russian Cocktails while doing some sleuthing on behalf of his namesake. Probably the most extreme example would be Inherent Vice (2014), showcasing Joaquin Phoenix stumbling and mumbling through the movie oftentimes stoned on various substances while detecting for various employers.

A more recent illustration is 2018’s Under the Silver Lake, starring the highly talented Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spiderman, Hacksaw Ridge), and also Riley Keough (The Good Doctor, Logan Lucky). A no-account stoner named Sam morphs into a shamus when a neighbor who he’s sweet on disappears overnight. His investigations take him into one unlikely circumstance after another until he makes a shocking discovery. Somehow it all works out in the end.

The picture is billed as a black comedy, but it’s hard to tell the difference between what is black and what is comedy. Director/screenwriter David R. Mitchell was certainly inspired by David Lynch’s oddball plotting and incoherence. Throughout the film there are various displays of mystic and occult iconography and ciphers which apparently are intended both as clues, and to serve as another layer to rather sew the various scenes and twists together. Those elements are nearly indecipherable although they don’t take away from the picture’s appeal.

Mitchell uses homages to Hitchcock’s Vertigo in a car tailing scene, both in its design and in the music closely reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann’s moody score. He has also lifted Marilyn Monroe’s iconic poolside scene from the unreleased Something’s Got to Give (1962) used in one of Sam’s fantasies. Tactics like these serve to lift the film. To me the movie represents the recent generation in terms of banal sex (both with and without a partner), language, and lack of standards and values beyond curiosity. It’s the perfect contemporary noir of angst in the absence of morality.

Still, there are two strong reasons to see Under the Silver Lake: the first rate acting of Andrew Garfield as the stoner sleuth Sam, and the compelling and atmospheric cinematography by Michael Gioulakis (Split; Glass).

Doc’s rating: 6/10

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fe/Strange_World_poster.jpg

2.5

SF = Z


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

[Act III]

92971

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

That's a movie I won't be watching twice. Disappointed. Gives you a look at the other side of Hollywood. Some things are confusing about the story but then you stop caring so it doesn't matter much. Nice visuals.

50/100

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/70/Theeb_Film_Poster.jpg
By Immortal Entertainment - http://dkpu1ddg7pbsk.cloudfront.net/movie/11/18/93/11189356_ori.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47500926

Theeb - (2014)

I recently had a look at Peru's first ever film nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar - this one is Jordan's first. It's set in 1916, and involves the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I - from a Bedouin tribe's point of view. At one stage a British officer becomes involved with them, and I kept thinking "This must be T.E. Lawrence" (he had that look, and feel), but subsequent events disproved that theory. Anyway, what the film is really about is the story of Theeb (Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat) - a young boy who becomes stranded in the desert, and must rely on the kindness of the thief and bandit that killed his brother to survive. Theeb lives in a harsh corner of the globe at an extremely dangerous time, and if it's not the Turks or the landscape itself trying to kill him, it's blasted bandits who think nothing of maiming and murdering for loot. Theeb seems to find himself at a moral crossroads himself, and has to grow up fast if he's to survive at all - his natural curiosity and adventurousness have led him far from home, into conflict and an uneasy alliance. Coming from Jordan, this film has an authenticity that's impressive and is well worth your time - it plays on Arabian proverbs, which become it's theme and message.

7/10

https://i.postimg.cc/Y0S2dysK/gang-story.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47500926

A Gang Story - (2011)

There's not much information about French film A Gang Story to be found online, at least at first glance. It's purportedly based on the life of a real French gangster, Edmond Vidal, and is interesting as to it's look in at the cultural difference of French mobsters to Italian or American. Subtle differences - I mean, they still kill each other. The film's main storyline takes place with Vidal (Gérard Lanvin) and his cronies getting older, and wanting to put an end to the more violent aspects of their career path - but the top man's best buddy, Serge Suttel (Tchéky Karyo) has been arrested, and he feels obliged to break him out. During the breakout a cop is killed, and subsequently there are a series of murders which seem inexplicable to Vidal - there's something afoot he must discover. While all of this is going on, we get various flashbacks to when Vidal and Suttel first became friends and how they rose up the ranks to become the biggest crime kingpins in France. Gérard Lanvin is gruffly handsome, and I've always really liked Tchéky Karyo. People who like this kind of gangster flick might really enjoy this - although I never plan on returning to it, it was at least worth my time and had an interesting narrative, not to mention plenty of murder and mayhem. It isn't a classic by any stretch, but has a couple of fine performances and a nice kind of even tone to it.

6/10

[matt72582]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTc4NTM5NDQ4NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDg1MjkwMzE@._V1_.jpg


rating_2


I'd call this movie "off".. Mazursky, Woody Allen, and many others tried to make their own version of Fellini's "8 1/2" (only pertaining to their life) and they all come out bad. But, he also made my favorite, "Harry and Tonto".. Have you seen "Next Stop, Greenwich Village"? It's a good drama/comedy, and not one of those comedies with no humor. Shelley Winters is very good as usual. Christopher Walker is also very good in it.

[John-Connor]

SUNFLOWER 1970 ‘I girasoli’ Vittorio De Sica
92976
1h 47m | War | Romance
Writers: Tonino Guerra, Cesare Zavattini, Giorgi Mdivani
Cast: Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Lyudmila Saveleva

Un Classico!

4- (76/100)

[matt72582]

Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont - 7/10
Perfect blueprint, but I would have changed the writing for a 'tele-play' or whatever format they call this.... A little too much time spent on the mundane, and the moment you thought "good scene", it would be one line, and then cut to an entire set of characters, the minor characters, since they all live in a 'home'



https://youtu.be/CfZZOwogNT8

[matt72582]

SUNFLOWER 1970 ‘I girasoli’ Vittorio De Sica
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=92976
1h 47m | War | Romance
Writers: Tonino Guerra, Cesare Zavattini, Giorgi Mdivani
Cast: Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Lyudmila Saveleva

Un Classico!

rating_4- (76/100)





WOW! Someone finally saw my favorite love story on film. By my favorite director, Vittorio De Sica, who made a handful of movies with both of them, and they all are moving and unique.

[Stirchley]

92980
92981

Two very good movies.

[Gideon58]

I'd call this movie "off".. Mazursky, Woody Allen, and many others tried to make their own version of Fellini's "8 1/2" (only pertaining to their life) and they all come out bad. But, he also made my favorite, "Harry and Tonto".. Have you seen "Next Stop, Greenwich Village"? It's a good drama/comedy, and not one of those comedies with no humor. Shelley Winters is very good as usual. Christopher Walker is also very good in it.

Actually, Next Stop Greenwich Village is one of the few Mazursky films I have never seen. I have seen Harry and Tonto, which I think is severely overrated. Art Carney's Oscar win was purely sentimental. If you look at the other four nominees that year, do you really think Carney deserved to win?

[matt72582]

Actually, Next Stop Greenwich Village is one of the few Mazursky films I have never seen. I have seen Harry and Tonto, which I think is severely overrated. Art Carney's Oscar win was purely sentimental. If you look at the other four nominees that year, do you really think Carney deserved to win?


I do. I think Art Carney was amazing and I think it's a great movie. I didn't even recognize him from The Honeymooners

I thought the overrated performance that year was Ellen Burstyn. I think Gena Rowlands was the one who got ripped off, but they didn't want to give it to anti-Establishment Cassavetes Family.

[matt72582]

El Bruto - 7/10


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d5/ElBruto53.jpg

[beelzebubble]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=92980



I don't know what this is about. But just seeing this poster, I am all in.

[beelzebubble]

I do. I think Art Carney was amazing and I think it's a great movie. I didn't even recognize him from The Honeymooners




Harry and Tonto was one of my dad's favorite movies. RIP Dad.

[Gideon58]

I do. I think Art Carney was amazing and I think it's a great movie. I didn't even recognize him from The Honeymooners

I thought the overrated performance that year was Ellen Burstyn. I think Gena Rowlands was the one who got ripped off, but they didn't want to give it to anti-Establishment Cassavetes Family.

I think Burstyn's win was also an apology for not giving her the Oscar the previous year which she should have won for The Exorcist

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDNkNTRmMzEtYmEzNC00MTI5LWI5Y2QtZWM4Y2FkNzY5YjM1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAxNzQ1NzI@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg



4.5

[shahatboy]

Gilbert 2017

rating_4_5
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/07/Gilbert_Movie_Poster.jpg

this was very touching and sad documentary.



I'm sticking to my plan to only watching old films. which is going great , I'm like almost everything I've watched. and unfortunately they're not that many.


The Searchers 1965

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/SearchersPoster-BillGold.jpg


rating_4_5

wow this one blew me away,I probably should've seen it earlier than now. I loved the depressing story and cinematography was beautiful. one thing that didn't quiet worked for me was the comedy, it felt weird and out of place.


A Woman's Secret (1949)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/11/A_Woman%27s_Secret_Poster.jpg/220px-A_Woman%27s_Secret_Poster.jpg


rating_2_5

this one didn't bore me, but the story just wasn't interesting and the ending was disappointing to me since I was expecting the typical noir film storyline, the dialogue was funny and witty. the actresses were gorgeous and finally the whole inspector's wife just sucked.

I'm definitely commiting to only watching old films specifically noir. some of the things that make waching old films hard is how fast they talk ((espcially noir films )) and that makes it hard to follow sometimes, and for some weird reason sometimes I confuse female charaters with one another , sometmes they appear to look and sound like each other.

[Citizen Rules]

A Woman's Secret (1949)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/11/A_Woman%27s_Secret_Poster.jpg/220px-A_Woman%27s_Secret_Poster.jpg


rating_2_5

this one didn't bore me, but the story just wasn't interesting and the ending was disappointing to me since I was expecting the typical noir film storyline, the dialogue was funny and witty. the actresses were gorgeous and finally the whole inspector's wife just sucked.

I'm definitely commiting to only watching old films specifically noir. some of the things that make waching old films hard is how fast they talk ((espcially noir films )) and that makes it hard to follow sometimes, and for some weird reason sometimes I confuse female charaters with one another , sometmes they appear to look and sound like each other.Very cool you're doing a binge watch of old movies, that's a great way to immerse yourself in them. I love old noirs from the 40s-50s and I've seen A Woman's Secret (1949), but I hardly can remember it. I will say there's definitely way better noirs to watch. Take a look at my Top 10 movies on my profile, some great noirs there.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/64/Hounds_of_Love_%28film%29.jpg
By http://ftv01.stbm.it/imgbank/GALLERYXL/R201608/Hounds_of_Love_Press_Kit__ita9040820161705240-page-002.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52051588

Hounds of Love - (2016)

David and Catherine Birnie were couple of serial killers who operated not far from where I lived growing up - by the time they were caught they were torturing, raping and killing a woman (or girl) a week. Needless to say, they received much attention at the time - 1986. I have mixed feelings about a film being made which is based on their crimes. On the one hand, this is actually a really good film - it played at the Venice Film Festival where Ashleigh Cummings won the best actress award. It's extraordinarily tense and gripping, and is unflinching in the horrors it lays out in a very period-correct suburban home of the time. I would have been fine with it, if it had of stuck to the true story to the end - but Ben Young obviously wanted a more cinematic kind of climax, and it's his right to choose that path. I was just a little shocked, probably because the story is kind of sacrosanct to me. I can tell you what really happened without spoiling the film - the Birnie's last victim used cunning and wiles to set one against the other (David had a tendency to fall for his victims, an aspect of their depraved crimes which Catherine didn't like) which granted her a little more freedom, which she used to escape. At first the police didn't believe her story - but one female officer was impressed with the details, and long story short the Birnie's were sent to spend the rest of their lives in prison (David hung himself after 20 or so years behind bars - or at least, that's what I hear.) If you're up for a great horror/thriller, and have strong nerves - Hounds of Love is exceptional. I didn't like it as much because the altered ending turned this into an exploitation film which tramples the memory of some poor souls, and survivor Kate Moir did come out against the film.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/52/Good_Will_Hunting.png
By Box Office Mojo, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56680216

Good Will Hunting - (1997)

Being cocky and showing a lack of respect for others is a bad trait, but in someone with the gift of an incredible mind, good looks and youth - well, there's nothing more annoying. Will Hunting (Matt Damon) isn't a likeable person, and when he disrespects counsellor Dr. Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) you really want him to knock the kid's block off (which he almost does.) Good Will Hunting really gets underway when Maguire sits Will down in the park and delivers a devastating monologue which finally cuts this snot-nosed brat like a knife - and we learn that beneath the too cool for school aura is a frightened boy who's still imprisoned by the trauma he went through growing up being abused as a child. I think perhaps Ben Affleck and Matt Damon might have gone a little too far in making Will the next Einstein times a thousand (really) but there's still a lot to like about the screenplay they wrote and the characters they created, including Stellan Skarsgård's Professor Lambeau. This is a real Boston story, and Affleck would stick to the city a lot in his future films as Boston seems a unique place - a character in and of itself.

8/10

[Act III]

92993

Mission: Impossible 5 - Rogue Nation (2015)

This one is very close to being as good as MI3. Not much else to say except you should see this movie if you like action movies.

95/100

[John-Connor]

WOW! Someone finally saw my favorite love story on film. By my favorite director, Vittorio De Sica, who made a handful of movies with both of them, and they all are moving and unique.
Haven't seen all De Sica films yet but so far everything I have is exceptionally great.
My next Top 250 will probably feature two De Sica films. Great director paisan!
https://media.tenor.com/DRZGbyDoorYAAAAM/mama-m%C3%ADa-jos%C3%A9luis-gioia.gif

[matt72582]

Haven't seen all De Sica films yet but so far everything I have is exceptionally great.
My next Top 250 will probably feature two De Sica films. Great director paisan!
https://media.tenor.com/DRZGbyDoorYAAAAM/mama-m%C3%ADa-jos%C3%A9luis-gioia.gif


I'll just name my favorites in case you can't decide on a movie..


De Sica
-Umberto D
-Sunflower
-Shoeshine
-Bicycle Thieves
-The Roof
-Miracle in Milan (a bit of neo-realism fantasy - cute movie)
-A Brief Vacation
-Two Women


Visconti
-Beautiful (Bellissima)
-The Earth Trembles

-Rocco and his Brothers
-La Notti Bianche

[cricket]

Run Silent, Run Deep (1958)

3.5

https://fourstarfilmfan.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/run-silent-run-deep-1.png

Entertaining submarine film with a great cast including Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, Jack Warden, and Don Rickles. It's not PC, so I'll avoid saying it's a great guy film.

[cricket]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/64/Hounds_of_Love_%28film%29.jpg
By http://ftv01.stbm.it/imgbank/GALLERYXL/R201608/Hounds_of_Love_Press_Kit__ita9040820161705240-page-002.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52051588

Hounds of Love - (2016)

David and Catherine Birnie were couple of serial killers who operated not far from where I lived growing up - by the time they were caught they were torturing, raping and killing a woman (or girl) a week. Needless to say, they received much attention at the time - 1986. I have mixed feelings about a film being made which is based on their crimes. On the one hand, this is actually a really good film - it played at the Venice Film Festival where Ashleigh Cummings won the best actress award. It's extraordinarily tense and gripping, and is unflinching in the horrors it lays out in a very period-correct suburban home of the time. I would have been fine with it, if it had of stuck to the true story to the end - but Ben Young obviously wanted a more cinematic kind of climax, and it's his right to choose that path. I was just a little shocked, probably because the story is kind of sacrosanct to me. I can tell you what really happened without spoiling the film - the Birnie's last victim used cunning and wiles to set one against the other (David had a tendency to fall for his victims, an aspect of their depraved crimes which Catherine didn't like) which granted her a little more freedom, which she used to escape. At first the police didn't believe her story - but one female officer was impressed with the details, and long story short the Birnie's were sent to spend the rest of their lives in prison (David hung himself after 20 or so years behind bars - or at least, that's what I hear.) If you're up for a great horror/thriller, and have strong nerves - Hounds of Love is exceptional. I didn't like it as much because the altered ending turned this into an exploitation film which tramples the memory of some poor souls, and survivor Kate Moir did come out against the film.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/52/Good_Will_Hunting.png
By Box Office Mojo, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56680216

Good Will Hunting - (1997)

Being cocky and showing a lack of respect for others is a bad trait, but in someone with the gift of an incredible mind, good looks and youth - well, there's nothing more annoying. Will Hunting (Matt Damon) isn't a likeable person, and when he disrespects counsellor Dr. Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) you really want him to knock the kid's block off (which he almost does.) Good Will Hunting really gets underway when Maguire sits Will down in the park and delivers a devastating monologue which finally cuts this snot-nosed brat like a knife - and we learn that beneath the too cool for school aura is a frightened boy who's still imprisoned by the trauma he went through growing up being abused as a child. I think perhaps Ben Affleck and Matt Damon might have gone a little too far in making Will the next Einstein times a thousand (really) but there's still a lot to like about the screenplay they wrote and the characters they created, including Stellan Skarsgård's Professor Lambeau. This is a real Boston story, and Affleck would stick to the city a lot in his future films as Boston seems a unique place - a character in and of itself.

8/10

Love both of those, obviously

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/30/Ant-Man_and_the_Wasp_Quantumania_poster.jpg/220px-Ant-Man_and_the_Wasp_Quantumania_poster.jpg

3

SF = Z


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

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODM4MjBlN2QtMjFiMC00Yzc4LTlkYWMtMjY1YWY3ZjgxYmUwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg



2.5

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/Cat_People_1982_movie.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2394622

Cat People - (1982)

It's a little all over the place, but I'm somehow drawn to Cat People despite it's flaws. It's the kind of film that has certain moments, visual images and sounds that stick with you, and I'd place any blame as to why it's not better with Alan Ormsby's screenplay. Nastassia Kinski plays Irena Gallier as the film's focal point, descendant of a line of people who have merged their beings with black panthers (it's worth noting that the "panthers" in this film are cougars with their fur dyed black.) Malcolm McDowell plays her incestuous brother Paul, and while he tries to consummate some kind of "panthers can only do it with panthers" union with her, the two frequently turn into panthers when situations become sexually charged, and maul unsuspecting suitors. In the meantime Oliver Yates (John Heard) falls for, and pursues, the dangerous Irena. Like I say, the score, along with David Bowie's better version of Cat People (Putting Out Fire), sounds great and there's some nice cinematography and imagery. It all helps to build an atmosphere which the screenplay couldn't match. Malcolm McDowell can play a creepy incestuous brother quite well. I don't know if it makes much sense for me to give this a low score yet say that I like it - but that reflects the mixed feelings I have when it comes to Cat People.

5/10

[Thief]

TWENTY SOMETHING
(2021, Corbin)

https://i.imgur.com/7VCAazB.jpg


"Ever since I became an adult, everything's been a mess. I don't know what I'm doing. And I'm worried I never will."



Twenty Something follows Gia, as she deals with the insecurities of becoming an adult on her 21st birthday. When she goes to a club to celebrate with her older sister Nicole, Gia personifies her feelings in the form of three children of 16, 10, and 1 year old hiding inside a trenchcoat.

Twenty Something is probably one of the most adult-oriented of these Pixar SparkShorts, which I thought was refreshing. The 2D animation is pretty cool and, like I said, the way to tell this story was creative and cool. Maybe as adults, we don't know what we're doing, but as far as this short goes, director/writer Apthon Corbin surely knows what she's doing.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2390795#post2390795)

[John W Constantine]

Following - rewatch

The ending is either brilliant or Chris Nolan conveniency weak sauce.

4

[Raven73]

m3gan
(7/10)
The fear of IA has been around since 2001: A Space Odyssey (and maybe even before that), and it's even more relevant today.
The movie's biggest drawback for me was Violet McGraw's performance (she played the little girl who befriends M3gan), as she showed less emotional expression than the robot. I get that she shut down after the emotional trauma she suffered, but even in a fight sequence at the climax, she barely seemed bothered at all or even out of breath.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8XDqcqUjq5M/movieposter_en.jpg

[matt72582]

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning - 7.5/10
There aren't too many "Angry Young Man" movies, are there? Albert Finney is probably my favorite English actor, although I can't say I like too many. If there's no director and/or actor I know, I probably won't see it, but this is a re-watch. I remembered most of it, but it was on TCM (and YouTube) and thought I'd give it another go. I've tried to avoid seeing movies I've already seen, but I think "I can roll a few days worth of joints" since I don't have to see and hear every second of a movie I already know.



https://youtu.be/PrBY6gQqbvo

[Thursday Next]

Spiderman Across the Spiderverse (2023)


The animation in this is fantastic, truly. The story isn't quite in the same tier. There are interesting bits in terms of the multiverse but for me it lacked some of the energy and humour and general fun of the first film. There was a lot of parent teenager angst which I felt like I'd seen before (maybe it's a fixed point in canon). I felt a little short changed by the ending after nearly two and a half hours and so did a lot of other people in the cinema judging by the groans at the end.


Still, despite those gripes it's a good sight better than anything from the MCU in the past 3 years. Hobie is a good new character and there are some really fun multiverse bits which I won't spoil. The voice acting is excellent. And the animation is inspired.


4-

[Chypmunk]

Latest watches:
The Mouse That Roared 1959 2.5+
Champagne Safari 1954 2.5
Hell Ride 2008 1.5+
The Doorman 2020 2
Trial On The Road 1971/1986 4
The Outsider 2014 2.5
The Hunt 2020 2.5+
The Jurassic Games 2018 1+
Cry For The Bad Man aka The Last House 2019 1+
The Philadelphia Experiment 2012 2.5
Night Drive 2019 2
Death Trench 2017 3
Ace In The Hole 1951 4+
Survive The Night 2020 2

[matt72582]

Crisis - 7/10
Early Bergman. I was very distracted, and had to rewind several times, and will watch it again one day. I wish they would have explored Jenny more. Especially to humanize her. Jack was of no interest, and just a conduit for one scene, but took up so much screen time for nothing.



YouTube also has the full movie for free. Remastered and all that jazz. Looks great for 1946.



https://youtu.be/jJtfSFLrQNI

[matt72582]

Ace In The Hole 1951 rating_4+



It seems like everyone who sees it likes it.

So many have seen the movie "Network", but not this one, despite Kirk Douglas starring in it. The alternative titles don't help. I really hope more folks on this board would watch this movie, because it's aligned with the current day, of yellow journalism. "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" and "A Face In The Crowd" are other movies that fit. "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" another American microcosm.

[Pizikez]

Sole Survivor (1984) FTV

Ultimately, I think I kind of dug it. :up:

[Takoma11]

Spiderman Across the Spiderverse (2023)


The animation in this is fantastic, truly. The story isn't quite in the same tier.

I know it might not fully hit the magic of the first film, but I am SO excited about this movie.

[MrAlex]

STALKER (1979)


One of Tarkovsky's two Sci-fi films, based on the novel Roadside Picnic (the novel also an inspiration for the novel Annihilation)
This slow and meditative film about desire and faith wormed it's self into my brain. This film uses symbolism to zig when you think it will zag. It's a film where nothing happens, and everything happens.
Criterion Blue-Ray transfer is gorgeous!



9 out of 10.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Bloodoathposter.jpg
By Roadshow Entertainment - IMDb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14096424

Blood Oath - (1990)

At the close of the Second World War there was a complex reckoning due for the Japanese forces involving their POW camp operations - but the war crimes trials involving them were seemingly not as clear cut as their counterpart ones in Germany. Blood Oath explores some of those issues by basing itself on the real-life war crimes trial of the Japanese (who were the POWs now) for their actions on Ambon Island. Unwarranted executions, starvation and vicious beatings - the process of accounting for this started with the digging up of mass graves of Australian servicemen. This film had all of the potential to be really gripping, but it kind of gets bogged down in side-issues at times - it puts courtroom strategy above the interesting moral issues at play. Bryan Brown leads as best he can as prosecutor Captain Cooper, and he's backed up by Russel Crowe, who takes a back seat due to the fact that this was his film debut. Terry O'Quinn also stars as an American Major trying to interfere so that Vice-Admiral Baron Takahashi (George Takei) gets off and as such can contribute to the reconstruction of Japan and her economy. It all sounds so interesting, and at times it threatens to become really good - but it's almost like Blood Oath tries to cover too much ground, and too many separate trials, robbing the film of a good climax and any building of tension. We know the Japanese didn't give these prisoners court martials with all the attendant paperwork and record-keeping, so the pretense from one side and search from the other could probably have been handled with one or two lines of dialogue. As for the rest - all the ingredients are present, but they're simply not mixed together in a way that's ultimately as satisfying as it should be.

5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0a/The_Fifth_Estate_poster.jpg
By Derived from a digital capture (photo/scan) of the Film Poster/DVD Cover (creator of this digital version is irrelevant as the copyright in all equivalent images is still held by the same party). Copyright held by the film company or the artist. Claimed as fair use regardless., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40290800

The Fifth Estate - (2013)

An Australian accent is hard for non-Australian actors to master, even though some slog through repeated efforts (Robert Downey Jr. for example) despite mangling it and sounding ridiculous. Benedict Cumberbatch does the best in The Fifth Estate that I've ever heard. As for his portrayal of Julian Assange and the general story of the explosive growth of Wikileaks and what that did to the world, along with his friendship with Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl) - the truth or propaganda? I have no idea. Assange rattled the cage so much that I can't tell what's retribution, reflection or re-iteration, and as such it's hard to judge the man himself. The film is interesting without being absolutely smashingly great - and I have to admit that my favourite parts were the ones that dealt with U.S. State Department figures Sarah Shaw (Laura Linney) and James Boswell (Stanley Tucci) along with the mess they found themselves in after nearly every private word they'd had about foreign leaders was suddenly out there for everyone to read. Anyway - great stuff from Benedict Cumberbatch.

6/10

[ScarletLion]

‘Safe Place’ (2022)

Directed by Juraj Lerotić

https://filmcarnage.files.wordpress.com/2023/03/safe-place.jpg?w=930&h=450&crop=1

Croatian Juraj Lerotić directs this haunting film and also stars in it as a man whose brother is hellbent on inflicting self harm. It’s bleak and covers the most harrowing of subjects but Lerotić has created a mini masterpiece here. Drawing on his own life experience, this must have been a deeply personal film to make. The film has no score to it and most of the time the camera is stable, just observing.

Save for one magical surrealist type scene (a very bold, meta-like choice from the director), the realism on show is on another level, no doubt assisted by the autobiographical nature of the project. The film is set over a 24 hour period where Bruno (Lerotić) runs to the apartment of his brother Damir, afraid that he might do something silly as he sounded very odd on the phone. Damir is played by Goran Markovic, and if there’s a better performance this year I’d love to see it. His doe eyed, tormented, vulnerability masterfully executed.

Damir’s actions result in the emergency services being called – most of which are shown to be unsympathetic and bordering on negligent. Lerotić doesn’t hold back here which suggests a level of anger in his experiences. Safe place is a film that shows us how desperate some people are, and how sometimes - knowing what the right thing to do is practically impossible. No doubt some people will lazily label this film as ‘depressing’, but it is a staggering accomplishment beautifully put together.

And this is Juraj Lerotić’s debut feature! Highly recommended.

4.5

[ScarletLion]

'Through the Olive Trees' (1994)

Directed by Abbas Kiarostami

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0a/Through_the_Olive_Trees_poster.jpg

I watched the 2nd and 3rd films of Kiarostami’s Koker trilogy back to back and glad I did as the third directly follows up the 2nd (‘Life and Nothing More’). The third film is insane in terms of ‘meta’ – even for Kiarostami. Like his films ‘Close up’ and’ Life and Nothing More’, this film peels back a layer of reality and films it – but here we are seeing Kiarostami making a film about the making of a film about the making of a film about a film he made. I think that’s right, (it makes the viewers head spin).

Kiarostami is blending reality and cinema, then making a film about the process. The person playing The Director in this film (Mohamad Ali Keshavarz) is the only professional actor in the entire trilogy. At one stage, celebrated Iranian director Jafar Panahi pops up playing a version of himself, as assistant director on ‘Life and Nothing More’. Integral to the story in the third film is the ‘narrative’ tale of Hossein (a local lad who was shipped in to play a role in the 2nd film) and Tahereh, a local girl who he wants to marry but whose family doesn’t want her to marry him. He consistently asks her to give him a go even if he has no house and cannot read. There’s something quite charming about his persistence, and even up to the end, Kiarostami keeps us guessing (the ending is a beautiful, ambiguous wide shot). Is this tale actually real? Is Hossein acting to Kiarostami’s script? Or is Kiarostami just filming Hossein’s actual attempts at wooing a girl? How Kiarostami blended this into a 90 minute film that warped time and reality is nothing short of miraculous. It’s a poetic tribute to film-making, love, traditions and people.

The whole trilogy is a masterpiece and surely one of the greatest trilogies ever made.

4.5

[Iroquois]

Paul Blart: Mall Cop - 0.5

you guys lied to me

[cricket]

Air (2023)

4.5

https://64.media.tumblr.com/110be0d6ad5f66fed3be1ec7842f18ea/329c51b65004ab6a-fd/s540x810/e0a6d180bde7e480fdcc35dbda341042d7826e1e.gif

Ben Affleck has proven to be a personal favorite director. This movie is not extraordinary in any way but there's nothing about it I didn't like. Viola Davis and Jason Bateman can do know wrong. An extra half popcorn given for my own personal feelings because I was emotional for much of the movie. Before I was an ahole from Boston, I was once a 13yo boy growing up in Chicago during Michael Jordan's rookie season. He meant a lot to me and he still does.

[Stirchley]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Bloodoathposter.jpg
By Roadshow Entertainment - IMDb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14096424

Blood Oath - (1990)

At the close of the Second World War there was a complex reckoning due for the Japanese forces involving their POW camp operations - but the war crimes trials involving them were seemingly not as clear cut as their counterpart ones in Germany. Blood Oath explores some of those issues by basing itself on the real-life war crimes trial of the Japanese (who were the POWs now) for their actions on Ambon Island. Unwarranted executions, starvation and vicious beatings - the process of accounting for this started with the digging up of mass graves of Australian servicemen. This film had all of the potential to be really gripping, but it kind of gets bogged down in side-issues at times - it puts courtroom strategy above the interesting moral issues at play. Bryan Brown leads as best he can as prosecutor Captain Cooper, and he's backed up by Russel Crowe, who takes a back seat due to the fact that this was his film debut. Terry O'Quinn also stars as an American Major trying to interfere so that Vice-Admiral Baron Takahashi (George Takei) gets off and as such can contribute to the reconstruction of Japan and her economy. It all sounds so interesting, and at times it threatens to become really good - but it's almost like Blood Oath tries to cover too much ground, and too many separate trials, robbing the film of a good climax and any building of tension. We know the Japanese didn't give these prisoners court martials with all the attendant paperwork and record-keeping, so the pretense from one side and search from the other could probably have been handled with one or two lines of dialogue. As for the rest - all the ingredients are present, but they're simply not mixed together in a way that's ultimately as satisfying as it should be.

The Japanese were brutal in WWII. They despised POWs & treated them accordingly.

China & Korea suffered dreadfully under their rule too. The Japanese despised both countries.

[Stirchley]

93015

Good movie. I enjoyed it. Lead actress very good. Adorable baby especially when he wasn’t bawling his eyes out. :p

[Sedai]

Bodies Bodies Bodies
Halina Reijn, 2022

3

https://poplifestl.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/bodies-bodies-bodies-r-rating-featured.jpg

For the first 15 minutes or so, I wasn't sure I was going to stick with this one, as I found pretty much all of the characters to be really grating. Glad I stuck with it, as it turned out to be a pretty clever little whodunnit. By then end, I ended up liking most of the cast, which is comprised of a pretty talented group. The film used its dark spaces really well, and although not as tightly written as Knives Out, a film with which this film shares DNA, it was still a fun watch.

If I had to try to pull some subtext, it is that Gen Z has become extremely reactionary due to a deluge of (mis)information that is more often than not presented without context. This, combined with a confusing, ever-shifting moral landscape, makes smooth and rewarding social interactions nigh impossible. The film doesn't pull many punches in its analysis of this young generation, that's for sure. I did knock a half-box off for the annoying OST, most of which was pretty terrible.

[Thief]

THE MYSTERY OF GREEN HILL
(2017, Černić)

https://i.imgur.com/xMW8oiT.jpg


"Some are lucky with fish, some are lucky with thieves."



Set in Croatia, The Mystery of Green Hill follows a group of five friends as they set out to investigate a series of burglaries in their rural home town of Green Hill. As is usual, the five kids fit the typical stereotypes: there's the main kid, Koko (Marko Tocilj), there's the romantic one, the "nerdy" one (big glasses and all), the cynical one, and the "fat" one. Fortunately, the five actors have a solid chemistry, and although none of them are bad actors, it anyway compensates for whatever they may lack in acting talent.

The story about the burglaries is intriguing, and so are the ways the kids go to try to solve it. However, the pace is a bit off, as it juggles the main story with some brief subplots about the kid's relatives, as well as their daily mingling as they hang out around town or in the lake fishing (hence the above quote as they have fun fishing). There is a bit of a payoff with these subplots in the end, but I think the execution in the middle could've been better. Overall, the direction is pretty solid and the film is entertaining, even if feels a bit generic.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2391017#post2391017)

[Fabulous]

The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956)

2.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/lJb0nZ8NbAu2cjrZmTkGobPSsm4.jpg

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b4/Spider-Man-_Across_the_Spider-Verse_poster.jpg
By https://twitter.com/SpiderVerse/status/1651254816025313281/photo/1, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72536149

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - (2023)

That's a lot to take in - but I thoroughly enjoyed taking it in. Across the Spider-Verse continues giving us that mish-mash of illustration-style and animation that made the first film so great, and it wastes no time in wowing us with the impressive imagination the people making these have. Not only that, but buzzing past are hundreds of Easter eggs and little references that make this so much fun. Of course, that wouldn't be worth much if it didn't have that same level of storytelling competence, and I thought that came through as well, with solid character growth and more emphasis on Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld) and her story to start things off. Mainly though, I was just in love with the visionary artwork - so inventive and so wonderfully incorporating so many different drawing styles, computer animation and innovative visual flair. It's rare that I get to go see a movie and just enjoy every image that's thrown my way - and thank goodness I'm not an epileptic or anything because this movie is surely dangerous for them to see. I'd sure like to just score this and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse as a whole, but for now I'll give this a slightly lower score than the first film. It might not be as good, but I mean that in a very, very slight way. It's still pretty marvelous.

8.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e4/MyFellowAmericansMoviePoster.jpg
By Source: http://www.movieposter.com/poster/A70-5871/My_Fellow_Americans.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9799806

My Fellow Americans - (1996)

Have you ever watched a movie and wished that the whole thing had of been based on a fun side-character you don't see enough of? John Heard plays Vice President Ted Matthews in this, and he was giving me belly laughs. Unfortunately he disappears around 30 minutes into the movie, and we don't see him again until the end - I tell you though, a Vice President is the perfect person to base comedy around (and no, I've never seen an episode of Veep.) But I'm afraid I'm going to have to offer my opinion on the actual film here - two ex-presidents and fierce rivals on the run due to some corrupt scheme which current President William Haney (Dan Aykroyd) is trying to keep quiet. As usual, Aykroyd probably only wanted to spend a couple of days earning a huge paycheck - and this film boils down to an 'Odd-Couple' type movie with Jack Lemmon and James Garner as the aforementioned ex-Presidents. There's not much really great comedy in this, but whenever one or both of them pop up and surprise strangers in the middle of nowhere like they're meant to be there - espousing the American wilderness or just surveying campers - it's pretty funny. The rest is not quite there. Watching the bloopers, you can see that Jack Lemmon was having a ball making this. I'm happy he was - but Peter Segal and the writers he had are not great comedic talents so I can't really give this film a hearty thumbs up.

5/10

[ScarletLion]

The Blue Caftan (2023)

Directed by Maryam Touzani

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYzA2ZWNjYTAtZDA2Mi00NzY4LThkNzEtZGIzODEwNTRmNjFkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTA0MDg1ODQ4._V1_.jpg


The Blue Caftan is Maryam Touzani’s second feature and tells the story of a man (Halim) and his unwell wife (Mina). Halim is a maalem (tailor) who finely crafts intricate designs onto beautiful caftans and dresses. Halim is also gay, a secret that his wife knows but is barely spoken about. The trouble is – living in Morocco is not a pleasurable experience for any gay person. Halim frequents the local baths to fulfill his desires and takes good care of his wife when at home.

Mina is played by Lubna Azabal (who was so excellent in Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Incendies’), and again here she is outstanding. Her illness starts to get the better of her but she is devoted to her husband despite his sexuality. The chemistry between the two is beautiful. When the latest apprentice arrives to help Halim with his ever increasing workload, things start to get complicated. The Blue Caftan is a thoroughly predictable film, but it’s beauty and believability sweeps that aside as you can just let the story wash over you and take you on its journey.

Virginie Surdej’s cinematography is notable with lots of close ups of embroidery and hands (almost Phantom Thread like in that respect). The film won the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes among others.

7.6/10

4

[Thief]

MATAR A UN MUERTO
(2019, Giménez)

https://i.imgur.com/5ZAbeZN.jpg


"Those that come here must be buried. We know that's how it has to be."



That's the principle by which Pastor and Dionisio (Ever Enciso and Aníbal Ortíz) live by. Their job is to bury the bodies of political victims of the 1978 dictatorship in Paraguay. But when one of these "bodies" turns up not as "dead" as he should be, Pastor and Dionisio must figure out whether to follow their rules and protect both their lives or follow their conscience endangering all three in the aptly titled drama, Killing the Dead (or Matar a un Muerto).

Directed by Hugo Giménez, this was Paraguay's submission for the Academy Awards in 2020, and you can easily see why. Matar a un Muerto is gorgeously shot and directed, taking a lot of advantage of its rural setting, the vegetation, and the resulting lights and shadows. Giménez does a great job of putting his actors in places where these natural elements either hide them or highlight them, depending on their situation.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2391195#post2391195)

[Gideon58]

A Woman's Secret (1949)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/11/A_Woman%27s_Secret_Poster.jpg/220px-A_Woman%27s_Secret_Poster.jpg


rating_2_5

this one didn't bore me, but the story just wasn't interesting and the ending was disappointing to me since I was expecting the typical noir film storyline, the dialogue was funny and witty. the actresses were gorgeous and finally the whole inspector's wife just sucked.

I'm definitely commiting to only watching old films specifically noir. some of the things that make waching old films hard is how fast they talk ((espcially noir films )) and that makes it hard to follow sometimes, and for some weird reason sometimes I confuse female charaters with one another , sometmes they appear to look and sound like each other.[/QUOTE]

I had my own issues with A Woman's Secret....way too many plot holes. If it hadn't been for Gloria Grahame, I probably wouldn't have watched the whole thing. here's a link to my review of the film:

https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/1974782-a_womans_secret.html

[Sedai]

Inside Man
Lee, 2006

https://img.over-blog-kiwi.com/1/58/91/76/20190814/ob_fb7050_inside-man.png

4

At some point over the years, I managed to conflate this film with 1999's The Insider. This had the effect of causing me to skip over and ignore this film whenever it would float by on a streaming service, even though I knew The Insider starred Russel Crowe, and this film featured Denzel Washington on the cover. Last night, I actually took the time to read the description, which made me realize my error.

I am glad I realized this, as both my wife and I ended up enjoying Spike Lee's Inside Man quite a bit. All the players were excellent, the pacing nice and brisk, and the screenplay was clever and fun to watch unfold. I love a good heist flick, and this certainly qualifies.


V: The Original Miniseries
Johnson, 1983

https://i0.wp.com/musingsofamiddleagedgeek.blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/v-1983-tv-crop.jpg?resize=1000%2C600&ssl=1

3_5

Last week, a screenshot, or a meme, or perhaps a quote from this old 1983 mini floated by, which got me thinking about it. I figured I would dig it up and watch it again after all these years. I fully expect a bunch of corny dialogue, bad acting, and a weak story all wrapped in cringey 80's TV level special effects.

I was right about the special effects, although they were perhaps a bit above what I expected. Other than that, I must say I was surprised to find a pretty damned good alien invasion movie. The acting was for the most part down-to-earth and believable, and the themes still resonate today. Sure, the Nazi allegory was on-the-nose, but the themes of sacrifice and banding together in the face of authoritarian rule are pretty much timeless. Most of the acting was better than I expected, really, with maybe Faye Grant and Mark Singer being a bit wobbly in some scenes.

I was also surprised to find some of the scenes to be quite affecting emotionally. I plan on watching V: The Final Battle when I get a chance to see how that holds up.

[Fabulous]

Bedazzled (1967)

3.5

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/fws5qlFGXrWcuZMgvsZFsSEAF2J.jpg

[Gideon58]

https://pics.filmaffinity.com/AIR-953477799-large.jpg


4

[beelzebubble]

The Japanese were brutal in WWII. They despised POWs & treated them accordingly.

China & Korea suffered dreadfully under their rule too. The Japanese despised both countries.


Blood Oath was made in a time in which Japan was on its high as a world power. I remember a lot of changes to movies and books were made in order to dampen the heinousness of Japan's part in WWII and its role in the pre-war Asia and the Pacific. There was definitely a lot of catering to Japanese interests in the Eighties in the US. I don't know how it was in Australia then.

[Guaporense]

Stuff I watched this weekend:

7 Years in Tibet (1997)

http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/2/Open/Sony%20Pictures/Seven%20Years%20in%20Tibet/_derived_jpg_q90_600x800_m0/Seven%20Years%20in%20Tibet_5.jpg?partner=allmovie_soap

It has Brad Pit being Brat Pitt, he was inversely good in acting out different roles as he was handsome. :D A good movie, but not great: lacks the gravitas it is trying to aim for. I found it interesting mostly for the historical perspective of an Austrian living in Tibet before modernity reached the region.

Knives Out (2019)

https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Knives-Out-Movie-Review.jpg

I actually watched Glass Onion recently, so I decided to check out the original, Knives Out. I found this movie more interesting than Glass Onion. It is less over-the-top comedy and more like a normal detective movie. I was pleasantly surprised by its high quality, being a straightforward Hollywood movie made in 2019 that feels like it could have been made 20 years earlier.

[GulfportDoc]

A Woman's Secret (1949)

rating_2_5

this one didn't bore me, but the story just wasn't interesting and the ending was disappointing to me since I was expecting the typical noir film storyline, the dialogue was funny and witty. the actresses were gorgeous and finally the whole inspector's wife just sucked.

I'm definitely commiting to only watching old films specifically noir. some of the things that make waching old films hard is how fast they talk ((espcially noir films )) and that makes it hard to follow sometimes, and for some weird reason sometimes I confuse female charaters with one another , sometmes they appear to look and sound like each other.

I had my own issues with A Woman's Secret....way too many plot holes. If it hadn't been for Gloria Grahame, I probably wouldn't have watched the whole thing. here's a link to my review of the film:

https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/1974782-a_womans_secret.html
It's strange that with Nicholas Ray (In a Lonely Place; Rebel Without a Cause) directing, and Herman J. Mankiewicz (Citizen Kane; Wizard of Oz), not to mention the star actors, that the picture was so mediocre. Maybe that's why I can't recall much about it...:D

[beelzebubble]

Bodies Bodies Bodies
Halina Reijn, 2022

rating_3

https://poplifestl.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/bodies-bodies-bodies-r-rating-featured.jpg

For the first 15 minutes or so, I wasn't sure I was going to stick with this one, as I found pretty much all of the characters to be really grating. Glad I stuck with it, as it turned out to be a pretty clever little whodunnit. By then end, I ended up liking most of the cast, which is comprised of a pretty talented group. The film used its dark spaces really well, and although not as tightly written as Knives Out, a film with which this film shares DNA, it was still a fun watch.

If I had to try to pull some subtext, it is that Gen Z has become extremely reactionary due to a deluge of (mis)information that is more often than not presented without context. This, combined with a confusing, ever-shifting moral landscape, makes smooth and rewarding social interactions nigh impossible. The film doesn't pull many punches in its analysis of this young generation, that's for sure. I did knock a half-box off for the annoying OST, most of which was pretty terrible.


I strated watching this but lost interest. Maybe I will give it another chance.

[Jackie Daytona]

Bodies Bodies Bodies was great imo. Good word from the young actors, fresh twist on the murder mystery genre. A fine study in how paranoia can metastasize and grow out of control.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/91/Whatdreamsposter.jpeg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15732941

What Dreams May Come - (1998)

I've steered clear of this film for some time, but as I get older my thoughts turn more and more to the strange conundrum of my mind ceasing to exist for all eternity - and it leads me to kind of meditate on the question of what constitutes my thoughts, and my very existence. So, I had a change of heart - I decided that I'd indeed be interested in what this film imagined an afterlife to be. By it's very nature, it has to use physical reality as a basis of what it shows us - so it's always going to be imperfect - but it basically postulates that consciousness and thought continues in some form, and our identity stays intact - only unfettered by having a physical body. There are some tremendous visuals in the film, which represent the imagination of various spirits who exist in a realm of pure imaginative creation. The story though, is a little thin and anemic - and Robin Williams seems unsuited to a role which would have better fit a more handsome and dashing actor. His character's wife, Annie (Annabella Sciorra) ends up in "hell" after committing suicide, and you could have knocked me over with a feather when Werner Herzog showed up for a bizarre cameo. I wonder how that happened. Anyway, she's to be rescued by her soulmate (who seems to be based on Patch Adams going by what we see in this film) - something that's never been done before. It's an uncomfortable turn of events given how Robin Williams' life actually ended.

5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9a/Kinky_Boots_%28movie_poster%29.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15578358

Kinky Boots - (2005)

My film choices have been dreadful lately. I don't know what to say about Kinky Boots - it's so normal and average in every way, and I was genuinely bored watching it. I don't often get bored watching films. It's an "inspired by a true story" kind of film about a shoe factory that Charlie Price (Joel Edgerton) has inherited from his father. Set in working class Northampton, it's workers are rough, rugged and conservative people who have been turning out the same kind of boots ever since they started working there - but the factory is in some financial strife, and through a series of events too boring and predictable for me to be bothered to outline, Charlie stumbles into the idea of making footwear for a niche market - drag queens, who need sturdy boots that look feminine but can take a man's weight. Lola (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is the transvestite Charlie befriends who gives advice and models the boots in Milan. Nick Frost appears as a chauvinistic manly man's man who eventually sees the light and accepts people like Lola (real name Simon.) Edgerton really seems to struggle with this role, and he's given little help by the rest of the cast or director Julian Jarrold. Without a really appealing lead performance, funny writing or interesting story (the soundtrack isn't too bad) this film simply drags (pun not intended) along until it's predictable and unexciting end.

5/10

[Hannibal sa'lector]

The Frighteners, a Thursday night watch with my best pal over some light refreshments 👌👌 8.5

[PHOENIX74]

Blood Oath was made in a time in which Japan was on its high as a world power. I remember a lot of changes to movies and books were made in order to dampen the heinousness of Japan's part in WWII and its role in the pre-war Asia and the Pacific. There was definitely a lot of catering to Japanese interests in the Eighties in the US. I don't know how it was in Australia then.

Frustrating would be a good word to describe what it was like, it was never dampened here, although the crux of the issue for us was the way these crimes were basically completely covered up and never mentioned in Japan itself. The fact that their schoolkids would never learn about any of the atrocities and be spoon-fed a diet of only good things being said about their conduct was galling to us - especially those who had suffered a great deal. Germany as a whole went through a whole process of having to deal with shame and guilt, and had to learn about what went wrong with their society - but in Japan it was a process of complete denial. For Australians, it was just frustrating.

[MovieBuffering]

Air - 2023

I'll be short and sweet. Well made of course being Damon and Affleck. I just don't think this film was really necessary. Maybe if you don't follow basketball you could find it suspenseful but there was nothing new I learned or any suspense gain from the film for me. I think even causals would know how this ended with MJ and Nike. Entertaining enough but just sort of a safe film.

I also feel like they made MJ's mom pimp him out in a scene. It was kind of nauseating scene to me. Think they just made it more of a meaty role just to have an excuse to put Viola Davis in the flick. Not sure if his mom was that involved. Plus the not showing MJ felt like that was MJ telling them he didn't really give them his blessing for it.

Anyways it's a fine enough film. If you like Damon and Affleck you will enjoy it. I just think it was sort of forgettably safe film to me.

2.5

https://dailyevergreen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Air-poster-731x900.jpg

[parkgroveapartment]

An german Series Biohacker

[ScarletLion]

'Showing Up' (2023)

Directed by Kelly Reichardt

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/w780/wFZ0b8r8pGLubLUFO2SoNGzyRbp.jpg

Kelly Reichardt's latest film is another suitably quiet one about quiet people. Michelle Williams is superb as the rather grumpy daughter Lizzy, who dresses like a 75 year old woman, lives alone and makes sculptures in her spare time when she's not working at the Portland art school run by her mother.

Her father, divorced from her mother is a bluffing old former potter who lives on past glories, that are mostly unfounded. Her brother Sean is a manic depressive and unemployed. Her landlord Jo, is also an artist and cares more about her exhibition and social life than fixing the hot water in Lizzy’s apartment.

Lizzy may be grumpy, cantankerous and awkward but throughout the film she’s the only character that seems to have a caring nature. She cares for an injured pigeon, she cares about the whereabouts of her brother when he goes out and she cares about her dad (and worries the sponging, freeloading grifter couple who have seemingly squatter in her father’s house – who provide most of the comedic moments in the film).

At it’s heart the film is about art versus nature and how they intertwine via the human element. There are symbols here to be discovered concerning Lizzy’s sculptures, caring and the injured pigeon. The end scene is one of the most beautiful of the year which doesn’t need spoiling.

Michelle Williams is a brilliant actress and Kelly Reichardt is a brilliant director.

4

[cricket]

The Fog of War (2003)

3.5

https://videokrypt.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/fog-of-war-this-close.jpg

It's practically Robert McNamara's life story, at least professionally, narrated by him. He was in the army during World War II and then during the Vietnam era he was secretary of defense. In his 80's at the time of filming, he talks about different wars and conflicts, how close we have come to nuclear war, what he's proud of and his regrets. It's on our documentary list and it's a good watch. They really should have done something about his teeth because I got sick of looking at them.

[Citizen Rules]

'Showing Up' (2023)

Directed by Kelly Reichardt

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/w780/wFZ0b8r8pGLubLUFO2SoNGzyRbp.jpg

Kelly Reichardt's latest film is another suitably quiet one about quiet people. Michelle Williams is superb as the rather grumpy daughter Lizzy, who dresses like a 75 year old woman, lives alone and makes sculptures in her spare time when she's not working at the Portland art school run by her mother.

Her father, divorced from her mother is a bluffing old former potter who lives on past glories, that are mostly unfounded. Her brother Sean is a manic depressive and unemployed. Her landlord Jo, is also an artist and cares more about her exhibition and social life than fixing the hot water in Lizzy’s apartment.

Lizzy may be grumpy, cantankerous and awkward but throughout the film she’s the only character that seems to have a caring nature. She cares for an injured pigeon, she cares about the whereabouts of her brother when he goes out and she cares about her dad (and worries the sponging, freeloading grifter couple who have seemingly squatter in her father’s house – who provide most of the comedic moments in the film).

At it’s heart the film is about art versus nature and how they intertwine via the human element. There are symbols here to be discovered concerning Lizzy’s sculptures, caring and the injured pigeon. The end scene is one of the most beautiful of the year which doesn’t need spoiling.

Michelle Williams is a brilliant actress and Kelly Reichardt is a brilliant director.

rating_4
So glad to hear a positive review and your description of the movie makes me want to see it sooner than later. Kelly Reichardt is my favorite currently working director and I've seen all of her feature films except her latest Showing Up....Glad to see Michelle Williams is in another of Reichardt's films.

[ScarletLion]

So glad to hear a positive review and your description of the movie makes me want to see it sooner than later. Kelly Reichardt is my favorite currently working director and I've seen all of her feature films except her latest Showing Up....Glad to see Michelle Williams is in another of Reichardt's films.


If you liked her others then I think you'll like this. Michelle Williams is just great. I just wanted to give her a great big hug. I think it's Reichardt's funniest film, though probably not an outright comedy. At times it felt like a 'Wendy and Lucy 15 years on' film. Which still remains my favourite of hers.

[Stirchley]

'Showing Up' (2023)

Directed by Kelly Reichardt

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/w780/wFZ0b8r8pGLubLUFO2SoNGzyRbp.jpg

Kelly Reichardt's latest film is another suitably quiet one about quiet people. Michelle Williams is superb as the rather grumpy daughter Lizzy, who dresses like a 75 year old woman, lives alone and makes sculptures in her spare time when she's not working at the Portland art school run by her mother.

Her father, divorced from her mother is a bluffing old former potter who lives on past glories, that are mostly unfounded. Her brother Sean is a manic depressive and unemployed. Her landlord Jo, is also an artist and cares more about her exhibition and social life than fixing the hot water in Lizzy’s apartment.

Lizzy may be grumpy, cantankerous and awkward but throughout the film she’s the only character that seems to have a caring nature. She cares for an injured pigeon, she cares about the whereabouts of her brother when he goes out and she cares about her dad (and worries the sponging, freeloading grifter couple who have seemingly squatter in her father’s house – who provide most of the comedic moments in the film).

At it’s heart the film is about art versus nature and how they intertwine via the human element. There are symbols here to be discovered concerning Lizzy’s sculptures, caring and the injured pigeon. The end scene is one of the most beautiful of the year which doesn’t need spoiling.

Michelle Williams is a brilliant actress and Kelly Reichardt is a brilliant director.

4

Do you see your movies at the theater? Because you always seem to watch movies that aren’t available for streaming in America yet. (I love Kelly’s movies too.)

[Stirchley]

93058

This was rather lovely.

[Fabulous]

Coming Home (1978)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/qhv8bDsB2U1C6R4DAntuAfelOiE.jpg

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZDA3NDExMTUtMDlhOC00MmQ5LWExZGUtYmI1NGVlZWI4OWNiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc1NTYyMjg@._V1_.jpg


4.5

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1a/Veronica_Guerin_movie_poster.jpg
By May be found at the following website: MoviePosterDB.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1419362

Veronica Guerin - (2003)

For whatever random reason I'm in the mood for something - last night it was for a film with a murder in it. This is based on the true-life story of Veronica Guerin, who was a newspaper reporter for the Sunday Independent in Ireland. Doing an investigative series on drug-related crime in Dublin, she was gunned down - an event that led to new laws being passed that targeted drug barons, stripping them of the wealth they'd accumulated through that particularly dirty trade. Guerin (who dies at the start of the film, which then goes back to look at the events leading to her death) is played by Cate Blanchett as a very feisty and fun-loving woman - crazy brave and dedicated to her job. From the get-go you see her doing things that are borderline foolhardy - going down dark alleys and places that seem highly dangerous, and confronting criminal overlords known for violence and suspected killings. You'll see Guerin get shot once, and beat to a bloody pulp, not to mention have shots fired through her family home's windows, her little boy threatened and more. It's like a red rag to a bull - there's nothing that can stop this woman doing the right thing and going after these people. On the one hand, she's completely crazy - but on the other, if everyone were like Veronica Guerin, we'd be living in a much better world. Ciarán Hinds - a very interesting actor - is the only other person in this who really stands out. Joel Schumacher mostly gets out of Cate Blanchett's way and lets her embody her character - lifting this film a couple of notches. Colin Farrell pops in for a cameo. This was an okay film - better than most of the stuff I've been watching lately anyway.

6/10

[ScarletLion]

Do you see your movies at the theater? Because you always seem to watch movies that aren’t available for streaming in America yet. (I love Kelly’s movies too.)

Yes, lots of the time I go to my local arthouse cinema. But this film is streaming on:

Google Play Movies US
Vudu US
DIRECTV US
YouTube US
Microsoft Store US

[Fabulous]

The Hit (1984)

3

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/8zGs8ejolcSrd5PAuQoY1MoKkZP.jpg

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fgibraltar-chronicle-images%2F2022%2F10%2FThe-Mount-Page-1-600x315.png&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=d031555547be568fb5196946c9494b26b0ed8b211dc78f53532a139fb5e1a526&ipo=images

The Mount, 2021

1.5

Full review (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2391555#post2391555)

[matt72582]

Ples v dezju - 8/10

I think this movie is a lot better than "Last Year In Marienbad"

https://youtu.be/RYpmuMymC2A

[matt72582]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fgibraltar-chronicle-images%2F2022%2F10%2FThe-Mount-Page-1-600x315.png&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=d031555547be568fb5196946c9494b26b0ed8b211dc78f53532a139fb5e1a526&ipo=images

The Mount, 2021

rating_1_5

Full review (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2391555#post2391555)


It's too bad your score couldn't correlate with the first paragraph of your review. Sounds like it could have been good.

[Takoma11]

It's too bad your score couldn't correlate with the first paragraph of your review. Sounds like it could have been good.

Yeah, I'm not sure I've ever had a movie drop itself off of a cliff so sharply.

[Corax]

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/1ulQDewUG4KKHOhpXdGKm3GdLFq.jpg


It's still good. Go figure.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTdkZjE3NzgtNTZmZi00ZDQyLWEyZWItZjhiYWM3ZGYxY2Q5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQzNTA5MzYz._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg


4

[GulfportDoc]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZDA3NDExMTUtMDlhOC00MmQ5LWExZGUtYmI1NGVlZWI4OWNiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc1NTYyMjg@._V1_.jpg


rating_4_5
Oh God! What a film. One of Hitch's best that I never get tired of re-watching. Talk about a sizzle between Grant and Eve Marie Saint! One of B. Herrmann's finest scores.

[cricket]

Men Without Wings (1946)

3.5-

https://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w936/files/images/film/photos/165/464/165464341_92fead.jpg

Blind watch from the Cannes list, and a crazy coincidence that it was about the exact same true story as the last movie I watched, which I didn't pick out. This is a Czech film about the rebel assassination of Nazi Reinhard Heydrich during the occupation of Czechoslovakia during World War II, and it's fall out. I watched it on Rarefilm.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.a0fc81dyLUE_YjAOAJD3pgHaEK%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=715b369190e7e960b92c2ed760511a32392147f4b49a787195762a448ed5230b&ipo=images

Wittgenstein, 1993

A brisk and charming biographical comedy, and an easy recommend.

4

Full review (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2391597#post2391597)

[Mr Minio]

I think this movie is a lot better than "Last Year In Marienbad"

You must be tripping.

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/TwHTd6Jx/The-Third-Man-1949-American-theatrical-poster.jpg
By "Copyright 1949 Selznick Releasing Organization, Inc. Country of Origin U.S.A." - Scan via Heritage Auctions. Cropped from the original image and lightly retouched to repair the torn upper-left corner., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=85714336

The Third Man - (1949)

This was an impromptu watch - a time-filler, but this second viewing of The Third Man absolutely stole my attention. Every scene in it demands attentiveness - each one with clever little things going on in it. Whether it's visual, smart dialogue, a great twist in the story, that unusual zither score, the great performances - or usually all of those things combined. It's the ultimate pleasure for a movie-lover, and so to hell with anything else I might like to do - I was glued to the screen. This time I had the StudioCanal Blu-Ray edition of it, and it looked fantastic. Despite it being a noir mystery, it's easy to follow with Joseph Cotten's Holly Martins finding clue after clue leading to the unravelling of the tangled web of deceit surrounding his black-market bad guy friend Harry Lime (a super Orson Welles, delivering a truly great performance) who is meant to be dead. The fascinating Italian actress Alida Valli rounds things out. There are only so many movies I can admit to loving in the real sense of the word "love" - and I think The Third Man is one of those films.

10/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d7/The_Experiment.jpg
By The cover art can or could be obtained from Inferno Distribution or Columbia Pictures., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26592242

The Experiment - (2010)

This is an American remake of the 2001 German film Das Experiment - the one with a social experiment where participants are either prison guards or prisoners. Everyone on board is doing this for a $14,000 payday, and at first both guards and prisoners are having a good time - hardly adhering to the rules/punishment doctrine initially delivered. However, once a few too many rules are trampled on, and a guard humiliated, Michael Barris (Forest Whitaker) sets to establishing high ground and superiority. As prisoner resentment sets in, the guards start punishing them in ways that were at first not allowed, and suddenly hate, anger and violence erupts with deadly consequences. At one point I thought the whole idea behind the film was being abandoned, with the focus continually on a battle of wills between Barris and prisoner Travis Cacksmackberg (Adrien Brody) - but, almost like somebody realised this was happening, we snap back to the power dynamic as a whole. The ideas which were at first explored in the novel Black Box (by Mario Giordano) and then these films were ones based on the events that occurred during the Stanford prison experiment in 1971 - a 2015 docudrama also explored what went on there. How evolved are us humans really?

6/10

https://i.postimg.cc/FFnGXswR/100-DAYSINTHEJUNGLE-354x500.webp
By Source: impawards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16243993

100 Days in the Jungle - (2002)

Anyone who knows me well will know that I have a great need, from time to time, to watch movies about people stuck in the jungle. This one is a Canadian TV movie based on the true story of 8 oil pipe repair workers being kidnapped by rebel soldiers in Columbia and held for a $20 million ransom. They have to continually trek through the jungle while being fed meagre rations - but this film suffers from a real dearth of problems. No medical emergency, no spiders, no snakes, no jungle animals whatsoever, no escape attempt, nobody gets shot, nobody gets badly injured, nobody nearly dies - there's no terrible abuse. I mean, they do get sick, and treatment is harsh - but when you watch a movie called 100 Days in the Jungle, you don't really expect the film to feature that, and only that. Some of the performances were surprisingly good, and the location, costuming and make-up effects were well done for a TV film - the movie only really lacks more drama.

5/10

[Mr Minio]

which means "I never saw the movie" Huh? I've seen both Ples v dezju and Last Year In Marienbad and while Ples v dezju is very good, it's nowhere near the masterwork of Alain Resnais.

[matt72582]

Night Train - 7/10
Starts out great, but the chase is mainstream bullshit.. And thank the director for not showing too much of that overrated James Dean wannabe, Cybulski.... Now Leon, that's an actor. Great work in "Knife in the Water", which I think is Polanski's best..... This movie could have been better, because everyone is closed in this train. "Chamber movie"?


And it's free on YouTube with great video/sound quality.
https://youtu.be/eCedd2nfvYw

[matt72582]

Huh? I've seen both Ples v dezju and Last Year In Marienbad and while Ples v dezju is very good, it's nowhere near the masterwork of Alain Resnais.


Agree to disagree. It's like food. People like what they like.