Rate The Last Movie You Saw [Archive] - Page 322

Darth Pazuzu

01-17-24, 05:25 PM

A Taste Of Honey And Chocolate In January (But No Molasses)! :lol:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/82/The_Beekeeper_poster.jpg/220px-The_Beekeeper_poster.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/90/Wonka_2023_film_poster.jpg

JANUARY 16, 2024

THE BEEKEEPER (2024) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beekeeper_(2024_film))
WONKA (2023) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonka_(film))

All in all, a very fun trip to the movies yesterday!

First off was the latest action thriller from director David Ayer, starring Jason Statham. The trailers promised a Full-Tilt Revenge-O-Matic Destruct-O-Rama in the John Wick mould. And yeah, it is that to a large extent, but one with great characterizations (albeit sketched with a certain requisite broadness) and an increasingly disquieting moral ambiguity as the story tilts toward the subject of political assassination. You start out in full support of Adam Clay (Jason Statham)'s mission to take down a rotten network of financial scammers, but start to get increasingly uneasy as his path leads him upward toward nothing less than the highest office in the land. And you start to wonder, "What is the film trying to say, anyway?" (Particularly if you're someone like myself who is of, let's say, a more old-school liberal disposition.) But there's nothing really deep going on, no major political statements being made, especially since our man Clay ends up taking out the individual who deserves it the most. (And I think most people, regardless of individual political beliefs, would probably agree. But no spoilers beyond that, I promise you! ;)) In short, The Beekeeper probably bites off just a tad more than it can chew from a sociopolitical statement standpoint (try saying those three words really fast five times!), but it is nonetheless an intelligent and engaging full-tilt action thriller. In this instance, revenge is served sweet! Definitely recommended, provided you bring the right set of expectations...

Quite honestly, it's been a while since I've seen the classic 1971 Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder, so I don't know if I can make any sort of valid comparison between the original film and the new musical fantasy film about Wonka's formative years, directed by Paul King and starring Timothée Chalamet. (Willy Wonka and Paul Atreides! Wow, nice gigs if you can get 'em...) But I can definitely say that I had a good time at Wonka, and the audience I was with certainly did as well. Chalamet is quite entertaining, portraying the aspirant chocolatier with a geeky earnestness that can't help but steamroll over any naysayers. The newer musical numbers are written by singer/songwriter Neil Hannon and they're quite clever and funny. (And we do get new versions of Oompa Loompa and Pure Imagination from the original film classic. As Hugh Grant says in the movie: "I've started dancing now. Once we've started, we can't stop.") The visual FX are quite splendid, the villains are delightfully daft, and there is pathos in all the right places. As I get further into middle age, I have less of a sweet tooth for chocolate than I had as a youngster, but I kind of felt like buying a candy bar when I get out of the theater. However... seeing as how I'm pinching my proverbial pennies at the moment, I ultimately passed on the urge. :( But that's no reason to pass on the film! :D Heartily recommended for those with a sweet tooth...

Nausicaä

01-17-24, 07:39 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/ed/Mission-_Impossible_%E2%80%93_Dead_Reckoning_Part_One_poster.jpg/220px-Mission-_Impossible_%E2%80%93_Dead_Reckoning_Part_One_poster.jpg

3.5

SF = Z

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

GulfportDoc

01-17-24, 09:03 PM

Are you There God? It's Me, Margaret
https://hebdenbridgepicturehouse.co.uk/images/3314.jpg

A very likable film - moving and funny - that looks at faith from the point of view of a young 11-year-old girl. A charming performance from the lead Abby Ryder Fortson and a nice support cast including the always brilliant Kathy Bates.
Very good picture.
My commentary: https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=10846&page=3865
(5th review down)

Fabulous

01-18-24, 01:05 AM

Bank of Dave (2023)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/fgdCV9sO7wH5ka5vrfUrvwkt3Hb.jpg

WHITBISSELL!

01-18-24, 01:06 AM

https://i.gifer.com/VCuF.gif
https://stchucky.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/tucker_dale-1.gif

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil - Finished rewatching seasons 1&2 of Resident Alien and decided to keep the Alan Tudyk-fest going with this rewatch of the 2010 horror/comedy. Tudyk plays Tucker McGee, who has just bought himself a "vacation home" cabin in the hills of West Virginia. He invites his best friend Dale Dobson (Tyler Labine) along to help with the repairs and for some fishing. On the way they run into some college kids on a camping trip who take an immediate dislike to the two so-called hillbillies. This is setup from the getgo as a lampooning of all the "group of kids get attacked by murderous inbred hill dwellers" movies. Dale's clumsy attempt to talk to one of the girls is immediately rebuffed and when the two go night fishing they run into the college kids again. A series of escalating misunderstandings ends up with bodies rapidly piling up. It's the unexpected way the expected fatalities occur that makes this such a watchable flick. Labine is the actual star with Katrina Bowden as Allison, Dale's unrequited crush, sharing much of the camera time. Tudyk provides some MVP support and much of the comic relief. It is gory but since it's in service to such a clever and subversive story many will look past that and simply enjoy the ride.

85/100
https://31.media.tumblr.com/92045c348a888acb0fa017005e972892/tumblr_mi7y4vkWyd1ry2n20o1_500.gif
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5d/13/55/5d1355f651cd3d8aa382d328f615665e.gif

A Hard Day's Night - This was my sixth or seventh time watching this but it's probably my favorite comedy/musical of all time. If it actually qualifies as one. There is the loosest of stories with wonderful musical interludes sprinkled thoughout. The Beatles (Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) are shepherded by their manager Norm (Norman Rossington) and road manager Shake (John Junkin) through one hectic day as they travel by train to London for a televised concert. Also along is the Paul's provocateur grandfather John McCartney (Wilford Brambell). It's got a very unbound and improvised feel to it even though it was written by Welsh playwright Alun Owen and was nominated for a Best Original Screenplay Oscar. This is largely due to the band, each with their own distinct identity but all able to toss off lines with an ease that belies their respective ages (20 to 23). Directed by Richard Lester, this helped make the 4 Lads From Liverpool into bona fide superstars.

90/100

skizzerflake

01-18-24, 01:20 AM

This is such a terrific smart, sci-fi movie, one of my all time favorites. Micheal Rennie is an ET and Patricia Neal as the woman who believes in him. Klaatu has been sent to warn the earth that their choice is between being better, not using nuclear weapons or dealing with Gort, the robot in the background. You really do NOT want to deal with Gort who carries a disintegrator beam in his eyeshade and is quite invulnerable. It's a really smart movie, well done with low-tech FX. Gort was a 7 foot 5 actor, Lock Martin, inside a costume.

It's worth noting that the name of the man is John Carpenter, said to be a thinly veiled reference to Jesus Christ. As you might expect from the blood on his jacket, things don't end well for Carpenter. Great movie, the 1951 is the one to see. The 2008 remake sucks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASsNtti1XZs

chawhee

01-18-24, 08:45 AM

xSookieStackhouse

01-18-24, 08:58 AM

5 i really loved it, its soo hilarious and loved the casting <3
https://cdn.moviefone.com/admin-uploads/posters/migration-movie-poster_1689700929.jpg?d=360x540&q=60

Brody At Amity

01-18-24, 09:03 AM

Very good picture.
My commentary: https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=10846&page=3865
(5th review down)

I read your review before seeing it. It was what prompted me to check it out. Many thanks.

TheManBehindTheCurtain

01-18-24, 09:09 AM

1917 (2019)

Fascinating to watch once you realize the intent is to make it look like one complete tracking shot (some cuts are obvious though, others more subtle probably). What particularly impressed me was the detail. As the two soldiers, who are on a mission to deliver orders that will prevent a regiment from falling into a trap, proceed through trenches, tunnels, torched cities, all around you see corpses, rats, debris, but also small reminders of human presence like abandoned photos or dolls. Shades of other movies like Gallipoli and Saving Private Ryan. Well worth it you're new to it. 5/5

matt72582

01-18-24, 09:25 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b3/What_Happened_Was.jpg
By http://www.allmovie.com/work/what-happened-was-134607, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26310379

What Happened Was... - (1994)

Brilliant adaptation of Tom Noonan play is both heartbreaking and full of moments that are touching and relatable. A date between Jackie (Karen Sillas) and Michael (Tom Noonan) that is full of awkward moments, and enticing possibility. Loved it. My full review is on my watchlist thread here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2433827#post2433827).

9/10

Finally found someone who saw this! I must admit it was recommended to me by Ray Carney, and I actually gave it a 10/10 the first time because it was so unique. I tend to LOVE movies in real-time. Noonan's "The Wife" is pretty good, too, with Wallace Shawn.

matt72582

01-18-24, 09:27 AM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjhjMzYzMWUtODk2NS00ZTk5LThhMjYtYmUxMTc1NWNhZDhiL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjI4MjA5MzA@._V1_.jpg

1st Rewatch...Director Elaine May triumphs with this dark and claustrophobic drama about a small time bookie (John Cassavetes) who thinks there is a contract out on his life and contacts his best friend (Peter Falk) to help him. This movie brought me through a myriad of emotions, as a matter of fact, it starts off kind of humorous, but it becomes deadly serious and had my stomach in knots for the majority of the running time. Possibly, Cassavetes' finest performance, he doesn't make a flase move here. rating_4

Another 10/10, and a movie I've seen a handful of times. Tragic, but one of a few movies I think was funny, especially Cassavetes, who is always funny. I guess it's 'angry humor' (Joe Pesci is another funny guy)..

For those who want to see it, you can pay for it on YouTube, or see it for free, on YouTube

https://youtu.be/ztGLuzbCGzA

Thief

01-18-24, 09:40 AM

THE GIRL AND HER TRUST
(1912, Griffith)

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

"Danger? Nothing ever happens here!"

This 15-minute short film is directed by D.W. Griffith who, three years later, would go on to direct The Birth of a Nation. Even though this one might lack the technical prowess and influence of the latter, it is still memorable and most certainly easy to digest. The film is fun and thrilling, and has some neat camera movement in its last act.

Grade: 3.5

Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2434052#post2434052)

mrblond

01-18-24, 12:55 PM

Happy End (2017)

Directed by Michael Haneke
Starring Isabelle Huppert and Jean-Louis Trintignant

The last movie of the notable Michael Haneke, so far. As if, this work of his is a bit overlooked. Anyway, I've found it quite interesting. It seems that in the late period of his career, Haneke milds the hard social themes mixing them with some humour.
4 80/100
97068

Gideon58

01-18-24, 02:14 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNGZkZDQzMmYtZTE4NC00YmZkLWJlMDQtYjk5ZDE4ZjNmZTJhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_.jpg

2.5

GulfportDoc

01-18-24, 08:20 PM

I read your review before seeing it. It was what prompted me to check it out. Many thanks.
You bet, my man. Glad you enjoyed the picture!

GulfportDoc

01-18-24, 08:36 PM

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

rating_3
First time watching this, and it was fine. I expected more based on reputation, so maybe it just hasn't held up quite as well over time. Jack Nicholson is excellent as always, but the plot and themes of the movie seemed rather basic to me. Maybe I'm missing something...
It's possible that you might have been slightly more impressed if you'd seen it in 1975. But I too always thought the picture was over rated. It was a straight Nicholson vehicle for sure, and he was good, but some of it seemed a little pretentious-- especially the portrayal of some of the other patients.

beelzebubble

01-18-24, 10:22 PM

Straight Jacket (2004)
Is a cute and silly rom-com about the lIfe of a Rock Hudson type called Guy Stone and his fake marriage to an unsuspecting fan. While married to the fan he goes from being a playboy to a man in love with a handsome writer.
I loved the premise of the film and was hoping that it would be full of humorous quips and double entendres. It definitely had a few zingers but not enough for me to give it a great review.
I did enjoy the actors. Matt Letscher, who plays Guy Stone is is delicious. The movie also features Carrie Preston as the wife Sally Stone. She is adorable and funny especially in this years The Holdovers. Her real life husband, Michael Emerson, who I love, is Guy's butler and handles the witty quips well. Michael plays the gleefully wicked Leland Townsend, the nemesis of the good guys in The CBS/Paramount show Evil, which is a favorite of mine. I was hoping Matt Letscher had some bigger parts so I could drink him in some more. Unfortunately, he is a steady character actor, but I couldn't find anything I wanted to watch him in. He is a playwright as well. The Gaps in the Fossil Record was one of these plays. It sounds familiar. Anyone from MIchigan seen it?

Fabulous

01-19-24, 02:38 AM

Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/2yayXlWioVfV9SujUbPMK7o27H4.jpg

PHOENIX74

01-19-24, 03:04 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/44/Never_Rarely_Sometimes_Always.png
By Studio and or Graphic Artist - Can be obtained from film’s distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63154341

Never Rarely Sometimes Always - (2020)

Rewatch. Reminded what poor Autumn Callahan (Sidney Flanigan) had to go through just because some jerk forced himself on her, and beneath the quiet bravery you can see that something bright and sparkly within her is slowly withering and dying because of it. Throughout guys proposition her and Cousin Sklyar (Talia Ryder) as if they have anything decent to offer other than more of the same. Painful in all the right ways, and one of the best from 2020.

9/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/Red_Rocket_%28film%29.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2021/red_rocket.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68890668

Red Rocket - (2021)

Rewatch. Something from the other side of the tracks. You know, seeing everything that happens to Mikey (Simon Rex) knowing everyone's ultimate fate makes this even more fun the second time around. Another enjoyed rewatch.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/da/Skinamarink_%282023%29_poster.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72515787

Skinamarink - (2022)

Rewatch. Freaky experimental film which takes us on a journey where two kids are transported to some kind of interdimensional hell and are left there to fend for themselves until something lurking pounces. The movie reaches deep inside of me and spooks my inner child, still reeling from night terrors.

9/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cb/Tucker-and-dale-vs-evil.jpg
By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34316949

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil - (2010)

I had this lined up to watch last night, and just before putting it on I trotted over to MoFo and saw WHITBISSELL! had just watched and reviewed it. What are the chances? (actually, that's happened to me once before here.) I'm sure I saw this when it came out, but it felt like a fresh viewing cause I didn't remember much. Really funny - I love Alan Tudyk - he was marvelous on series one of Doom Patrol. So, it's all about subverting the backwoods/backwards hicks being the monsters trope and instead the college kids go up against really friendly and well meaning hicks. It's just, accidental happenstance makes it seem like Dale Dobson (Tyler Labine) and Tucker McGee (Tudyk) are maniacs - and that's where the film really works it's magic ("We have your friend!!!") So many goofy ways to die in gloriously gory ways.

7/10

https://i.postimg.cc/mkh6jwkW/carriage.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34316949

Carriage to Vienna - (1966)

Recently widowed Krista (Iva Janžurová) is forced to transport two German deserters to Vienna in her wagon, despite the fact the Germans had only just executed her husband. As they travel, she plans and prepares her vengeance - but the further they travel, the more complex the situation becomes. Great, underseen Czech war film - my review is on my watchlist threat here ( https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2434033#post2434033).

8/10

LChimp

01-19-24, 06:43 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/pt/2/21/Wolf_Creek.jpg

Wolf Creek - (2005)

This guy should be in a Mortal Kombat game or something.

stillmellow

01-19-24, 08:14 AM

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
https://picfiles.alphacoders.com/354/thumb-1920-354908.jpg
3
First time watching this, and it was fine. I expected more based on reputation, so maybe it just hasn't held up quite as well over time. Jack Nicholson is excellent as always, but the plot and themes of the movie seemed rather basic to me. Maybe I'm missing something...

Yeah, the movie never clicked for me either. I've never understood why Nicholson's character is supposed to be a great guy. He really isn't. He's a loudmouthed, self-serving braggart that messed around with at least one underage girl.

Also, I didn't think Nurse Ratchet is the villain the movie tries to make her out to be. Unprofessional and cold, sure, but the electric shock therapy and lobotomy would've completely been the call of the doctors above her, not her.

Teaching genuinely mentally ill people that they don't have to listen to nurses and doctors is not going to help anyone.

stillmellow

01-19-24, 09:16 AM

Shadowzone (1990) was like a zero budget version of From Beyond (1986), a far superior movie. It had enough gore and beautiful female nudity to keep it going, but it was neither scary or thrilling.

The main hero goes to incredible lengths to never once show an emotion. He's either staring, squinting, or smiling. That's all he's got.

It's always nice to see James Hong when you didn't expect him, though. He always does his best with what he's got.

I did like the look of the alien, and other practical effects. I wouldn't call it scary, but it was interesting.

"C"

Takoma11

01-19-24, 11:04 AM

Yeah, the movie never clicked for me either. I've never understood why Nicholson's character is supposed to be a great guy. He really isn't. He's a loudmouthed, self-serving braggart that messed around with at least one underage girl.

Also, I didn't think Nurse Ratchet is the villain the movie tries to make her out to be. Unprofessional and cold, sure, but the electric shock therapy and lobotomy would've completely been the call of the doctors above her, not her.

Teaching genuinely mentally ill people that they don't have to listen to nurses and doctors is not going to help anyone.

I don' t think that the point of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is that he's a great guy. (And it's been a long time since I saw the movie or read the book, so I often mix the two--though they mostly align). The other characters look up to him because he's willing to buck the system and try to assert some control.

People who are mentally ill need help and support, but the systems in place that are theoretically supposed to help them often fail them, in no part due to people who see their job as being about asserting control over those in their care. Have you seen Titticut Follies, for example? Or read/seen any accounts of what it was like to be in a mental health facility (nevermind a criminal mental health facility) in the 60s/70s?

The book/film would hit very differently if there was a sense that the people in charge had genuine empathy for the patients and a desire to rehabilitate them. But instead, they are engaged in a power struggle, with Ratched in particular clearly taking pleasure in the power that they have over the people in their care and the other staff at best indifferent. If you think about someone having the power to put drugs in your body, control whether you eat or don't eat, do BRAIN SURGERY on you---all without your consent? That is a nightmare.

Stirchley

01-19-24, 12:53 PM

Yeah, the movie never clicked for me either. I've never understood why Nicholson's character is supposed to be a great guy. He really isn't. He's a loudmouthed, self-serving braggart that messed around with at least one underage girl.

Also, I didn't think Nurse Ratchet is the villain the movie tries to make her out to be. Unprofessional and cold, sure, but the electric shock therapy and lobotomy would've completely been the call of the doctors above her, not her.

Teaching genuinely mentally ill people that they don't have to listen to nurses and doctors is not going to help anyone.

Seen this movie many times. I love it.

I don' t think that the point of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is that he's a great guy. (And it's been a long time since I saw the movie or read the book, so I often mix the two--though they mostly align). The other characters look up to him because he's willing to buck the system and try to assert some control.

People who are mentally ill need help and support, but the systems in place that are theoretically supposed to help them often fail them, in no part due to people who see their job as being about asserting control over those in their care. Have you seen Titticut Follies, for example? Or read/seen any accounts of what it was like to be in a mental health facility (nevermind a criminal mental health facility) in the 60s/70s?

The book/film would hit very differently if there was a sense that the people in charge had genuine empathy for the patients and a desire to rehabilitate them. But instead, they are engaged in a power struggle, with Ratched in particular clearly taking pleasure in the power that they have over the people in their care and the other staff at best indifferent. If you think about someone having the power to put drugs in your body, control whether you eat or don't eat, do BRAIN SURGERY on you---all without your consent? That is a nightmare.

Ugh, Titicutt Follies was gruesome to watch. (Huge fan of Wiseman.) I did finish it, but never ever again.

Stirchley

01-19-24, 12:55 PM

97079

Rewatch. Very good movie though not entirely sure of all the plot points. Chiefly watched it for Andrew Garfield performance.

Gideon58

01-19-24, 01:07 PM

97079

Rewatch. Very good movie though not entirely sure of all the plot points. Chiefly watched it for James Garfield performance.

VERY cool poster!

Gideon58

01-19-24, 01:15 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTYxMTI3MDA2NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjkwODU2NA@@._V1_.jpg

1st Rewatch...Upon completion of my first rewatch, I still have troubling buying Veda's transformation from mediocre classical pianist to flawless coloratura soprano. To me, it's akin to a dishwasher quitting his job to become a nuclear physicist, but other than that, this 2011 HBO miniseries loosely based on the 1945 Joan Crawford classic, but more specifically on James M. Cain's novel, where certain characters and plots are allowed to be fleshed out the way the '45 Crawford classic could not. This exquisitely mounted miniseries is beautifully directed by Todd Haynes and earned five Emmys, including Outstanding Limited Series, Lead Actress for Kate Winslet's extraordinary work in the title role and Outstanding Lead Actor for Guy Pearce as Monte Baragon. Mention should also be made of Evan Rachel Wood and Bryan F O'Byrne, who both received nominations for their performances as Veda and Mildred's first husband, respectively. Spectacular settings and costumes are the icing on this deliciously entertaining cake. 4.5

Gideon58

01-19-24, 01:19 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91J2DPWwWNL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

1st Rewatch...The undeniable charm and charisma of Paul Rudd in the title role helps this movie appear a lot better than it really is. Rudd plays a sweet-natured loser who gets out of jail and proceeds to turn the lives of his three sisters (Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, Zooey Deschanel) upside down. The story is kind of busy but Rudd's character is so likable it's not difficult to stay invested. Shout out to Kathryn Hahn who provides solid laughs as Rudd's ex-girlfriend. 3

WHITBISSELL!

01-19-24, 01:36 PM

Chiefly watched it for James Garfield performance.At least he was able to turn in some good performances before being assassinated.

WHITBISSELL!

01-19-24, 01:38 PM

Shout to Kathryn Hahn who provides solid laughs as Rudd's ex-girlfriend. rating_3She had some nerve claiming Willie Nelson the way she did. :mad:

Takoma11

01-19-24, 01:41 PM

VERY cool poster!

The poster is VERY cool.

The movie is VERY underwhelming.

WHITBISSELL!

01-19-24, 01:59 PM

Gideon58

01-19-24, 02:02 PM

She had some nerve claiming Willie Nelson the way she did. :mad:

I know, right?!?

Stirchley

01-19-24, 02:49 PM

At least he was able to turn in some good performances before being assassinated.

Ha, good one.

Takoma11

01-19-24, 10:07 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cinemacats.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fmovies%2Frhubarb09.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=12a65d7b1b51bfccae888fef1f64fc9ac9e88b2c43bccf99c94697e0e65fb53c&ipo=images

Rhubarb, 1951

Eccentric millionaire Banner (Gene Lockhart) comes across an intelligent, belligerent, feral cat on his golf course and decides to capture and adopt the animal. Calling the cat Rhubarb, he takes him as an unofficial mascot. But when Banner dies, it’s revealed that he has left a baseball team he owns, and it’s up to PR rep Eric (Ray Milland) to win over the upset baseball players and keep Rhubarb safe from Banner’s bitter daughter, Myra (Elsie Holmes).

There’s nothing deep here, but I found it fun and engaging from beginning to end. Bonus points for the quirky touch that Rhubarb has a penchant for stealing golf balls from the golf course, as it’s an accurately quirky/malevolent cat-like thing to do.

4

FULL REVIEW (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2434315#post2434315)

Takoma11

01-19-24, 10:52 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cultcelebrities.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F11%2Fthe-sword-and-the-sworcerer-1982-still-23.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=c0769a48ef6bf580d66592aa10d5ab8ca32d45fba44d6a5a580fd870e8d040ff&ipo=images

The Sword and the Sorcerer, 1982

The wicked Titus (Richard Lynch) and his right hand man Machelli (George Maharis) raise an evil sorcerer named Xusia (Richard Moll) so that Titus can conquer nearby kingdoms. Successfully toppling his neighbors, Titus makes two enemies when he betrays Xusia and kills the family of young Prince Talon (Lee Horsley). Talon later returns as an adult, grudgingly getting involved in a rebellion to overthrow Titus led by Princess Alana (Kathleen Beller) and her brother Mikah (Simon MacCorkindale).

You’re too good for these guys, Alana. You’re too good for all of them!

2.5

FULL REVIEW (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2434327#post2434327)

PHOENIX74

01-20-24, 01:05 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d2/Queen_%26_Slim_poster.jpeg
By Studio and or Graphic Artist - Can be obtained from film's distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61401429

Queen & Slim - (2019)

Rewatch. Hit me even harder the second time around - the story of a young lawyer, Angela "Queen" Johnson (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Ernest "Slim" Hines (Daniel Kaluuya), two black people on a tinder date who are pulled over by a white police officer after Slim swerves the car - the two are bickering over her looking at his phone. Antagonism and tension make the exchanges between the cop and them terse, until the overreacting officer pulls his gun on Slim. When Queen intervenes and pulls out her phone to record the incident, the cop shoots her in the hip, causing Slim to step in physically to save her. They fight, and Slim ends up shooting the cop in self defense. Knowing what this means, the pair go on the run - and during their flight they peel back many emotional layers and disable the defense mechanisms from each other that made their tinder date a disaster. In the meantime they became national folk heroes and an emblem of the injustice which darkly clouds an American landscape, where many African Americans have been killed by police despite being unarmed, and in some cases completely innocent and non-threatening. This Melina Matsoukas movie feels fresh and new, despite the fact that there are plenty of films being made today about this issue. It's a moving love story set inside a larger cultural framework that works in a natural and very easy to digest manner. Holds up extremely well after having already seen it once. Being so emotionally moving is the added bonus that makes it a must-see.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/60/The_Ear_%281990%29_Film_Poster.jpg
By International Film Exchange - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066498/mediaviewer/rm3166657792, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63000792

Ucho (The Ear) - (1970)

Made in 1970, this Czech film couldn't be released until 1990 because of the Soviet puppet government very much frowning upon it's comment on the way officials were often spied upon and persecuted. To have even made it, Karel Kachyňa was risking a lot himself. In it, a bickering married couple, Ludvík (Radoslav Brzobohatý) and Anna (Jiřina Bohdalová) return from a political party celebration and slowly realise they have had intruders, and are being spied upon. When they think back to the party, moments that seemed innocent at the time take on a new, darker complexion. Very good film, made with considerable skill and meaningful insight. My review is here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2434331#post2434331), on my watchlist thread.

8/10

Fabulous

01-20-24, 01:28 AM

Saltburn (2023)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/mTvN15LC2uFAuuJLQeptUJUK9oG.jpg

chawhee

01-20-24, 11:07 AM

Self Reliance (2023)
https://www.hiptoro.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/HT-AN-47-3-750x375.webp
3
A clever idea that never seems to take advantage of what it could have done. None of the jokes worked for me, but the pacing and fun of it kept me interested. Some parts are predictable, but I would lightly recommend nonetheless.

Gideon58

01-20-24, 12:50 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91fZkt0T8oL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg

3rd Rewatch...For my money, Melissa McCarthy's best movie. This big budget spy spoof goes all the right places and I have to give a big shout out to Jason Statham, who steals every scene he's in as a fellow spy who keeps interfering in McCarthy's case, cleverly spoofing Statham's own onscreen persona. 3.5

Gideon58

01-20-24, 12:55 PM

https://resizing.flixster.com/-XZAfHZM39UwaGJIFWKAE8fS0ak=/v3/t/assets/p19140_v_v13_al.jpg

7th Rewatch...Probably my favorite Jim Carrey comedy, one of my guilty pleasures that I will always watch if I run into it channel surfing. Carrey plays a divorced workaholic attorney who has allowed his job to cause constant disappointment for his son, so at his 5th birthday party, the little boy makes a wish that his father can no longer lie and the wish actually comes true, causing all kinds of complications for his latest case. Carrey's expertise at physical comedy is given a healthy workout here and there's a terrific supporting performance from Jennifer Tilly as his voluptuous new client. Though if the truth be told, the funniest thing in the movie are the outtakes shown during the closing credits. 3.5

Marco

01-20-24, 02:00 PM

Intimacy (2001)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/35/Intimacy_2001_film_poster.png
First watch of this slightly controversial film due to strong sexual content. I thought it was excellent with London playing as much a part of the story line as Jay and Claire. The sex-scenes (well, one in particular) could have easily been omitted as adds nothing to the story but it's not offensive at all. The relationships, widerly, are interesting and the acting and script superb in a very emotionally charged tale. Rylance really at his peak film-wise here.
Fair dos to the 2 main actors, not for the unsimulated oral sex but for sacrificing for their art and rolling about on that filthy carpet!:D
4

GulfportDoc

01-20-24, 07:40 PM

97085

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)

I’ve wondered if Paramount hadn’t taken a bit of a risk with this title, since it makes it sound like a melodramatic love story. The fact is that the picture is one of the best examples of classic down and dirty noir. The film is epic in nature, the tale beginning in 1928, and concluding in 1946. It stars Van Heflin, Barbara Stanwyck, Lizbeth Scott (in her second film role),Judith Anderson, and Kirk Douglas (in his first). Directed by Lewis Milestone (Casablanca), and photographed by the veteran Victor Milner (The Lady Eve).

Martha Ivers (Janis Wilson, Stanwyck as an adult) is the niece of a wealthy industrialist (Anderson) who has been Martha’s guardian since the demise of her father, a man named Smith. She hates her cold domineering aunt, and tries to run away with a young rogue friend Sam Masterson (Daryl Hickman, Heflin as an adult). The aunt has her captured and brought back telling her that she’ll never be able to escape. Another boy, Walter O’Neil, Jr. (Mickey Kuhn, Douglas as an adult), the son of her tutor, Walter O’Neil, Sr. (Roman Bohnen), is responsible for ratting out Martha’s escape.

Soon Martha attempts another escape with Sam, but Mrs. Ivers overhears them upstairs. During Mrs. Ivers’ walk up the stairway she stumbles upon the pet cat, and starts to beat the cat with her cane. Martha and Walter Jr. appear, whereupon Martha grabs the cane and strikes Mrs. Ivers, who tumbles down the stairs to hear death. Walter Sr. appears but agrees to testify that Mrs. Ivers’ death was an accident as long as he and his son can benefit.

Years later Sam happens by the town on a trip, where he learns that Martha is now the wealthy industrialist, and that she has married Walter Jr. --who has become the town’s district attorney-- in a pact to keep Martha’s involvement in the Ivers death a secret. Sam visits his old home which is now a boarding house, where he meets a girl who is on probation, Toni Marachek (Scott). Sam soon approaches Walter to see if he’ll rectify Toni’s legal problem, but Walter wrongly suspects Sam is blackmailing him.

What follows are several twists and entanglements which lead to a classic memorable noir ending.

The picture was a huge success, and along with Double Indemnity two year prior, it cemented Stanwyck as one of the best femme fatales in film history. In fact she was never again to do a comedy. It was Heflin’s role in this film that made me realize what a great actor he was. Like Stanwyck, he was completely at home in any type of film. In addition this is the picture that put Kirk Douglas on the map. One can recognize the kernels of depth that he exhibited in his many subsequent films. And Lizabeth Scott was absolutely smoldering in her portrayal of a blithe probationer who gets her man.

The success of Robert Rossen’s complex screenplay insured his future succcess as a director in such memorable films as All the King’s Men (1949) and The Hustler (1961).

Doc's rating: 9/10

GulfportDoc

01-20-24, 08:34 PM

VERY cool poster!
Yes, indeed. And I thought Under the Silver Lake was a very good neo-noir...."stoner noir"..;)

My commentary: https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2390519#post2390519

PHOENIX74

01-20-24, 10:20 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/59/Mustang_poster.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47028279

Mustang - (2015)

Here we have something like the Turkish version of The Virgin Suicides, although as to whether any of the girls in this film do commit suicide I'll leave spoiler-free. A group of 5 sisters celebrate the end of a school term by frolicking innocently by the beach and in the water - but back home a fussy neighbour accuses the girls of performing "indecent acts" (the boys were carrying the girls on their shoulders) - and this sets their father and grandmother off into a bout of extremism where they lock them up (as the girls escape, the guardians make their home more and more miserably like a prison) - and then start marrying them off. I hope there's a special place in hell for people who act in cruel or capricious ways just because of what neighbours or other people might be thinking - if you can't be kind to your children above and beyond that there's something missing in you. This film attracted a lot of criticism from Turkey because of various inconsistencies in accents, general behaviour and specific stuff - but I think that's missing the point. Often these Turkish reviews go on to say that these things happen, and that women's rights is a huge problem in the country. I think it'd be fair to look beyond which dialect is being spoken and see the bigger picture. Any culture that condones girls and women being married to complete strangers against their will is one that's dealing in unnecessary misery. Also, any culture that predetermines that a specific girl's life will be one of servitude to their husband without giving them any choice in the matter. Somehow the thought that "It's their culture and their ways so I shouldn't get involved with it" doesn't lessen the frustration and anger that it happens and is a part of life for many people around the globe.

I've now seen all five of the Foreign Language Oscar nominees for 2016 - over the years.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cc/Weird_The_Al_Yankovic_Story.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2022/posters/weird_the_al_yankovic_story_ver4_xxlg.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71400614

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story - (2022)

This caught my attention when it came out, and it took this long to getting around to see it. I don't know if it fully lived up to it's promise, but it had many funny moments - my favourite, the poolside get-together of all the weird stars and celebrities of the day. I counted the likes of Frank Zappa, Divine, Paul Reubens/Pee-wee Herman, Alice Cooper, Andy Warhol, Tiny Tim, a couple of members of Devo, Elton John, Salvador Dali and Elvira to name a few. Sometimes the movie lost me a little, but a few nice gems like the pool scene made it just worth my while in the end.

6/10

https://i.postimg.cc/NMNwktDk/a-bad-s.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71400614

A Bad Son (Un mauvais fils) - (1980)

Hard to find this one - but I got there. Un mauvais fils is a low-key French film by Claude Sautet about a young ex-con and the difficulty he has relating to his father and the world after 5 years in an American prison. Great performance from tragic French film star Patrick Dewaere. My review for it is here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2434445#post2434445), on my watchlist thread.

7/10

Takoma11

01-20-24, 11:25 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/59/Mustang_poster.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47028279

Mustang - (2015)

Also, any culture that predetermines that a specific girl's life will be one of servitude to their husband without giving them any choice in the matter. Somehow the thought that "It's their culture and their ways so I shouldn't get involved with it" doesn't lessen the frustration and anger that it happens and is a part of life for many people around the globe.

I've now seen all five of the Foreign Language Oscar nominees for 2016 - over the years.

7.5/10

I love this film, and especially the way that it captures the sense of a lack of control that these young women have. When their sisters are married off . . . they just disappear.

Then, of course, there's also the blatant hypocrisy that the very men who are policing the girls' morality are themselves acting in incredibly immoral ways. I thought that the grandmother was a very interesting character.

I also really loved the character of the young man who helps them out. I think many movies would have been tempted to make him a creep/rapist, but I liked that it shows us that, while they are not at all the majority, women in these countries do have some male allies.

stillmellow

01-21-24, 12:39 AM

I read the book not too long ago and it's clear that Ratched had the young doctor intimidated. She was also a master manipulator and the back and forth and adversarial battle of wills with McMurphy had been playing out for some time. McMurphy was a rogue and a schemer and also manipulative but over the course of the novel ended up feeling empathy for his fellow patients. It literally confused the hell out of him and he somehow knew it would lead to his undoing. I think he was just as surprised as everyone else when he did what he did.

Well that's a completely different story then. I just didn't assume that from the movie. I never meant to suggest she was doing the right thing or that the men were being treated the way they should be. I just don't see Jack Nicholson's character as a positive influence, or part of a solution. Just a person trying to assert a different sort of control.

The movie still doesn't click for me, but that's just my opinion/preference.

Fabulous

01-21-24, 12:55 AM

Last Night in Soho (2021)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/92kY5MVHMOf3vmKmkk50Kwg1g9I.jpg

WHITBISSELL!

01-21-24, 01:15 AM

Well that's a completely different story then. I just didn't assume that from the movie. I never meant to suggest she was doing the right thing or that the men were being treated the way they should be. I just don't see Jack Nicholson's character as a positive influence, or part of a solution. Just a person trying to assert a different sort of control.

The movie still doesn't click for me, but that's just my opinion/preference.No, your take pretty much hits the nail on the head. I remember the book better than the movie, which I haven't seen in years. Maybe the movie does make him out to be more heroic than he was but McMurphy in the novel was a user. It wasn't till the end that he realized he couldn't con or charm his way out of what turned out to be his fate. It was that realization that the book truly captured. Kesey lays it out so much better than any synopsis of mine could.

Galactic Traveler

01-21-24, 02:12 AM

The Boys in the Boat.

Eh. Very average. Wasn't bad but failed to excite me.

2.5/5

Nausicaä

01-21-24, 02:12 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/30/Saw_X_poster.png/220px-Saw_X_poster.png

3

SF = Z

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

Brody At Amity

01-21-24, 06:21 AM

No Hard Feelings - 2/5

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FxJZVHvXsAI2vmE.jpg

Half a star for each time it made me laugh. Horrible film overall. I guess Jennifer Lawrence figured it was time to do a pay cheque movie.

Sex farce and coming-of-age drama can work (eg. The Last American Virgin) but don't try to be serious when it all hinges on such a stupid premise.

Brody At Amity

01-21-24, 06:23 AM

The Lobster - 4/5

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81r9RfER+iL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

Bold. Brilliant. Surreal. Absurd. Touching. Hilarious.

PS. don't ask me what it's about. :eek:

Rhys

01-21-24, 03:01 PM

So on Wednesday I watched Tremors for the first time and have since watched all 7 films in the franchise.

Tremors (1990) rating_4
Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996) rating_3_5
Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001) rating_2
Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004) rating_3
Tremors 5: Bloodlines (2015) rating_2
Tremors: A Cold Day In Hell (2018) rating_2_5
Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020) rating_3

https://facts.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/38-facts-about-the-movie-tremors-1687519738.jpg

Raven73

01-21-24, 05:07 PM

This is Spinal Tap
7/10.
First viewing... I tried watching it a few years ago but I just wasn't in the mood for it at the time.

I almost didn't recognize Michael McKean as the lead singer in this rock band (he usually plays uptight guys in suits).

I found the dry humor mildly funny.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQ2MTIzMzg5Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTc5NDI1MDE@._V1_.jpg

WHITBISSELL!

01-21-24, 05:42 PM

PHOENIX74

01-21-24, 11:52 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f7/CalamariUnion1985Poster.jpg
By MoviePosterDB.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35746173

Calamari Union - (1985)

At first I didn't really like this absurdist comedy from Aki Kaurismäki, but I warmed up to it and eventually decided to watch it again from the start - this time very much into it. A group of 15 Finnish musicians decide that the area of Helsinki they live in - the Kallio district - has become too oppressive and grim to continue residing there. They decide to relocate to an almost mythical district on the other side of the city - Eira. Unfortunately - despite being guided to the city center - all of these guys (they're all called Frank), plus an extra hanger on, Pekka (Markku Toikka) are too distractible, crazy, stupid, mischievous and confused to ever get far - and often start philosophizing, planning or getting sidetracked by ladies, food, drink and the like. I can feel a lot of improv going on here - but there's more structure, art and purpose than at first seems apparent. Also, once on it's wavelength the film is very, and I mean very, funny. Great music just seals the deal as far as it's vibe goes - and there are deeper political depths to dig down into, proving that the concept is far from some random, silly concept. There's a nice, purposeful, expressive flair to this silly Pythonesque excursion!

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/The_Round-Up_dvd_cover.jpg
By Second Run DVD - Derived from a digital capture (photo/scan) of the VHS or DVD cover (creator of this digital version is irrelevant as the copyright in all equivalent images is still held by either the film studio or the artist). Fair use regardless., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46664972

The Round-Up - (1966)

Confusion reigns as we get a prisoner's perspective of Hungary's war against revolutionary bandits in the 19th Century - there are no consistent protagonists here, just mind games, trickery, brutality, coercion and probable execution awaiting even those who cooperate. This was one of Hungarian director Miklós Jancsó's most lauded films. Review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2434598#post2434598) on my watchlist thread.

8/10

chawhee

01-22-24, 08:36 AM

Torgo

01-22-24, 10:13 AM

Dumb Money (2023)
https://media.senscritique.com/media/000021436868/300/dumb_money.jpg
3.5
Not quite on the level of The Big Short but still pretty good. Pete Davidson has certainly worn out his welcome for me I think at this point though, while Paul Dano delivered really well. I knew a couple people that were part of this movement on Reddit, but it still surprises me how big this was (were kids in college really talking about 'Roaring Kitty' at parties?).I really liked this as well. Pete Davidson is fine as Keith's brother, but I was annoyed by his presence because it seems like he's done a slacker part like that one dozens of times already!

2023's business movies (Air, BlackBerry, this one and even Flamin' Hot) are all enjoyable. One of last year's best trends.

cricket

01-22-24, 10:44 AM

The Woman on Pier 13 (1949)

2.5

https://filmnoirartblog.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/3a082-womanonpier13_3.jpg?w=349&h=262

I watched this because it's on the noirs list, but despite its presence there, it's only rated 6 on IMDb and 20% on RT. I get it. It's original title was the less alluring but more accurate "I Married a Communist ". It was changed after not doing well, but it was too late to change the plot. It starts off promising with all the great noir lingo and look, and Robert Ryan is always fun to watch. I just didn't care much for the story. It was merely ok.

LChimp

01-22-24, 10:58 AM

https://img.elo7.com.br/product/original/266036C/big-poster-filme-vingadores-ultimato-lo47-tamanho-90x60-cm-vingadores.jpg

Avengers Endgame - (2019)

I think I liked it more this time than the first time I saw it. It's an incredible movie

John-Connor

01-22-24, 11:12 AM

Hey there!

Oh, I totally get what you mean about "Avengers Endgame." It's one of those movies that seems to get better with each viewing. There's just so much packed into it, you know? Every time I watch it, I notice something new, whether it's a tiny detail in the background or a subtle nod to another Marvel movie.

Speaking of details, did you ever notice how the costume designs are so on point? Like, take Tony Stark for example. His choice of attire, especially that brown suit (http://brown-suit.shop/) he wears in one of the scenes, subtly reflects his character's evolution throughout the series. It's those kinds of details that make me appreciate the movie even more.

bidi bidi bidi
https://i.imgur.com/AUr2eJX.gif

Torgo

01-22-24, 11:54 AM

Rye Lane - 4

This is a funny and charming "one crazy day" movie in the same vein as Before Sunrise and Lost in Translation. South London twentysomethings Dom (Jonsson) and Yas (Oparah), both reeling from breakups, meet by chance in a unisex restroom. While commiserating, the movie becomes a travelogue that takes us to the city's many colorful parks, hangouts and restaurants. It then switches to a heist movie once Yas is determined to make Dom assist her in retrieving her Low End Theory LP from her ex's place.

Like the other movies I mentioned that could have inspired it, the makers of this one know the joy of exploring a place with plenty of things to see and do. It also knows that the importance of not having a plan while doing so because most of the joy is in all the surprises along the way, the best one happening to be one of the best cameos I've seen in a while. It helps that Jonsson and Oparah are charming, have strong chemistry and that all the cutaways that recreate and embellish their stories are so stylish and out there. One occurring in a theater, for instance, amusingly features dozens of Dom clones in the audience. The movie also may have taken cues from After Hours for how well it handles the scenes where Dom gets into trouble. Despite all these similarities, it's very much its own entity, not to mention for our times. Oh, and the soundtrack is amazing. It ends up being a movie that proves that breakups may be tough, but the pain can be overcome, especially since so many of them are opportunities for something better. It will also remind you that simply walking, talking and exploring is a heck of a combination.

Gideon58

01-22-24, 12:34 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjA2NDUxNzgwOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzg0MTc3MDE@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg

5

Gideon58

01-22-24, 12:47 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81MGPH1eEsL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

1st Rewatch...This razor-sharp political nail-biter was much more compelling this time around since I have to confess I missed a major plot point the first time watched it. Ryan Gosling plays the junior campaign manager of a governor (George Clooney) whose career begins to unravel when he agrees to meet with the governor's opponent camp who offer him a job, while helping a pretty young intern (Evan Rachel Wood) who becomes a pawn in all the political machinations. Clooney also provides crisp direction, even if the screenplay is a little overprotective of his character, but this one is well worth watching. Gosling definitely proved to be more than a pretty face here. {Rating)4[/Rating]

Gideon58

01-22-24, 12:51 PM

https://resizing.flixster.com/-XZAfHZM39UwaGJIFWKAE8fS0ak=/v3/t/assets/p27977_p_v12_ah.jpg

1st Rewatch...From the "If you liked the first one" school of sequel making, the laughs are less consistent than the first one. The funniest thing in the movie is the spoof of The Exorcist featuring James Woods, Veronica Cartwright, and Andy Richter that precedes the actual film. 3

Gideon58

01-22-24, 12:57 PM

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/films/2366a421fd7115200cd5e0e57199baa0/UuPFXlH0fFka8JfO68P6pvtLLtIFTX_large.jpg

1st Rewatch...I enjoyed Jacques Demy's magical homage to MGM musicals even more this time around. This musical, in French with subtitles, follows the arrival of a theatrical troupe in a French seaside town and how two of the carnies (George Chakiris, Grover Dale) find themselves with a pair of sisters (Catherine Deneuve, Francois Dorleac) who teach music and dance. Love Demy's completely unapologetic approach to presenting a musical. The first musical number actually occurs doing the opening credits and the choreography has a real Fosse influence to it. Gene Kelly's glorified makes you wish he had more screentime, but I have to admit I had a big stupid grin on my face throughout the running time. It should be mentioned that all the singing is dubbed (including Kelly), but this not deter from my enjoyment, I am even upping my original rating. 4

Gideon58

01-22-24, 01:02 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzdjNjI5MmYtODhiNS00NTcyLWEzZmUtYzVmODM5YzExNDE3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAyMjQ3NzQ1._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg

1st Rewatch...This edgy and bizarre comic-mystery about a group of wealthy people who are transported to an elegant restaurant on a remote tropical island for a very special dinner at the bargain price of $1200 a plate and find much more in store for them than a gourmet meal. This film starts off so innocently but just gets creepier and creepier as it progresses, but it does make you want to know exactly what's going on and exactly how it's going to end. Ralph Feinnes was robbed of an Oscar nomination for his performance as the enigmatic chef. Agatha Christie fans will have a head start here. 4

Rhys

01-22-24, 01:09 PM

Hellraiser (2022)
Directed by: David Bruckner (https://letterboxd.com/director/david-bruckner-2/)

rating_3

https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/hellraiser-movie-review-2022/hellraiser-movie-review-2022.jpeg

WHITBISSELL!

01-22-24, 01:38 PM

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/5304_Mike-Birbiglia-in-The-Old-Man-The-Pool-credit-Emilio-Madrid-1.jpg?w=1024

The Old Man and the Pool - This is the first Mike Birbiglia standup special I've seen even though he has five listed on Netflix. I've been aware of Birbiglia and his brand of amiable vignettes into his life and I've seen him in movies like Trainwreck and A Man Called Otto. But I never watched an entire special. Actually this doesn't qualify as a movie or maybe even a standup special. I've heard it described as a one man show and it is more of a stage production (come to find out that it did indeed have a successful Broadway run).

He talks about hitting middle age and his numerous phobias and he shares some surprisingly poignant moments with his sold out Lincoln Center audience. It's at these times when the audience goes quiet that you truly appreciate Birbiglia's talent and his ability to connect with people. He doesn't curse or disparage anyone outside of some warmhearted self-deprecation. I can totally picture him slipping into a cardigan and slippers and hosting his own TV show, Mr. Birbiglia's Neighborhood. And I'll be checking out his other Netflix specials.

80/100

Stirchley

01-22-24, 01:49 PM

97097

Good movie. I enjoyed it though it won’t be repeated.

97098

Re-watch. Terrific strange movie.

Deschain

01-22-24, 01:52 PM

WHITBISSELL!

01-22-24, 02:36 PM

Birbigs is great. I been watching his specials since I was in middle school. His one about having a kid is probably my favorite. And he made a movie called Sleepwalk with Me.I do remember watching parts of that special where he talks about the delivery and bringing the baby home. I want to check those out but I ended up watching The Old Man and the Pool with someone else. They seemed to enjoy it as much as I did and etiquette requires me to at least ask.

crumbsroom

01-22-24, 02:52 PM

I read the book not too long ago and it's clear that Ratched had the young doctor intimidated. She was also a master manipulator and the back and forth and adversarial battle of wills with McMurphy had been playing out for some time. McMurphy was a rogue and a schemer and also manipulative but over the course of the novel ended up feeling empathy for his fellow patients. It literally confused the hell out of him and he somehow knew it would lead to his undoing. I think he was just as surprised as everyone else when he did what he did.

It also doesn't matter if Ratchet specifically was the one to make the call for the lobotomy. It is the whole system that is at fault in the film and the book. And Nurse Ratchet is physical embodiment of that system.

And the reason she is such a great villain is that she portrays herself as benign. She confuses the patients into believing she is trying to help with her rules and regulations. She doesn't tip her hand that she's an oppressive force to those who are in her care.

You know, like lots of real life villains in similar positions in the world

beelzebubble

01-22-24, 03:57 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=97085

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)

I’ve wondered if Paramount hadn’t taken a bit of a risk with this title, since it makes it sound like a melodramatic love story. The fact is that the picture is one of the best examples of classic down and dirty noir. I don't think so. So called woman's pictures were still a big draw. I think.

It was Heflin’s role in this film that made me realize what a great actor he was. Oh yeah, this was really Heflin's movie! I can't think of a better part for him.
Doc's rating: 9/10
Great movie!

WHITBISSELL!

01-22-24, 04:11 PM

https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/2/the-black-glove-1954-original-title-face-the-music--album.jpg

Face the Music (The Black Glove) - I watched this 1954 Hammer production noir and either couldn't sync up with it or maybe it was just a subpar movie. Not subpar as in distractingly bad acting or cheap production values. You can't really blame director Terence Fisher either since he went on to helm numerous Hammer films including my personal favorite, The Devil Rides Out. The movie's shortcomings had more to do with the bland and confusing script. It was written by Ernest Borneman who, according to IMDb, had only nine other nondescript writing credits. James Bradley (Alex Nicol) is a hotshot American jazz trumpet player, newly arrived in London and headlining at the Palladium. There's a quick setup involving his manager Maxie Margulies (John Salew) who apparently is supposed to provide comic relief. But, like so many other aspects of the script, it never really lands. Anyway, Maxie is exasperated and Bradley is jet lagged but on the way home for some much needed sleep he hears a woman singing (from inside a taxi a half block away and down in a basement club no less).

He meets Maxine Halbard (Ann Hanslip) and she ends up inviting him home for one of those 2 AM home cooked dinners. He eventually leaves but forgets his trumpet case only to be woken up by the police the next morning. Halbard has been found murdered, shot by a .45 caliber pistol. That's another thing, for a country that's known for being relatively gun free there's a surprising number of citizens packing heat. The cops don't actually arrest Bradley which leaves him free to conduct his own little investigation. He meets the dead woman's sister Barbara Quigley (Eleanor Summerfield) and Johnny Sutherland (Paul Carpenter) the man who broke her heart by running off with, you guessed it, her sister Maxine. There's a lot of characters introduced, most involved in the London jazz scene. Bradley does his amateur sleuth due diligence until it's time to reveal the actual killer. But it's all so inert that when the perpetrator was eventually unmasked it failed to make much of an impression. This has no rating on Rotten Tomatoes, either critic or audience. And that just about sums this movie up.

45/100

Takoma11

01-22-24, 07:22 PM

Birbigs is great. I been watching his specials since I was in middle school. His one about having a kid is probably my favorite. And he made a movie called Sleepwalk with Me.

I've been a fan of his for almost 20 years now. Starting with the viral video of the title joke from his special "What I Should Have Said . . . Was Nothing.

Fabulous

01-22-24, 07:45 PM

The Beginning or the End (1947)

4

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/ibnW0L0z2ZB4g1xJQ5rPVY4ypZm.jpg

WHITBISSELL!

01-22-24, 08:15 PM

The title of that last movie threw me. I assumed it was the giant grasshopper movie. But Brian Donlevy and Robert Walker weren't in that. :laugh:

cricket

01-22-24, 09:32 PM

Saltburn (2023)

4

https://filmvibes.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/tumblr_a1c1b0ff9e8adef97bbdc7e108840001_208921dc_540.webp

I thought going in that there was a horror element to this, and nothing I saw convinced me it wasn't coming. Yet it never came, and I never missed it, pretty cool. Awesome visuals and all around vibes, I never knew what was coming. Excellent performances and a lot of fun.

Stirchley

01-22-24, 09:54 PM

cricket

01-22-24, 10:53 PM

Brave of Barry to go full frontal IMO.

Eh, I do it all the time

PHOENIX74

01-23-24, 04:50 AM

Brave of Barry to go full frontal IMO.

He certainly had the equipment for that particular job.

Fabulous

01-23-24, 05:08 AM

Mandy (2018)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/vv1l1WzwED9r6ZVUw1xTfvaSiPW.jpg

PHOENIX74

01-23-24, 05:13 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f3/Poor_Things_poster.jpg
By Searchlight Pictures - IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73929537

Poor Things - (2023)

Certainly delightful in a whole range of different ways - visually arresting when it's not having you bay for the blood of certain characters I never expected to be cads. That said, I also have to say that I didn't expect the horrific Dr. Godwin "God" Baxter (Willem Dafoe) to be such a sympathetic character. Yorgos Lanthimos working with over twice the budget he had for The Favourite, and he did incredible things with that. Here his bizarre world isn't so different from ours that we feel any disconnect - it's close enough that we easily make the mental shift and believe in the wonder of steampunk era surgery that somehow make the doctor's creatures kind of cute (I loved the dog-chicken and the duck-dog). Mostly it's emancipation through self-reliant education and advancement, without being told what's right and what's wrong - but discovering it ourselves. That adds a nice added sheen to the whole fanciful and entertaining show.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ec/Loser_poster.jpg
By Impawards.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23364349

Loser - (2000)

There was a lot less here than what I was expecting. A college days coming-of-age romantic comedy with lots of date rape and little spark. Best scene was the cutting of the placenta sac of that kitten - and that's not a compliment. It lacks real inspiration, and as all it's impotent side-plots just fade away we're left with a romance that's decidedly C minus, or D plus.

5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6b/Across_110th_Street.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4772050

Across 110th Street - (1972)

Against the grimy backdrop of Harlem poverty a desperate story plays out when three robbers hold up a Mafia "bank" and steal $300,000 - filmed on the real Harlem streets with new Arriflex 35 IIC cameras, this grindhouse-like blaxploitation classic gives equal weight to all players and thus is balanced perfectly. My review is here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2434855#post2434855), on my watchlist thread.

8/10

xSookieStackhouse

01-23-24, 07:42 AM

5
soo sad but loved when its based on the true story and true events. loved the casting
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTEzNDU0OTgxM15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjA0ODM2OTE@._V1_.jpg

LChimp

01-23-24, 01:17 PM

https://i.pinimg.com/474x/be/96/1b/be961b8d27ad4029add1c5c89513ef76.jpg

The Vindicator - (1986)

Also known as Roboman in Brazil. For the longest time I've been trying to remember the name of this movie, that I saw so many years ago. Watching a video on YouTube about Robocop/Terminator clones there it was. Of course I had to watch it... and it is as bad as it looks, hahahaha

Rhys

01-23-24, 01:17 PM

The Road (2009)
Directed by: John Hillcoat (https://letterboxd.com/director/john-hillcoat/)

rating_3_5

I finished reading the book this month so I decided to watch the film to see how it compares with the source material.

https://mediaproxy.salon.com/width/1200/height/675/https://media2.salon.com/2009/11/viggo_mortensen_and_kodi_smit_mcphee_in_the_road.jpg

Gideon58

01-23-24, 01:25 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMGFmZTFhYjktMmYyZi00ZmE4LWI0NGEtMDY2MGEzMDY0YjdiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_.jpg

3rd Rewatch...For years, I have been trying to figure out why this movie doesn't work and I think I might have finally figured it out last night. Even though it's supposed to be a teen comedy, the execution of the film is in the style of a melodrama...the direction, the artsy camerawork with the self-important slow motion, the over indulgent use of tracking shots, the creepy music, it's supposed to be a comedy but it's directed like a melodrama. Despite the fact that there is a sweetness and sincerity to Michael J Fox's performance, it just doesn't gel with the rest of the movie. Not to mention the fact that they have Fox, perhaps Hollywood's shortest actor, playing the star of his high school basketball team. 2

SpelingError

01-23-24, 02:02 PM

The Ballad of Narayama (1958) ‐ 4

This is the second film I can recall seeing which feels caught between a film and a staged play (the first one is Olivier's Henry V). Given the reactions I've seen from some of my Letterboxd followers, not everyone will click with its incorporation of Kubuki theater, but I was very much on board with it. Given the narrative and the kinds of themes it covers (mortality and the questionable treatment of the elderly villagers), this could've easily fallen into schmaltziness or misery, but the visual abstraction of its style prevents it from dipping into those territories. Putting aside the artificial sets and the obvious handmade backdrops, probably the most divisive element of it is the voice over singing as I've seen plenty argue it grew tiring fairly quickly. That said, I found it to be the most unique element of the film. In spite of the dialogue describing what normally would've been emotionally blunt minutiae and character asides, I rarely got the sense it was trying to manipulate my emotions. In the context of the visual style, it fit very well in the film and helped the story find the right balance between alienating you from the proceedings and properly conveying the inner thoughts of the characters and the customs of the village really well. In spite of what I said though, the final act still managed to devastate me. It's hard to watch it without being moved in some way. The remake is pretty good and might click with people who couldn't get into the style of this film, but I prefer this one by a decent margin.

Gideon58

01-23-24, 03:49 PM

https://cdn.hmv.com/r/w-640/hmv/files/f7/f70d9316-8692-4e67-819d-b4220d22628f.jpg

4

GulfportDoc

01-23-24, 05:27 PM

97125
Body Heat (1981)

Likely in sequence the second great neo-noir of the later 20th Century following Chinatown (1975), it was both written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan (Star Wars films, Raiders of the Lost Ark). The first rate cinematography was handled by Richard H. Kline (The Boston Strangler, Soylent Green).

In a small Florida town William Hurt plays a second-rate attorney, Ned Racine, who commences an affair with Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner), the wife of wealthy tycoon Edmond Walker (Richard Crenna). Matty wants a divorce, but because of a pre-nuptial agreement, the only way she can acquire her husband’s fortune is if he is killed. She and Ned hatch a plan to murder Edmond in such a way as to show that it was an accident. Ned gets assistance from an explosives expert (Mickey Rourke) to make it look like Edmond was accidently blown up in his factory following his surreptitious murder by Ned.

Matty decides to forge a new will making her sole beneficiary of the estate, cutting out anyone else in the family. Ned knew that the new document could be discovered as a forgery, which might expose them both. Several of Ned’s colleagues and the police start to suspect his involvement. What follows are several twists, double dealings, switched identities, and faked deaths which all lead to anatypical classic noir ending.

Right from the start the classical noir chiaroscuro lighting is effectively replaced by the portrayal of the sultry oppresive heat and mood of a small southern town in the humidity of the summer. Much of the action takes place at night or indoors so the shading of a mystery is enhanced. Ironically most of the film was shot during a cold winter spell, so efforts by the makeup and props crews had to work to imitate the sweaty summer environment.

Their are two common important differences in the depiction of classic noir to neo-noir. One is the typical absence of the femme fatale in neo-noir; the other is the addition of more explicit sex, made newly possible by the loss of censorship that had been present in the classic era. But in Body Heat there is a nasty scheming femme fatale, and there is also plenty of steamy sex. Screenwriter Kasdan has certainly channeled James N. Cain (Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice). Absent the use ofcolor film andthe portrayal of sexual intimacy, the film could have been made in 1950.

Kathleen Turner exploded into recognition in this her debut film, and both she and Mickey Rourke are put solidly on the map. It is a landmark film that serves as one of the finest example of neo-noir.

Doc's rating: 9/10

PHOENIX74

01-24-24, 12:34 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/Ready_Player_One_%28film%29.png
By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54626052

Ready Player One - (2018)

Ready Player One works really well in some ways - the pop culture references are perfectly placed like candy throughout the entire film, and that's related to the nostalgia we get for old games, characters and that great DeLorean from Back to the Future, which makes an appearance. Adding weight to the positive side of the scale is Steven Spielberg's expertise when it comes to action and special effects. I mean, although most of this is a CGI computer game-based movie, I never felt like I was simply sat watching cut scenes from the latest GTA extravaganza - it all felt real. It's exciting - and a thrill to watch. During the movie's 140 minutes, however, I think more time could have been portioned out to character development. When Wade's aunt gets killed, do we feel anything at all? No, we've seen her for around 12 seconds - and even if we focus on the supporting characters who have more to do with the story, some of them feel pretty thin. There's too much computer game action in this. I did tire of it during the film's overlong final battle. Thankfully, the good in the film is overwhelmingly pretty and fun - so it's worth watching regardless. Just could have been a lot better.

7/10

https://i.postimg.cc/3RppT7Mn/flow.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17727690

Pale Flower - (1964)

Anyone interested in film noir ought to check out this very well made Japanese Yakuza film called Pale Flower, by Masahiro Shinoda. A gangster meets a lady who is an adrenaline junkie and the two form an obsessive bond with each other. Great movie - stylish and visually interesting, with a superb score and sound. My review is here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2435079#post2435079), on my watchlist thread.

9/10

WHITBISSELL!

01-24-24, 12:49 AM

https://occ-0-2794-2219.1.nflxso.net/dnm/api/v6/6gmvu2hxdfnQ55LZZjyzYR4kzGk/AAAABYeW9-Sl30hfEMFV3iSD1htg5tZB-wuqZ_bIJZZMdg6dBVGouTWuCL44cKJbn98XmthrAGWFGb6UCC3Td-5RSThWB6Aoq-a0Vl6_-1ReJxEBaEiopjikwfyDLOfGLnMSNnx5-Q.jpg?r=bdf

Mike Birbiglia: The New One - I guess I'm watching these Mike Birbiglia specials in reverse chronological order. This one's from 2019 and preceded The Old Man and the Pool. It might be because of my age but so far I'm identifying a bit more with the introspective, middle aged Birbiglia. This one deals with his initial lack of enthusiasm towards fatherhood. Then the somewhat tortuous, Socratic method route he takes towards acceptance. Then he lists all the obstacles he and his wife have to overcome on the road to actual conception. This, of course, is all done in his usual droll and hilarious fashion. Being such a masterful yarn spinner he knows how to time his big reveals for maximum effect. And he invariably circles his way back around to some random observation he made at the beginning of his set. Only this time it's filtered through the prism of all this information he's given you, adding a weight and a gravitas that wasn't there before. Mike Birbiglia, virtuoso of the circular narrative.

85/100

ScarletLion

01-24-24, 07:37 AM

The River (2023)

Second film from Junta Yamaguchi and the same concept as the first (‘Beyond the infinite two minutes’) – a group of people find that time is looping every 2 minutes. It’s a bold step to make your second film about the same concept, and in that respect the film-makers don’t really pull it off. Half way through I was thinking it’s getting a bit old. There are a few laughs and it’s all very chaotic – the setting this time is a beautiful hotel next to a flowing river in snowy rustic Japan. But there’s not enough of anything to really elevate the film.

6/10

3

https://d32qys9a6wm9no.cloudfront.net/images/movies/poster/86/335c6f6e2c9478bfb6004fb1fb0fe2d2_300x442.jpg?t=1687820556

................................................

Fallen Leaves (2023)

Finish director Aki Kaurismaki is a master at melancholy and loneliness. But he doesn’t wallow in it. His films dissect personal situations and Fallen Leaves is no different. The subtext is the war in Ukraine/Russia and perhaps the main plot (essentially a relationship drama) is an allegory for Finland’s relationship with the rest of Europe. It’s not quite as fascinating as Lights in the Dusk which remains my favourite film of his but it is quite an accessible, enjoyable Kauris maki entry.

7/10

3.5

https://septemberfilm.be/film/poster/500xREL/poster-1223-FallenLeaves_poster_BE_DEF.jpg

ScarletLion

01-24-24, 07:37 AM

Io Capitano (2023)

This is a superb film from Italian director Matteo Garrone (Gomorrah, Dogman). We follow Seydou and Moussa – two 16 year old residents of Dakhar, Senegal who against the wishes of their families want to be smuggled into Europe for a better life and to send money back home. They are warned that the journey is dangerous but they set off anyway. We see them travel through Africa, across the Sahara desert, come into contact with the Libyan mafia, smuggled across borders, tortured, get fake passports and all the other nasty side of humanity that comes with the territory of people smuggling.

There is a lot packed into the 2 hour runtime. So much so that it could have been a 3 hour film, lots of fades and transitions in the editing process from scene to scene. Seydou Sarr’s performance as the lead is nothing short of unstoppable. How he didn’t end up with major awards for this is scandalous but unsurprising I suppose. The film also has the most beautiful end credits I‘ve seen in some time.

At it’s heart this film is a reminder to us how much some of those in search of a better life have to go through, to even begin that search. It’s brutal at times and completely heartbreaking at others. Anybody should be able to search for a better life – and they shouldn’t have to go through hell to try and find it.

9/10

4.5

https://www.politeamapavia.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/io-capitano-banner.jpg

Siddon

01-24-24, 08:16 AM

Eh, I do it all the time

That explains the 1 star uber rating

chawhee

01-24-24, 08:38 AM

Oceans Eleven (2001)
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ce/33/84/ce3384a7392b4730ddd88946fcc544cf.jpg
5
Back on the Vegas movie binge with this masterpiece. The ending still makes me mentally break down the impeccable timing of how the heist worked. Probably going to skip 12 and go to Oceans 13 next.

cricket

01-24-24, 09:06 AM

Story of a Love Affair (1950)

3.5-

https://screenqueens.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/81f9ed091d018cc6e40c8045b587cc9464752ff5415c7c71dbc15dfe5e2134e3.png

From the noirs list, and the directorial debut of Michelangelo Antonioni. It's not a noir as far as I'm concerned, more like BFI said we need to get this acclaimed director on the list. Whatever, it's worth watching. At least the story is noir worthy. The main characters are very unlikable, but that's much better than me not caring.

Stirchley

01-24-24, 09:58 AM

Gideon58

01-24-24, 01:37 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTk4ODQzNDY3Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODA0NTM4Nw@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg

1st Rewatch...The passing of Heath Ledger kept this film being what it could have been, but this is still pretty solid work from Christopher Nolan that delivers some genuinely terrifying visual and cinematic imagery. Imagine if all of our military leasers and police officers were trapped underground and all of the criminals in prison were actually released? It's a pretty chilling thought that this movie frighteningly makes us face. LOVED Tom Hardy as Bale and Cillian Murphy as the Crow, though I couldn't get behind Anna Hathaway as Catwoman. Not as good as The Dark Night but better than Batman Begins. 4

Gideon58

01-24-24, 01:49 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDg3MDM5NTI0MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNDY0NDk0NA@@._V1_.jpg

1st Rewatch...It's been a few decades since I've watched this movie and found it undeniably powerful, despite director and screenwriter's sledgehammer approach in delivering the message. Nicolas Cage won his only Oscar to date for his performance as Ben Sanderson, an alcoholic screenwriter who has lost his job, his wife, and his child because of his alcoholism and decides to move to Las Vegas in order to drink himself to death. Upon his arrival he meets a lonely hooker named Sera (Elisabeth Shue) who is not only attracted to him, but is under the mistaken impression that she can stop the guy from drinking. This is the most important message of this film, that nobody can stop another human being from drinking and it is really pounded in our heads here. I love the moment where Sera gives Ben a flask as a way of letting him know that she accepts who he is and what he wants to do, even though this couldn't be further from the truth. Everything that happens in this movie is a little over the top, but not so much that the viewer doesn't feel for Ben and want Sera to wake up. Shue's performance, which earned her an Oscar nomination as well, was stronger than I remember, but couldn't get past the character's arrogance, thinking she had what it takes to keep Ben sober. The late Julian Sands also impresses as Sera's abusive pimp. It should also be mentioned that I LOVED every bit of music in this movie. Every song fit every scene beautifully. It's a downer, but if you know anybody you suspect is an alcoholic. this is appointment viewing. 3.5

Gideon58

01-24-24, 02:38 PM

https://cover.box3.net/newsimg/dvdmov/max1314097935-front-cover.jpg

2.5

Stirchley

01-24-24, 03:33 PM

Eh, I do it all the time

Scary. :D

Fabulous

01-24-24, 04:11 PM

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/zmpvhQQ8HcwwD1MujPZIEpT92GW.jpg

Stirchley

01-24-24, 05:53 PM

That explains the 1 star uber rating

Made my annoying day! :)

Gideon58

01-24-24, 06:17 PM

https://www.paramountmovies.com/uploads/movies/null/kfm-pm-share-1200x630-c.jpg

3.5

PHOENIX74

01-24-24, 10:51 PM

https://i.postimg.cc/hGF8VXfn/shadows.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21610501

Shadows in Paradise - (1986)
Co-worker: I've got a slogan already: "Reliable garbage disposal since 1986."
Nikander: But that's now.
Co-worker: That's why it catches the eye.

There's a wonderful simplicity to Aki Kaurismäki's films that allow the viewer breeze through and enjoy each slightly ridiculous scene. Every line is delivered in a deadpan manner, no matter what - and most of them are particularly funny. Garbage truck driver Nikander (Matti Pellonpää) falls for a grocery store checkout girl Ilona (Kati Outinen) when she bandages his cut hand - but their love life is rocky to say the least. Nikander is quiet, reserved, not adventurous and not really all that romantic - which causes no end of doubt from Ilona, whose uncertainty leads to upheaval. He just might need to evolve a little, and conquer his fears. Minimalist in every way apart from thought, feeling and a devilish sense of humour. Not your usual everyday film - droll comedy it's strongest feature.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9b/The_Innocents_%282021_film%29.jpg
By The Innocents Poster, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68465184

The Innocents - (2021)

When four children who live at the same apartment complex meet, their supernatural powers are heightened - which leads to unspeakable cruelty and horror. Such a tense, gripping movie - I was on the absolute edge of my seat. Review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2435288#post2435288) in my watchlist thread.

8/10

Rhys

01-25-24, 04:42 AM

Timecop (1994)
Directed by: Peter Hyams (https://letterboxd.com/director/peter-hyams/)

rating_3

https://gonewiththetwins.com/new/wp-content/uploads/1994/09/timecop_blue.jpg

Fabulous

01-25-24, 04:51 AM

Choke (2008)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/eo1HbBKzatwB7qD5W4x1oSue6lc.jpg

Rhys

01-25-24, 11:39 AM

You Can Count On Me (2000)
Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan (https://letterboxd.com/director/kenneth-lonergan/)

rating_5

I watched this film as part of the 2024 Film Challenge. I was searching lists on Letterboxd and came across Lonergan's turn of the century film - one that I previously had not come across before. You Can Count On Me is a genuine and heartfelt piece that tells the truth and never feels forced - a pleasant surpise as I did not know what to expect going in. I can safely say that Lonergan's Manchester By The Sea is now on my radar.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/you-can-count-on-me-2000/EB20001117REVIEWS11170306AR.jpg

Marco

01-25-24, 11:52 AM

Nobody's Fool (1994)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/39/Nobodysfool.jpg
This was an unexpected delight. I saw Paul Newman's face on Netflix but thought I'd only last 10 mins as the premise sounded a bit too wistful for me. Instead it balances wistfulness and content really well. Newman plays a rogue builder in a small town trying to atone for being a bad husband and father...in his own way. The acting is pitch perfect and while the story is slight that's what kept me watching. Newman being the equivalent of Eddie Felson in the Colour of Money. I actually think he got better as he got older at his trade. Melanie Griffiths turn is great too and the boob flash made me laugh out loud:) So unexpected but fitting with a nice story.
3.5

cricket

01-25-24, 02:25 PM

Barbarian (2022)

3.5

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTGvDVsfAC221aTgHW0ceumts8TrF42OYv3Tw&usqp=CAU

I think this was on my watchlist because of positive word of mouth here. I knew nothing going in except that it was horror. The first 30-40 minutes were awesome even though not much was happening. The two actors were very good and there was a heavy sense of dread. From there it turned into a typical horror film, although a good one. Justin Long is great at playing a *******.

Gideon58

01-25-24, 02:55 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81nr-sB33vL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

2.5

PHOENIX74

01-25-24, 10:42 PM

https://i.postimg.cc/zGQVpbyX/drifting-clouds.jpg
By http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F28FXTKRL._SS500_.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15431528

Drifting Clouds - (1996)

The word "battlers" has a certain, distinct meaning in Australia, even though anyone can automatically guess what it means - they're an esteemed group, although by definition that's not going to help them much. If it did, they wouldn't be battlers. Ilona Koponen (Kati Outinen) and Lauri Koponen (Kari Väänänen) are two in this Aki Kaurismäki film. They are by dint of both losing their jobs due to the economic downturn that hit Finland in the mid 1990s, and every single thing they try to either find work or improve their deteriorating situation ends in disaster, as if they have a curse on them. It's almost overwhelming, but Kaurismäki sense of fun in absurdity makes this anything but a miserable viewing experience. Same deadpan delivery, same wicked sense of amusement. Who can't love a film that pays tribute to the battlers in this world?

8/10

https://i.postimg.cc/yNPQRHQK/ser.jpg
By Unsigned artwork; work for hire for Warner Bros. Studios. - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054292/mediaviewer/rm3070701824/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97356668

Sergeant Rutledge - (1960)

John Ford's take on ingrained racism is refreshingly direct and frank. Black First Sergeant Braxton Rutledge (Woody Strode) stands trial accused of raping a white girl, and killing her father. Can he hope to be exonerated when nearly everyone simply assumes he's guilty because of his race and the fact there's circumstantial evidence? My review is here ( https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2435420#post2435420) on my watchlist thread.

7/10

SpelingError

01-26-24, 01:22 AM

Memoria (2021) ‐ 4

This is a tough one to rate as, while I was certainly blown away by the time the credits rolled, I felt I didn't get fully on board with it until the final half hour. Before that, while I appreciated the unexpected, albeit uncommon moments of sound design (the recurring sonic booms) and the outstanding framing in certain scenes, its style still felt fairly standard for such an extended period of time (or, at least, less dream‐like than I was expecting given my experiences with some of Weerasethakul's other films). That said, a few scenes still stood out to a degree here and there, like a dog following Jessica around or her walking into an ensemble quartet. Once the action moved to the countryside though, it became one of the most sensually powerful films I've seen in a long time. With the inclusion of the fish scaler's motionless and extended 'sleep', the hand‐holding connection, or a particular genre‐changing set piece at the end which I won't dare reveal, the snail‐like pacing and gorgeous photography grew so surreal that the film became a sensual dream which froze time down to almost a standstill (as has been said of Joe's films numerous times in the past). Mixing audial and visual ambience with prolonged empty space won't work for everyone since the "nothing happens" crowd tends to trash these kinds of films (and to throw those people a bone, while I think their arguments are completely naïve, I will admit that I've struggled with a couple of Joe's films), but if you're able to get on board with the ethereal rhythms his films offer, you'll get such pleasing and unique results. Again, it wasn't until the final half hour where the film fully won me over. Given how moved I was by the final act though, I feel confident enough on this being improved by subsequent watches down the road to not mark its rating down. As an aside, if you don't think you'll be able to watch this in a theater, you should definitely watch it with headphones at the very least.

Fabulous

01-26-24, 02:07 AM

One False Move (1991)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/8tRkatkYeMMFMwowfHTtIFlqJXj.jpg

ActionRocks

01-26-24, 02:39 AM

Enter the Dragon: 10/10
Fun fact, the film was deemed to violent for Australian cinemas, so it was cut down to get an M rating. However it was classified a year later as R18+ on DVD, then in 1998 as MA15+ unedited.

97154

ScarletLion

01-26-24, 06:15 AM

'All of us Strangers' (2023)

I can barely write about this film yet, it is so raw. Andrew Haigh's latest film starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal is an adaptation of the novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada. The plot is very spoilerable and any attempt to write at length about it would ruin it for anybody thinking about watching. The basic premise is that a man working on a screenplay about his parents meets a person who ignites something very personal within him.

All I can really say is that this film is up there with the likes of 'Aftersun' as one of the most brilliantly directed, acted and moving British films of the last few years. It is an absolute marvel.

At the moment, I can't think of a single flaw in this film.

https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/All-of-Us-Strangers.jpg?w=600&h=337&crop=1

5

Gideon58

01-26-24, 01:19 PM

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Umpteenth Rewatch...This slightly raunchy 2000 comedy is one of my guilty pleasures that I never tire of re-watching. This is the story of a quartet of college students who make a road trip from Ithaca New York to Austin Texas to retrieve a videotape of one of them having sex with a girl before his long distance girlfriend sees it. Nothing groundbreaking here, but it provides consistent laughs and features terrific performances from Breckin Meyer, Seann William Scott, DJ Qualls and the late Fred Ward as Qualls' dad. 3.5

Gideon58

01-26-24, 01:23 PM

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2nd rewatch...I'm finding this movie gets dumber and dumber with each rewatch. Will Ferrell is tiresome as the owner/coach/star forward of a minor league basketball team trying to find their way into the majors. There's one dumb scene after another here, including a scene of Ferrell wrestling with a bear that brings the film to a complete halt. Even the usually reliable Woody Harrelson is phoning it in here. The only life in this film comes from Andre Benjamin in a star-making performance as Coffee Black. 2.5

Gideon58

01-26-24, 01:32 PM

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2nd Rewatch...Sam Mendes, the Oscar-winning director of American Beauty deserves a lot of credit for the mounting of this crisp domestic drama that has a freshness to it as it takes place during the 1950's. Almost a dozen years after they set box offices on fire in Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are reunited in this blistering drama about a couple whose marriage is imploding because he's stuck in a job he hates and she is still stinging from her failure to become an actress. One day, the wife, April, decides that the solution to their problems is to pull up stakes and move to Paris. Mendes is extremely effective in bringing the 1950's and all of its starched and traditional morality to the screen and looking at it through a couple who want nothing to do with it. The film is gorgeous to look at and DiCaprio and Winslet are extraordinary in the lead roles, proving that the chemistry they created in Titanic was no fluke. Winslet is particularly memorable here, creating another of her screaming on the inside characters that she does better than just about anybody in the business. Winslet won the 2008 Best Actress the same year this was released for The Reader, but she should have won for this film. Fans of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf will have a head start here.

Stirchley

01-26-24, 01:41 PM

⏫️ Good movie.

Takoma11

01-26-24, 09:07 PM

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To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, 2018

Lara Jean (Lana Condor) loves the idea of romance, but finds the reality a bit intimidating. When her older sister, Margot (Janel Parrish) movies overseas to go to college, Lara Jean must come to terms with the crush she has on Margot’s boyfriend, Josh (Israel Brussard). As she always has done with crushes, Lara Jean copes with her emotions by writing a love letter to Josh and then adding it to a secret box of such letters. But when Lara Jean’s letters get mysteriously sent to all of her former (and current!) crushes, she must deal with the fallout, including being part of a fake relationship with former crush Peter (Noah Centineo).

This is probably one of my favorite teen rom-coms that I’ve seen in the last decade. Just very sweet and funny.

4

FULL REVIEW (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2435587#post2435587)

Guaporense

01-26-24, 09:14 PM

The Boy and the Heron (2023)

https://media.pitchfork.com/photos/64b57c565185b039bca7d052/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/The-Boy-and-the-Heron.jpg

It is a tragedy that I had to wait so long to see this masterpiece, as it was released in Japan about six months ago! Miyazaki's last movie is also one of the best ones, as I would place it among his top 10 best movies. His best since Spirited Away. In terms of style, it reminds me a lot of the Nausicaa manga. In fact, a lot of scenes are taken from it, while the overall plot is close to Spirited Away but a bit more complex. The "weakness" of the movie is that its ending felt perhaps a bit too fast; perhaps, its ending was like waking from a dream: the dream is going and going, and then suddenly, it's all over.

Miyazaki was 82 when he finished this movie. As he is older he is also taking longer to make movies: he took about a decade to make it; it was totally worth it, though. I hope Miyazaki lives to 120 so he can continue to make masterpieces for several more decades. The loss of the potential of such artistic genius would be too great for mankind otherwise.

Of course, the art and animation are the best ever; this is Miyazaki working with unlimited time and budget, after all.

5 (of course, its Miyazaki)

Galactic Traveler

01-26-24, 09:22 PM

Not the best film noir ever made but definitely solid and enjoyable.

3.5/5

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Takoma11

01-26-24, 09:52 PM

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fm.media-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FM%2FMV5BMDFjNjYxNDctNjJlMi00MzM2LThhMDQtMWY5YzgwNDk5NGQxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI3MD k3MzQ%40._V1_.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=f81ec22b9935ec5a2540c5a155a05bccb8c7e293dddeaedce7df7f162a442e29&ipo=images

When the Wind Blows, 1986

Elderly couple Jim (John Mills) and Hilda (Peggy Ashcroft) follow government directions to prepare for an imminent nuclear attack. When the bomb drops, the couple survives, sheltering behind their detached doors. But in the days following the attack, the couple begins to experience the consequences of radiation exposure, unable to comprehend that this is nothing like their experiences during WW2.

Devastating, which is exactly its intention.

4.5

FULL REVIEW (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2435594#post2435594)

Fabulous

01-26-24, 10:16 PM

The Ritual (2017)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/vaArQHq1lHFNppoJlMlv30Gs2fQ.jpg

PHOENIX74

01-26-24, 10:40 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Maestro_poster.png
By https://collider.com/maestro-bradley-cooper-carey-mulligan-poster/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74604006

Maestro - (2023)

I was pretty solidly behind Cillian Murphy to win this year's Oscar for Best Actor, but then I saw Maestro and thought "damn". You might call it Oscar bait, but it's no doubt a virtuoso and masterful performance from Bradley Cooper that I think is well in the running. He's obviously pouring his heart and soul into it - and there's never a misstep. As to the movie as a whole - a Leonard Bernstein biopic isn't normally the thing I'd be rushing out to see, but it's Oscar season and as such this Netflix film is an easy one to cross off the many lists it's on. I didn't hate it - I thought it was pretty good, and Carey Mulligan good (okay, really good) as well. I mean, it managed to say something about the man I thought - and what I read from all of the most vociferous critics doesn't glean with me. I'd probably be giving it a better rating if I were more into the subject matter and less completely exhausted with biopics dealing with musicians - whether it be composers, conductors or rock stars. Well done to it for never boring me as I thought it might - it kept me right up until the end, and drew me into it's central figure.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fc/Tasteofcherryposter.jpg
By It is believed that the cover art can or could be obtained from the publisher or studio., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10547649

Taste of Cherry - (1997)

Flat out masterpiece. A humanist endeavor that stands as a proud testament to the power of cinema, and Abbas Kiarostami's mastery of the medium. My review is here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2435595#post2435595) on my watchlist thread.

10/10

Galactic Traveler

01-26-24, 11:14 PM

Never seen 'Taste of Cherry.' I looked it up on Wiki and saw it had great reviews. Might give this one a shot. Thanks for the recommendation.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Maestro_poster.png
By https://collider.com/maestro-bradley-cooper-carey-mulligan-poster/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74604006

Maestro - (2023)

I was pretty solidly behind Cillian Murphy to win this year's Oscar for Best Actor, but then I saw Maestro and thought "damn". You might call it Oscar bait, but it's no doubt a virtuoso and masterful performance from Bradley Cooper that I think is well in the running. He's obviously pouring his heart and soul into it - and there's never a misstep. As to the movie as a whole - a Leonard Bernstein biopic isn't normally the thing I'd be rushing out to see, but it's Oscar season and as such this Netflix film is an easy one to cross off the many lists it's on. I didn't hate it - I thought it was pretty good, and Carey Mulligan good (okay, really good) as well. I mean, it managed to say something about the man I thought - and what I read from all of the most vociferous critics doesn't glean with me. I'd probably be giving it a better rating if I were more into the subject matter and less completely exhausted with biopics dealing with musicians - whether it be composers, conductors or rock stars. Well done to it for never boring me as I thought it might - it kept me right up until the end, and drew me into it's central figure.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fc/Tasteofcherryposter.jpg
By It is believed that the cover art can or could be obtained from the publisher or studio., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10547649

Taste of Cherry - (1997)

Flat out masterpiece. A humanist endeavor that stands as a proud testament to the power of cinema, and Abbas Kiarostami's mastery of the medium. My review is here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2435595#post2435595) on my watchlist thread.

10/10

Brody At Amity

01-27-24, 08:55 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cc/The_Favourite.png

4/5 from me. Terrific performances from Colman, Weisz, and Stone. A dark, comic wit and clever use of contemporary language with period dialogue.

Gideon58

01-27-24, 02:21 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71xs7jugTLL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

2nd Rewatch...A rare opportunity for Sandler to play an actual adult and he's actually quite charming. He plays a workaholic husband and father who is gifted with a universal remote from the magical Morty (Christopher Walken), that not only controls his TV, but everything in his life as well. Unfortunately, the remote gains a mind of its own and methodically begins destroying the guy's life. Sandler works very hard to make the insanity that this character goes through be believable and Walken steals every scene he's in, as do David Hasselhoff as Sandler's boss and Henry Winkler and Julie Kavner as his parents. 3.5

Gideon58

01-27-24, 04:25 PM

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4.5

Raven73

01-27-24, 04:40 PM

Shin Ultraman
6/10
The battle scenes, especially the ones in the second half of the movie, looked like something out of a video game. I'm sure children would enjoy it.
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTIyNDAzMGQtYmQ0YS00OWE2LWJjZjgtY2M3NmU4YmYxMDQ5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTEzMTI1Mjk3._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg

hacxx

01-27-24, 05:14 PM

Thanks

cricket

01-27-24, 07:19 PM

Der Verlorene (1951)

3.5

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/XR8AAOSwJJxeAqvB/s-l400.jpg

From the noirs list, this is the only film Peter Lorre ever wrote and directed. He also stars as a Nazi doctor who has someone from his past come back into his life. From there, most of the story is told in flashback when he was a killer. A solid film in which the creepy Lorre excels.

mrblond

01-27-24, 07:42 PM

Bandit (2022)

I've just caught this on the TV.
Pleasant, entertaining crime comedy. A lot of fun moments. They even pay a tribute to Woody Allen's sense of humour, inserting here almost a fully duplicated scene of his Take the Money and Run (1969).
Josh Duhamel and Mel Gibson are pretty good here. Alas, kind of usual banal final of the film.
3.5+
74/100
97178

PHOENIX74

01-27-24, 11:43 PM

https://i.postimg.cc/PfBgJfJr/hamlet.jpg
By The cover art can be obtained here., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49663698

Hamlet Goes Business - (1987)

Aki Kaurismäki really lets himself go with Hamlet Goes Business - an anarchical absurd comedy loosely based on Shakespeare's play Hamlet. Set in a wood processing business, with the family running everything a basic template based on the royal family in the play - so Hamlet (Pirkka-Pekka Petelius) sees his boss father murdered, and replaced by the man who killed him, married his mother and wants to transition to the manufacture of rubber ducks. There are some big laughs here amongst the utter lunacy. It's a film to take moment by moment - silly enough to just be immune from any detailed analysis.

7/10

https://i.postimg.cc/28f1sXMc/lad-sha.jpg
By "Copyrighted by Columbia Pictures Corp., New York, N.*Y. 1947" - Scan via Heritage Auctions. Cropped from the original image and retouched by uploader; see upload history for unretouched original., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89313764

The Lady From Shanghai - (1947)

This Orson Welles-directed film noir classic features his then ex-wife Rita Hayworth, her hair shortened and dyed blonde. Although a nervous studio cut it from 155 minutes to a scant 88 minutes it still has the tell-tale stamp of Welles inventive brilliance to it in every scene. My review of it is here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2435737#post2435737), on my watchlist thread.

7.5/10

Fabulous

01-28-24, 01:27 AM

Waterworld (1995)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/z9iPw6mvqU7awVSmdD79fnUJnwV.jpg

Nausicaä

01-28-24, 01:46 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/db/Bottoms_poster.jpeg

3.5

SF = Z

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

Thursday Next

01-28-24, 11:35 AM

All of Us Strangers (2023)

Quite simply the most emotionally devastating film experience.

Andrew Scott plays Adam, who lives a lonely, isolated existence in a high rise flat and is trying to write a screenplay about his parents. He meets a neighbour, Harry (Paul Mescal), by chance and rebuffs his advances. Adam travels to where he lived as a child, where he unexpectedly meets his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell), still the same age as when he lost them, the house likewise unchanged. As he has a series of cathartic conversations with his parents, he begins to be able to let Harry into his life.

A ghost story about loss and longing, this undeniably personal film works so well because of the attention to detail. The 1980s period detail is spot on, so too are the observations about generational differences and how things come around (Harry, younger than Adam, sports a similar moustache to Adam's dad and prefers 'queer' to 'gay'). But the things that are the same are telling, too: while Adam listens to Frankie Goes to Hollywood, his dad puts on a record from his own childhood. Everyone has their ghosts.

It's very well filmed, lots of shots of people seen in reflections and behind glass reflecting the way we don't always see people clearly and wholly. It's also very well acted by all four of the main actors.

I was in tears through most of the scenes between Adam and his parents, and I definitely wasn't the only one. It made me think of Aftersun, in some ways, in its exploration of childhood memories and parent-child relationships.

A really incredible film.

5

Mr Minio

01-28-24, 12:13 PM

The battle scenes, especially the ones in the second half of the movie, looked like something out of a video game.. No. Different aesthetic.

I'm sure children would enjoy it.
This is not a film for children

Watch Shin Kamen Rider and you'll get it.

Apne Tv

01-28-24, 12:17 PM

Today, I watched Squid Games Season and i rate it 8/10. So thriller.

Marco

01-28-24, 03:45 PM

cricket

01-28-24, 05:49 PM

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)

3.5-

https://64.media.tumblr.com/04212d5a9c4d9d41ad3f1367c7e76c86/bf17bac2840c00f2-cf/s540x810/8f91e7738abeb78ec5aaf70c708ab6a545e0aeaf.gifv

I didn't even realize this existed until I came across it on Netflix, and thought what the hell another one. I figured it would suck but I watch all of them so I put it on. I ended up enjoying it maybe more than any since the original, although I mix the rest of them up. It started out with the naive kids showing up in their electric car and I thought yea, perfect victims to root against. They were fine though, not unlikable as expected. Without the credits it only goes for about 70 minutes and it doesn't waste any of them. Good solid horror madness.

Takoma11

01-28-24, 06:34 PM

All of Us Strangers (2023)

Quite simply the most emotionally devastating film experience.

A really incredible film.

5

I really like all 4 main actors in this, and I've heard such good word of mouth on it. Really looking forward to seeing it at some point.

mrblond

01-28-24, 06:40 PM

A Haunting in Venice (2023)

Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Starring Kenneth Branagh and ensemble of actors.

Splendid production, superb cinematography and top level acting as it is typical for this series. No matter of the messy style of story-presentation, it is a pleasure just watching the scenes, lights and textures.
4-
78/100
97186

WHITBISSELL!

01-28-24, 07:22 PM

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Mike Birbiglia: Thank God for Jokes - Here he performs more as a regular standup than a monologuist. But just like in his other specials where he dissects and breaks down how and why he got to this point in his life, here he explores the concept of humor and of jokes. He also touches on being raised Catholic and on humor's volatility when mixed with religion. And he does a pretty good job of it, all while entertaining a sold out crowd in Brooklyn. He shares experiences from his life on the road including a disastrous hosting gig in Canada with The Muppets. But the highlight has to be the true story of his hosting the Gotham Awards in front of a star studded crowd where director David O'Russell is scheduled to win a Lifetime Achievement Award. Not to give too much away but this anecdote is prefaced by Birbiglia's musings on inappropriate levity. After asking for advice from his unfailingly pragmatic wife he decides to be true to himself as a comedian. Which turns out to be the heart and soul of this particular special.

80/100

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/907a87f0dc22f70b99ee6faa2d6af941fa9ceca5dc6ce442de210c8bcb9a0546._UY500_UX667_RI_TTW_.jpg

Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend's Boyfriend - Here he sort of explains why he is the way he is vis a vis relationships. He goes all the way back to his middle school days which apparently were equal parts reticence and incompetence. The rest of his experiences through college and then young and single can be summed up as Mike Birbiglia is a nice guy. With all the inherent drawbacks and frailties that entails. You just have to persevere and avoid turning into one of those embittered incel types and believe you will find that one person you're supposed to be with. Which is what happened with Birbiglia when he met his future spouse Jennifer Stein. Being allowed a glimpse into his life and his inner workings you feel that's a good thing because Mike Birbiglia seems like a good guy.

85/100

https://cdn.tvpassport.com/image/show/960x540/v2/p10564093_b_h10_aa.jpg

Mike Birbiglia: What I Should Have Said Was Nothing - Tales From My Secret Public Journal - His first standup special from 2008. He was younger of course and even though the trademark diffident delivery is there you can tell he's still sort of finding himself. Following the guidance of his therapist Birbiglia starts keeping a journal of all the crazy things going on in his life. He eventually starts sending these little vignettes to all the people on his mailing list. This also coincides with a shortage of standup material so that soon enough he starts incorporating his hilariously thorny personal life into his onstage performances. And this touch of serendipity lead to all manner of exceptional stagecraft.

80/100

stillmellow

01-28-24, 11:13 PM

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/6sq6fOb02zjhguNpi5VOklq6Nj.jpg

It takes a long time to get started, and I can see how a lot of people were disappointed by its ending, but there is some real genius here. It reminds me of David Lynch's Inland Empire.

It's a story about a man accidentally finding far more than he was supposed to. It gets a lot stranger and surreal than your traditional Noir mystery, but the ending fits the story and genre well.

It does take a LONG while to really get started, and it peaks a little early with the Songwriter scene, but overall it works.

👍

I like that

You can either take or leave the magical elements. There can be real dark spirits at work, or this could just be the work of a simple cult for celebrities, that uses complex puzzles to draw the wealthy in, with its mystery. I think it's a bit of both. And ultimately, it's an exclusive group that he can't be part of, no one is interested in exposing, and the girl he's been chasing (despite some uncertainties) isn't interested in getting rescued. It's a strange journey, but the ending is pure Noir.

PHOENIX74

01-28-24, 11:50 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f3/Match_poster.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from IFC Films., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44730926

Match - (2014)

Sometimes the performers in a certain film can really lift it, and that's what I found happened with Match - what would have been a perfectly ordinary film for me was one I enjoyed immensely because of Patrick Stewart, Carla Gugino and Matthew Lillard. I have to admit though, lately I've been getting a lot out of films based on plays - perhaps I'm more into dialogue at this stage in my movie-watching existence. Anyway, spoiler rich territory in this one, so I won't say much - it starts with Lisa (Gugino) coming to New York with her husband Mike (Lillard) to interview famous dance instructor Tobi Powell (Patrick Stewart) for her dissertation on the dance community of the 1960s, whereupon the interview goes in a very unexpected direction. Stewart knocks this one out of the park - such a gifted actor. Must have been a great play (by Stephen Belber) to see - originally featuring Frank Langella, Ray Liotta and Jane Adams - I wish I could go back in time and catch a performance. Loads of fun, and a great mix of melodrama and humour.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Barbara_%282012_film%29.jpg
By Intellectual property owned by Christian Petzold. - http://www.theupcoming.co.uk/2012/08/06/film-review-barbara-2/movie-poster-barbara/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37065773

Barbara - (2012)

Another look over the Iron Curtain into East Germany, where doctor Barbara Wolff (Nina Hoss) is being persecuted by the Stasi while working at a small out-of-the-way hospital, watched, searched, questioned - and all the while planning her ultimate escape. There's more to it than that though - so my review is here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2435836#post2435836), on my watchlist thread.

8/10

Fabulous

01-29-24, 02:37 AM

I Like Movies (2022)

4

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/akKdXPOFzr9LzLY7xzAZIWKCv7L.jpg

ScarletLion

01-29-24, 05:50 AM

ScarletLion

01-29-24, 06:18 AM

'The Zone of Interest' (2023)

Directed by Jonathan Glazer

Wow, That's some experience in a theatre. Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast, Under the Skin) has created a film about the Nazis and the holocaust quite different from any other I have experienced. It is set in the family home of key Commander Rudolf Hoss, who lives in a lovely house – right outside the walls to Auschwitz concentration camp. Glazer lets his audience see Hoss’ family routines, strife and happy moments, all the while next door his ideas and slaughterings are taking place. Immediately after the showing I was not sure what I had just seen and experienced. The film is artful but has moments of abstractness and odd quietness. After having digested it for a good few hours, I can safely say it’s one of the films of the year (already).

The key to this film is what we hear. The sound design is absolutely devastating, in that it induces the power of suggestion. We already know what has gone on in these camps, because we have seen countless films which have burned indelible images on our brains. Glazer piggybacks on this and lets us hear only the audio, while we see Hoss and his family enabling all of this terror. In this respect it reminded me of the Lanzmann documentary Shoah – very few actual images of the suffering.

Most holocaust films I’ve seen have reduced me to tears, this one did not, but it is arguably more horrific than all the others because we are shown what it takes for evil to manifest itself into what is otherwise a normal family, What caused it. What started it. And what didn’t do enough to stop it. It’s an impeccably directed film, and save for one possibly awry directorial choice which sets itself apart from the rest of the film, it is an absolute must see. And a must hear.

9.3/10

4.5

https://www.cineart.be/images/cropped/13819-800x900.jpg

Mr. Mino

01-29-24, 06:32 AM

9.3/10 I'm afraid your rating system is too general. You need the freedom of having more decimal places. I think this is definitely a 9.34994494 film.

LChimp

01-29-24, 06:53 AM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYWY4ZWRmNjItZGNjNC00NjM1LWFmZDctYWVhZDRkMmUxM2FiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjMxOTE0ODA@._V1_.jpg

Mindcage - (2022)

Discount Silence of The Lambs. Also, Martin Lawrence is really bad in this, it seems he got inspired by Chris Rock, after he watched that Saw spinoff

ScarletLion

01-29-24, 06:54 AM

I'm afraid your rating system is too general. You need the freedom of having more decimal places. I think this is definitely a 9.34994494 film.

You've rated it a bit too high for me there. Each to their own I guess.

Mr. Mino

01-29-24, 08:14 AM

You've rated it a bit too high for me there. Each to their own I guess. Yeah, 9.34994493 sounds closer to it.

Rhys

01-29-24, 09:31 AM

Oppenheimer (2023)
Directed by: Christopher Nolan (https://letterboxd.com/director/christopher-nolan/)

rating_4_5

https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Oppenheimer.png?w=600&h=337&crop=1

matt72582

01-29-24, 11:19 AM

They don't re-make em like they used to!

Torgo

01-29-24, 11:45 AM

Topaz - 3

For most of the running time, I was confused by this late period Hitchcock movie's lukewarm reception because I found myself really into it. Its inability to stick the landing likely explains it, but on the whole, I found it to be a pretty good Cold War spy thriller. Frederick Stafford is Andre Deveraux, a French secret agent working in D.C. who acts upon a Soviet defector's intelligence, goes to Cuba and uncovers a certain missile crisis you may have heard about. Upon returning home, his investigation takes him to a place he wouldn't have expected: his original home.

Despite a French accent that wavers as much as Keanu Reeves' southern one in The Devil's Advocate, I like Stafford as the leading man. While he's no Grant, Connery or Stewart - well, who is - he has the necessary presence and charisma. Also impressive are John Vernon as Cuban official Parra, who's at his steely-eyed intimidating best, and the incredibly charming Karin Dor as Juanita, Andre's Cuban mistress and Hitchcock's version of a Bond girl. With Dor as well as gadgets and subterfuge Q would dream up, it is not far off from being what would happen if Hitchcock made a Bond movie. There are also the moments that make you understand why he is the master of suspense, the highlight being Andre, with the assistance of Roscoe Lee Browne's spy/florist, swiping a briefcase and taking pictures of what's inside before Parra discovers it's missing.

From the Statue of Liberty in Saboteur to Mt. Rushmore in North by Northwest, Hitchcock knew how to properly end a thriller, but that is not the case here. The typical image in the third act is men in suits talking in conference rooms, and what's more, instead of seeing what sounds like an exciting getaway, someone tells us what happened instead. It was nice to see French acting legends like Michel Piccoli and Philippe Noiret, and given that the Cold War was not only still in progress, but also had shades of grey, an ending like the ones I mentioned may not have been appropriate. Even so, "entertaining" is not how I would describe it. I still give the movie a mild recommendation, and while this isn't saying much, it is more enjoyable than Torn Curtain. Just prepared to ask "so, that's it" when the credits roll instead of sitting in stunned silence.

Marco

01-29-24, 12:25 PM

Child 44 (2015)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f4/Child_44_poster.jpg
Being in hibernation mode at the minute the duvet is out on the setee and I'm trying to catch up on some films. Child 44 isn't bad, has a great cast (Hardy, Rapace, Considine, Oldman) but it has a blandness about it that comes from the flat direction and poor dialogue. The key ingredients are somewhat wasted. As I say, it's not altogether bad but just a bit bloated. Recommendations for a film on the same line would be Citizen X, a TV movie but a great one.
2

Siddon

01-29-24, 01:21 PM

https://ew.com/thmb/CXv8He8DLQqXGlinLz6GT0rAkqI=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/mean-girls-mag-rollout-121423-5-b4f294b2b35140978226de0ae454a6a4.jpg

Mean Girls (2024)

Man Hollywood's diversity agenda murders another promising film. The irony in all of this is that you had the right person to race swap in A'uli Cravalho as either Regina or Kady and you just made her a Lesbian version of Janis. Janis isn't supposed to be a lesbian it's the mean thing that the mean girl did. But this film race swaps both friends and makes Janis gay so Katies friends are now the most diverse people possible. You are making the film that's central theme is about exclusivity inclusive...

Angourie Rice plays Cady and see looks like a good ginger...she's a fake ginger. But more importantly...it's a musical where she can't sing. Renee Rapp can sing but she looks 30 half the cast looks age appropriate and the other half doesn't. You need age continuity in casting that is much more important than checking off boxes for diversity hires.

Anyways not going to say the film was terrible...it just could have been much better than what was put out.

C+

Torgo

01-29-24, 01:25 PM

Gideon58

01-29-24, 01:31 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTcwODUwMjg2Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTc2NzkxOA@@._V1_.jpg

2nd Rewatch...Star power is the main attraction in this slapsticky comedy which finds a long divorced couple pretending to still be married for the wedding of their adopted son whose non-English speaking mother is coming to the wedding and doesn't believe in divorce. The solid ensemble cast includes Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Topher Grace, Katherine Heigl, Amanda Seyfried, Robin Williams, Christine Ebersole, David Rasche, and totally stealing the show, Susan Sarandon as De Niro's current live in girlfriend and Keaton's best friend, who politely agrees to stay from the wedding but we know that's not happening. It's pretty predictable, but the cast makes it worth checking out. 3

Stirchley

01-29-24, 01:33 PM

97211
97214
97215

Three good movies.

Gideon58

01-29-24, 01:38 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTdkZjE3NzgtNTZmZi00ZDQyLWEyZWItZjhiYWM3ZGYxY2Q5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQzNTA5MzYz._V1_.jpg

1st Rewatch...This joyous and often moving HBO documentary is a birth to death chronicle of the entertainment icon, from her childhood with a no-nonsense dad and an alcoholic mom, through a career that garnered her seven Emmys, two Golden,Globes, a Tony Award and an Oscar nomination. As I mentioned in my original review, this documentary is not really for people who want to learn about the star, but for the people who already know and love her and want to revel in that love and adoration. Even on rewatch, i found myself fighting tears throughout and think a lot of that has to do with the fact that, even though it's been seven years now, I'm still in denial about the fact that she's gone and if you feel the same way, this film is appointment viewing. 4

Rhys

01-29-24, 02:16 PM

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick (https://letterboxd.com/director/stanley-kubrick/)

rating_5
[REWATCH]

https://brandontalksmovies.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/2001-a-space-odyssey-scene-1400x629.jpg

Gideon58

01-29-24, 04:01 PM

https://fr.web.img2.acsta.net/medias/05/06/11/050611_af.jpg

2.5

Darth Pazuzu

01-29-24, 05:42 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f3/Poor_Things_poster.jpg/220px-Poor_Things_poster.jpg

JANUARY 24, 2024

POOR THINGS (2023) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Things_(film))

Words come a little hard to me right now, and it's very difficult to pin down exactly how I feel about this movie. But I can say quite unequivocally that I've never seen anything like it, and that I found it both incredibly funny and poignant. This is another one that's definitely up there with my favorites of the past year!

It's hard to summarize exactly what this movie is all about, but I'll do my best: It's a metaphoric, (roughly) Victorian-era Frankenstein-ian science fiction fable about a young woman (Emma Stone) who has committed suicide and an eccentric scientist with a mutilated face and body named Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) who resurrects the woman and transfers the brain of her unborn child into her own body. The resulting being is named Bella by the scientist, whose assistant Max (Ramy Youssef) is assigned to help Bella with her behavioral development and maturity. And then things begin to get really complicated as Bella starts to develop her sexuality. Bella and Max fall in love and plan to marry, but purely as an experiment and adventure Bella runs off with a sleazy lawyer named Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) who has attempted to seduce her.

Lots of other things happen in the movie, many of them hilarious, and there are some genuinely laugh-out-loud funny lines, the least ribald of which is the by-now-immortal "I must go punch that baby!" :lol: Emma Stone has been singled out for praise for her performance as Bella, which she richly deserves. She gives the character a wonderfully off-kilter physicality and imbued her with a complete and utter lack of self-consciousness. Of course, this brings me to the equally marvelous performance by Mark Ruffalo as Duncan. This would-be Casanova is completely out of his depth with this unselfconscious child-woman and her total lack of any behavioral filters. Poor Duncan ends up being driven literally insane, and Ruffalo is hilarious when he's reduced to tearing at his hear and banging his head against a barroom counter. He rages at Bella and calls her every ugly, horrible name in the book, and Bella quite rationally decides that this relationship is just not working! Eventually, toward the end, we meet the husband of the woman that Bella used to be, and it becomes very obvious why she had committed suicide in the first place. But I'll forego any further details and not spoil any more of the plot for anyone who's reading this...

Thematically, this sort of movie is pure catnip to me. There's so much here about gender, sexuality, male/female relationships and politics here. I know that there are a lot of people who would probably roll their eyes in exasperation at hearing all this (particularly if they're militantly "anti-woke"), but the story is funny enough, the images visually captivating enough, and the overall tone satirical enough that the movie ultimately steamrolls over any possible objections and manages to entertain without coming across as overly preachy. I'm just a real sucker for movies rich in ideas anyway...

Recommended? Heck, yeah! :up:

Darth Pazuzu

01-29-24, 05:57 PM

And adding to my Blu-ray / DVD / 4K collection...

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A1j6zUy4AcL._AC_UY218_.jpg

Compañeros (Sergio Corbucci / 1970)

Further adding to my growing collection of Sergio Corbucci westerns, this is yet another tale of political violence and comedic misadventure in Mexico in the early part of the 20th century. Basically this is a slight remake of Corbucci's earlier The Mercenary from '68, but it's actually slightly better! Once again, Franco Nero plays a sharp-dressed gringo mercenary, this time a Swede named Yodlaf Petersen who gets paired up with Tomas Milian as revolutionary bandit Vasco, who nicknames the gringo "Penguin" and possesses more guts than brains. Fernando Rey plays a pacifist professor named Xantos who is wanted by the Mexican authorities and by a group of revolutionary bandits. And once again, Jack Palance makes a meal out of the villain role, this time portraying a malevolent spliff-smoking killer with a Scots accent named John.

Allaby

01-29-24, 07:19 PM

The Boy and the Heron (2023) The animation is fantastic and the score is excellent too. This should have been nominated for best score. I saw the English dub because it was the only one playing at the theatre near me. I thought the voice acting was probably the weakest element. Some parts of the story didn't completely work for me. There are more than enough great moments here and the strengths outweigh the weaknesses to make this one of the best animated films of the year. 4

mrblond

01-29-24, 07:28 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Barbara_%282012_film%29.jpg
By Intellectual property owned by Christian Petzold. - http://www.theupcoming.co.uk/2012/08/06/film-review-barbara-2/movie-poster-barbara/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37065773

Barbara - (2012)

8/10

Scrolling the thread yesterday, for some reason this title caught my attention.
So, I've immediately found it and just watched it.
Pretty good film! Nice naturalistic cinematography. Great acting and directing. In a moment, I just felt that the humanitarianism injected in the main characters was a bit overdosed.

While watching, we discussed if people from other countries (not Eastern Europe) gonna feel the situation in the movie?

4+
84/100
97220

matt72582

01-29-24, 07:47 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=97215

.

"Blind" (Norway) was very good for a new movie.

GulfportDoc

01-29-24, 09:08 PM

[Under the Silver Lake]

It takes a long time to get started, and I can see how a lot of people were disappointed by its ending, but there is some real genius here. It reminds me of David Lynch's Inland Empire.

It's a story about a man accidentally finding far more than he was supposed to. It gets a lot stranger and surreal than your traditional Noir mystery, but the ending fits the story and genre well.

It does take a LONG while to really get started, and it peaks a little early with the Songwriter scene, but overall it works. 👍

I like that

You can either take or leave the magical elements. There can be real dark spirits at work, or this could just be the work of a simple cult for celebrities, that uses complex puzzles to draw the wealthy in, with its mystery. I think it's a bit of both. And ultimately, it's an exclusive group that he can't be part of, no one is interested in exposing, and the girl he's been chasing (despite some uncertainties) isn't interested in getting rescued. It's a strange journey, but the ending is pure Noir.
It was definitely interesting, and I thought it to be a pretty good neo-noir. My Comments"

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

Allaby

01-29-24, 09:10 PM

20 Days in Mariupol 2023 Watched on Youtube. Oscar nominated for best documentary. This was brutal. It's very powerful, devastating, and disturbing. 4.5

Galactic Traveler

01-29-24, 09:41 PM

While the City Sleeps (1956)

3.5

https://resizing.flixster.com/S90WLvuGCF0cC-3Ba18HOqtzF8A=/fit-in/180x240/v2/https://resizing.flixster.com/-XZAfHZM39UwaGJIFWKAE8fS0ak=/v3/t/assets/p2747_p_v8_ac.jpg

PHOENIX74

01-29-24, 10:39 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/01/633_Squadron_1964_poster.jpg
By Derived from a digital capture (photo/scan) of the Film Poster/ VHS or 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=34033753

633 Squadron - (1964)

My general thoughts after 633 Squadron ended consisted of such strands as "gee, that was pretty noisy" and "those were pretty bad love scenes" - overall it looks very much of it's day, and while it has it's charms it's not one of the world's great movies. Aircraft lovers will delight though - for this does lovingly show off the amazing de Havilland Mosquito, a versatile multirole combat aircraft that kicks much posterior. The crazy hairbrained mission the likes of our multi-national load of pilots go on (we have Cliff Robertson from the U.S., George Chakiris from Norway, Donald Houston from Wales, John Meillon from Australia and some Indian dude who barely gets a line) is to drop mega-bombs on a cliff so the tumbling rocks and entire cliff-face itself destroy a rocket factory. The score sounds somewhat derivative, but the effects aren't too bad considering when this film was made. The actors only have to look stern (except for the bar scene, where they're all in full party mode.) I don't regret watching it - there are some really great aircraft shots.

6/10

https://i.postimg.cc/ZRK6rG2L/made-look.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34033753

Made You Look : A True Story About Fake Art - (2020)

Documentary about one of the biggest fraud/fake art scams in modern history - some random lady walks into an art dealership one day carrying what are meant to be long lost works from the likes of Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko - but they've really been pained by some Chinese guy in a New York garage. $80 million in sales were made, before the breaking scandal closed a 160-year-old New York institution. Great documentary. My review is here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2436066#post2436066), on my watchlist thread.

7/10

TDH1878

01-30-24, 02:30 AM

Past Lives (2023)
4.0

https://film-grab.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Past-Lives-45.jpg

Fabulous

01-30-24, 02:50 AM

Frida (2002)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/s04Ds4xbJU7DzeGVyamccH4LoxF.jpg

TDH1878

01-30-24, 06:56 AM

Maestro (2023)
3.0

https://film-grab.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Maestro-03.jpg

Gideon58

01-30-24, 02:50 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYzFjMjc3YzAtMzc1OS00YjU5LWI0YjMtNTFkZTQxZDMzMzllXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAyMjQ3NzQ1._V1_.jpg

1st Rewatch....I don't know what motivated me to watch this again, but I now almost wish I hadn't because I can't think of anything in the last decade or so that was so difficult to watch, one of the most gut wrenching and deeply disturbing things I have ever seen. This HBO documentary is a look at Hollywood supercouple Woody Allen and Mia Farrow and how their relationship was destroyed when Mia accused Allen of sexually abusing their adopted daughter, Dylan. God, I don't even know where to start here. I have always loved Woody's work as a filmmaker and it was harrowing watching this story unfold in front of us via interviews with Mia, Dylan, and dozens of reporters, film critics, psychiatrists, lawyers, police officers, as well as some of Dylan's brothers and sisters, family friends, and babysitters who all offered detailed documentation of what happened between Woody and Dylan, yet there was not enough evidence to bring Allen to trial? A Connecticut police officer said he could have brought Woody to trial, but didn't want to put Dylan through the agony of a trial, but I'm really uncomfortable with that. It's interesting that Dylan never waivered in her story and Allen never waivered in his declaration of innocence. On the other hand, neither Woody, Soon Yi, or Dylan's brother Moses refused to participate in this documentary. It was also weird that while Allen denied anything happened between him and Dylan, he never denied what happened with Soon Yi. They are still married to this day and have two children. I couldn't reconcile myself to the fact that he was so open to what happened with Soon Yi but denied anything ever happening with Dylan. There's no denying that Dylan and Mia are very broken people now....Dylan seems to be rebuilding her life, but Mia is a mess. She can't find work in the United States as an actress anymore. She also stated how terrified she was of Woody's reaction to this documentary and said, if she had to do it all over again, she wished she had never met Woody. I have been unable to form any opinions about Woody's guilt or innocence, but I have to wonder why Kevin Spacey, Harvey Weinstein, and Bill Cosby were all cancelled yet Woody still has a career. On the other hand, if I turned on my TV right now and Hannah and her Sisters was on, I would watch. I don't know what I feel about this tragedy, but this documentary destroyed me. 4.5

mrblond

01-30-24, 04:51 PM

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali and Kevin Bacon

I've discovered this one accidentally. Superb idea for a movie as a whole. Great start, the scene on the beach with the ship is an absolute cult moment. Alas, the filmmakers spoiled the things with couple of mediocre scenes in the second half including some meaningless political insults. With more skillful director and screenwriter, this could easily be Four+ stars movie.
Anyway, it is interesting to watch.
3.5+
74/100
97230

sawduck

01-30-24, 07:06 PM

GulfportDoc

01-30-24, 07:41 PM

97237

The Power and the Glory (1933)

I just happened to watch Why Be Good? (1929) on TCM the other night, which caused me to become fascinated by its star, Coleen Moore, who was one of the highest paid stars in the 1920s, and helped to popularize the famous bobbed haircut notably used by the Flappers. She was very charming in the film, and I wondered how well she did in the transition to talkies.

So I looked up The Power and the Glory which was the next to last year she stayed in films. She not only had a good voice but she was a very fine dramatic actress. She had to be, co-starring with Spencer Tracy in a role that really started putting his name on the map as a good actor.

The other interesting thing about the film was that it was written by Preston Sturges from a script (his first ever) he submitted in full completion, which was exceedingly rare in those days. His innovation was to tell the story in various flash backs-- a technique that was novel, and reportedly served as an inspiration for Welles’ method in Citizen Cane.

It’s a fairly tawdry tale of a wealthy industrialist (Tracy) who throws over his wife (Moore), to have an affair and eventually marries another much younger woman (Helen Vinson). The original wife commits suicide leaving their boy child to grow up with the father, who in turn grows up and eventually gets his father’s wife pregnant! This shocking turn of events causes the father to go into a depression and commit suicide. Pretty heavy stuff for 1929!

Coleen Moore performs beautifully, as both she and Tracy age in the story. But it is the heft of Tracy’s acting that stands out. Even thought he’d been in stage work for 12 years or so, it took a couple of films to establish his prominence. He became one of the very finest actors of the 20th Century, and one can see it start to play out in this melodrama. Available on YouTube.

Doc’s rating: 7/10

Galactic Traveler

01-30-24, 10:25 PM

DOA (1949)

3.5

https://resizing.flixster.com/P1prT96_8uPEDkAx_07bwX-nRkE=/fit-in/180x240/v2/https://resizing.flixster.com/-XZAfHZM39UwaGJIFWKAE8fS0ak=/v3/t/assets/p3656_p_v8_aa.jpg

PHOENIX74

01-30-24, 11:55 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b8/La_Vie_de_Boh%C3%A8me_DVD_cover.jpg
By http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QXMTYBZTL._SS500_.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19594072

La Vie de bohème - (1992)

Rather dour stuff this, even with Aki Kaurismäki's trademark deadpan humour still swinging amongst the poverty and hopeless dreams of the artists who form the core of this film. Rodolfo (Matti Pellonpää) is a penniless painter, Marcel (André Wilms) a poet who writes absurdly long plays and Schaunard a composer whose works involve bashing piano keys while screaming "You're under arrest!" Their struggles include deportation (for Albanian Rodolfo), eviction for Marcel and a hopeless bid for the three to publish a periodical. In the meantime Rodolfo keeps crossing paths with the love of his life, Mimi (Évelyne Didi), until tragedy strikes. These bohemian stories make me feel a little flat sometimes, no matter the quality of film they're in - and this is very good, despite not quite gelling with my frame of mind right now.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7e/Nobody_Knows_%282004_film%29_POSTER.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48614596

Nobody Knows - (2004)

Another really sad tale from Hirokazu Kore-eda featuring a group of 4 children struggling to keep things going after their sole parent, mother Keiko (Yukiko Ehara) leaves and doesn't return. We watch on, wishing them the best as they try to measure up to adult-sized challenges. My full review is here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2436251#post2436251), in my watchlist thread.

9/10

ScarletLion

01-31-24, 05:18 AM

Nobody Knows - (2004)

Another really sad tale from Hirokazu Kore-eda featuring a group of 4 children struggling to keep things going after their sole parent, mother Keiko (Yukiko Ehara) leaves and doesn't return. We watch on, wishing them the best as they try to measure up to adult-sized challenges. My full review is here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2436251#post2436251), in my watchlist thread.

9/10

One of my favourite Kore-eda's, along with 'I wish'. How he gets those performances out of kids is remarkable.

matt72582

01-31-24, 09:10 AM

Being Two Isn't Easy - 7/10
Nice movie from the perspective of a toddler, as well as the parents, and the little nuances of starting a family, especially with a pre-existing one.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/59/Being_Two_Isn%27t_Easy.jpg

matt72582

01-31-24, 09:16 AM

Ryan's Daughter - 7.5/10
I'll have to check previous posting of mine on this movie, because I'm guessing the first watch was from a DVD that skipped. And then today I read there's an extra 10 minutes, and I saw the TCM, which is almost 'current'.. I thought the movie lost focus at the worst time.. Mitchum confronts Rosy, and THEN the very long beach scene that could have been cut in half, but had some great moments, with Leary - kissing the jealous girl for helping out, making her smile debut in the movie, but also the "We make speeches about 'The People' but My God" - as he's amazed that they are even better in this unity against the English. Mitchum's acting shouldn't be ignored.. One of the most virile men in Hollywood made into a cuckold. But I guess the traitors get theirs -- Ryan and Ryan's daughter, for their own selfish reasons, and how those selfish, conceited, self-centered traits can bring down a revolution, just like the USSR fell because the people wanted blue jeans (but given vodka instead - the cheapest thing there). I didn't like most of the characters, and the village idiot doesn't help. I never liked Sarah Miles, so it's nice the village gets to tear her to shreds.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d8/Ryans_daughter.jpg

matt72582

01-31-24, 09:18 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b8/La_Vie_de_Boh%C3%A8me_DVD_cover.jpg
By http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QXMTYBZTL._SS500_.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19594072

La Vie de bohème - (1992)

Rather dour stuff this, even with Aki Kaurismäki's trademark deadpan humour still swinging amongst the poverty and hopeless dreams of the artists who form the core of this film. Rodolfo (Matti Pellonpää) is a penniless painter, Marcel (André Wilms) a poet who writes absurdly long plays and Schaunard a composer whose works involve bashing piano keys while screaming "You're under arrest!" Their struggles include deportation (for Albanian Rodolfo), eviction for Marcel and a hopeless bid for the three to publish a periodical. In the meantime Rodolfo keeps crossing paths with the love of his life, Mimi (Évelyne Didi), until tragedy strikes. These bohemian stories make me feel a little flat sometimes, no matter the quality of film they're in - and this is very good, despite not quite gelling with my frame of mind right now.

6/10

Maybe the least best movie with Kaurismaki and Pellonpaa, but I still liked it. Now I'm thinking of "Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana" and with the same (usually) acting troupe, I probably get those mixed up. "Shadows in Paradise" and "Ariel" were more defined and easier for me to distinguish, but also my favorites of his.

Rhys

01-31-24, 11:58 AM

Fast Charlie (2023)
Directed by: Phillip Noyce (https://letterboxd.com/director/phillip-noyce/)

rating_3

https://cdn.idntimes.com/content-images/community/2023/12/uovcyj3xmuv4geypgvzbezefmo6-4045c186fec5bf8ee0edb84612de4ca0-dc5fe492e2dcdae9fe955a78a30155a5_600x400.jpg

Stirchley

01-31-24, 12:36 PM

Saltburn 8.5/10 - A beautifully shot movie that has some pretty messed up scenes,especially the bathtub scene :eek: . A wild ride from start to finish
Living in Oblivion 7/10 - A movie about making a movie with the legend Steve Buscemi
Next Goal Wins 6/10 - Had some amusing moments but overall a bit disappointing
Air 8/10 - A wonderful cast led by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who also directed. The supporting cast featuring Viola Davis and Jason Bateman are great too

The bathtub scene was so gross. Gag.

Ryan's Daughter - 7.5/10
I'll have to check previous posting of mine on this movie, because I'm guessing the first watch was from a DVD that skipped. And then today I read there's an extra 10 minutes, and I saw the TCM, which is almost 'current'.. I thought the movie lost focus at the worst time.. Mitchum confronts Rosy, and THEN the very long beach scene that could have been cut in half, but had some great moments, with Leary - kissing the jealous girl for helping out, making her smile debut in the movie, but also the "We make speeches about 'The People' but My God" - as he's amazed that they are even better in this unity against the English. Mitchum's acting shouldn't be ignored.. One of the most virile men in Hollywood made into a cuckold. But I guess the traitors get theirs -- Ryan and Ryan's daughter, for their own selfish reasons, and how those selfish, conceited, self-centered traits can bring down a revolution, just like the USSR fell because the people wanted blue jeans (but given vodka instead - the cheapest thing there). I didn't like most of the characters, and the village idiot doesn't help. I never liked Sarah Miles, so it's nice the village gets to tear her to shreds.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d8/Ryans_daughter.jpg

Love this movie. Seen it many times.

Stirchley

01-31-24, 12:39 PM

97243

Re-watch. Seen it a few times.

97244

Not bad. Very long & slow. Lead actress very good, but have no clue why this is so acclaimed. No clue whatsoever.

matt72582

01-31-24, 03:16 PM

Going Home - 7/10
I've seen this before, and would prefer to see something I haven't seen yet, but when it's coming on TCM, I figure I'll watch it. Mitchum is one of my favorite actors, and he's TCM's "Star of the Month".. One of a few leading men from the 40s who could still hold a movie in the 70s. Interesting guy during interviews, too.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6f/Going_Home_1971.jpg

WHITBISSELL!

01-31-24, 04:39 PM

https://66.media.tumblr.com/322fedd607f633243641a359b5adde2f/tumblr_okd83sjlYj1s01qkyo2_400.gifhttps://i.gifer.com/ArLG.gif

Not of This Earth - I don't know why but I tried watching this once before and ended up turning it off after a couple of minutes. This time I stuck with it when I found out it was directed by Roger Corman. He's usually dependable even when they're his usual economy affairs. The movie opens with a teenage girl being dropped at her house after a date. Lurking in the bushes is a guy who incapacitates her in 50's low budget, sci-fi fashion, meaning she screams and falls out for no reason. The man then busies himself filling vials with what are apparently bodily fluids.

Next, an odd bird named Paul Johnson (Paul Birch) shows up at Dr. F.W. Rochelle's (William Roerick) office. He has a strange and stilted way of talking and wears unusual looking sunglasses that he never takes off. He informs Dr. Rochelle that he needs an immediate blood transfusion. The doctor refuses without first running some tests on the man's blood. The guy can apparently manipulate people's minds using telepathy and mentally coerces the doctor into helping him. He then hires his nurse Nadine (Beverley Garland) to take care of him in his home.

When I first started watching this I had it figured that Birch was a terrible actor. An Ed Wood level of crapitude. But the more I watched the more I realized he was actually nailing the role. His Paul Johnson is obviously an alien visitor and Birch never wavers from his vision of how this stranger in a strange land would conduct himself. Garland plays the requisite blonde hottie who inevitably finds herself on the precipice of danger. Seeing as how this is a Corman project there are small casting surprises sprinkled throughout. Little Shop of Horrors Jonathan Haze plays Johnson's manservant Jeremy. But it wasn't until the great Dick Miller puts in an appearance as a door to door vacuum cleaner salesman that I fully appreciated what I was watching. This should in no way be considered a classic but I tell you what, it gets the job done.

70/100

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR6ZgVpXrUXBS6JubNReuDyDgRkaUTDIdm7AIIZYHZ3A-1mR1MLA1qwbsoj6XXM0rZI9_c&usqp=CAU
https://www.girlsgunsandghouls.com/manster.gif

(The) Manster - Started it on the strength of that title alone and kept going because it had just enough odd little touches to make it reasonably quirky. It takes place in Japan where scientist Dr. Robert Suzuki (Tetsu Nakamura) arrives at his secluded laboratory perched atop a volcanic mountain. In his workshop is a mutated life form inside a large cage. It was apparently once a woman and Suzuki asks her where "Kenji" is. That turns out to be a furry smallish sasquatch creature that attacks the doctor who promptly shoots it and throws it in an incinerator.

Larry Stanford (Peter Dyneley) is an American foreign news correspondent and interviewing the reclusive Suzuki is his final assignment before going home to his wife in the states. Suzuki starts pumping Larry for personal information like his age (which he clearly lies about) and his health status. The good doctor obviously likes what he sees and slips Larry a Mickey Finn and injects him with his new and improved "formula". This has a sort of Jekyll and Hyde effect on him and Larry takes up with the doctor's vampish assistant Tara (Terri Zimmern). He forgets all about going home to his wife, the inexplicably fish-eyed Linda (Jane Hylton). Hylton was basically an empty canvas in most of her scenes. Dyneley gives off all kinds of Lon Chaney Jr. vibes while his metamorphosis from hotshot reporter to furry handed serial killer runs it's course. Victims pile up, the local police are baffled and it all leads to a climactic showdown at the mountaintop lab where the volcano starts erupting for no earthly reason.

I made the same mistake I always make and watched a mediocre public domain print on youtube when all the while there was a superior (and possibly colorized) version with clear sound and subtitles on Prime. Try it out it for the title and you might find yourself sticking around. Or not.

65/100

Fabulous

01-31-24, 05:51 PM

Shampoo (1975)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/5bq0WWPYKjEmWd2qp9xXpeXB5yX.jpg

TheManBehindTheCurtain

02-01-24, 12:28 AM

Nyad
8/10

It's the kind of movie that drives you to Google to find out if 64-year-old Diana Nyad really did successfully swim from Cuba to Florida some 30 years after her last, failed attempt. I'd certainly never heard about it. The key question that plagues Nyad (and us) throughout the movie: why. Why put yourself through that sort of torture. Why was it so important for her? I have to say I'm none the wiser and just appreciate her grit and determination. And the movie does an excellent job of presenting Nyad as a thorny and self-centered personality whose team still follows her even after all she puts them, and herself, through. Annette Benning as Nyad and Jodie Foster as her lifelong friend and manager Bonnie Stoll are just remarkable in the ease of their performances. The film itself (writing, production, etc.) is getting paltry recognition this awards season, but Benning and Foster (especially) are getting widespread, and deserved, recognition.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/76/Nyad_film_poster.jpg

Fabulous

02-01-24, 01:34 AM

The Grass Is Greener (1960)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/VKRZIiRgpV0VobAPrpag0dWGnD.jpg

MovieBuffering

02-01-24, 02:33 AM

American Graffiti - 1973

Was free on youtube so I gave it a whirl. Definitely feels like it puts you in a time machine and you are transported back in time. I thought it was a unique flick. Not sure I'd jump back to rewatch it quickly...but I am thinking about it a couple days after the fact. Can't quite put my finger on it. It has a lot of personality to it. It was enjoyable. Maybe it was just an earlier coming of age film done right. See what Lucas was up to pre Star Wars lol

3

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/iB8AAOSwLRJhJDHW/s-l1200.webp

TDH1878

02-01-24, 06:02 AM

Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
4.5

https://film-grab.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Anatomy-of-a-Fall-08.jpg

PHOENIX74

02-01-24, 06:18 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/Irrational_Man_%28film%29_poster.jpg
By May be found at the following website: IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46807716

Irrational Man - (2015)

I'd already seen this but had somehow forgotten just how crazy things get when an unexpected plot turn mid-way through sends character Abe Lucas (Joaquin Phoenix) down a particularly dark path - I knew there was a reason I liked it! Emma Stone makes for the other winsome half of an enjoyable Woody Allen film about finding meaning in your life - at any price.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/25/Dead_Reckoning_%281947%29_film_poster.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1918702

Dead Reckoning - (1947)

Been meaning to check out this film noir classic for ages. Humphrey Bogart is a few decades too old to play paratrooper Capt. Warren "Rip" Murdock - especially when lined up next to buddy "Johnny Drake" (William Prince) but I was very happy to get another look at Lizabeth Scott as femme fatale Coral Chandler after seeing her in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. Okay, but just a little disappointing considering some of the other great noir films I've been watching. Bogart's speech about shrinking women to keep in a guy's pocket until they're needed was pretty bizarre - I know that misogyny might rear it's head but they went nuclear on that front. The rest is very standard - a murder rap, and a conga-line of suspects including Murdock's buddy, who joined up when he was fingered for the crime. Good enough to pass the time - but not among the first dozen I'd go to for a rewatch noir-wise. Lizbeth Scott shines though.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2e/Children_film_poster.jpg
By The cover art can or could be obtained from Vertigo Films or IMP Awards., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28121181

The Children - (2008)

Some kind of grey goo makes the children at a Christmas celebration turn into homicidal maniacs and start killing the adults - making for uncomfortable and horrific viewing. Perfect, if that's what you're wanting. My review is here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2436521#post2436521), on my watchlist thread.

6/10

pahaK

02-01-24, 06:31 AM

The Children - (2008)

Some kind of grey goo makes the children at a Christmas celebration turn into homicidal maniacs and start killing the adults - making for uncomfortable and horrific viewing. Perfect, if that's what you're wanting. My review is here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2436521#post2436521), on my watchlist thread.

6/10

I liked this one quite a bit (I rated it 8/10). It reminds me of the older Spanish film Who Could Kill a Child? (which, in turn, is very reminiscent of Romero) but just more graphic with its violence. I have a soft spot for evil children in movies, and this is one of the better ones.

chawhee

02-01-24, 08:49 AM

Ocean's 13 (2007)
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c3/06/9e/c3069e129ba344434f2dc5442bcfdd39.jpg
4.5
Slight step below Ocean's 11, with everything (editing, dialogue, plot) not quite as crisp as the original. Still a delightful movie for Las Vegas enthusiasts.

this_is_the_ girl

02-01-24, 12:26 PM

https://criterion-production.s3.amazonaws.com/wcpPGnumZFqoYEsXIPKltGb7AWFqy0.png
El Sur (1983, Victor Erice)
5
Having seen and loved Spirit of the Beehive, I wanted to see more Erice, so I came across this one, and wow, what a gem this is. Just an exquisitely delicate, poetic coming-of-age story, beautifully acted and directed...the cinematography is just marvelous, it's like a painting at times (like that opening shot of a room as the dawn is slowly breaking out of complete darkness..brilliant!), creating, in combination with the off screen narration, a wistful, elegiac mood of quiet reminiscence where time and memory intertwine to tell a story about the innocence of childhood, budding adolescence, family mystery and loss. SotB and El Sur share a similar vibe and similar motifs, such as fascination with cinema, children as protagonists, Spanish historical references (see also Carlos Saura's films, like Cria Cuervos), etc. Loved the ending, too - the lyricism, the understatedness of it all...just gorgeous!

this_is_the_ girl

02-01-24, 01:03 PM

Gideon58

02-01-24, 01:16 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71vx+LAzbBL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

1st Rewatch...What begins as an exploration of the psychic connection between twins eventually dissolves into a pretentious mess. Former SNL castmates Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig play twins who are reunited after ten years when Hader's Miles attempts to commit suicide by slitting his wrists and the hospital contacts Wiig's Molly, who is about to swallow a bottle of sleeping pills when the phone rings. Despite this very promising beginning the film turns into a melodramatic mess as we learn Miles is gay and was seduced by a married teacher when he was in high school and it just goes downhill from there. Hader's brilliant performance as the tortured Miles is the only thing that keeps this movie watchable. 2.5

Gideon58

02-01-24, 01:25 PM

https://vickerstheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/banshee2.jpeg

1st Rewatch....This is a gut-wrenching and often ugly story told against a breathtaking canvas. Director Martin McDonough mounts an emotionally-charged story about a broken friendship. Colin Farrell plays Padraic, an Irish farmer who comes to the local pub one day and learns that his best friend Colm (Brendon Gleeson) doesn't want to be his friend anymore with no explanation. The story aggravates and confuses because Colm keeps saying he doesn't want to be Padraic's friend anymore. even threatening to disfigure himself if Padraic says another word to him, but continues to get in the guy's face. This disturbing drama from last year received 10 Oscar nominations and didn't take home a single statue. Collin Farrell has never been better as the tortured Padraic, earning him a Best Actor nomination. Gleeson, Kerry Condon, and Barry Keoghan earned nominations as well. Not an easy watch, but well worth it. 4

WHITBISSELL!

02-01-24, 03:09 PM

https://media1.giphy.com/media/6z84o9cTbXRzW/200.webp?cid=790b7611z6f87n774rqpfmw40sv1u9vom3ei61khpf8jmd7m&ep=v1_gifs_search&rid=200.webp&ct=g
https://media0.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExam9tb3I5enF0aGhseHloeHdvMzM0bmxodDR3MnVmOWNhOWJ2ZzUyZiZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfY nlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/K6sxqTLgnYz2E/giphy.gif

The 'Burbs - I hadn't seen this in years and years. I don't know if it qualifies as a classic but I've always been very fond of it. From Director Joe Dante to the cast and wardrobe it's an 80's movie through and through. The most hilarious part is that (not to this degree of course) I've known people like this. Maybe we all have. Comedic Tom Hanks (back when he specialized in exasperated everyman) plays suburban schlub Ray Peterson. He's on vacation and looking forward to doing absolutely nothing. His wife Carol (Carrie Fisher) keeps trying to convince him to go spend some time up at "the lake" instead. But Ray is subliminally locked into "unofficial neighborhood watch captain" mode while being aided, abetted and egged on by his doofus neighbor Art Weingartner (Rick Ducommun). The dad posse is rounded out by wildly combative Vietnam vet Mark Rumsfield (Bruce Derrn).

After a new family moves in and draws their attention it isn't long before they're convinced the newcomers are up to no good. To Ray and his friends the fact that their run down house looks so sinister and the neighbors keep to themselves is reason enough. When another of their neighbors seemingly disappears overnight they check his house and find enough things out of place to crank their paranoia up to 11.

I think this is a guaranteed good time and that you can put this on and rest easy knowing you'll be entertained. The cast is certainly eclectic enough with Henry Gibson, Brother Theodore and Courtney Gains playing their sketchy neighbors the Klopeks. Dick Miller and Robert Picardo appear briefly as sanitation workers/garbagemen and look for a young Franklin Ajaye playing a police detective. Corey Feldman is also in it but not enough to harsh the good times. One of my favorite 80's comedies.

85/100

Deschain

02-01-24, 04:40 PM

I adore The ‘Burbs. Childhood favorite.

“You keep a horse in the basement?!”

Gideon58

02-01-24, 04:50 PM

https://images.savoysystems.co.uk/GCL/1333479.jpg

4.5

mrblond

02-01-24, 07:02 PM

Ferrari (2023)

Directed by Michael Mann
Starring Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz

That's a good movie.
Well filmed, good screenplay plus Driver and Cruz at their best, what more...
4+
82/100
97276

beelzebubble

02-01-24, 07:40 PM

Onibaba (1964)
Someone said that William Friedkin found this movie scary. I did not.
The soundtrack is great. It sounds both both Japanese and jazzy. I am not that familiar with Japanese music so I don't know how much of the dissonance is natural to their music. I know there is some use of dissonance from a koto record I used to listen to. The initial theme is really something.
It is beautifully photographed, the acting is excellent and the setting, a grassland with a number of huts, gives a feeling of both expansiveness and suffocation.
It takes place in an alien landscape. Not many, if any of us, live in a rural location during a civil war or are eking out an existence by killing passersby. The loneliness and the fear of starvation are palpable.
It is well made but a little long.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ6j7rccX06ZlpIdCHmyKTUd9dRBihSawN3Ww&usqp=CAU

Fabulous

02-01-24, 11:42 PM

The Long Gray Line (1955)

4

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/eyk1w3QpJ8O5glNBCdLogl7xw88.jpg

PHOENIX74

02-02-24, 05:21 AM

https://i.postimg.cc/FHK33VBN/anatomy.jpg
By Le Pacte - IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74397267

Anatomy of a Fall - (2023)

When her husband Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis) is found dead outside their house, killed by blunt trauma to the head, his wife, Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller) is tried for murder - and their young, blind son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner) finds himself torn up about what to say and what not to say to the court. In the meantime the very heart of Sandra's troubled marriage is aired and debated - with a violent argument they'd had the day before evidence for the prosecution when it's found out Samuel taped it. Hits right at the heart of familial love, and the choice we often have to make whether we believe in the person we love or come to doubt them. Often it means having to make a conscious choice. There's much more to unpack here - but I've only just seen the film - and this one is truly a movie to meditate on. Lord knows, I'd hate to have any relationship of mine defined by the words uttered in the heat of argumentative battle. There's more to us than that - and Anatomy of a Fall tests the depths of complexity that exist when it comes to bonds both loving and troubled.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/The_Hand_of_God_%282021%29_film_poster.jpg
By The Apartment [Italian film production company] - https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81156325, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68527812

The Hand of God - (2021)

This autobiographical movie from The Great Beauty director Paolo Sorrentino takes us to 1980s Naples and a family full of pranksters and oddballs - for young Fabietto Schisa (Filippo Scotti) it's a time of deliverance, when Napoli sign up superstar Diego Maradona, but also one of unspeakable tragedy. My review for it is here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2436728#post2436728), on my watchlist thread. Great movie.

8/10

Brody At Amity

02-02-24, 07:45 AM

[CENTER]

The 'Burbs -

I think this is a guaranteed good time and that you can put this on and rest easy knowing you'll be entertained. The cast is certainly eclectic enough with Henry Gibson, Brother Theodore and Courtney Gains playing their sketchy neighbors the Klopeks. Dick Miller and Robert Picardo appear briefly as sanitation workers/garbagemen and look for a young Franklin Ajaye playing a police detective. Corey Feldman is also in it but not enough to harsh the good times. One of my favorite 80's comedies.

85/100

One of my all-time favourites! Love The Burbs!

Brody At Amity

02-02-24, 07:48 AM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/Killers_of_the_Flower_Moon_film_poster.jpg

Finally caught up with this epic. I'm still mulling over what I thought about it. It's Scorsese so there's lots to admire. Still, I felt it was too long. Things got going when Jesse Plemons arrived. Could the first hour have been trimmed a bit?

Brody At Amity

02-02-24, 07:58 AM

It was a two-film movie night for me (which is somewhat incredible given one was Killers of the Flower Moon clocking in at 3hrs 26mins). A rare treat to have back-to-back movies on a Thursday evening.

Fletch (1985)

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTM1NzY0NDEyM15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMDE1Njk4._V1_.jpg

4/5

A re-watch of Fletch. One of Chevy Chase's best films (https://www.top10films.co.uk/7329-top-10-chevy-chase-films/) and my second personal favourite behind National Lampoon's Vacation. Apparently, it's Chase's favourite film of the ones he's made.

matt72582

02-02-24, 08:39 AM

Conflagration - 7/10

https://vhx.imgix.net/criterionchannelchartersu/assets/7262f58e-095f-4b34-b6fa-6293953e60a5.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop&h=720&q=75&w=1280

Gideon58

02-02-24, 01:27 PM

[QUOTE=PHOENIX74;2436730]https://i.postimg.cc/FHK33VBN/anatomy.jpg
By Le Pacte - IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74397267

Anatomy of a Fall - (2023)

When her husband Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis) is found dead outside their house, killed by blunt trauma to the head, his wife, Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller) is tried for murder - and their young, blind son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner) finds himself torn up about what to say and what not to say to the court. In the meantime the very heart of Sandra's troubled marriage is aired and debated - with a violent argument they'd had the day before evidence for the prosecution when it's found out Samuel taped it. Hits right at the heart of familial love, and the choice we often have to make whether we believe in the person we love or come to doubt them. Often it means having to make a conscious choice. There's much more to unpack here - but I've only just seen the film - and this one is truly a movie to meditate on. Lord knows, I'd hate to have any relationship of mine defined by the words uttered in the heat of argumentative battle. There's more to us than that - and Anatomy of a Fall tests the depths of complexity that exist when it comes to bonds both loving and troubled.

8/10

Jusr saw this yesterday and your thoughts on the film are pretty much spot on.

Gideon58

02-02-24, 01:34 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91pLEWZcMGL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

3rd Rewatch...This film totally holds up almost twenty years after its release. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn play a pair of DC lawyers who spend their down time crashing weddings i order to get laid. Things get sticky for the pair when they crash the wedding of the eldest daughter of the secretary of Treasury (Christopher Walken), where Wilson's John falls for the middle daughter (Rachel McAdams) and the youngest daughter (Isla Fisher) falls hard for Vince's character. As long as you don't think about it too much...like why do a couple of Washington DC lawyers have so much trouble meeting women that they have to crash weddings, or why Walken's is so dumb he can't figure out that these two guys are fakes, this movie is so funny. It's slightly longer than it needs to be, but Wilson and Vaughn are a well-oiled machine and the McAdams and Fisher are lovely leading ladies. 4

Gideon58

02-02-24, 01:44 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYzM3Yjg5MGEtMTM0MC00MDg0LWI5NzgtODI4ZDI5ZmI5ZDI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc3MjQzNTI@._V1_.jpg

1st Rewatch...HBO knocked it out of the park with this elegantly mounted miniseries set in a former industrial giant of a town in Maine where generations of the same families still seem to be doing the Hatfield and McCoys thing. The central character is a restaurant owner named Miles (Ed Harris) who is dealing with, among other things, an emasculating ex-wife (Helen Hunt), a lazy sponge of a father (Paul Newman), a manipulative landlady (Joanne Woodward), a brother (Aidan Quinn) suspected of being a drug dealer, and a slightly nutsy childhood friend who is now a cop (William Fichtner). Other members of the impressive ensemble cast include Dennis Farina, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Estelle Parsons, Kate Burton, Jeffrey DeMunn, and Theresa Russell. Newman steals the show though, in a performance that earned him Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG awards.. Fans of films like Peyton Place and The Long Hot Summer will have a head start here. 4

Gideon58

02-02-24, 01:51 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91MkB5AslRL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg

1st Rewatch...This overly cute and completely predictable rom-com is the story of Nesser (Josh Duhamel) and Holly (Katherine Heigl), who had a disastrous blind date a few years ago set up by their friends Pete and Allison. Suddenly Pete and Allison are killed in a car accident and Nesser and Holly discover they have been named guardians of Pete and Allison's year old daughter, Sophia. And it is that this point of the this pretentiously titled mess where we get every single cliched scene that you can think of associated with this premise. Heigl plays another of her unlikable characters and has pretty much no chemistry with Duhamel, but I've never seen an actor who has chemistry with Heigl, but this one was much weaker on rewatch. 2

Stirchley

02-02-24, 03:11 PM

97289

Terrific Japanese dystopian movie.

EsmagaSapos

02-02-24, 06:08 PM

Perfect Days 2023
Directed by Wim Wenders
5
https://i.postimg.cc/MGHg6pDy/MV5-BYj-I2-Njc4-MGQt-Yz-Yw-NC00-MDQ1-LTky-Mz-Qt-ODY0-NDk4-Nz-Zj-NGMy-Xk-Ey-Xk-Fqc-Gde-QXVy-MTM1-Nj-M2-ODg1-V1-FMjpg-UX1000.jpg

Each year brings forth a cinematic marvel that resonates deeply with my heart, and curiously, it's always just one, never two. Within the forum's discussions, there's a thread questioning about the character to whom one relates the most. For me, this film encapsulates that connection perfectly—it's as if I'm witnessing my own life unfold on the screen, a narrative steeped in utmost sensitivity to nature forms, embracing simple living, and expressing profound gratitude to just be alive. Surprisingly, for the first time, I find myself regretting watching a movie on the big screen, as its profoundly personal impact has me yearning for the solitude of a solitary viewing, a sentiment I often cherish. It is premature to articulate anything beyond this immediate connection.

mrblond

02-02-24, 06:45 PM

The Holdovers (2023)

Directed by Alexander Payne
Starring Paul Giamatti

Payne + Giamatti always means 4.5 for sure.
88/100
97291

Galactic Traveler

02-02-24, 10:50 PM

Don't Bother To Knock.

3.5

https://resizing.flixster.com/g48LovbnRQcQpla7QazVbeJIBko=/fit-in/180x240/v2/https://resizing.flixster.com/-XZAfHZM39UwaGJIFWKAE8fS0ak=/v3/t/assets/p4702_p_v8_aa.jpg

skizzerflake

02-02-24, 11:11 PM

How can you take a decent cast, including Bryce Dallas Howard, Henry Cavill and Sam Rockwell and make them do a movie like this - Argyll - I don't know. I guess they signed the contract before the script was written. I forgive John Cena, since he's mainly muscle beefcake from the wrassling world and I don't have any expectations there.

It has no engaging characters, a meandering and non-sensical plot line, no need for acting, but it does have lots of cheesy digital FX and lots of stuff blows up. It's loud and fast, though not fast enough since the minimal plot can't support its run-time. I think it was supposed to be "action-comedy". It did have pretty much end-to-end action, but nothing was that funny.

It does however, have a cute, presumably digital, cat. If the cat had not been digital I guess the animal rights people would have been protesting its treatment, but there's so much to protest in this flick that cats would just be one issue. :popcorn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mgu9mNZ8Hk

Fabulous

02-02-24, 11:54 PM

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

4

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/l9WzjwHwF7I2DwCtK8DXVQExGjH.jpg

TDH1878

02-03-24, 12:12 AM

American Fiction (2023)
4.5

https://www.b985.com/resizer/LJBdaeY-br93IWeMb_SWlhrL1KQ=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-cmg/public/BU2SKQ42O5F3VK5T4DDUUHDC2E.jpg

Nausicaä

02-03-24, 01:11 AM

https://resizing.flixster.com/-XZAfHZM39UwaGJIFWKAE8fS0ak=/v3/t/assets/p26221868_v_v10_aa.jpg

3

SF = Z

Trailer:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Z1hGKh3QHU8&pp=ygUacnVucyBpbiB0aGUgZmFtaWx5IHRyYWlsZXI%3D

[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

xSookieStackhouse

02-03-24, 01:55 AM

5 i loved it its so funny , loved bryce dallas howard she did an amazing job and loved sam rockwell one of the good actors and loved henry cavill and i swear catherine o hara and other guy was on home alone movie. i dislike when they had the cat in the backpack im those people who thinks its cruel
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/56YO1TgXmplum9ulWveg7TRKCAt.jpg

wositelec

02-03-24, 05:10 AM

I watched "Salt Fairy Tales" (1983) - first episode entitled "O závojích bez nevest" (About veils without brides) is excellent!

https://www.serialzone.cz/obrazky/plakaty/slane-pohadky-8451.jpg

this_is_the_ girl

02-03-24, 06:14 AM

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/janus_stills/994-/27848id_1500_050_w1600.jpg
A Man Escaped (1956, Robert Bresson)
4.5
This stark minimalist prison break drama is widely regarded as a masterpiece and one of the greatest films of all time, and I have no reason to argue with this sentiment. It's certainly a great film, and I definitely liked it, I just wasn't hugely affected or blown away by it. I did love the attention to detail, the purity of cinematography, the use of sound and silence, and the complete avoidance of fake Hollywood-style action and emotional manipulation. The Nazi guards were basically invisible the whole time—the whole focus was on the psychological and spiritual struggle of the protagonist, the silent stoicism of resisting and overcoming the toughest of circumstances. Still, I felt there was something missing, perhaps a bit more tension and suspense would help? I don't know what it is, maybe I wasn't in the mood, or maybe Bresson's style doesn't grab me as much as I would love it to. I wasn't a fan of L'Argent either, though I'd almost expected to love it (the concept was pretty interesting). I need to see more of his films, for sure.

Again, great film but (to me personally) not quite a 5/5. Mentally comparing this to Le Trou, I do prefer the latter.

this_is_the_ girl

02-03-24, 06:35 AM

https://images.savoysystems.co.uk/GCL/1333479.jpg

4.5
This looks good, goes on my to watch list.:yup:

chawhee

02-03-24, 10:38 AM

Leave the World Behind (2023)
https://www.bognor.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Leave-the-World-Behind-_-777x437.jpg
2
Why do people seem to generally like this movie? We have extreme portrayals of characters (Julia Roberts constantly angry and frantic, Mahershala Ali a mysterious stoic), unwise decision making by otherwise intelligent people, twisty cinematography that wore out its welcome quickly, a soundtrack that was noticeably distracting....

Many people seem to think the ending ruined it, but the ending was actually fine (albeit predictable) to me. What a waste of time....

building up the whole movie to basically nothing. The climax was the exchange with Kevin Bacon? I also found it strange that Ali and Roberts have this little fling in the middle of all this...

WHITBISSELL!

02-03-24, 02:45 PM

https://i.imgflip.com/72tp71.gif
https://cdn.imagearchive.com/sideshowcollectors/data/attach/456/456864-Voller-kills-gif.gif

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - I had a chance to watch this in theaters but passed and since it's been available on Disney+ for a couple of months now I figured why not? That's a hell of note for a beloved franchise to go out on. But unlike Star Wars this one I think is (probably) done. Ford doesn't have another one of these in him and diminishing returns will convince even the most avaricious of studio heads. Someone, somewhere is bound to start the recast/reboot ball rolling. I don't know if that's even an option but it seems the likeliest prospect.

The script is passable enough I suppose that it somewhat distracts from the deficiencies. The aged cast, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the by now perfunctory and predictably rote chase scenes, and without the underpinnings that an A+ script would have provided the last 25 or so minutes doesn't really land. I did like the reunion at the end but that last shot momentarily confused me. At first I took it to mean, "I'm not done with this and I'll be back." But then I figured it probably meant, "This is mine and mine alone. I'm leaving and taking it with me."

Unlike Kingdom of the Crystal Skull you sort of feel like a Grinch if you hate this. Did it have to be made? Was it an attempt at making amends after that 2008 misfire? Who exactly is making amends though? Spielberg isn't involved and Paramount or Disney don't really care about butthurt fanboys. So maybe I should stop looking for a good faith effort where one couldn't possibly exist and take it as one last chance at milking a cash cow. And once seen through that prism you can truly appreciate it for what is. Which is better than KotCS for starters and a fitting enough end for a venerable pop culture icon.

70/100

Raven73

02-03-24, 03:34 PM

Barbie
7/10.
I think this might be Pinocchio if dreamed by a 7-year old girl.
Like Wonder Woman (2017), everybody's talking about it right now, but in five years, no one except the most diehard fans will care.

https://assets.vogue.com/photos/626bd0d27b13ad82c0acc178/4:3/w_2560%2Cc_limit/rev-1-Barbie-InstaVert_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg

LavidDynch

02-03-24, 04:27 PM

Argylle was such a disappointment. It heavily relied on the star cast carrying the movie, but failed hard due to its slow pace, unwitty jokes and overall a very absurd plot. An overweight woman who happens to kick ass and beat everyone in all situations just does not provide the excitement the movie needed.

the dancing on oil scene was extremely cringey

It felt like semi-serious Austin powers but failed at being serious or funny

WHITBISSELL!

02-03-24, 04:50 PM

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91MkB5AslRL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg
rating_2Even the baby looks insufferable. Is being in close proximity to Katherine Heigl contagious?

Gideon58

02-03-24, 04:53 PM

Even the baby looks insufferable. Is being in close proximity to Katherine Heigl contagious?

It must be. I’ve never read of any actor working with her who found it a positive experience

Gideon58

02-03-24, 04:57 PM

Gideon58

02-03-24, 05:06 PM

matt72582

02-03-24, 05:59 PM

Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies

Such revisionism. A lot of assumptions. One person talking for "the people". Justifying everything with the trendiest thing. And then there's a ton of actresses who won't tell the truth and just say, "I suck at acting" instead of "Women now have more choices" and one actually saying, "That's great acting, because I didn't wanna be in it" and it's awful. Seems like another way to get their names out there by pretending (whatever is popular at this moment)..

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/6bf3909dccd30411f4637bcbd68e276eca0b74dd923e44a418d3a54a83fbec5c.jpg

beelzebubble

02-03-24, 06:24 PM

PHOENIX74

02-03-24, 10:24 PM

https://i.postimg.cc/8k97FRqZ/battle.jpg
By 1996Larry - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=96254236

Battleground - (1949)

This was a huge film in it's day. Battleground tells the story of a group of soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division who had to hold on to the town of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge - with many of the incidents therein based on fact. It's a film which highlights camaraderie, and also hardship - many of the characters have reasons to gripe, but life in this Division during this battle was never going to be easy. It's interesting to watch because it was made so soon after the events it describes - and it's near-$2 million budget means there was no expense spared bringing Bastogne to us. There's no blood and guts or swearing - war films were so sanitized during this era in Hollywood, but we do get a sense of a group of soldiers being worn down by scarcity during the battle. This was nominated for a whole heap of Oscars, including Best Picture - winning Best Cinematography (Black and White) and Best Screenplay. Lots of digging fox holes, ducking for cover and running around - but because it was made so soon after the war it lacks the objectivity some later war films have. Still a fine movie though.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/The_Proposal.jpg
By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23239901

The Proposal - (2009)

Editor-in-chief boss Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) demands that her put-upon, beleaguered personal assistant, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) marry her when she's told she can no longer stay in the United States and must return to Canada. There's a good odd-couple dynamic in this film, but the screenplay isn't so hot. Why did they have to make Paxton's family exceedingly wealthy? It changes the power dynamic a lot - but I'd like to see films about ordinary people, instead of a constant flow of Hollywood films with characters that have stupendously large mansions and servants. I'm never rooting for people who already have it all. Reynolds and Bullock actually have wonderful chemistry together - so it's a shame they weren't in a funnier, more involving film. I loved that Betty White was in this - but I think she was ultimately wasted by filmmakers who lacked inspiration.

5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fd/The_Beat_That_My_Heart_Skipped_poster.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4985495

The Beat That My Heart Skipped - (2005)

Thomas Seyr (Romain Duris) is a seedy, nasty and criminal real estate developer who decides to go for his dream - to become an accomplished pianist. In his way is his past, his best friend's wife, and his wayward father - whom together create a crescendo of drama and violence in this French neo-noir film by A Prophet's Jacques Audiard. My review is here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2436919#post2436919), on my watchlist thread.

7/10

https://i.postimg.cc/LXDHM078/hit.jpg
By "Copyright 1953 RKO Radio Pictures Inc." - Scan via Heritage Auctions., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86897176

The Hitch-Hiker - (1953)

Two average schmoes pick up a deadly hitch-hiker who orders them at gunpoint to take him to Santa Rosalía - thus beginning a road trip full of tension and fear in this taut Ida Lupino film noir classic. My review is here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2437061#post2437061), on my watchlist thread.

7/10