Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[LChimp]

https://dx35vtwkllhj9.cloudfront.net/ifcfilms/late-night-with-the-devil/images/regions/us/onesheet.jpg

Late Night With The Devil - (2023)

Simple, straight to the point and very well executed. Great acting too, 9/10

[FilmBuff]

https://all.web.img.acsta.net/img/04/98/0498d455fa83e043e0a5122e3180c736.jpg/r_2500_x

My Old Ass
5

I have now seen this movie twice, and it seemed even better the 2nd time... in fact, I can't believe this already feels like a long-time classic.

There is a poignant beauty to this movie that is hard to describe, because at first glance it might appear to be a wacky, silly comedy - but the movie is so much more than that. It is a really profound meditation on regret, taking chances, and enjoying every moment of life as though it could be your last. Or maybe someone else's.

Megan Park is definitely one of the most exciting young writer-directors working today.

And the movie definitely should definitely help Maisy Stella become the fully-fledged movie star she definitely deserves to be.

I am already looking forward to watching this a third time.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmondocine.net%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F05%2Fthe_dark_valley_2-1024x576.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=afe97d238c5b2cb4d5a2b79824db08f5ab9967b634d4369a6542d26c7b91cf9a&ipo=images

The Dark Valley, 2014

A man named Greider (Sam Riley) arrives in a small Austrian village on a remote mountaintop, camera in tow. Ostensibly intending to document the villagers, Greider moves in with a widow and her teenage daughter, Luzi (Paula Beer). But soon the toxic dynamics of the village becomes clear, and Greider finds himself entangled with the powerful family who rule the village by fear.

This is a satisfying thriller that makes the most of its isolated, snowbound setting.

3.5

FULL REVIEW (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2490212#post2490212)

[Marco]

Jane Eyre (2011)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9d/Jane_Eyre_Poster.jpg
I'll be honest, I've never read the books of Bronte but the combination of Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender intrigued me. Frocks and landed gentry not my strong point. Put that aside and watched a really great depiction of love with excellent performances by both. As I said, I'm not sure how truthful it is to the original material but,to me, this is a heartfelt film.
4

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/58/Guarding_Tess_1994.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8022226

Guarding Tess - (1994)

So, I had to choose between this, Steel Magnolias or Postcards From the Edge as to which Shirley MacLaine movie to watch last night, and I thought Guarding Tess would suit me best. I mean, it seemed to promise a quirky kind of "Odd Couple" chemistry, and Nic Cage is always a safe bet as far as entertaining performances go. Unfortunately this film felt a little lame, dull and has an extremely weird tone to it. I guess maybe that tone is the point - the impossible mix of gung-ho, by-the-book Secret Service Agent Doug Chesnic (Cage) and opera-loving, erudite, fuss-pot Ex-First Lady Tess Carlisle (MacLaine). The movie shoots for Driving Miss Daisy, but decides to become a thriller in it's final half hour which makes the package as a whole disjointed. It wasn't on my wavelength funny-wise either - a definite miss that made me wish I went with Postcards From the Edge.

5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/94/Host_%28film%29.jpg
By https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12749596/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64789165

Host - (2020)

When 6 people connect on Zoom in Host, there's a natural sense of collective safety where in fact there's none. Whatever the malevolent force in Host is though, it has all the power, and the characters have nothing but the illusion of company. Scary stuff. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2490420#post2490420), in my watchlist thread.

7/10

[Fabulous]

Grumpy Old Men (1993)

2.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/koaGXeodvEeXExhIyv72gCBPVWt.jpg

[Tenshi]

Midsommar 2019

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/47/Midsommar_%282019_film_poster%29.png

I feel like the reviews ruined this movie for me, I heard great things about it and quite honestly it was mid, the filmography was amazing, the acting was great, the daylight setting with nature and flowers was actually so ambitious from the director and it worked out. There was the same eerie atmosphere as Hereditary but something didn't quite fit in, perhaps the end, or the lack of depth, I can't put my finger on it really

Solid 7/10

[Torgo]

Trees Lounge - 4

What is a loser? The phrase gets thrown around so much, it may have lost all meaning. Steve Buscemi's very strong directorial debut will give you a good idea of what the word actually means. I love a good bar in a movie or TV show, with this one's titular dive being on par with and resembling Cheers but played straight. The clientele is just as colorful, and besides so many familiar faces playing them - a.k.a. The Sopranos cast in an alternate timeline - I appreciate how organically they develop. While we have no idea who longtime regulars Mike and Bill are after their first few appearances, for instance, we feel like we've known them forever by the end. The man of the hour is Buscemi, though, who I've always loved for how well he plays lovable losers. He is much less lovable here, on the other hand, but no less effective. Like the "porno theater" scene in Taxi Driver played on repeat, Tommy will definitely test both your tolerance and sympathy for a person who keeps getting in their own way. As for the non-Sopranos regulars, there is also no shortage of familiar faces - Mark Boone Jr. and Seymour Cassell are highlights - which proves that this role must have been a challenge for Buscemi since many of them are his good friends. I also love the oh so aptly chosen song that plays during the opening credits and during another pivotal moment that you'll likely look up on YouTube when it's over.

My own definition of a loser is someone who repeatedly makes bad decisions even if the better option appears on a silver platter. While this is Tommy in a nutshell, this movie is not just about making him an object of ridicule. It is more interested in making you wonder if he and others like him can legitimately blame nature, nurture or chance for their situations and is thus all the better for it. The '90s had so many great low-key indie dramas meant for adults, with this one being one you should definitely check out if you think you have seen all of them. It's also a must-see if you are a Buscemi fan, but hey, who isn't?

[FilmBuff]

https://media1.dallasobserver.com/dal/imager/u/zoom/20588366/super-man-the-christopher-reeve-story.jpg?cb=1726398653

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
5


Many actors have played superheroes, but no one has been as much of a real-life hero as Christopher Reeve.

This touching documentary reminds us what a real hero does - and there's no question that, after the tragic riding accident that left him paralyzed and unable to breathe on his own, Christopher Reeve became one.

It is a little ironic that, had he not become a very famous and privileged actor by playing the Man of Steel, Reeve might never have been in that accident at all.

Even more tragically, his widow died of lung cancer just a few months after Reeve died.

Today, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation advocates on behalf of people with disabilities, paying special care in the treatment of quadriplegics like Chris.

Reeve's kids are doing everything they can to keep their father's dream alive, and they seem to be doing a wonderful job of running the Foundation.

This is not an easy documentary to watch, but it is one you'll probably remember for the rest of your life.

Don't be surprised if it wins the Oscar for Best Documentary of the year. The Academy loves this stuff...

[FilmBuff]

https://assets.gadgets360cdn.com/pricee/assets/product/202406/His_Three_Daughters1_1719575079.jpg

His Three Daughters
2


I absolutely adore the three stars of His Three Daughters, which is why I really wish the movie had been a lot better.

It's not easy making a movie that deals with the imminent death of a parent - it's a touchy subject and it's hard to find something to say that hasn't been said before.

Unfortunately, the movie wastes too much time telling us how awful two of the sisters are to each other, to the point that it just becomes annoying and serves no dramatic purpose at all.

Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne are absolutely wonderful in everything they do, and they definitely embraced this project (which they also executive produced) with the best of intentions.

However, I don't feel the finished film does justice to the topic it tries to address, substituting any actual substance for long scenes where two sisters try to outdo each other at being horrible to one another while ignoring their father who is dying in the next room.

Sad to say, it's unlikely this movie will be remembered by the start of awards season.

[FilmBuff]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjE3NzIxOGQtNWY2Ny00MTdkLTk4ODctZWZmZmUzZDE4ZjNkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTM4NTIzMTM@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg

Molli and Max in the Future
2.5

Molli and Max in the Future is probably one of those movies for which the "making of" documentary is probably a lot more interesting than the movie itself.

Unfortunately, there isn't a "making of" documentary for this movie as far as I've been able to find.

This is one of those sort-of adorable low-budget quirky films with a lot of clever ideas that ultimately becomes more and more predictable as it goes along, despite having started with some disarmingly funny scenes that seemed to promise a much more unpredictable movie.

The premise, once you strip all of the futuristic trappings, is a familiar old trope: a boy and girl are meant to be together but it takes them the whole movie to figure it out. Unfortunately, the premise ends up being the one thing about the film that's not futuristic at all - it practically belongs in a museum.

Nor is it much of a spoiler, because even if you haven't read any plot synopsis, the film makes it abundantly clear within the first 15 minutes exactly where it's headed - after which it just becomes much too predictable.

But the low-budget nature of the film still gives it a certain undeniable charm, and I think Zosia Mamet is always worth watching in everything.

Perhaps a million years in the future, they'll finally have stopped making movies like this one, and Molli and Max will have something better to do with their free time.

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7c/Borderlands_Teaser_Poster.jpg/220px-Borderlands_Teaser_Poster.jpg

2.5

SF = Zz

I've never played the games so have no idea how close it was. And surprisingly Kevin Hart didn't get on my nerves like he usually does.

Meh, nothing special but wouldn't call it a worst movie ever. Had some fun with it.

:p


[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

[Allaby]

20, 000 Species of Bees (2023) Sofía Otero is fantastic in a beautiful, powerful performance. This is a compelling and moving film, well written and with good performances from the supporting cast. Highly recommended. 4.5

[LChimp]

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/yLXep87zzrAQGtWtj4tGhE4xPrE.jpg

Infested - (2023)

6/10. Passage of time is irrelevant, apparently. One tiny spider produces thousands and thousands of really big spiders in a few hours... and the movie isn't all that scary either. Aracnophobia is way scarier than this.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.senscritique.com%2Fmedia%2F000021555136%2F1200%2Fun_prince.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=f2ec4d159c2e7949dd28a5a07f04e47ab982ec620ae70a670c139e0dc5798fe3&ipo=images

A Prince, 2023

Pierre-Joseph (Antoine Pirotte) is a young man who takes an apprenticeship under master gardener Adrien (Pierre Barray), only to be immersed in a world of botany and the various sexual adventures of the older male gardeners.

Meditatively filmed, this is an intriguing, if muted, exploration of a man’s developing relationship with the world.

3.5

FULL REVIEW (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2490597#post2490597)

[Marco]

Trees Lounge - 4

What is a loser? The phrase gets thrown around so much, it may have lost all meaning. Steve Buscemi's very strong directorial debut will give you a good idea of what the word actually means. I love a good bar in a movie or TV show, with this one's titular dive being on par with and resembling Cheers but played straight. The clientele is just as colorful, and besides so many familiar faces playing them - a.k.a. The Sopranos cast in an alternate timeline - I appreciate how organically they develop. While we have no idea who longtime regulars Mike and Bill are after their first few appearances, for instance, we feel like we've known them forever by the end. The man of the hour is Buscemi, though, who I've always loved for how well he plays lovable losers. He is much less lovable here, on the other hand, but no less effective. Like the "porno theater" scene in Taxi Driver played on repeat, Tommy will definitely test both your tolerance and sympathy for a person who keeps getting in their own way. As for the non-Sopranos regulars, there is also no shortage of familiar faces - Mark Boone Jr. and Seymour Cassell are highlights - which proves that this role must have been a challenge for Buscemi since many of them are his good friends. I also love the oh so aptly chosen song that plays during the opening credits and during another pivotal moment that you'll likely look up on YouTube when it's over.

My own definition of a loser is someone who repeatedly makes bad decisions even if the better option appears on a silver platter. While this is Tommy in a nutshell, this movie is not just about making him an object of ridicule. It is more interested in making you wonder if he and others like him can legitimately blame nature, nurture or chance for their situations and is thus all the better for it. The '90s had so many great low-key indie dramas meant for adults, with this one being one you should definitely check out if you think you have seen all of them. It's also a must-see if you are a Buscemi fan, but hey, who isn't?

Great review Torgo, I found a sadness running through this (which is intended) but also the total defiance in not wanting to live up to peoples expectations. Very strong film from Buscemi.

[FilmBuff]

https://www.pajiba.com/assets_c/2024/05/pitt-clooney-wolfs-thumb-700x467-262928.jpg

Wolfs (2nd viewing)
4

I have now watched Jon Watts's Wolfs twice, and I've come to the conclusion that it is a movie that gets even better with repeat viewings.

There's nothing here that revolutionizes the buddy movie genre; it's just that what it does, it does so incredibly well and with such a sense of unrestrained fun that, in hindsight, there's just a lot to the chemistry between Pitt and Clooney that can't be easily described; it is easier to just experience it.

In that regard, it shares a little with Deadpool & Wolverine - both are movies that are way more fun than they ought to be, because the chemistry between the leads is just so phenomenal that you can't stop watching. It's fascinating to see how much they get on each other's nerves and yet ultimately enjoy having to work together towards a common goal.

It's a real shame that Wolfs is only receiving a token theatrical release - reportedly only playing in 50 theaters across the US - because this movie truly deserved to have been watched on the big screen.

I suppose watching this at home will still be home, but with two of Hollywood's biggest stars shrunk down to the size of a television, maybe their unmatched chemistry just won't have the same zing.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tasteofcinema.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F08%2FWarrendale.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=265d2f8a652d2a2e933f75d2d193174247e981bf3f2eb436a0064bbe800b923b&ipo=images

Warrendale, 1967

This documentary follows the staff and clientele of an experimental home for children with emotional disabilities in Canada.

Equally evoking sympathy and frustration, this is an emotional look at children in crisis and the adults attempting to help them.

4

FULL REVIEW (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2490684#post2490684)

[StuSmallz]

Since I don't have a better thread to post this in here, I figured I might as well share this informal essay on the post-9/11 allegory in The Dark Knight, and how I feel the film could've done better with that element, in case anyone's interested in reading it here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/112483328

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8f/Dirty_Wars_film_poster.jpg
By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39638271

Dirty Wars - (2013)

This was a pretty shocking documentary. Director Richard Rowley was making this an investigative piece about the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), and half way through they up and kill Bin Laden, becoming famous themselves and the toast of the town. Only thing is, the killing is accelerating and kill-lists are getting longer. Where is the rule of law anymore? Shockingly, the film reaches it's conclusion when for the first time JSOC takes out an American citizen, and comes back and is ordered to kill the guy's son as well, simply because that teenager might grow up and be a problem for the U.S. it seems. It's so disturbing that America's kill-machine is taking people out all across the world without any judicial oversight. I started out skeptical, but I'll be damned if this doc didn't have me heart and soul by the time it finished.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ca/Postcards_from_the_edge.jpg
By IMDb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8004720

Postcards From the Edge - (1990)

This semi-autobiography from Carrie Fisher is at it's best when Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine are facing off as mother and daughter in a love/hate relationship with each other, and Streep is fantastic in her ability to be self-deprecating in behaviour as a recovering drug addict. I thought this was really good, but a little too clean instead of going for the jugular. Better than Guarding Tess in any event. Way better.

7/10

https://i.postimg.cc/JzJZtQ6f/safe.jpg
By IMDb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8004720

Safe Place - (2022)

Amongst the pain and anxiety Safe Place finds the beautiful when needed, and also the grey, unrelenting coldness of modern life, and hospitals. It's so good at formulating desperate attempts at communication that continually fail. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2490739#post2490739), in my watchlist thread.

8/10

[Fabulous]

Pump Up the Volume (1990)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/jpNWWlB0yBDQ6cXQsxBzd5pTjP6.jpg

[cricket]

Wrong Turn (2021)

3.5+

https://screenaholics.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Wrong-Turn-Review-3.jpg

My 2nd time watching and I believe it's one of the more underrated horrors of the last few years. It's better and different than any of the other films of the series. Instead of hillbilly horror, it leans more into cult horror. It at least makes an effort to be more than dumb, and it has some interesting things to say socially without sacrificing the necessary cheap thrills.

[Gideon58]

https://blob.cede.ch/catalog/18120000/18120762_1_92.jpg



5th Rewatch...One of my favorite Cruise movies, as well as one of my favorite Sydney Pollack movies. Based on a novel by John Grisham, Cruise plays Mitch McDeere, a recent law school graduate who is scooped up by a small Memphis law firm, who make him an offer that seems to good to be true before he's even passed the Bar. Unfortunately, Mitch's dream offer has some ugly and dangerous strings attached that he has tried to deny. Pollack has mounted a slick legal nail biter that manages to remain watchable even if it's a bit predictable, thanks primarily to an impressive all-star cast, especially Gene Hackman, robbed of an Oscar nomination for his smarmy performance as Avery Tolar. 4

[Sedai]

A Quiet Place: Day One
Sarnoski, 2024

4

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uDFwwLoHuyktsYD5vFFpTn-1200-80.jpg

As far as horror trilogies are concerned, this ended up being a pretty strong set of films. This latest entry is quite strong, especially the performances by the three leads. Yes, three...I am counting the cat! We all love cats, amirite?! ;)

Lupita Nyong'o was just fantastic here. Note: Both her and Sweeney gave tremendous performances in their respective horror flicks this year, but we won't hear much about them come Oscar season due to those films being horror films.


Late Night with the Devil
Cameron & Colin Cairnes, 2024

3_5

https://static.bonniernews.se/bildix/api/images/e37e6114-eda7-4261-8120-c18e4cc09741.jpeg?fit=crop&w=1400&h=788

Sort of a horror take on Network, this is a scathing indictment of the ratings game, success, and media in general,. For the most part, it works. It skews into corniness a couple of times, but I enjoyed the dedication in capturing the look at feel of the era, and the performances were mostly good.


No One Will Save You
Duffield, 2023

3

https://nofilmschool.com/media-library/kaitlyn-dever-as-brynn-checking-a-flipped-over-mail-truck-in-no-one-will-save-you.jpg?id=45865306&width=1245&height=700&quality=90&coordinates=152%2C0%2C153%2C0

I have yet to run into a dud yet this season. I wasn't totally over the moon for this one, but it does enough right to land a positive rating. Quite a few memorable scenes, and kudos for attempting to the the story in a totally cinematic fashion, with only 5 words of dialogue in the entire film. The ending had me raising an eyebrow, but hey it's tough to make a film, right? ;)

Sprinkles in enough ambiguity to provide at least a little food for thought, but is mostly an old-school invasion flick.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNzY2NzI4OTE5MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjMyNDY4Mw@@._V1_.jpg


2nd Rewatch....The Oscar-winning performance by Natalie Portman is at the heart of this psychological drama from the director of Requiem for a Dream and The Whale. Portman plays a prima ballerina who thinks her lifelong dream has been accomplished when she gets cast as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake, but inner demons and outside forces find our ballerina plunging into a mental black hole from which she can't escape. The story requires attention, but the rewards are there for the patient. Portman loses herself in this complex role and gets solid support from Mila Kunis as a rival ballerina, Winona Ryder as the former ballerina Portman is replacing, Barbara Hershey as Portman's mother, and Vincent Cassell as the director/choreographer of the company. 4

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/5153B2QG81L._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg


5th Rewatch...One of the most beautiful and sad love stories ever filmed. 4.5

[Gideon58]

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


3rd Rewatch...From the director of Three Kings and American Hustle comes an explosive love story whose power comes in its complete unpredictability. You just don't know what's going to happen from scene to scene. This is the story of a teacher who has just spent eight months in a mental institution after catching his wife in his shower with another man. Released against medical advice, this guy, Pat Solitano, embarks on a singular mission to win back his ex-wife, Nikki, but finds himself thrown into a relationship with Nikki's friend, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). After four viewings, I'm still finding new things I'm discovering about this film that got by me the first time I watched it. This is one of the few films in Oscar history that received nominations in all four acting categories. Bradley Cooper was nominated for his unhinged Pat, Robert De Niro received a supporting actor nod for playing Pat's dad, Jackie Weaver was a supporting actress nominee for playing Pat's mother, and David O Russell's muse, Jennifer Lawrence won the Best Actress Oscar for her ferocious performance as Tiffany. 4.5

[Gideon58]

https://pics.filmaffinity.com/Entourage-910281680-large.jpg


1st Rewatch...As much as I enjoyed the TV series, this big screen version was just a colossal waste of time and money. Vincent Chase (Adrien Grenier) has now made 15 movies and has only agreed to to his next project if he is allowed to direct as well. Vince goes over budget and has to go to former agent now studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) for more money to complete the film, which means a Texan money man's son (Haley Joel Osment) is sent to the set of Vince's movie to see if it's worth more money. Even with this primary story, there are subplots involving the rest of Vince's entourage (Kevin Connelly, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrera) that just pad the running time as do the endless barrage of celebrity cameos, including the show and movie's producer, Mark Wahlberg. This did not hold up on rewatch at all and I was shocked because I loved the series. 2

[Stirchley]

Saw this twice this weekend. Even after reading several synopses, I still didn’t understand at least a 1/4 of it. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it.

101090

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOGZmYzVkMmItM2NiOS00MDI3LWI4ZWQtMTg0YWZkODRkMmViXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODY0NzcxNw@@._V1_.jpg


1st Rewatch...This film's rewatch appeal lies in the bonkers performances by Michaelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle/Catwoman and Danny DeVito as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin. Pfeiffer is just spectacular in this movie. 4

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjJlZjViOWItYzM2MS00ZmEyLWE2YmEtMzdhNGMyYmE3OTA1XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg


2

[Marco]

The Instigators (2024)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cc/The_Instigators_Movie_Poster.jpg
Entertaining buddy/heist comedy with Matt Damon and Casey Affleck. 2 strangers for different reasons end up in the employ of a Massachusetts crim hoping to steal hooky party donations following a local election. As expected, things don't go to plan and the 2 main protagonists end up on the run from almost everyone. It's a pretty slight story and in tone reminded me of Midnight Run but the acting was good and the supporting cast equally as good. The gags were more situational than one liners and I enjoyed the juxtaposition of Damon's resigned loser and Affleck's wise ass minor criminal.
3

[Thief]

THE BETA TEST
(2021, Cummings & McCabe)

https://i.imgur.com/EMvDvgQ.jpeg


"People are so terrified of stepping out of line ... consequences won't go away anymore."



The Beta Test follows Jordan Hines (Jim Cummings), a talent agent in Hollywood that receives an invitation to a "no strings attached sexual encounter in a hotel room". Despite being engaged to Caroline (Virginia Newcomb) and weeks away from their wedding, Jordan is tempted to follow through not realizing that in this day and age, consequences won't go away anymore.

This is the third feature film from Cummings, and it follows a similar template by presenting us an ordinary and insecure lead character thrust into an extra-ordinary situation. I've seen his other two films and most of his short films, and Cummings always excels. Jordan is indeed insecure, but the actor/director does a great job of portraying how he tries to hide that; be it by smooth talking potential clients or abusing of his power with subordinates.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2490868#post2490868)

[Thief]

SISSY-BOY SLAP-PARTY
(2004, Maddin)

https://i.imgur.com/FshehqA.jpeg


"I gotta go to the shop and buy some condoms. And remember: NO SLAPPING!"



Set in a paradisiac island, Sissy-Boy Slap-Party follows a group of sailors who just can't stop slapping each other. Warned by an older men to not engage, they obviously can't help themselves once he leaves, which unleashes the titular and relentless "slap-party".

There really isn't much to it, beyond what the title suggests. Everyone and everything is slapped, from faces, to bellies, butts, and everything in between. But it's shot in such a frantic haze of sweat and voyeurism that just adds to the obvious layers of homoeroticism, and you just can't help but look.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2490871#post2490871)

[Marco]

Saw this twice this weekend. Even after reading several synopses, I still didn’t understand at least a 1/4 of it. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it.

101090

Honestly in the same boat as you Stirchley. Honestly don't know if it's deep absurdist cinema or self indulgent tripe.

[FilmBuff]

Honestly in the same boat as you Stirchley. Honestly don't know if it's deep absurdist cinema or self indulgent tripe.

It's both a bit self-indulgent and also deeply absurdist cinema - but it's great at what it does. It is essentially an examination of human submissiveness. When you look at it from that perspective, it's actually quite brilliant, having the kind of intellectual je-ne-sais-quoi that is sorely missing from most mainstream movies today.

I wouldn't say Lanthimos is a genius, but he's a pretty sharp guy for sure!

[Marco]

It's both a bit self-indulgent and also deeply absurdist cinema - but it's great at what it does. It is essentially an examination of human submissiveness. When you look at it from that perspective, it's actually quite brilliant, having the kind of intellectual je-ne-sais-quoi that is sorely missing from most mainstream movies today.

I wouldn't say Lanthimos is a genius, but he's a pretty sharp guy for sure!

Cheers, I didn't mean I don't like his style, have done since Dogtooth (which I think was far more literal than subsequent works). I'm probably just not getting the meaning, if, indeed, there even is one.

[FilmBuff]

Cheers, I didn't mean I don't like his style, have done since Dogtooth (which I think was far more literal than subsequent works). I'm probably just not getting the meaning, if, indeed, there even is one.

Every single story in the movie is about submissiveness. That's what the movie is about.

[ayeshaawan]

The last Movie i saw was " Despicable me 4 " was a delightful return to the franchise that I've come to love. It managed to capture the same charm and humor that made the previous films so enjoyable.
the Full movie available on Pikashowhub.com

The animation was as visually stunning as ever, with vibrant colors and expressive characters. The Minions, of course, were their usual chaotic selves, providing plenty of laughs with their silly antics. Gru and his family were also a joy to watch, with their heartwarming interactions and heartwarming moments.

[Gideon58]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/56/Blink_Twice_poster.jpeg/220px-Blink_Twice_poster.jpeg



3.5

[Gideon58]

THE BETA TEST
(2021, Cummings & McCabe)

https://i.imgur.com/EMvDvgQ.jpeg




The Beta Test follows Jordan Hines (Jim Cummings), a talent agent in Hollywood that receives an invitation to a "no strings attached sexual encounter in a hotel room". Despite being engaged to Caroline (Virginia Newcomb) and weeks away from their wedding, Jordan is tempted to follow through not realizing that in this day and age, consequences won't go away anymore.

This is the third feature film from Cummings, and it follows a similar template by presenting us an ordinary and insecure lead character thrust into an extra-ordinary situation. I've seen his other two films and most of his short films, and Cummings always excels. Jordan is indeed insecure, but the actor/director does a great job of portraying how he tries to hide that; be it by smooth talking potential clients or abusing of his power with subordinates.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2490868#post2490868)

Loved this movie

[FilmBuff]

https://cdn.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rebel-Ridge-poster-600x750.jpg

Rebel Ridge
3

I have to confess that when I first watched the trailer for Rebel Ridge, I was fearing it would be something kind of like Road House, but stupider.

I'm happy to report, that's not the case. This is a revenge thriller that's relatively straightforward and practically guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Unless you're watching the movie standing up, which is probably not recommended.

Aaron Pierre, who is a Brit but plays an American here, does a pretty good job of being both a commanding presence and someone whose eyes clearly indicate he's way smarter than probably everyone else around him (The movie was originally supposed to star John Boyega).

AnnaSophia Robb is absolutely adorable as the straight-arrow local official who goes out of her way to help Pierre's Terry Richmond, who is a former marine and more trouble than any of the crooked local cops bargained for.

Also, let's hear it for Don Johnson, who is as good as anyone could be playing a slimy, no-good crooked sheriff of the backward Louisiana township where the film takes place.

[FilmBuff]

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/f9jdL9ipmDttWq4DsXlm73pmCtp.jpg

When You Finish Saving the World
2.5

I've heard some really good things about Jesse Eisenberg's upcoming A Real Pain, so I felt it was a good time to catch up with his previous directorial effort, When You Finish Saving the World.

The movie barely got released at all two years ago despite starring Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard; A24 probably did the best they could but this is too slight and generic a movie to really attract a lot of attention.

Even more disappointing is the fact that the whole movie is built around a mom and her son who are both equally self-centered and myopic to the bigger things around them; they are not easy characters to like and I imagine this was by design.

Although the movie probably isn't that far removed from the reality of a lot of dysfunctional families in America today, it doesn't have enough of a unique insight into this situation to make it really stand out in any way.

It's a good effort, but not one that would have been considered particularly promising.

[Gideon58]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8f/Dirty_Wars_film_poster.jpg
By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39638271

Dirty Wars - (2013)

This was a pretty shocking documentary. Director Richard Rowley was making this an investigative piece about the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), and half way through they up and kill Bin Laden, becoming famous themselves and the toast of the town. Only thing is, the killing is accelerating and kill-lists are getting longer. Where is the rule of law anymore? Shockingly, the film reaches it's conclusion when for the first time JSOC takes out an American citizen, and comes back and is ordered to kill the guy's son as well, simply because that teenager might grow up and be a problem for the U.S. it seems. It's so disturbing that America's kill-machine is taking people out all across the world without any judicial oversight. I started out skeptical, but I'll be damned if this doc didn't have me heart and soul by the time it finished.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ca/Postcards_from_the_edge.jpg
By IMDb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8004720

Postcards From the Edge - (1990)

This semi-autobiography from Carrie Fisher is at it's best when Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine are facing off as mother and daughter in a love/hate relationship with each other, and Streep is fantastic in her ability to be self-deprecating in behaviour as a recovering drug addict. I thought this was really good, but a little too clean instead of going for the jugular. Better than Guarding Tess in any event. Way better.

7/10

https://i.postimg.cc/JzJZtQ6f/safe.jpg
By IMDb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8004720

Safe Place - (2022)

Amongst the pain and anxiety Safe Place finds the beautiful when needed, and also the grey, unrelenting coldness of modern life, and hospitals. It's so good at formulating desperate attempts at communication that continually fail. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2490739#post2490739), in my watchlist thread.

8/10

Love Postcards from the Edge

[FilmBuff]

Love Postcards from the Edge

Postcards From the Edge is a total masterpiece, certainly one of Nichols's finest.

[GulfportDoc]

101104

Reptile (2023)

It’s surprising and also a little encouraging that, despite a plethora of films and series present and past of its type, writers are nonetheless able to fashion a fresh, interesting and entertaining crime-thriller-police procedural. A good example of that is Reptile, whose original screenplay was created by writer/director Grant Singer, Benjamin Brewer, and Benicio del Toro.
Del Toro is the feature and main draw of the film, also starring Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone, and with a nice turn by veteran Francis Fisher.


The story is relatively complex, with several red herrings to keep the viewer off the scent. Early on a real estate agent is found murdered in one of the high end homes that she and her boyfriend had been preening to facilitate a market sale. Two detectives (chiefly del Toro) are assigned to the case. Neighborhood security video shows a recognizable car make as the culprit’s likely vehicle.


Suspicion immediately centers on the boyfriend, but in turn switches to her ex-husband, and then to an ex-farmer whose father was bilked out of his land possibly by the realtor. Soon massive drug smuggling and real estate schemes enter the equation, eventually followed by the suspicion of a cadre of bad cops involved. The plot inexorably moves along, resulting in a classic whodunit conclusion.


One mark of a good picture is that the viewer immediately is convinced of its high quality by being drawn into the production’s atmosphere. Whether it’s the screenwriter, director, production designer, cinematographer, or a combination of all four, Reptile has that attraction right from the git-go. The title is a misnomer, having nothing to do with the movie, so one might be fooled as to the subject matter.


The acting is first rate from the entire cast, but it is Benicio del Toro who owns the film. He’s one of a handful of actors whose weathered looks, charisma and presence grab the viewer’s attention whenever he is on screen. The simplest facial expression of his pretty much conveys whatever it is he’s saying. He would’ve been a premier silent film actor. In fact he’s equally effective with non verbal expression as he is with dialogue.


The run time is 136 minutes, but the picture never feels labored. They might have made a good series out of the story, but it’s just right as it is. It’s surprising that writer/director Grant Singer’s only previous projects had been in commercials, music videos and a couple of documentaries. But based upon Reptile we’ll be looking for his future directing work.


Available on Netflix and other sources.


Doc’s rating: 8/10

[Marco]

https://cdn.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rebel-Ridge-poster-600x750.jpg

Rebel Ridge
3

I have to confess that when I first watched the trailer for Rebel Ridge, I was fearing it would be something kind of like Road House, but stupider.

I'm happy to report, that's not the case. This is a revenge thriller that's relatively straightforward and practically guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Unless you're watching the movie standing up, which is probably not recommended.

Aaron Pierre, who is a Brit but plays an American here, does a pretty good job of being both a commanding presence and someone whose eyes clearly indicate he's way smarter than probably everyone else around him (The movie was originally supposed to star John Boyega).

AnnaSophia Robb is absolutely adorable as the straight-arrow local official who goes out of her way to help Pierre's Terry Richmond, who is a former marine and more trouble than any of the crooked local cops bargained for.

Also, let's hear it for Don Johnson, who is as good as anyone could be playing a slimy, no-good crooked sheriff of the backward Louisiana township where the film takes place.
I noticed that about Terry's eyes, you got the proper felling there were some serious cogs turning behind them. I liked this.

[FilmBuff]

https://i.postimg.cc/htZ4Fv31/IMG-2594.jpg


Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis: A Fable

55


Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis: A Fable is a mad masterpiece, and easily the most astonishing and memorable cinematic achievement of the 21st century.

Perhaps no other major filmmaker of our times besides Jean-Luc Godard has taken experimental cinema to the extremes that Coppola does here, with results that are both breathtaking and awe-inspiring, giving us a vision that only a true cinematic genius could possibly pull off.

Megalopolis is right up there with the likes of D.W. Griffiths's Intolerance and Abel Gance's Napoleon as one of those exceptional cinematic achievements that practically redefined what cinema as a narrative form was even capable of.

There's really never been a movie like this before, and perhaps there never will be again, because, really, who else besides Francis Ford Coppola would happily invest over $100 million of his own money on a project that was so completely and utterly uncommercial?

To fully appreciate this movie, having a hearty taste for experimental cinema is practically a prerequisite. People who do not love experimental cinema, or have not seen much of it, should probably just not even try to watch this; it is highly unlikely they could make heads or tails of it.

The experience of watching Megalopolis on a humongous IMAX screen is both dreamlike and completely intoxicating like very few movies of the last 50 years have been. You would have to go back, possibly, to the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey to find something that was even in the same ballpark.

As with everything that has to do with experimental cinema, even those who already really like it may not be completely on board for everything that Coppola is trying to do here; the point really doesn't seem to be so much any kind of conventional narrative (although there is unquestionably a storyline that is a delight to follow) as much as it is to just bring some kind of dreamlike quality to the big screen.

I have very little faith in the Hollywood establishment to properly appreciate this movie, because Coppola is basically just completely rejecting everything that conventional commercial cinema stands for; it is the grand final gesture, possibly, of one of the biggest maverick filmmakers to have ever lived. Thus, it will not be at all surprising if the movie is completely shut out by the Oscars - and possibly most of the other big awards.

That would, of course, be completely unfair to the cast and crew of this absolute masterpiece, who have all made a totally superlative effort to bring Coppola's vision to life with astonishing vibrancy.

Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel and Giancarlo Esposito are the biggest standouts among the cast; on the technical side, Mihai Malaimare Jr.'s cinematography, Milena Canonero's costume design, and the production design by Beth Mickle and Bradley Rubin are all top-notch.

It should be noted that the movie does make very appropriate use of the "full IMAX" aspect ratio on some key scenes; this will be lost on regular theaters as well as the eventual home release.

No real movie buff should miss the chance to watch this on the biggest IMAX screen available. It stands to reason it will not be in theaters for very long, because this is definitely not a movie for a mass audience. Only the most sophisticated viewers are likely to fully appreciate what Coppola has accomplished here.

[Fabulous]

The Last Tycoon (1976)

4

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/9Ks58pEOXW9InKmOztCPA2IqzXq.jpg

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/ff/The_Substance_poster.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2024/substance_ver5_xxlg.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77640869

The Substance - (2024)

Demi Moore really comes out of nowhere with her turn in The Substance, letting her body speak for itself in a way that's incredibly brave, and has earned her points from me. She knows the camera isn't looking from all the best angles - and her body accuses her character, Elisabeth Sparkle, of Hollywood's worst crime if you're a woman : getting old. The story takes place in a mainstream arthouse version of reality that's pretty close to the real - ultra-misogynistic, disgusting, unfair and loud. A place ruled by really dumb people who got where they are by unfair means. Elisabeth's way of cheating age is a black market substance that creates a new her - but watch out, because you can't let it get wet, and you can't feed it after midnight. Something like that. But you know, of course she lets it get wet. And of course she feeds it after midnight. The results are glorious scenes of body horror featuring practical effects. Thank you for the practical effects Substance! If there was any CGI used, I couldn't see it - even when copious amounts of blood was needed, it ended up being real. This was also good because the metaphorical weight behind the strange dynamic in this film can be carried further than just standards of beauty. Welcome back Demi Moore - you really deserve this late career highlight. Welcome Margaret Qualley - great job in this. RIP Ray Liotta - not a dis on Dennis Quaid, but I wish it had of been you up there. The Substance was satisfying in many ways - a throwback I'm old enough to appreciate.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cf/DejaVuBigPoster.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7294661

Déjà Vu - (2006)

This could have been amazing! If only Tony Scott had of had Terry Gilliam's sense of dourness and bravery, because Déjà Vu broke so many of it's own rules in it's last 10 minutes, and left so many gaping plot holes dangling, that I felt cheated. Up until then it was one of the best time travel movies I'd ever seen, because everything was fitting so neatly into place. Denzel Washington as ATF Special Agent Douglas Carlin wants to save a woman he's falling for who is already dead, and thinks the machine the Feds are using that can look back in time might actually be able to send him back in time to prevent a massive terrorist attack in New Orleans. For the most part, this was an excellent sci-fi thriller, and uses time travel/peeking into the past in very clever ways.

7/10

[cricket]

Oldboy (2003)

4.5

https://64.media.tumblr.com/640b7db226653989493716ae36953567/e18dfd3d2d474f5a-a6/s540x810/46c7ef7a8b050066c5360c0baccf7217a5a9a40b.gif

My 2nd time watching after being disappointed the 1st time 8 or 9 years ago. I've wanted to try it again for a long time because it always suited my taste. I didn't remember much besides what can be seen in the trailer. Maybe I was too hyped before, or maybe I just understood it better this time. It's impressive that it's so wild yet so mature, so ugly yet so beautiful. I'm glad I finally got back to it.

[cricket]

I rarely watch trailers or have any idea what movies are out or coming out. 99% of what I watch I learn of from here and this page is a good example. Reptile and Rebel Ridge added to watchlist where The Substance is currently my #1 target. I first heard of The Substance a couple weeks back on this forum.

[Sedai]

Reviews on this page from Doc, Filmbuff, and Phoenix have me wanting to see Reptile, Megalopolis, and The Substance. Add in Strange Darling and there are several films in theaters currently I need to get out to see (save Reptile, which is streaming). I am thinking I won't have time to see them all, so I probably need to head to the IMAX to catch Coppola's swan song...

Meanwhile...

The First Omen
Stevenson, 2024

4+

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MCDFIOM_H3007.jpg?w=1000&h=667&crop=1

To coin a phrase: Well, I'll be damned. We put this on, fully expecting the usual hacked cash grab, the obligatory exhumation of a long-dead franchise: a boring, slick, creatively bankrupt product concocted to extract the last remaining drops from The Omen chalice. Imagine my surprise when we were presented with a bonafide film.

An obvious love letter to 1970s horror cinema, The First Omen is a labor of love. Everything from the lensing to the set design, the attire, to the perfectly chosen locations all combine to create an excellent period piece that not only respect the original film, but enhance its mythos in a way I didn't know it needed, but now couldn't image without. The lighting and cinematography deserve a nod, as well.

https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/dailycal.org/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/66/d6678774-f7a1-11ee-8065-839b449fe491/66173b1f61534.image.jpg?resize=1396%2C899

It's a real shame this was not only released n the same year as Immaculate, but just a month after that clearly lesser film hit theaters. The films share several aspects so closely, that one can't help but compare them, especially when I had just watched Immaculate last week. While The First Omen is easily the superior film in my eyes, I couldn't help but wonder if the screenwriters of the two projects were colluding, perhaps using the same outline as a jumping off point. I've no idea which project went into production first, how the scripts were handled or any of the other relevant details, but man are these films similar in their setups.

The First Omen, while paying homage to the films of the 70s in what is clearly reverence, tends to copy them a bit too closely, lifting a scene from the original The Omen wholesale, and also another 70s classic, Possession - notably its most famous scene. Nell Tiger Free does an excellent job with the scene, but the inspiration is clear.

Speaking of performances, everyone is excellent here, with a strong set of seasoned actors joining the young faces to present a memorable narrative, which combines with the other elements as strong pieces of an sturdy whole - one that dovetails elegantly into the 1970s classic first film.

https://videos.company3.com/2024/04/6.png

Easily my favorite horror of 2024 of the films I have seen so far, and perhaps a contender for top 5 of the last 5 years. Is it a classic on the level with The Exorcist or the first The Omen? Certainly not, but it definitely punches quite a bit above its weight class in the melee of poor prequels/sequels of long-dormant franchises.

[Gideon58]

https://i.postimg.cc/htZ4Fv31/IMG-2594.jpg


Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis: A Fable

55


Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis: A Fable is a mad masterpiece, and easily the most astonishing and memorable cinematic achievement of the 21st century.

Perhaps no other major filmmaker of our times besides Jean-Luc Godard has taken experimental cinema to the extremes that Coppola does here, with results that are both breathtaking and awe-inspiring, giving us a vision that only a true cinematic genius could possibly pull off.

Megalopolis is right up there with the likes of D.W. Griffiths's Intolerance and Abel Gance's Napoleon as one of those exceptional cinematic achievements that practically redefined what cinema as a narrative form was even capable of.

There's really never been a movie like this before, and perhaps there never will be again, because, really, who else besides Francis Ford Coppola would happily invest over $100 million of his own money on a project that was so completely and utterly uncommercial?

To fully appreciate this movie, having a hearty taste for experimental cinema is practically a prerequisite. People who do not love experimental cinema, or have not seen much of it, should probably just not even try to watch this; it is highly unlikely they could make heads or tails of it.

The experience of watching Megalopolis on a humongous IMAX screen is both dreamlike and completely intoxicating like very few movies of the last 50 years have been. You would have to go back, possibly, to the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey to find something that was even in the same ballpark.

As with everything that has to do with experimental cinema, even those who already really like it may not be completely on board for everything that Coppola is trying to do here; the point really doesn't seem to be so much any kind of conventional narrative (although there is unquestionably a storyline that is a delight to follow) as much as it is to just bring some kind of dreamlike quality to the big screen.

I have very little faith in the Hollywood establishment to properly appreciate this movie, because Coppola is basically just completely rejecting everything that conventional commercial cinema stands for; it is the grand final gesture, possibly, of one of the biggest maverick filmmakers to have ever lived. Thus, it will not be at all surprising if the movie is completely shut out by the Oscars - and possibly most of the other big awards.

That would, of course, be completely unfair to the cast and crew of this absolute masterpiece, who have all made a totally superlative effort to bring Coppola's vision to life with astonishing vibrancy.

Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel and Giancarlo Esposito are the biggest standouts among the cast; on the technical side, Mihai Malaimare Jr.'s cinematography, Milena Canonero's costume design, and the production design by Beth Mickle and Bradley Rubin are all top-notch.

It should be noted that the movie does make very appropriate use of the "full IMAX" aspect ratio on some key scenes; this will be lost on regular theaters as well as the eventual home release.

No real movie buff should miss the chance to watch this on the biggest IMAX screen available. It stands to reason it will not be in theaters for very long, because this is definitely not a movie for a mass audience. Only the most sophisticated viewers are likely to fully appreciate what Coppola has accomplished here.

OK, I'm going out on a limb and venturing that you liked this one.

[FilmBuff]

OK, I'm going out on a limb and venturing that you liked this one.

I am absolutely blown away by this, it's clearly the work of genius.

Not a lot of people will dig it as much as I have, but I have always had a deep fondness for anything that is experimental.

I can't be 100% sure, but this might be the first big-budget experimental film ever made.

I cannot think of another experimental film that cost $120 million to make. Can anyone?

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOWJkZWY5YTAtMTQwMS00MGUyLWJjM2UtMGM5ZmRkMTc4MjRiXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg



2nd Rewatch...This movie improves a bit with each watch. This explosi0ve docudrama is about a car thief named Bill O'Neal who, in order to avoid doing some serious jail time, agrees to assist the FBI in getting the head of the Chicago Blank Panthers, Fred Hampton off the street. According to this screenplay, the order to get Hampton off the streets came straight from J Edgar Hoover, though he never really dirties his own hands. The film also provides an underlying theme that the Black Panthers were just as dangerous as the KKK, evidenced in one nail-biting scene where Hampton crashes a klan meeting. But the meat of this movie circles around the battle for O'Neal's soul between the FBI and the Panthers. Lakith Stanford delivers the performance of his career as O'Neal and Daniel Kaluuya won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his Fred Hampton. It's not pretty, but it's compelling entertainment. And stay tuned for the epilogue. 4.5

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91l22VHMh4L._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

Umpteenth Rewatch...This 2000 comedy was one of Martin Lawrence's biggest hits, but it has not aged well and I noticed a lot of stupid stuff here that just doesn't fly anymore. During this watch, I noticed that Malcolm's Big Momma and the real Big Momma don't look anything alike and all of the town folk who have lived with Hattie Mae forever, ONE of them should have figured out that this was an imposter. Not to mention Sherry (Nia Long), who should have been able to tell immediately that this Big Momma was not her Big Momma or that scene where she had to deliver Tichina Arnold's baby and didn't have a clue what she was doing, despite the fact that she was supposed to be the town's midwife. And how did the bad guy (Terrence Howard) track Sherry down so quickly? The only real laughs in this most recent viewing came from Paul Giamatti as Malcolm's partner. Can't believe this film inspired two sequels. 2

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTk3NTM4NDg3OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNDk3MzEwNQ@@._V1_.jpg


1st Rewatch...This reimagining of the body switch comedies of the 1980's suffers from a little too much raunch and rampant predictability. The film is about lifelong buddies Dave and Mitch. Dave (Jason Bateman) is a lawyer who is married with three kids and in denial about a crush he has on a co-worker (Olivia Wilde). Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) is a struggling actor who dates different women every night, has a mouth like a sailor, and serious issues with his father (the late Alan Arkin). One night Dave and Mitch take a piss in a fountain and wish that they had each other's lives. The city blacks out for five seconds and when the light comes back on, Dave is inside Mitch and vice versa. This is different from the body switch comedies of the 80's because it involves two adults, but the film takes way too long to set up a well-worn premise, not to mention the plot twist of an entire fountain conveniently disappearing the next day. The screenplay tries to make up for the predictability of the story by inserting a lot of Ferrelly Brothers-type bathroom humor, but it doesn't really help. Bateman and Reynolds work hard to bring the funny and I have never enjoyed Leslie Mann more as Bateman's wife, but this one takes too long to get to its destination determined in the first 30 minutes. 3

[Tugg]

Slingshot (2024) 3.5
https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/08/ba9a9-17244432996834-1920.jpg?w=640
Last Straw (2023-2024) 2.5
https://lrmonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Last-Straw-v2-e1726438319171-1024x760.jpg
Lowlifes (2024) 3.5
https://i0.wp.com/vanessasnonspoilers.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Lowlifes-horror-movie.jpg?resize=1120%2C630&ssl=1
The First Omen (2024) 3
https://img2.beritasatu.com/cache/beritasatu/480x310-3/2024/04/1712455684-1103x620.webp

[FilmBuff]

https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2024/09/20/never-let-go-poster-1726869292068.jpg

Never Let Go
3


Never Let Go has an intriguing premise, some great locations and a committed performance from Halle Berry. And yet, for some reason, it is also weirdly forgettable.

Still, I enjoyed the creepy atmospheric look of the movie, most of which takes place in the woods (the exact location is unnamed but the movie was shot in British Columbia). This is one of those movies where you don't know what's real and what isn't - and the movie isn't too concerned with giving you a straight answer.

One word of warning: if you can't stand it when a movie even suggests that a gorgeous animal might be killed, then you should definitely avoid this movie!

[Fabulous]

White Men Can't Jump (1992)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/rqtJyKamFSYm1Z0pLdjgmHbwoi7.jpg

[cricket]

Reptile (2023)

4-

https://thecinemaholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/reptile8.jpg

I first heard of this a couple of days ago in this thread, and while I don't look into movies that interest me a whole lot, I did at least google the title. The first line of the synopsis had me thinking oh wow. You see my wife and I watch a lot of true crime shows, and she's obsessed with the unsolved murder of Lindsay Buziak, a real estate agent who was brutally killed during a mysterious showing. This film was inspired by her story, and as soon as I mentioned it to my wife she was as gung ho as she ever is to watch a movie with me. I follow the case as well, just not to her level. To go along with our expanded interest, the film was much better than anticipated. Benecio del Toro is the star and he seems like he's performing in his sleep. That's a compliment because he's great. The rest of the cast is strong as well, but a special shoutout for Alicia Silverstone as well. Her role as the lead's wife would often be a thankless and empty role. I don't want to overstate it, but her role is more than that and Silverstone excels. A lot of credit to the filmmakers for providing that opportunity as well. I would definitely recommend this movie to fans of police procedurals/whodunits. On Netflix.

[Sedai]

Oddity
McCarthy, 2024

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/dS6sZSQOBJaAbK5s5bCzDvc284f.jpg

Very creepy with excellent atmosphere and sound design. That said, it sort of plays out like an X-Files episode. I also found it odd that it sets itself up as a sort of whodunnit murder mystery, but the mystery is sort of obvious, gets revealed early, and isn't surprising in the least. The rest of the elements make this a pretty strong experience, so the tend of no duds so far continues!

[Stirchley]

I was determined to finish this movie no matter I failed the first time. I did finish it. Would never want to see it again, but Emma Stone made the movie for me. I hate musicals so I was bound to not like the movie.

Why it’s so highly acclaimed is beyond me, but there you are.

101127

[Gideon58]

I was determined to finish this movie no matter I failed the first time. I did finish it. Would never want to see it again, but Emma Stone made the movie for me. I hate musicals so I was bound to not like the movie.

Why it’s so highly acclaimed is beyond me, but there you are.

101127

LOVE this movie, but I'm not sure Emma Stone deserved an Oscar for it.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51MT77NBBNL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg



1st Rewatch....This was a big hit for Carrey though I'm not really sure why. He plays a reporter at a Buffalo New York television station who has an on air meltdown after losing a promotion and the meltdown gets him fired. Bruce has decided that everything that has gone wrong in his life is God's fault and when the Almighty (Morgan Freeman) has had enough of Bruce's belly-aching, he appears before him and decides to prove to Bruce how hard his job is by temporarily giving Bruce all of his powers. The movie is pretty predictable but the primary reason I just couldn't invest in the film is that the Bruce character is just not likable, and becomes even less likable once he becomes the Almighty. Morgan Freeman's classy turn as God is the only thing that really makes this film worth a look. 2.5

[Gideon58]

https://images.blu-ray.com/news/upload/9487.jpg


1st Rewatch...This film takes a familiar premise and gives it just enough of a twist that we feel like we're watching something original. This is the story of three high school girls who make a pact to lose their virginity on prom night. Unfortunately, three of their parents (John Cena, Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz) find out about their daughters' pact and plan to put a stop to it. Liked that one of the parents didn't want to disrupt his daughter's evening but got dragged into it by the other two. The scene where the parents are figuring out what's happening by deciphering emojis through their text messages was hysterically funny as well as when Barinholtz tries to physically stop the other two from their plan. The film begins to run out of gas when, for a reason I couldn't decipher, the kids in the limo start vomiting, but Cena and Barinholtz are really funny and there's about 2/3 of a really funny movie movie here. 3

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYjcyN2E4NzQtYmUwZC00NmQ5LWJkMWUtMThjZGIwZGIwYzZmXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg



2

[exiler96]

The Substance (2024) - Good grief. I'm on such a movie-high right now that can't bother to write much on this except that it's insane.

https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/demi-moore-lying-on-her-bed-looking-scared-in-the-substance.jpg

MovieGal you might love this cute body-horror flick since it's effects are done by a designer who also worked on Dead Snow; which I believe should be your cup of tee...

[FilmBuff]

https://www.cinemaclock.com/images/posters/1000x1500/82/deadly-blessing-1981-us-poster.jpg

Deadly Blessing
1.5


Deadly Blessing should have been called Deadly Boring instead.

It just might be the most boring movie Wes Craven ever directed - but at least it contains the key element he would use much later to create the popular Scream series.

The killer here wears some kind of black shroud and goes around with a big knife... ring any bells?

It should be noted that it's interesting to have a movie whose cast includes Ernest Borgnine as a "Hittite" elder, Jeff East (the teenage Clark Kent from Superman) and a very young Sharon Stone (she must have been about 22 when the movie was filmed).

But, other than that, there's not much to this.

[Robert the List]

The Others (2001) 8.75
Kidman is (as is often the case) sensational in that film.

[MovieGal]

The Substance (2024) - Good grief. I'm on such a movie-high right now that can't bother to write much on this except that it's insane.

https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/demi-moore-lying-on-her-bed-looking-scared-in-the-substance.jpg

MovieGal you might love this cute body-horror flick since it's effects are done by a designer who also worked on Dead Snow; which I believe should be your cup of tee...

I will wait until it streams on one of my services.

Thanks!

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/50/AnnabelleComesHomePoster.jpg
By CineMaterial, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60832525

Annabelle Comes Home - (2019)

My goodness - how to describe this. Imagine 5 Conjuring Universe movie ideas that never made it past the drawing board getting thrown together as three teens and one pre-teen do a 'Mickey Mouse in Fantasia' and just unleash the lot of them with the help of the Annabelle doll. If that sounds ridiculous it is, but a lot of these ghosts can't really carry a movie by themselves (the Nun sure couldn't), and when you unleash them all in one house it's as entertaining as it is goofy. I'm not a big fan of anything Conjuring (there was such a fuss made of The Conjuring when it came out, and I was sorely disappointed by it), but I felt like I had nothing to lose, checking this out. With all the CGI, I'm surprised I didn't end up hating Annabelle Comes Home, but the only objectionable parts were those with Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) in them, and that wasn't too much. It's not reinventing the wheel, and it's not exactly Poltergeist, but as mindless entertainment it didn't offend my sensibilities. I just want to ask though, if you're pretty sure your house if full of monsters, and you're all alone, do you : a) Run, to go and get help or b) Explore all alone in the dark in the direction strange noises are coming from? Loads of different ghosts, demons and curses, even if it's all the same bulldust we've been watching for years.

6/10

[Fabulous]

Night of the Creeps (1986)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/lwFP1vzVzVbHE4bxI9X2MyTuvb9.jpg

[Daniel M]

Dracula (Tod Browning, 1931) 4

https://i0.wp.com/137.220.55.84/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/dracula-brides.png

Excellent, really stunning black and white cinematography.

[Sedai]

Cuckoo
Singer, 2024

3

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNWU5NDRhYWUtM2JlNS00MDhhLWIzNjctZWUyNWM0YzFlN2I5XkEyXkFqcGdeQWFkcmllY2xh._V1_.jpg

Our horror streak with no duds yet continues with 2024s Cuckoo. I must say, this is one of the stronger years for horror in recent memory, and I haven't even gotten to Strange Darling or The Substance yet. I must also point out that Cuckoo continues the streak of really strong lead performances in horror, with Hunter Schafer joining the ranks of Nyong'o, Sweeney, Tiger Free, and Joseph Quinn from our recent viewings. Time sure have changed from the days of Heather Langenkamp. ;)

That said, this is another film that sort of felt like an X-Files episode in its premise and delivery. The craftsmanship and performances elevate it beyond that classic TV show, but I couldn't help but be reminded of some of those baddy-of-the-week stories from back then. Not necessarily a bad thing, but story wise this was pretty run of the mill stuff.

We enjoyed it, though! Worth a watch.

[Marco]

Longlegs (2024)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/60/Longlegs_film_poster.jpg
Didn't really see the fuss about this. Solid enough little thriller/horror but the denouement is just a bit much (should I have expected anything else with Nicholas Cage involved?). Despite Cage being credited for his performance I thought Longlegs/Dale Cobble was just outright annoying rather than frightening, more like Beetlejuice than a proper follower of the "Lord of the flies". Music was good.
2.5

[Sedai]

Longlegs (2024)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/60/Longlegs_film_poster.jpg
Despite Cage being credited for his performance I thought Longlegs/Dale Cobble was just outright annoying rather than frightening...
2.5

Pretty much this. I usually enjoy unhinged Cage, but I thought his character was the worst part of the film.

[Darth Pazuzu]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/Beetlejuice_Beetlejuice_poster.jpg/220px-Beetlejuice_Beetlejuice_poster.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9f/Speak_No_Evil_%282024%29_Theatrical_Poster.jpeg/220px-Speak_No_Evil_%282024%29_Theatrical_Poster.jpeg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/ff/The_Substance_poster.jpg/220px-The_Substance_poster.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8c/The_Killer%27s_Game.jpg/220px-The_Killer%27s_Game.jpg

September 13, 2024:
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (Tim Burton / 2024)

September 17, 2024:
SPEAK NO EVIL (James Watkins / 2024)

September 24, 2024:
THE SUBSTANCE (Coralie Fargeat / 2024)
THE KILLER'S GAME (J.J. Perry / 2024)

Quite a lot to unpack here, but I'll certainly try to be brief...

I finally went to see the new Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with my younger brother Bryan this last Friday the 13th. I really have to say, it was well worth the 36-year wait. Michael Keaton fit back into his old role quite effortlessly, almost like he'd never left. That goes for Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara as Lydia Dietz and her still highly-strung mother Delia. There were aspects of the film that didn't quite work for either my brother or myself. For his part, Bryan didn't care for the Mario Bava-esque backstory set in Italy, thinking that the character of Beetlejuice didn't really need one. For my part, I didn't really care for Willem Dafoe's ghost detective / former action movie star character, thinking it was a layer of cheesiness that didn't really click. (Granted, Dafoe's screen persona would fit into the Burton universe quite seamlessly, if only he had the right part.) However, everything else about it was absolutely ace. The use of Richard Harris' MacArthur Park during the climactic wedding ceremony was perfect, echoing the use of Harry Belafonte's Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) in the original film. Monica Bellucci was also quite intimidating as Dolores, the ex-wife from Hell, and Justin Theroux as Lydia's boyfriend Rory was sooooooo annoying, but in that perfect way that was genuinely funny and let the audience know that the character would not escape a comeuppance in the end. In addition, the visual FX - while inevitably being an advance on those of the original - still manages to preserve that weirdly handmade surrealism that made the first movie so distinctive. So, all in all... not as good as the original 1988 Beetlejuice. But that movie was a freakishly brilliant, one-of-a-kind entity unto itself, and would have been difficult to follow up on in any case. The fact that it took Burton and Keaton 36 years to do so attests to that. Ultimately, the stars have finally aligned, the creative juices are fully in sync, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice actually is extremely entertaining and is reasonably successful in doing more than just repeating the original.

Speak No Evil is a remake of a Danish film from 2022 that I still haven't seen. (Although I imagine I will one of these days.) This movie is a wonderfully uneasy, satirical horror thriller about an American couple named Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy) with a young daughter, who have moved to Europe and meet a free-spirited British couple named Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), who have a mysteriously mute son. This couple invites the Americans to their house in England's West Country for a vacation, but all is not what it seems. The hosts behave in outwardly pleasant but often weirdly inappropriate ways, and Paddy shows rather unsettlingly aggressive behavior towards his own son, but the Americans - not wanting to seem judgmental or impolite - let most of these things slide. Ultimately, it's revealed that Louise and Ben are not the first couple that Paddy and Ciara have invited to the house, and the couple are finally moved to make their departure, but with a few... slight delays. More than that it would be unfair to reveal, so I'll just say that while the movie really works like gangbusters as an out-and-out horror movie / thriller, it's also something of a pitch-black comedy about the way that good manners and the fear of social embarrassment often get in the way of reason and common sense. I would highly recommend this one, but I would also be interested in seeing the 2022 original directed by Christian Tafdrup. (Inevitably, the ending of the original would seem to be more downbeat.)

Coralie Fargeat's new body horror film The Substance belongs to a special, elite category of film for me, sharing company with the likes of Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers (1994), Paul W.S. Anderson's Event Horizon (1997) and Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream (2000), as the sort of moviegoing experience where I stagger out of the theater in a daze, wondering if anyone got the plate number of that semi truck that just ran me over... and I absolutely can't wait to see it again! :lol: Those are the kinds of movie experiences that I absolutely live for, and which I find increasingly rare in the current cultural climate. (I also have the feeling that I would have had the same type of experience if I had been alive to see the original theatrical runs of Ken Russell's The Devils and Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs in 1971, or that of John Schlesinger's The Day of the Locust in 1975. As it is, for me the home viewing experience of those movies is quite intense in and of itself.) The Substance is, to put it quite simply if admittedly hyperbolically, the ultimate body horror film. Believe me when I say that this movie is utterly ruthless, not just in its horrific content, but in driving all of its thematic concerns to a logical, if admittedly OTT, conclusion. Set in an admittedly stylized and heightened pop-culture reality, it is the story of a faded Hollywood actress named Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore in what is quite possibly a career best here), who has become the host of a Jane Fonda-style aerobic workout program, but having hit the dreaded age of 50 has been deemed past her prime by her sexist swine of a boss, the TV producer Harvey (played to a grotesque fare-thee-well by a top-form Dennis Quaid). During a visit to a hospital, a young male nurse gives her a USB flash drive labeled "The Substance." Watching the USB drive on her TV at home, she sees a program which promotes a serum that, once injected, will give birth to a newer, younger, more "perfect" version of herself. She orders the serum, picks it up in a package at a mysteriously derelict site, takes it home and opens up the package and finds a set of syringes, an intravenous food package, a serum marked "Activator" and designated as single-use, and a "Stabilizer" serum that must be used daily...

(To be continued. This is a lot of information in one post and I'm deathly afraid of losing it by mistake. It's happened before...)

[exiler96]

Darth Pazuzu Glad you enjoyed The Substance so much. I actually won't argue with the ultimate body horror title even though I haven't seen that many outside of Cronenberg's catalogue, but I did see Tetsuo just this past month, so imagine the WTFery that this offers...

And, good God, I also thought of The Devils while "experiencing" it! Great Minds think alike I guess...

[Darth Pazuzu]

(Picking up where my last post left off. Sorry, but my present circumstances are just a little flaky and I wasn't going to risk losing all my information. Here's the continuation of my review of The Substance...)

And the ultimate catch of this particular "substance" is that Elizabeth can only become this new and younger, more "perfect" self for a week at a time, while her original body lies unconscious being fed intravenously, after which her consciousness reverts to her "original" 50-year-old self for a week and she must take care of the unconscious form of the "younger" self. After injecting the serum, Elizabeth falls unconscious and, as promised, a younger "self" emerges through a tear in her back. This younger incarnation comes to identify herself as Sue (Margaret Qualley), and in no time at all she auditions for the newer replacement version of Elizabeth's aerobic workout program and (inevitably) the swinish Harvey is absolutely delighted and over the moon to have this younger, hotter, more beautiful incarnation of Elizabeth bringing in higher ratings numbers. He can even work around the fact that Sue can only work every other week, claiming to have to take care of an ailing relative (which in a way is kind of true). However, when Sue's career takes off like a rocket, the older Elizabeth finds herself eclipsed and spends most of her waking moments at home, with a giant billboard of the much younger Sue placed across from her apartment window almost looking out at her in mockery. And Sue starts cheating, taking more time for herself and extracting more fluid from Elizabeth's body, and this lack of respect for the balance between them causes her to wither and age. Elizabeth and Sue may be two different versions of the same person, but ultimately, due to the narcissism of their shared character, the balance cannot be respected and a battle of wills between the increasingly estranged "selves" ensues. I will not reveal any more of the plot, but suffice to say that this is the sort of scenario that can only end in catastrophe.

Well... as much as I genuinely loved The Substance, I did have certain reservations about it. The movie is directly pitched as a satirical attack on the unrealistic beauty standards of the entertainment industry, and the boorish sexism of the mostly male executives who run it. Which is all fine and well, I get it. However, the movie is rather... how shall I say?... rather strident in making its points, a little bit on the nose, if you will. (One is sort of reminded of the "Architects Sketch" from Monty Python's Flying Circus in which the word SATIRE flashes at the bottom of the screen when Eric Idle's tower block apartment model bursts into flames.) But it's ultimately not all that detrimental, seeing as how the movie's reality is a rather exaggerated and heightened one, and such obviousness ends up being a forgivable sin. Speaking of heightened reality, it's also not all that clear what time period the movie's set in. The Demi Moore character's aerobics workout show has a very '80s feel to it, but we also have USB drives like in our current period, and Dennis Quaid's character smokes cigars like some alpha-male head honcho from some bygone Hollywood era. But again, this mixing and matching of cultural signifiers of different eras reminds the viewer that they are not meant to judge the movie by any sort of stringent standard of absolute authenticity or realism. The movie is more a parable or fable than anything else.

Like I said before, the movie is ruthless in driving the movie toward its ultimate conclusion. I admire the movie's absolute fearlessness in that regard, yet the movie does risk going rather off the rails towards the end. Not to reveal too much about the ending, but when the lead character's final incarnation starts getting dressed for the New Year's Eve party and putting on her earrings, I actually started to queasily laugh and go, "Really? We're actually going there? Wow, we're really determined to go all the way and crash into the wall here, aren't we??" The movie's blood-soaked finale threatens to spill way over the top into a kind of demented camp, and yet... once again... it's really not all that detrimental, because that kind of... I can only call it fearlessness... is so rare these days and one has to admire a movie that's willing to pursue its vision to such a deranged conclusion, even if it risks disfiguring the actual movie as well as its protagonist(s).

One might say that it's a negative - or at least a worrying - sign when any movie reminds you of too many other movies or stories, but in this day and age, everybody's roots tend to show. I'm reminded of David Bowie's famous claim to be a "human Xerox machine," claiming to be less an original creator of ideas than an assimilator of others'. Quite similarly, the films of director Quentin Tarantino also proudly wear the influences of forbears on their sleeve. And writer/director Coralie Fargeat proves to be a similar kind of magpie with The Substance. The obvious influence here is the early work of David Cronenberg, but the movie also has many other forbears, both cinematic and literary.

Here are just several examples:

1) Seconds (John Frankenheimer / 1966)
Early on, as the story started to unfold, I was very much reminded of this John Frankenheimer thriller about an aging businessman who is tired and disenchanted with how his life has turned out, and when a mysterious organization gives him the chance to fake his own death, get extensive facial surgery and give himself a brand-new identity (Rock Hudson). Inevitably, things inevitably do not go as the character wanted or expected, and the movie tilts inexorably toward a very dark, distressing conclusion. As I was watching The Substance in its earlier scenes, I started to think that this was like the distaff, female counterpart of Seconds.

2) The Fly - Dead Ringers (David Cronenberg / 1986 - 1988)
After a while, the main characters(s)' physical deterioration begins to resemble that of Jeff Goldblum's Seth Brundle, including a peeling fingernail and a lost ear. Also, the situation of Elizabeth and Sue's being two incarnations of the same soul very much brings to mind Jeremy Irons' double act as the Mantle twins in the '88 film.

3) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson / 1886 novel)
Perhaps the very prototype of this kind of split-personality story.

4) The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde / 1890 novel)
Another very obvious literary forbear. But in this case, the original and the "double" (in Wilde's case, the portrait) switch places and it is Elizabeth who starts to deteriorate as Sue begins to drain more than her fair share.

(Once again, to be continued. I'm on a clock here, and my session at the library is coming to a close. I'll pick up where I left off in a moment...)

[matt72582]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/37/Deux_hommes_dans_la_ville.jpg
By May be found at the following website: http://www.movieposterdb.com/poster/17120f4b, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37799198

Two Men in Town - (1973)

This '73 José Giovanni team-up of two all time greats - Jean Gabin & Alain Delon in their third film together - is a savage critique of the French justice system and capital punishment. In the end, the story completely took over and had me staring at the screen - agog. I think that's probably the best thing a film can do - give us a lot to admire visually and sound-wise, along with interesting performances, and then have the narrative completely captivate us once we're completely immersed into the world the movie has built for us. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2489056#post2489056), in my watchlist thread.

8/10


I also gave this an 8/10
I also recommend a few other Gabin movies (not with Delon) from around that time "The Cat" and "The Horse"

[matt72582]

Cairo Station (1958) - A-


GREAT movie.. I also recommend two other great Egyptian movies
-Chitchat On The Nile
-Cairo '30

[Darth Pazuzu]

(Okay! :lol: I've finally finished up my full review of the last four films I've seen at my local movie theater. It's been a rather long and arduous process, full of hiccups and interruptions, but here it is in all its glorious entirety!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/Beetlejuice_Beetlejuice_poster.jpg/220px-Beetlejuice_Beetlejuice_poster.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9f/Speak_No_Evil_%282024%29_Theatrical_Poster.jpeg/220px-Speak_No_Evil_%282024%29_Theatrical_Poster.jpeg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/ff/The_Substance_poster.jpg/220px-The_Substance_poster.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8c/The_Killer%27s_Game.jpg/220px-The_Killer%27s_Game.jpg

September 13, 2024:
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (Tim Burton / 2024)

September 17, 2024:
SPEAK NO EVIL (James Watkins / 2024)

September 24, 2024:
THE SUBSTANCE (Coralie Fargeat / 2024)
THE KILLER'S GAME (J.J. Perry / 2024)

Quite a lot to unpack here, but I'll certainly try to be brief...

(EDIT: I certainly failed on an epic scale in that department! :rotfl:)

I finally went to see the new Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with my younger brother Bryan this last Friday the 13th. I really have to say, it was well worth the 36-year wait. Michael Keaton fit back into his old role quite effortlessly, almost like he'd never left. That goes for Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara as Lydia Dietz and her still highly-strung mother Delia. There were aspects of the film that didn't quite work for either my brother or myself. For his part, Bryan didn't care for the Mario Bava-esque backstory set in Italy, thinking that the character of Beetlejuice didn't really need one. For my part, I didn't really care for Willem Dafoe's ghost detective / former action movie star character, thinking it was a layer of cheesiness that didn't really click. (Granted, Dafoe's screen persona would fit into the Burton universe quite seamlessly, if only he had the right part.) However, everything else about it was absolutely ace. The use of Richard Harris' MacArthur Park during the climactic wedding ceremony was perfect, echoing the use of Harry Belafonte's Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) in the original film. Monica Bellucci was also quite intimidating as Dolores, the ex-wife from Hell, and Justin Theroux as Lydia's boyfriend Rory was sooooooo annoying, but in that perfect way that was genuinely funny and let the audience know that the character would not escape a comeuppance in the end. In addition, the visual FX - while inevitably being an advance on those of the original - still manages to preserve that weirdly handmade surrealism that made the first movie so distinctive. So, all in all... not as good as the original 1988 Beetlejuice. But that movie was a freakishly brilliant, one-of-a-kind entity unto itself, and would have been difficult to follow up on in any case. The fact that it took Burton and Keaton 36 years to do so attests to that. Ultimately, the stars have finally aligned, the creative juices are fully in sync, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice actually is extremely entertaining and is reasonably successful in doing more than just repeating the original.

Speak No Evil is a remake of a Danish film from 2022 that I still haven't seen. (Although I imagine I will one of these days.) This movie is a wonderfully uneasy, satirical horror thriller about an American couple named Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy) with a young daughter, who have moved to Europe and meet a free-spirited British couple named Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), who have a mysteriously mute son. This couple invites the Americans to their house in England's West Country for a vacation, but all is not what it seems. The hosts behave in outwardly pleasant but often weirdly inappropriate ways, and Paddy shows rather unsettlingly aggressive behavior towards his own son, but the Americans - not wanting to seem judgmental or impolite - let most of these things slide. Ultimately, it's revealed that Louise and Ben are not the first couple that Paddy and Ciara have invited to the house, and the couple are finally moved to make their departure, but with a few... slight delays. More than that it would be unfair to reveal, so I'll just say that while the movie really works like gangbusters as an out-and-out horror movie / thriller, it's also something of a pitch-black comedy about the way that good manners and the fear of social embarrassment often get in the way of reason and common sense. I would highly recommend this one, but I would also be interested in seeing the 2022 original directed by Christian Tafdrup. (Inevitably, the ending of the original would seem to be more downbeat.)

Coralie Fargeat's new body horror film The Substance belongs to a special, elite category of film for me, sharing company with the likes of Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers (1994), Paul W.S. Anderson's Event Horizon (1997) and Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream (2000), as the sort of moviegoing experience where I stagger out of the theater in a daze, wondering if anyone got the plate number of that semi truck that just ran me over... and I absolutely can't wait to see it again! :lol: Those are the kinds of movie experiences that I absolutely live for, and which I find increasingly rare in the current cultural climate. (I also have the feeling that I would have had the same type of experience if I had been alive to see the original theatrical runs of Ken Russell's The Devils and Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs in 1971, or that of John Schlesinger's The Day of the Locust in 1975. As it is, for me the home viewing experience of those movies is quite intense in and of itself.) The Substance is, to put it quite simply if admittedly hyperbolically, the ultimate body horror film. Believe me when I say that this movie is utterly ruthless, not just in its horrific content, but in driving all of its thematic concerns to a logical, if admittedly OTT, conclusion.

Set in an admittedly stylized and heightened pop-culture reality, it is the story of a faded Hollywood actress named Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore in what is quite possibly a career best here), who has become the host of a Jane Fonda-style aerobic workout program, but having hit the dreaded age of 50 has been deemed past her prime by her sexist swine of a boss, the TV producer Harvey (played to a grotesque fare-thee-well by a top-form Dennis Quaid). During a visit to a hospital, a young male nurse gives her a USB flash drive labeled "The Substance." Watching the USB drive on her TV at home, she sees a program which promotes a serum that, once injected, will give birth to a newer, younger, more "perfect" version of herself. She orders the serum, picks it up in a package at a mysteriously derelict site, takes it home and opens up the package and finds a set of syringes, an intravenous food package, a serum marked "Activator" and designated as single-use, and a "Stabilizer" serum that must be used daily. The ultimate catch of this particular "substance" is that Elizabeth can only become this new and younger, more "perfect" self for a week at a time, while her original body lies unconscious being fed intravenously, after which her consciousness reverts to her "original" 50-year-old self for a week and she must take care of the unconscious form of the "younger" self. After injecting the serum, Elizabeth falls unconscious and, as promised, a younger "self" emerges through a tear in her back. This younger incarnation comes to identify herself as Sue (Margaret Qualley), and in no time at all she auditions for the newer replacement version of Elizabeth's aerobic workout program and (inevitably) the swinish Harvey is absolutely delighted and over the moon to have this younger, hotter, more beautiful incarnation of Elizabeth bringing in higher ratings numbers. He can even work around the fact that Sue can only work every other week, claiming to have to take care of an ailing relative (which in a way is kind of true). However, when Sue's career takes off like a rocket, the older Elizabeth finds herself eclipsed and spends most of her waking moments at home, with a giant billboard of the much younger Sue placed across from her apartment window almost looking out at her in mockery. And Sue starts cheating, taking more time for herself and extracting more fluid from Elizabeth's body, and this lack of respect for the balance between them causes her to wither and age. Elizabeth and Sue may be two different versions of the same person, but ultimately, due to the narcissism of their shared character, the balance cannot be respected and a battle of wills between the increasingly estranged "selves" ensues. I will not reveal any more of the plot, but suffice to say that this is the sort of scenario that can only end in catastrophe.

Well... as much as I genuinely loved The Substance, I did have certain reservations about it. The movie is directly pitched as a satirical attack on the unrealistic beauty standards of the entertainment industry, and the boorish sexism of the mostly male executives who run it. Which is all fine and well, I get it. However, the movie is rather... how shall I say?... rather strident in making its points, a little bit on the nose, if you will. (One is sort of reminded of the "Architects Sketch" from Monty Python's Flying Circus in which the word SATIRE flashes at the bottom of the screen when Eric Idle's tower block apartment model bursts into flames.) But it's ultimately not all that detrimental, seeing as how the movie's reality is a rather exaggerated and heightened one, and such obviousness ends up being a forgivable sin. Speaking of heightened reality, it's also not all that clear what time period the movie's set in. The Demi Moore character's aerobics workout show has a very '80s feel to it, but we also have USB drives like in our current period, and Dennis Quaid's character smokes cigars like some alpha-male head honcho from some bygone Hollywood era. But again, this mixing and matching of cultural signifiers of different eras reminds the viewer that they are not meant to judge the movie by any sort of stringent standard of absolute authenticity or realism. The movie is more a parable or fable than anything else.

Like I said before, the movie is ruthless in driving the movie toward its ultimate conclusion. I admire the movie's absolute fearlessness in that regard, yet the movie does risk going rather off the rails towards the end. Not to reveal too much about the ending, but when the lead character's final incarnation starts getting dressed for the New Year's Eve party and putting on her earrings, I actually started to queasily laugh and go, "Really? We're actually going there? Wow, we're really determined to go all the way and crash into the wall here, aren't we??" The movie's blood-soaked finale threatens to spill way over the top into a kind of demented camp, and yet... once again... it's really not all that detrimental, because that kind of... I can only call it fearlessness... is so rare these days and one has to admire a movie that's willing to pursue its vision to such a deranged conclusion, even if it risks disfiguring the actual movie as well as its protagonist(s).

One might say that it's a negative - or at least a worrying - sign when any movie reminds you of too many other movies or stories, but in this day and age, everybody's roots tend to show. I'm reminded of David Bowie's famous claim to be a "human Xerox machine," claiming to be less an original creator of ideas than an assimilator of others'. Quite similarly, the films of director Quentin Tarantino also proudly wear the influences of forbears on their sleeve. And writer/director Coralie Fargeat proves to be a similar kind of magpie with The Substance. The obvious influence here is the early work of David Cronenberg, but the movie also has many other forbears, both cinematic and literary.

Here are just several examples:

1) Seconds (John Frankenheimer / 1966)
Early on, as the story started to unfold, I was very much reminded of this John Frankenheimer thriller about an aging businessman who is tired and disenchanted with how his life has turned out, and when a mysterious organization gives him the chance to fake his own death, get extensive facial surgery and give himself a brand-new identity (Rock Hudson). Inevitably, things inevitably do not go as the character wanted or expected, and the movie tilts inexorably toward a very dark, distressing conclusion. As I was watching The Substance in its earlier scenes, I started to think that this was like the distaff, female counterpart of Seconds.

2) The Fly - Dead Ringers (David Cronenberg / 1986 - 1988)
After a while, the main characters(s)' physical deterioration begins to resemble that of Jeff Goldblum's Seth Brundle, including a peeling fingernail and a lost ear. Also, the situation of Elizabeth and Sue's being two incarnations of the same soul very much brings to mind Jeremy Irons' double act as the Mantle twins in the '88 film.

3) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson / 1886 novel)
Perhaps the very prototype of this kind of split-personality story.

4) The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde / 1890 novel)
Another very obvious literary forbear. But in this case, the original and the "double" (in Wilde's case, the portrait) switch places and it is Elizabeth who starts to deteriorate as Sue begins to drain more than her fair share.

5) The Shining (Stanley Kubrick / 1980)
Interestingly enough, there is a later scene in The Substance that actually fuses two different images from Kubrick's 1980 Stephen King adaptation. Elizabeth's deterioration, in addition to resembling that of Jeff Goldblum as Seth Brundle in David Cronenberg's The Fly from '86, also strongly resembles a certain supporting character in the Kubrick film. (In Mike Flanagan's 2019 film of King's sequel Doctor Sleep, this character is finally identified as "Mrs. Massey.") And there's a very interesting reference - via camera angle - to the scene of when Jack Nicholson's character Jack Torrance is locked in the pantry.

6) The Thing (John Carpenter / 1982)
Less of a direct thematic or textual reference here, but the aforementioned "final incarnation" of the main character very much feels inspired by the grotesque, nightmarishly imaginative work of Rob Bottin in Carpenter's film.

7) Hellraiser (Clive Barker / 1987)
Admittedly a less obvious comparison - and it's a connection that I doubt most other reviewers would ever make - but Fargeat's film is in its own way a vision of Hell. And as in the work of Barker, the damnation is ultimately self-inflicted. While it's never made clear who created "The Substance" or who's financing its creation, there is no real "bad guy." Just as the Cenobites are ultimately the facilitators of what the people who open the Lament Configuration puzzlebox think are their deepest desires, "The Substance" is ultimately giving people what its creators think they want. But human desire is boundless and doesn't always have reasonable limits, so in both cases the characters are ultimately torn apart for their troubles. (Similarly, getting back to Frankenheimer's Seconds for a moment, one might conjecture that the creator/financier of "The Substance" is rather like the kindly old billionaire played by Will Geer in the '66 film, whose only desire is to improve the lives of others and make their lives happier, and always decides to press on with his vision even in the face of horrifying failure and destroyed human lives.)

8) What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (Robert Aldrich / 1962)
I don't know if anybody else has picked up on this (and I certainly can't be the only one), but in the scene where Elizabeth - whose appearance is now really starting to degenerate - starts to make use of her brand new French cookbook (a rather tactless parting gift from ex-boss Harvey), and in which she's mocking her younger self's speaking voice during her TV interview as she quite messily goes to town cooking up a storm, I've got to say Demi Moore is seriously getting her Baby Jane on something fierce! Bette Davis would be proud, I think, and Moore is every bit as fearless and unafraid of being as completely and hideously OTT as Davis was in that '62 Robert Aldrich classic. And I think it's the absolute funniest scene in Fargeat's film, in a good way.

9) The Game (David Fincher / 1997)
Okay, I'm not really so much pointing out something that's a direct influence on The Substance here, but pointing out an interesting line of dialogue from the '97 Fincher film that, for me, has a good deal of resonance with regard to the actual title of The Substance. You may (or you may not) remember the interview sequence early on in The Game, where Michael Douglas' character Nicholas Van Orton is being interviewed by Jim Feingold (James Rebhorn) and asks him about just what CRS (Consumer Recreation Services) is all about, and Feingold replies simply: "We provide... whatever is lacking." In a sense, the very title The Substance is bitterly ironic, because the serum is a poor surrogate for something which is lacking in Elizabeth's world, a world which values good looks and youth and puts an over-emphasis on style and aesthetics, but from which anything truly substantial is absent.

I'm sure there are many other references or influences on Coralie Fargeat's new body horror masterpiece that I haven't thought of yet. But suffice to say, Fargeat manages to skillfully blend all of these influences into a very unique and distinctive creation. While the results are thematically strident and very excessive, and the film does go rather over the top in its finale, its sins are ultimately forgivable in the face of Fargeat's willingness to pursue all of the attendant themes and ideas and images to a horrifyingly logical conclusion. And as strident as The Substance is in its critique of the entertainment industry and its unrealistic standards of beauty, the movie does not let Elizabeth / Sue off the hook, for the horrors which befall the character are the result of her narcissism and her lack of self-acceptance, as well as an internalization of the bankrupt values of the industry she's a part of.

While not quite perfect (but then again... what is? :D), The Substance is the most brilliant horror film I've seen in quite some time, and one which I'd heartily recommend to all those viewers out there who've got the intestinal fortitude to handle the ride. And believe me, it's a wild one!

I remember, way back in 1997, when I saw Event Horizon for the first time and been quite shell-shocked by its hellish visuals, I was actually going to two films on that day. After Event Horizon was done, I immediately caught a showing of Breakdown, starring Kurt Russell, at the very same theater. It was just as well that I did, for I needed something to shake off the vibe of the first film, a comedown of sorts. But it was only partially successful, seeing as how Kathleen Quinlan and Jack Noseworthy were actually in both films and managed to create a weird psychic "carry-over" between them.

Similarly, after seeing The Substance, I immediately required something to dispel the nightmare vibe. So for a bit of light entertainment, I went and saw the new action comedy The Killer's Game, starring Dave Bautista as a highly skilled assassin named Joe Flood, who falls in love with a ballerina named Maize (Sofia Boutella) and makes tentative plans to retire from "the life." However, he ends up being diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and has only a limited time to live, so he decides to order a "hit" on himself. Problem is, there was a mix-up at the medical lab and he was actually mis-diagnosed, so now he's got a whole plethora of colorful and lethal characters coming out of the woodwork to take him out (including an actually quite likeable Terry Crews as superfly assassin Lovedahl). Not much to report here, beyond a really strong influence from Tarantino's Kill Bill and the John Wick franchise. A lot of clever wisecracks, shootouts, swordfights, kung fu, bloody coups-de-grace, the odd poignant character moment or two, and even the lead character's confession of his past sins to a priest in a church before getting married to Maize. (Haven't seen that one before, I must admit.) Dave Bautista isn't much of a thespian, admittedly, but he makes for a very capable and likeable action man, and he's got good support from Ben Kingsley as Joe's friend and mentor Zvi Reeves. (Kingsley's admittedly punching below his weight here, and he's even forced to deliver a hackneyed "Don't hate the player, hate the game!", but he looks like he's having fun here. I imagine the paycheck doesn't hurt...)

In short, The Killer's Game isn't great, but it's far from terrible. I actually found it quite fun. But mind you, it's The Substance which is going to have greater staying power and stick with me longer! ;)

[Takoma11]

Longlegs (2024)
Despite Cage being credited for his performance I thought Longlegs/Dale Cobble was just outright annoying rather than frightening, more like Beetlejuice than a proper follower of the "Lord of the flies".

Pretty much this. I usually enjoy unhinged Cage, but I thought his character was the worst part of the film.

While I was also a bit mixed on this film, the director said something about Cage's character that kind of reframed him for me a bit, and I'll have to keep it in mind the next time I watch it.

(These are mild/moderate spoilers, but just being safe!)
So he said that he imagined Cage's character as this guy who fell into the Satan stuff sort of by accident. That he just wanted to be a metal-head and ended up (oops!) a servant to the devil. I will be interested to see how I feel about the character with that in mind. When I think about some of the scenes of his character laughing, for example, I think it's actually an interesting read to think of it as the laughter of despair of someone who cannot get off the carousel.

[Marco]

Where has poor Mickey gone? (1964)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/94/Where_Has_Poor_Mickey_Gone%3F_film_Theatrical_release_poster_%281964%29.png
This is one of those I found on Talking Pictures TV. It's quite low key and plays out more like an extended Tales of the Unexpected. 3 young ner'do'wells go about their usual night out dressing sharp and intimidating the local populus and picking up a new (learned) recruit on the way. They eventually break into the premises of an old Italian magician (Warren Mitchell) and begin to regret their actions. It's quite good if you seep into the 60s feeling but, as I say, it is like a Roald Dahls short story.
3

[FilmBuff]

https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHLc.IIZS~2ef73/w:auto/h:auto/q:75/https://bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/WRB_Tree1Sheet6_RGB_1.jpg

The Wild Robot (Dolby Cinema)
3


The Wild Robot has some tough competition when it comes to animated movies about robots.

Will it ever be as highly regarded as WALL·E, Big Hero 6, or The Iron Giant?

Time will tell; if kids go for it in a big way, it could be the beginning of a new Dreamworks franchise.

And it seems like Dreamworks has gone a bit beyond the usual effort here; there is a really good voice cast headed by Lupita Nyong'o and Pedro Pascal, and the animation is definitely a step above the usual Dreamworks project (some of their most recent efforts have looked downright lazy).

Now, while the movie undoubtedly means well, there is something slightly disturbing about the tale of a sophisticated robot that takes becomes the adoptive mother of a young gosling, because at some subconscious level, it might make kids that technology could, in some not-too-distant future, be a perfectly adequate substitute for the love of a biological parent.

It's possible some kids will take to the idea and maybe even think it's kind of cool; but in a world where AI is already replacing humans in a lot of different endeavors, there's also something kind of sinister about the whole premise, especially when presented in such an otherwise adorable way.

If you have young kids and you don't mind them warming up to the idea that perhaps some kind of artificial intelligence could suddenly become a cute replacement for you, if something should happen to you, maybe this movie is exactly what you're looking for.

[stillmellow]

A Merry Single Christmas


https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTi9xxBRL3J7ASDxZ2R67Dz93rQpPBle4EK3Q&s


It was on at work. I had nowhere to hide.


I give it half a star.

[skizzerflake]

Tonight is the night for a volcano....Dante's Peak. A pretty western town, favored by hotel goers is threatened by a volcano. Of course, authorities don't do enough, but just what CAN you do when your neighboring volcano is about to devastate the town? Call Pierce Brosnan of course, an expert with a sad history with another volcano. Linda Hamilton runs a local business. Everybody runs and screams, rocks fly through the air, lava flows, and the whole mountain blows up.

Nothing is a surprise, but, if you're in the mood for a disaster movie, this one is pretty good.

I give it 3 stars for being just what I wanted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8HNlhVbGzY

[exiler96]

Baby Face (1933) - Gotta catch a quick break from the recent 2024 titles I'v been watching in a row; back to the arms of classical Hollywood, the wicked chapter of the "pre-code". I really like those 70-something minutes long, I guess cheap (by the standards of their time too), morally-challenging films that were super economical with their storytelling. Sure they appear simple by our maximalist standards of today but I'd argue that makes them endearing; if not becoming able to communicate with any audience throughout the decades that follows.

Here for example, see how nice an environment (in which we spend the first 10-15 minutes) is taking shape as Lily Powers (what a great name) - played by Barbara Stanwyck, is serving costumers (and men) in her father's place, how her character has this bond with the space she's inhabiting and we recognize that instantly by simple acts that she's doing like opening a window and looking at the smoky, industrial view outside. Getting real down to the simplicities here, bucko... the choices could be visually nice/classy too, as we get her first on-screen sex service through a couple of close-shots of her maid singing (!) and turning out a light.

So by the guidance of Nietzsche, Stanwyck leaves the small town to NY where she sleeps her way to the top and not once the movie's judgmental towards her. It's a crazy film, and I saw The Substance this week so I can't throw that word easily just yet... the ending is semi-tragic, highlighted by one of the two times she breaks down (the previous one was near the begining where she snaps at her sucker of a father; creating this little symmetry in her behaivior with these bits)... the rest is a classic in-control and captivating Stanwyck performance; a bright smirk and a steady eye contact with her scene companion which she doesn't rush to end... and you don't want her to.

https://www.midnightonly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Baby-Face-11.jpg
https://www.retromoviebuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Baby-Face_Lily-and-Stevens.jpg

[Stirchley]

101165

Guessing that pretty much everyone likes this movie.

[Allaby]

Apartment 7a (2024) Julia Garner does a good job, but the film feels like a bad remake or rip off of Rosemary's Baby, instead of a prequel. It's not satisfying or enjoyable and drags at times. There are a couple effective moments, but we have seen them before and done better. The screenplay is predictable, formulaic and mediocre. This feels like a step down from the director's previous film, Relic. 2.5

[Stirchley]

Apartment 7a (2024) Julia Garner does a good job, but the film feels like a bad remake or rip off of Rosemary's Baby, instead of a prequel. It's not satisfying or enjoyable and drags at times. There are a couple effective moments, but we have seen them before and done better. The screenplay is predictable, formulaic and mediocre. This feels like a step down from the director's previous film, Relic. 2.5

I’ll watch Garner in everything she does. Good or bad.

[Sedai]

Reptile
Singer, 2023

3

https://dnm.nflximg.net/api/v6/BvVbc2Wxr2w6QuoANoSpJKEIWjQ/AAAAQY20SQlVKESBNTeSPnvpSEjROLYO8WlwglggSNxI40TAHXzSRXRKfTrlF0A6wSKPGaGqxxsalN7zBrzZTRlaX-Nm5QLdvPZsBC6JyNYMQsUAzd3upUPQ33423JxtEIQxj4TgVUPQzZj7tuCB_Ij0k74R1YY.jpg?r=cc0

I really wanted to rate this higher, but after two strong acts of methodical procedural, this one didn't really stick the landing for me. Good performances, but very little in the way of surprises, with it just sort of playing out as expected. Good, but not great.

[Allaby]

Will & Harper (2024) This was an enjoyable and lovely documentary about a beautiful friendship between two likeable individuals. It's humorous, sweet, heartfelt and entertaining. 4

[Gideon58]

https://www.sondheimguide.com/porter/graphics/kissfilm.jpg


Umpteenth Rewatch...The 1948 Cole Porter Broadway musical is beautifully revamped by MGM to suit its stable of stars. Howard Keel plays an arrogant actor and director who convinces his ex-wife (Kathryn Grayson) to star with him in a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew. Keel and Grayson are perfection together and get solid support from Ann Miller, in the best role of her career as the ditzy Lois Lane and Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore as a pair of dimwitted gangsters. Musical highlights include Keel and Grayson's "So in Love", Miller's sizzling "Too Darn Hot", Grayson's "I Hate Men", and "From This Moment On" which features the rare opportunity of seeing two movie dance legends, Bob Fosse and Carol Haney dance together. 4

[FilmBuff]

https://www.sondheimguide.com/porter/graphics/kissfilm.jpg


If you ever watched that in 3D in the theater, that's an experience you absolutely would never forget...

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjQ5OThkMTQtNDI5MC00NThlLWExODYtMDQ1NjI0MGQzZGNjXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg


Umpteenth Rewatch...It's amazing how wonderful this movie turned out considering all the turbulence behind its production. First of all, Vincente Minnelli was first scheduled to direct, but he and Judy Garland's marriage was seriously on the rocks at the time and Garland's psychiatrist suggested that she and her husband not work together. Also, Gene Kelly was originally signed to play Don Hewes, but he broke his ankle (cinema legend differs as to whether it was in a dance rehearsal or a softball game) and Fred Astaire, who had announced his retirement two years prior, agreed to take the role for the opportunity to work with Garland. Believe it or not, none of this tension shows onscreen in this enchanting musical about a hoofer training a new partner when his original partner (Ann Miller) signs a contract for her own show. It was so interesting watching this right after Kiss Me Kate because she played such a likable ditz in that movie, and in this movie she is the straight up villain of the piece. Miller was such an underrated talent. Musical highlights include Astaire's opening solo "Drum Crazy", his "Steppin Out with my Baby", Astaire and Garland's "A Couple of Swells", Miller's "Shakin the Blues Away" and a Garland ballad that destroys me every time I watch it called "Better Luck Next Time." This movie was such a box office smash that MGM made two other attempts to team Garland and Astaire, but her personal life was in such a shambles at the time, it was never to be. 4

[Gideon58]

If you ever watched that in 3D in the theater, that's an experience you absolutely would never forget...

It's too bad the whole 3D thing is kind of lost on us now.

[FilmBuff]

It's too bad the whole 3D thing is kind of lost on us now.

You can still watch 3D movies if you want. ;)

[Gideon58]

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



Umpteenth Rewatch...OK, it was musical day on Turner Classic movies yesterday. This 1962 film version of the 1959 Broadway musical with the iconic score by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim remains watchable for this reviewer for one primary reason and that is the absolutely enchanting performance by Natalie Wood as Louise/Gypsy that keeps this movie so riveting. Russell is OK as Mama Rose, but there's something about the performance that pales next to Merman, Bette Midler, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, and Patti Lupone. 3.5

[Gideon58]

https://i.etsystatic.com/16952472/r/il/029384/1570823545/il_570xN.1570823545_b3a5.jpg



Umpteenth Rewatch...This 1955 film version of the groundbreaking Rodgers and Hammerstein musical still holds up beautifully. Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones (enchanting in her impressive film debut) are perfect romantic leads and Rod Steiger is properly bone-chilling as Jud Fry. My feelings about Gloria Grahame's Ado Annie waffle at time, but the performance works for the most part. Big thumbs up to Agnes DeMille's choreography as well, with particular nods to "Many a New Day" and that incredible ballet featuring James Mitchell and Bambi Lynn. 4

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91jtMt-0DvL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg


1st Rewatch...Director Denis Villeneuve knocked it out of the park with this chilling drama about two little girls who go out to play before Thanksgiving dinner and encounter an RV parked down the street. Minutes later, the RV is gone and so are the girls. The owner of the RV (Paul Dano) is arrested for the crime, but is let go due to lack of evidence, but when he says something to the father of one of the girls (Hugh Jackman) that implies he knows where the girls are, the father decides to take the law into his own hands to get his daughter back. This story is ugly and at times, breaks my heart and makes my blood boil. The performances by Dano, Jake Gyllenhaal as a police detective. Oscar winner Melissa Leo as Dano's aunt, and especially Jackman, in the performance of his career, are spectacular. This movie had my stomach tied up in knots just as much as it did the first time. 4.5

[Robert the List]

The Master (at about the 4th attempt to enjoy it as well as appreciate it)
9.25

[Gideon58]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/26/Man_of_The_Year_%282006_film%29.jpg


2nd Rewatch...Oscar winning filmmaker Barry Levinson (Rain Man) knocks it out of the park with one of the most underrated films of 2006. The late Robin Williams, who Levinson also directed in Good Morning Vietnam), plays a comedian named Tom Dobbs, who is sort of a fictional version of Bill Maher or Jon Stewart, who is persuaded by his fan base to run for POTUS. He does and is elected but a glitch in the new voting machines implies that he may not have won and might spell trouble for the employee who discovered the glitch. This film brilliantly starts off as a black comedy but quickly becomes bone-chilling as politics and corporate greed collide in a story that goes from Woody Allen to Alfred Hitchcock before the viewer even realizes it. Levinson's screenplay is unapologetic, but allows Williams to do what he did best. The solid supporting cast includes Christopher Walken, Lewis Black, Jeff Goldblum, and in a performance that should have earned her a supporting actress nomination, Laura Linney, as the corporate whistle blower. 4

[Tugg]

Amber Alert (2024) 3.5
https://images.thedirect.com/media/photos/amberalert.png
Wolfs (2024) 3.5
https://www.justwatch.com/images/backdrop/321017754/s640/wolves-2024/wolves-2024

[Darth Pazuzu]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/ff/The_Substance_poster.jpg/220px-The_Substance_poster.jpg

September 24, 2024

THE SUBSTANCE (Coralie Fargeat / 2024)

Okay, just adding one or two more observations about The Substance to the voluminous laundry list of things I've already said, and then I'll shut up about it. I swear! :lol: (And I'm actually going to edit and re-incorporate these into my full-length review of this back on page 4192. It's the next-to-last post on that page.)

8) What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (Robert Aldrich / 1962)
I don't know if anybody else has picked up on this (and I certainly can't be the only one), but in the scene where Elizabeth - whose appearance is now really starting to degenerate - starts to make use of her brand new French cookbook (a rather tactless parting gift from ex-boss Harvey), and in which she's mocking her younger self's speaking voice during her TV interview as she quite messily goes to town cooking up a storm, I've got to say Demi Moore is seriously getting her Baby Jane on something fierce! Bette Davis would be proud, I think, and Moore is every bit as fearless and unafraid of being as completely and hideously OTT as Davis was in that '62 Robert Aldrich classic. And I think it's the absolute funniest scene in Fargeat's film, in a good way.

9) The Game (David Fincher / 1997)
Okay, I'm not really so much pointing out something that's a direct influence on The Substance here, but pointing out an interesting line of dialogue from the '97 Fincher film that, for me, has a good deal of resonance with regard to the actual title of The Substance. You may (or you may not) remember the interview sequence early on in The Game, where Michael Douglas' character Nicholas Van Orton is being interviewed by Jim Feingold (James Rebhorn) and asks him about just what CRS (Consumer Recreation Services) is all about, and Feingold replies simply: "We provide... whatever is lacking." In a sense, the very title The Substance is bitterly ironic, because the serum is a poor surrogate for something which is lacking in Elizabeth's world, a world which values good looks and youth and puts an over-emphasis on style and aesthetics, but from which anything truly substantial is absent.

[ThatDarnMKS]

Megalopolis: 5/5

https://boxd.it/7pSTq3

Many of you will hate it.

[Fabulous]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/v9HELu91Y1CHivMHmA3LBYgfUMD.jpg

[Marco]

Central Station (1998)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/12/Central-do-brasil-poster04.jpg
A tale of a jaded and rather unpleasant woman that writes letters for people who are illiterate to their families within Brazil. She hates her job and has no patience for the people that come for help (ex school teacher). The rough and tough of it and impatience and loneliness has worn her down. And she meets a young lad that she can't shake off. This sounds like a candy redemption film but anything but. Brilliant from Walter Salles and a film full of longing but with a hard heart. A cracking film if you are in the mood.
4

[FilmBuff]

https://i.postimg.cc/HxPxdz65/IMG-1069.jpg

Francis Ford Coppola's MEGALOPOLIS: A Fable
(2nd IMAX viewing)


Wow.

Just wow.

The experience of watching Megalopolis in a large IMAX screen is truly transcendental, and in some ways, the 2nd viewing was perhaps even more rewarding than the first (and that already blew me away).

Coppola's latest masterpiece serves as a stark reminder of just how risk-averse big-budget moviemaking has become in the last few decades.

I can't think of a single scene in this entire movie that doesn't completely challenge the narrative conventions of commercial moviemaking - not a single one. The movie reaches for the sky in terms of artistic ambitions - and frequently ends up going well beyond.

I'm pretty sure the way this challenges and breaks with conventional narrative traditions may push a lot of viewers outside of their comfort zone. They are the ones who will not find anything rewarding in this movie; maybe it's part of being a maverick filmmaker that your movies will inevitably alienate many mainstream viewers.

Another thing that I started thinking about during my 2nd viewing is the fact that both Coppola and George Lucas have used self-financed movies to express their sincere concerns about what leads to the downfall of democracy.

In very different ways, both Cesar Catilina and Padme Skywalker become obsessed with what they see as the looming thread to democracy as they know it.

This is what makes directors like Coppola and Lucas truly unique among their peers - their willingness to spend some of the millions they made into movies that studios would never have financed, because at the end of the day, nothing mattered more to them than being able to express their concerns through their art.

That's the gift of a true artist.

[stillmellow]

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice


https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRUM25QPwh1789MAyhtT2W70pwYzMAcXSfVQw&s


That was fun. Nowhere as original, weird, or hilarious as the original, but like Ghostbusters Afterlife they made a completely new story and didn't just try to rehash things. It's more than funny enough to entertain, and Winona Rider actually gave a really good performance.


The titular character doesn't show up much until the third act, and some of the twists were obvious, but it ends very strong. There's a music number near the end that's the highlight of the whole film.


👍

[TheManBehindTheCurtain]

Just finished Rebel Ridge (2024) on Netflix. Breaks a lot of the expected action/thriller tropes. A corrupt small town police force has a thoroughly contemptible sheriff (Don Johnson), but they aren't all bad apples. The hero (Aaron Pierre) is an Iraq vet ... who didn't serve in combat and is very capable but not an ex black ops guy or sniper. The finale is tense, sometimes violent, but not the over-the-top bloodbath. All in all, pretty fresh take from Jeremy Saulnier.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e5/Rebel_Ridge_film_poster.jpg

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/81/Single_white_female_poster.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=6098456

Single White Female - (1992)

Oh what a difference a couple of exemplary performances can do for what otherwise might have been a trite thriller! Single White Female hasn't gone stale like many other 90s thrillers have in the intervening years, and it's themes of loneliness, neediness, mental illness and trauma are really ingrained thanks to the incomparable Jennifer Jason Leigh. This movie delights in making you feel uncomfortable, and getting you to see shades instead of bustling through it's narrative thoughtlessly. I wasn't prepared for how much I liked this, considering the iffy reputation it had back when it came out. Perhaps changing attitudes have even added a little more complexity.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/67/Panic_Room_poster.jpg
By C@rtelesmix, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28049066

Panic Room - (2002)

Like dying in a car crash, the danger posed by botched home invasions is a real threat that we probably don't think too much about because of how possible it is. Most of us don't have panic rooms - and as this film shows, having one doesn't necessarily mean you're home free if the perpetrators are determined and resourceful. Big cast in this one - Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam, Jared Leto and Kristen Stewart all past or present A-listers and are fun to watch. Fincher could make a movie like this in his sleep - it was an interesting change of pace after helming Fight Club, and he'd go on to direct an eclectic bunch of stuff which shows you'll never be quite sure which direction he'll go in. Tense and expertly made.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/44/Identity_poster.jpg
By May be found at the following website: IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1164852


Identity - (2003)

Nuts. It's as if the cast and director all dropped acid and the producers told them "just try and shake it off and improvise me a thriller!" Some will get where this is going straight away, and others will have an idea. It's as if Agatha Christie's publisher had of sent "And Then There Were None" back to her, with the note "Not silly enough Aggie. I want you to rewrite this, and for it to be MUCH more silly. Silly silly silly!" John Cusack and Ray Liotta head a cast of crazy characters who are trapped at a Motel during a fierce storm, where one by one everybody starts getting killed - who is the killer? This could very well have become a guilty pleasure if Nicolas Cage had of been in it. He should have been.

5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/DVD_cover_of_the_movie_The_Independent.jpg
By 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 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=30929337

The Independent - (2000)

There are a lot of people who think this is an overlooked gem, but despite some funny moments I think the writing is overall sub-par and not all that funny really. If you look up the inventive titles thought up for Morty Fineman's (Jerry Stiller) 427 films, you'll have a good laugh though. Really inventive, and some funny stuff there. Part-mockumetary, this had Janeane Garofalo in it, increasing the chance I'd like it. I didn't really, and after the first half hour it dragged and it seriously lacks real inspiration when it comes to putting those funny film names into action.

4/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2a/The_Vast_of_Night_poster.jpg
By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62945258

The Vast of Night - (2019)

This was a movie good at getting under your skin - an imaginative sci-fi mystery out in 50s rural America where something may very well be out there. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2492298#post2492298), in my watchlist thread.

8/10

[Fabulous]

Blue Crush (2002)

2.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/eSoJD6ej91TC2eaStqAivzbzkAj.jpg

[FilmBuff]

https://de.web.img3.acsta.net/medias/nmedia/18/93/81/84/20279363.jpg

Stavisky...
2.5

Time has not been kind to Alain Resnais's Stavisky..., a movie that couldn't possibly have the impact on viewers today that it did back in 1974.

At the time, the Stavisky scandal was fresh on people's minds and seemed, at that time, to be one of the biggest financial-political scandals that anyone had seen.

Of course, I think we've seen a lot more bigger scandals in the world since the movie first premiered, to the extent that it's hard to think of Alexandre Stavisky as anything more than a tiny footnote of 20th-century history, hardly worth being the subject of a whole movie.

And I say this as a huge Jean-Paul Belmondo fan; the guy was undoubtedly a great actor, but yet for whatever reason doesn't quite seem to have found a way to make the title character particularly interesting or appealing in any way.

By this point in time, we have seen so many big-time conmen creating all kinds of mind-blowing scandals that Stavisky seems like a rank amateur by comparison.

Worse still, the fact that the Stavisky scandal seems to have had an effect on France's decision to expel Leon Trotsky seems barely interesting today; since the two characters never even meet, the connection between the two seems all the more irrelevant.

The filmmakers also have admitted in a disclaimer that the film, while undoubtedly based on real facts, has totally taken dramatic license and more or less made up some stuff.

Still, the movie is not without its pleasures, including the locations, the period detail, and Sacha Vierny's magnificent cinematography; there is also a very charming French-language performance by Charles Boyer.

[exiler96]

https://i.postimg.cc/HxPxdz65/IMG-1069.jpg

aFrancis Ford Coppola's MEGALOPOLIS: A Fable
(2nd IMAX viewing)


Wow.

Just wow.

The experience of watching Megalopolis in a large IMAX screen is truly transcendental, and in some ways, the 2nd viewing was perhaps even more rewarding than the first (and that already blew me away).

Can we talk about:

1. What does Cesar ACTUALLY DO when he stops the time? what's the use of it for him or anyone?

2. There's a scene in which Mayor Gus Fring visits him, reveals and then asks of him to be silent on the fact that he had something to do with the invistigation of Cesar's part in the murder of his wife, gives him three days to consider... where is the consequence of this scene, of this meeting?

These are among some other bits that make me go that the version we saw on the screen could use some additional scenes, some explanations... to defy conventions of standard storytelling is one thing, but it should still make sense in the end.

[chawhee]

My Old Ass (2024)
https://aumiekjrpq.cloudimg.io/v7/_intoprodweb_/uploads/2024/09/2-maisy-stella-and-aubrey-plaza-in-my-old-ass-photo-marni-grossman-amazon-content-services-llc-copy-2.jpg?auto=format&auto=compress&fit=crop&gravity=smart&w=948&h=474
3
I was expecting a bit more out of this one. The "talk to your future self" idea is pretty clever though not necessarily new, but the movie doesn't utilize it enough to be interesting. Consequently, I think, it leans much more heavily into the drama category as opposed to comedy. The spiritual theme of the movie was pleasant in the end, but it felt like there was more potential here.

The script was overly simplistic in my eyes too. Several scenes went on longer than necessary while providing little substance, and the dialogue (especially Chad's) seemed rather unpolished.

[exiler96]

Longlegs (2024) - Maika Monroe has a solid face for this type of horror, let me first get it out of the way. That's not to say she gives a great or charismatic performance; but that here - and in (the better) It Follows - she seems at home with the material.
The world here reminded me of Lanthimos a little (without his oh so many things to say! "substance"); in it's unusual camera placements, absurd or funny dialogue and a cold, detached atmosphere (though the Greek man fills it with some real watchable actors)... I'm not sure if it sustains that all the way through though. It moves quietly and unremarkably, and I liked seeing Sally Draper popping up there, until it gets to one solid jumpscare, which gave me a feeling of uneasiness until the end, unrelated to what the characters are up to tbh.
The mystery gets explained to us without trouble - I prefer we'd solved it ourselves - but that one scene with Cage and the final stand off with the mother stood out... I give it a pass I guess, if only for the sense of helplessness it creates for a while.....
C+

https://crops.giga.de/92/d9/1c/94491383c09f52fcf3bed89317_YyA0MzE3eDI0MjgrMTIzMSsyMAJyZSA0ODAgMjcwAzk5OTk4MDVjYjgx.jpg

Lisa Frankenstein (2024) - A "toned-down" version of what If John Waters and prime Tim Burton had collaborated on "Heathers"?!... not as good as either of those three now but it did get more hilarious and crazier as it went forward without ever losing it's heart for it's leads and interior decorations. Kathryn Newton is a natural and Carla Gugino is so fun to hate (the irony of her of all the people listening to a self-affirming podcast advising to avoid narcissists had me dead, pun intended).
It's completely girly yes, but also has some of the best lines I've heard this year (the more one catches the references, the more delicious they are)......
B-

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDdlZjhjNDctYTU4OC00MjU3LWE0NjUtYzk5ZDRhNzljOGU0XkEyXkFqcGdeQWFybm8@._V1_QL75_UY281_CR0,0,500,28 1_.jpg

[FilmBuff]

[....]

I think you're asking the wrong questions.

A movie cannot simultaneously be an experimental film and also try to follow traditional narrative convention. It has to be one or the other. My reading of the movie is that Coppola has gone full steam ahead to make a purely experimental film; he already made a lot of great movies that followed the rules of traditional storytelling, we all know he can do that, and do it better than practically anybody. The better question is why, when he's investing $120 million of his own money without any hope of getting it back, does he choose not to?

Megalopolis is like a dream, it is completely open to interpretation and I'm not sure that any interpretation can be completely right or completely wrong. In a dream, a lot of things don't make literal sense, but there can be any number of hidden meanings, repressed desires, etc. One can spend a lot of time trying to interpret a dream. I feel this movie is kind of like that in some ways, it can give you a lot to think about, but maybe the point is that it makes you think, not that there should be any specific conclusion.

The movie clearly unfolds according to its own internal logic (or lack thereof) and I feel that's one of the things you either accept at face value, or you simply try to fight back every step of the way for 2-1/2 hours. The first time I watched it, I decided early on that it made absolutely no sense for me to try to bring any kind of real-world logic into it, so I just let the movie flow through my mind and take me on a wild ride.

My own personal reaction and those I've read from people who generally enjoyed it seem to indicate that the more you allow the film to exist on its own terms, without demanding that it make any conventional sense, the more you're likely to enjoy what it has to offer.

There are hundreds of new movies being made every year, and the overwhelming majority of them are happy just to obediently follow the conventional narrative rules that most moviegoers are used to by now.

I am absolutely ecstatic that, for once, there is a movie that dares to break all of the rules of conventional narrative and does it with so much glee that, frankly, I think it's contagious.

[FilmBuff]

Consequently, I think, it leans much more heavily into the drama category as opposed to comedy.

This is essentially a coming-of-age story, and like the best of them, it is a bittersweet one. There's definitely a large comedic subtext to the movie, but I think it would be a mistake to expect it to be just a comedy (and it's clearly not meant as a serious drama).

I'm not sure what expectations people are bringing into the movie, because I kind of get the feeling that they were expecting something completely different.

In any case, to me it is absolutely one of the year's best - a surprisingly mature and very skillfully balanced movie coming from such a young filmmaker.

[Robert the List]

Embrace of the Serpent 9.25-9.5

The daft 10th rate Apocalypse Now scene tends to stick with me when I think of this film, but it's only about 10 minutes, and the rest of it is really stunning. A piece of movie making out of the top draw.

[exiler96]

I think you're asking the wrong questions.

A movie cannot simultaneously be an experimental film and also try to follow traditional narrative convention. It has to be one or the other. My reading of the movie is that Coppola has gone full steam ahead to make a purely experimental film; he already made a lot of great movies that followed the rules of traditional storytelling, we all know he can do that, and do it better than practically anybody. The better question is why, when he's investing $120 million of his own money without any hope of getting it back, does he choose not to?

Megalopolis is like a dream, it is completely open to interpretation and I'm not sure that any interpretation can be completely right or completely wrong. In a dream, a lot of things don't make literal sense, but there can be any number of hidden meanings, repressed desires, etc. One can spend a lot of time trying to interpret a dream. I feel this movie is kind of like that in some ways, it can give you a lot to think about, but maybe the point is that it makes you think, not that there should be any specific conclusion.

The movie clearly unfolds according to its own internal logic (or lack thereof) and I feel that's one of the things you either accept at face value, or you simply try to fight back every step of the way for 2-1/2 hours. The first time I watched it, I decided early on that it made absolutely no sense for me to try to bring any kind of real-world logic into it, so I just let the movie flow through my mind and take me on a wild ride.

See, I wouldn't say it's like an open-to-interpretation-for-each-viewer dream at all. Even when it gets "distorted" - in the conventional sense - the most (which are the subsequent scenes of Driver's character getting shot), it's still pretty recognizable. No one can honestly say they've seen a "different film" from their companions walking out of Megalopolis since it's pretty obvious what is it about (which is many things, from satirical to philosophical to political to romantic)...maybe here I can say what the movie does good is that it doesn't 100% tell you how think/feel about it's character's attitudes/actions, but even that is playing in familiar ground.

Tarkovsky's Mirror I'd say is a "dream film" with it's own logic and even design...Lynch has created dreamlike sequences throughout his career. Take the following scene from Fire Walk With Me for example. It defies the conventional logic so much that however one reacts to it completely goes back to themselves. It just "exists".

https://youtu.be/-BUPUxplvdU?si=Xvvxlyi4oxwMXkZm

Megalopolis though, features characters with intetions and desires that are followable for most of the running time (and not because of how much you or me are getting out of them): this one's a mayor, that one is his henchman, his daughter is falling for that guy, those two have other intentions, this one put a hit on the other, acts differently when he survives, etc. Even the bits that are dreams are singled-out openly one way or another (Mayor wakes up after the moon and the cloud bit for example)...

But consider this as an example: Emmanuel and Driver are in bed and Driver tells her that with her he's more creative now, and he feels he can do anything. There's nothing dreamlike in this moment, it's just the absence of a convincing back-up for what he is saying. We haven't seen how she has changed his creative process, while we did see HER following him around and falling for him, along other sub-plots that do make sense.

What I think has happened is that Coppola has fleshed out this world and it characters' standings in his drafts, has removed several scenes and glued the remainings with dissolve effects - among other techniques - to give his audience something "new", an experience at times like getting high - which I've heard he was, during the making. He almost bullies the viewer into thinking they're seeing a dream i.e. a domain in which his narrative weaklings are justified.

+ Have to note that I still admire the film and don't insist on my critiques as I've only seen it once and feel it could use another watch (even if it's a failure it's an interesting one)...what I wanted to be clear on is that I'm not objecting to something outside of it's framing; but point out how it abides by a certain language (which is too recognizable to be unconscious), then breaks it for the sake of it.

EDIT
++ I rarely check out Jeremy Jahns' channel but I suppose he communicates what I essentially am saying in fewer words:

https://youtu.be/VZdlH6bh6o0?si=KMkgmxj7kCxqUgDh

[FilmBuff]

Experimental cinema is meant to break things, that's the whole point imho.

There isn't a single shot in this movie that I am not in love with. It's the purest form of artistic statement Coppola has ever made, again, imho - and his most breathtaking achievement.

[John W Constantine]

Jack (Coppola, 1996)

10.4/10

[Darth Pazuzu]

https://i.postimg.cc/HxPxdz65/IMG-1069.jpg

Francis Ford Coppola's MEGALOPOLIS: A Fable
(2nd IMAX viewing)


Wow.

Just wow.

The experience of watching Megalopolis in a large IMAX screen is truly transcendental, and in some ways, the 2nd viewing was perhaps even more rewarding than the first (and that already blew me away).

Coppola's latest masterpiece serves as a stark reminder of just how risk-averse big-budget moviemaking has become in the last few decades.

I can't think of a single scene in this entire movie that doesn't completely challenge the narrative conventions of commercial moviemaking - not a single one. The movie reaches for the sky in terms of artistic ambitions - and frequently ends up going well beyond.

I'm pretty sure the way this challenges and breaks with conventional narrative traditions may push a lot of viewers outside of their comfort zone. They are the ones who will not find anything rewarding in this movie; maybe it's part of being a maverick filmmaker that your movies will inevitably alienate many mainstream viewers.

Another thing that I started thinking about during my 2nd viewing is the fact that both Coppola and George Lucas have used self-financed movies to express their sincere concerns about what leads to the downfall of democracy.

In very different ways, both Cesar Catilina and Padme Skywalker become obsessed with what they see as the looming thread to democracy as they know it.

This is what makes directors like Coppola and Lucas truly unique among their peers - their willingness to spend some of the millions they made into movies that studios would never have financed, because at the end of the day, nothing mattered more to them than being able to express their concerns through their art.

That's the gift of a true artist.

Experimental cinema is meant to break things, that's the whole point imho.

There isn't a single shot in this movie that I am not in love with. It's the purest form of artistic statement Coppola has ever made, again, imho - and his most breathtaking achievement.

This just came out at my local theater. I haven't seen it yet, but - finances and penny-pinching being a present concern - I'm waiting to catch the Tuesday showing for $7. And frankly, I can't wait! I'm really looking forward to this... :D

[FilmBuff]

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Adam-Driver-in-Megalopolis-Review.jpg

Megalopolis (3rd IMAX viewing)

They say that "third time's the charm," and that certainly applies to Megalopolis.

I can't say enough about how transformative this movie really feels to me, but honestly I'm having a hard time thinking of another movie in recent years that has been such a mind-blowing experience as this.

So, there are some things that ran through my mind during my 3rd viewing of Coppola's masterpiece. The character of Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) might be the most unambiguously heroic figure of any of Coppola's films; I think many of his best works feature anti-heroes or, at best, people with very mixed motives. Catilina is a Nobel-prize winning genius whose sole concern, as far as we can tell, is the future of humanity - namely, making it a better future for everybody.

Throughout the movie, Catilina survives all kinds of nefarious plots against him, and somehow manages to get through all of it, if not completely unscathed, certainly without his spirit being in the least affected.

This seems to me like a marked departure from some of Coppola's best films; since they were inherently dramatic, it was probably very appropriate that they would explore some of the darkest motives of human endeavors, or at the very least, the actions of flawed individuals.

And to be sure, Megalopolis is full of very flawed individuals, although for the most part, Catilina is downright heroic by comparison with his peers and other assorted individuals who are prominent in the milieu of the movie.

Another character I've been thinking about a bit more is Vesta Sweetwater; I've been wondering to what extent she may have been at least partly inspired by Taylor Swift. No, not in the specific details of what Vesta most prominently claims to be, but just in the general sense of being some kind of pop-culture phenomenon who attracts a huge amount of attention from her fans (for a really fun Easter egg, check out what car she's riding in when she arrives to one of the big events in the movie).

Like I said, the very broad outline of who Vesta is may be partly inspired by a real-life superstar, but the specifics that the movie gets into are obviously meant to show that she's different in some key ways, but also that the image a performer presents does not always correspond to who they really are.

To be sure, the way the entire political elite of New Rome is presented is far from flattering, but also, crucially, probably not entirely detached from our reality, what exaggeration there is may be simply a matter of Coppola's artistic sensibilities being in full display.

And speaking of things being on display, I think I may have an even greater admiration for Milena Canonero's costume design now that I have had more time to look at some of the most outlandish costumes here. After being in the business for over 50 years, Ms. Canonero is still full of amazing ideas, especially when given full rein by a top director.

After watching the movie 3 times, the first thing that struck me as I was leaving the IMAX cinema was... how boring the real world seems by comparison. Yes, reality does seem rather dreary after spending quite a few hours inside Coppola's astonishing vision of, well, some kind of alternate reality.

It is a nice place to visit, and I would really love living there.

[KeyserCorleone]

Star Trek 3, as I previously mentioned, and I kinda loved it. It's a good balance between the SFX nature of I and the characterization of II with some good-ol' fashioned Vulcan weirdness in the mix. Christopher Lloyd's villain needs a little more development, though. That's the only flaw IMO.

[TONGO]

The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
3 out of 5 stars.
They went waaaay beyond what prisons do in some ways. Between Harvard experimenting on the Ted Krasinski when he was there still as an adolescent, and Stanford doing what they did to these kids......never vollunteer for a study. Never.

[LChimp]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/714xn6rxXSL.jpg

Inside Out 2 - (2024)

Very similar to the first one, but without most of its charm. Some emotions are pretty useless too (Envy, Ennui). Disappointed.

6/10

[MovieGal]

The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
3 out of 5 stars.
They went waaaay beyond what prisons do in some ways. Between Harvard experimenting on the Ted Krasinski when he was there still as an adolescent, and Stanford doing what they did to these kids......never vollunteer for a study. Never.

TONGO not sure if you are into foreign cinema but if you are, check out Die Welle ( The Wave) from 2008. You may find it interesting.

[Thief]

STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR
(1940, Ingster)

https://i.imgur.com/rLectCL.jpeg


"Besides, where you'll go? They'll find you no matter where you hide."



Stranger on the Third Floor follows reporter Mike Ward (John McGuire) who is about to testify on a murder trial, much to the chagrin of her fiancée Jane (Margaret Tallichet). But when one of Ward's neighbor turns out dead, he becomes the prime suspect. That is unless Jane can find the stranger that Mike had seen spying on the neighbor's apartment days before.

This is a film that is often mentioned as one of the first film noir. It has most of the typical ingredients; a mystery, narration, use of shadows and camera angles, and a lead character stuck in what seems like an impossible situation. Most of those elements, especially the ones that have to do with the direction and cinematography are expertly used here. There is a lengthy dream sequence towards the middle act that is quite impressive.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2492449#post2492449)

[Thief]

REBEL RIDGE
(2024, Saulnier)

https://i.imgur.com/DQjkIHa.jpeg


"I don't know enough about the afterlife to trust in it, so while I'm here, and he's not, I gotta haunt these motherfu¢kers myself."



Rebel Ridge follows former Marine Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) as he's on his way to post bail for his young cousin. However, his journey puts him in the middle of a deep-seated corruption scheme in the small police force of Shelby Springs and right in the face of its corrupt police chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson). As they set out to make Terry's life impossible, he's determined to haunt the motherfu¢kers himself.

I've had my eye on director and writer Jeremy Saulnier since I got my eyes on Blue Ruin and Green Room, so I was kinda looking forward to this; and yet it's like I wasn't really prepared for how much this film ruled, and it seems that the world agrees with me. It is so satisfying to see a mid-budget *original* action/drama/thriller getting all this attention... with no big "stars" or big SFX/CGI; just a compelling story, great performances and characters, all while staying true to the director's style.

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2492476#post2492476)

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b5/Mission_impossible_ghost_protocol.jpg
By http://impawards.com/2011/mission_impossible_ghost_protocol_ver3.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33644516

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol - (2011)

Okay, so here with the fourth Mission Impossible movie they started getting seriously good and progressively get better. To tell the truth, I don't care too much for the first three, although the third is okay - but once we get to Ghost Protocol the series seems to go into overdrive as the formula has fully transformed into one huge action set-piece after another. What ended the first Mission : Impossible movie had become the standard for the whole movie from start to finish, with fast-paced, fun, connective scenes bristling with high-tech gadgetry and beautiful, panoramic international scenery. Nuclear missiles, diamonds, tall buildings, the Kremlin, fast cars, explosions, sand storms - Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) was now an established competitor to James Bond, and would go on to cement that in Rogue Nation, Fallout and Dead Reckoning - Part 1.

7.5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/62/The_Blue_Caftan_poster.jpg
By Megarama Distribution, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72581691

The Blue Caftan - (2022)

The Blue Caftan is quietly dignified, and bravely steps out of line with it's country of origin - Morocco - and it's laws, featuring a gay relationship which fully acknowledges love, in it's many different forms. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2491344#post2491344), in my watchlist thread.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3a/Showing_Up_film_poster.png
By http://www.impawards.com/2022/showing_up.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72437592

Showing Up - (2022)

Showing Up was meaningful, humanistic, grounded and a really worthwhile film to become absorbed by. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2492008#post2492008), in my watchlist thread.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/Ponette.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2966075

Ponette - (1996)

Ponette is so well made that the journey into that world is magical, and almost transcendental. You see grief from a perspective that's totally unfamiliar, while at the same time being easy to understand, and very much a part of who we all are. In a way, we spend our entire lives doing what little Ponette does - trying to come to terms with what it all means once we've lost what made us whole. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2492465#post2492465), in my watchlist thread.

9/10

[Fabulous]

Guarding Tess (1994)

2.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/q0qEcj2UdLwkiH3HyKIthBmKTPo.jpg

[TheManBehindTheCurtain]

The Policeman's Lineage (2022)
Amazon Prime Video

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6b/The_Policeman%27s_Lineage.jpg

A Korean crime drama. Cho Jin-woong plays a high-profile detective who's suspected of cutting corners, and Choi Woo-sik is the young officer assigned to join his team as a mole in order to get to the bottom of it. The relationships between the warring police factions (Cho's team and internal affairs) and the warring crooks (a local crime lord who keeps evading prosecution and the Yakuza-backed madman who Cho conspires with) can be a challenge to follow at times. But the key discussion is around how far The Good Guys can go to catch The Bad Guys without become A Bad Guy themselves. A fair diversion.

4/5

[Daniel M]

The Phantom of the Opera (1925) 4

https://cdn.theasc.com/Phantom-of-the-Opera-Featured-2.jpg

I've been watching a lot of excellent silent films in the past couple of months. This was another strong one, excellent cinematography and mise-en-scene. There's something that's just incredibly "watchable" about these old horror films and their use of shadows and space.

[sawduck]

The Holy Mountain 8.5/10 - This might be the strangest film i have ever seen, but i was engaged and entertained the whole way through, Jodorowsky is a mad genius but this film won't be for everyone's taste

The Fall Guy 7/10 - a fun movie with likable characters and some great action scenes

Inside Out 2 7/10 I preferred the first one but this is still great. A couple of fantastic new characters are introduced and features a great cast.

Thelma 8/10 A sweet,funny, entertaining film with the wonderful June Squibb, who hopefully will win some awards for this. It's also the final film of the legend Richard Roundtree

Didi 8/10 - I love coming of age movies and this is possibly my favorite from the last few years

[Torgo]

River (2023, Yamaguchi) - 4

With this movie and Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes, I think we can declare Junta Yamaguchi the new master of the time loop story and perhaps of comedy. Expanding the scale of its predecessor in terms of setting and cast, but no less simple or elegant, it tells an equally hilarious and painfully true story about our complicated relationship with time. Like the many reasons Geddy Lee sings about why it would be nice for time to stand still, every resident of the Fujiya Hotel has a different one, and on top of that, there are just as many unfortunate consequences of having their wishes granted. While many of their end results are not very funny, the laughs do not stop until they all share this conclusion. Besides our charming waitress and aspiring master chef heroes, I especially like the old friends who reunite and share a meal until they hate the food and the poor man stuck in the bath house, especially since he's never not without soap in his hair. Regardless, and hopefully without spoiling it too much, everyone's realization pays off in satisfying and true ways. All the performances are spot on - there's a sense that everyone is enthusiastic about this project and wants it to succeed - and in the Fujiya Hotel, Yamaguchi and company succeeded in picking one idyllic location. Pardon the bad joke, but I wouldn't have minded the movie being a little longer so that I could bask in its serenity even more.

As another prog rock song (there's so much truth in them, isn't there), Porcupine Tree's Prodigal, reminds us, "the good times never seem to last." This movie successfully - and again, often hilariously - reminds us that they do not exist in a vacuum and that too much of a good thing can not only become bad, but also dangerous. I'm probably not absorbing this point in saying this, but this is the kind of high-concept oddity that makes you wish The Twilight Zone's Rod Serling was still with us so you could hear him sing its praises. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to looking up good deals on remote Japanese hotel stays.

[Thief]

THE HOBBIT
THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG
(2013, Jackson)

https://i.imgur.com/4zX5yam.jpeg


"Lead him to the forges. We kill the dragon. If this is to end in fire, then we will all burn together!"



The Desolation of Smaug follows the journey of a young Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), along with a group of dwarves as they try to reclaim their lost castle. Unfortunately, their former home has been reclaimed by the titular dragon. Their journey is further complicated by other creatures and characters in their pursuit.

Unfortunately, the film can't help but feel like a "poor man's LOTR". There are similar beats to the story, characters returning, and a lot of winks to the original trilogy, some of which feel forced and unnecessary. To make matters worse, the special effects don't match those of the original, which is shocking considering that this was made about 10 years after. It all piles up for a significantly lesser experience.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2492561#post2492561)

[Thief]

ROSEWOOD
(1997, Singleton)

https://i.imgur.com/KeycpgK.jpeg


"I was born and raised in Rosewood. This here is my home. And I'll be damned if I let anybody run me off it."



Rosewood follows the events, primarily focusing on Mann (Ving Rhames), a drifter that has returned from war with the intention of buying land and settling in. When a white woman is beaten by her white lover, she claims that a black man assaulted her, which sparks the anger and racism of the townspeople. Caught in the middle of it is John Wright (Jon Voight), a somewhat sympathetic store owner, and Sylvester Carrier (Don Cheadle), the head of a slightly affluent black family.

Rhames does a pretty good job with what he's given, and so does most of the cast. However, the film succumbs under the pretenses of stereotypical Hollywood-esque sensibilities, instead of staying true to the story. That's not to say that the film isn't tragic or that horrific things aren't properly portrayed; They are, but everything is underserved by an uneven tone and a weak script.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2492582#post2492582)

[Thief]

THREE LITTLE PIGSKINS
(1934, McCarey)

https://i.imgur.com/4Q6mpNN.jpeg


"This is football, chump. All you gotta do when a man gets the ball, tackle' em. Get it?"



Three Little Pigskins features a common case of mistaken identity as the Stooges are confused with a trio of football players by the gangster that runs the team, which leads to the usual shenanigans. Surprisingly, for a short advertised as a "football" one, there's very little football in it. There are three distinct acts as we follow the Stooges in the street before the confusion, then at the gangster's house, and finally at the football game.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2492601#post2492601)

[Thief]

LEVIATHAN
(2015, Robinson)

https://i.imgur.com/BwFB32W.jpeg


"We lost sight of the target!"



The Leviathan is a proof of concept short film/teaser from Ruairi Robinson. It presents a future where prisoners are forced to work by hunting the titular gigantic creatures to harvest their eggs. The task seems incredibly risky, especially when you lose sight of your target, which is what happens in the short.

Grade: N/A


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2492604#post2492604)

[cricket]

The Substance (2024)

3.5

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MVZb2czgBXWnVsnNj7zupD-415-80.png

I liked the director's 1st film, and not that this was great, but it felt like a big step up. Demi Moore was perfect for her role, as if it were written for her. I could have used more Quaid, he was a riot. It looks good and has great sound. I never fully bought in but it's a wild ride worth taking. Not quite what I was hoping for.

[matt72582]

(https://www.youtube.com/)Giulietta Masina - The Power of a Smile

https://youtu.be/uHOxVC4zJJQ

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/718xca36eaL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg


1st Rewatch...Spike Lee directed this confusing urban drama about a drug dealer (Mekhi Pfifer) who murders a fast food employee, buit for some reason, his brother (Isaish Washington) confesses to the crime to protec him. He also has to deal with a 12 year old kid who worships the ground he walks on, which results in his committing s murder. The story tries to cover a little too much territory, but the performances that Lee gets from Pfifer, Washington, Harvey Keitel, John Turturro. and Delroy Lindo do distract the viewer to the very hard to believe ending. This film also features the best score featured in a Lee movie. The music in his movies is usually terrible and we only get one brief moment of Lee's "floating cam". 3.5

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMGNlYmM1NmQtYWExMS00NmRjLTg5ZmEtMmYyYzJkMzljYWMxXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg


6th Rewatch...For my money, the best action adventure ever made featuring my favorite movie villain and my second favorite performance from Bruce Willis. 5

[Gideon58]

https://www.mvtimes.com/mvt/uploads/2019/03/Gloria_Bell_2018_film_poster.jpg


1st Rewatch...The performance by Oscar winner Julianne Moore in the title role raises the bar on this slightly squirm worthy character study. The title character is a middle aged divorcee with two grown children and a grandchild who works at an insurance company. She tries to keep engaged socially, primarily through hanging out at dance bars, where she meets Arnold (John Turturro), a lonely divorced man, who despite being divorced for a year, still has feelings for his ex. The story here resembles films like Looking for Mr Goodbar or the Blythe Danner indoe I'll See You in My Dreams, but the style of the story is more like Woody Allen...watch the two scenes where Gloria and Arnold's date is interrupted by phone calls from his ex, or the scene where Gloria invites Arnold to her grandson's birthday party and Arnold feels ignored. Moore is luminous, as always, and Turturro is impressive in a role that I believewas his first romantic leading man character and their performances makes this film worth watching alone. 4

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81o0GeKpX1L._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg




Umpteenth Rewatch...I don't know what it is about this movie...the electric hips of the late Patrick Swayze or the off the charts chemistry between him and Jennifer Grey...or the wonderful performance by the late Jerry Orbach as Grey's father, or the sexy choreography by Kenny Ortega. We just never seen dancing on the movie screen like that before. Or is it the endless rewatch appeal of that finale with Swayze and Grey dancing to the Oscar winning "The Time of My Life". Whatever it is, whenever I channel surf and run into this movie, will always watch. 4

[Gideon58]

https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-yzgoj/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/1009173/4523827/EVCMSDLOFIEC020H__34297.1649878571.JPG?c=2


1st Rewatch...The fourth film in the Andy Hardy franchise finds Andy (Mickey Rooney) trying to earn the $8 he owes on a new car by keeping an eye on his BFF's girlfriend, Cynthia (Lana Turner), while being oblivious to the rich girl next door named Betsy Booth (Judy Garland) who falls for Andy the second she lays eyes on him. Rooney is the bundle of energy he always was, Turner is already displaying signs of the future cinema sexpot she would become and Garland is lovely as the doormat who doesn't seem to care that Andy treats her like dirt. I didn't notice this the first time I watched this, but Garland sings three songs in this film and one of them,"In Between" is very similar in style to a song Patty Duke sang in the 1966 film Billie called "Lonely Little In Between". Yes, the film definitely has dated elements (Andy is buying a car for $20), but Garland and Rooney fans should still glean entertainment from it. 3

[Marco]

Wolfs (2024)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Wolfs_%28film%29.jpg
All in all a pretty satisfying film in the action-comedy genre. It would really depend on whether you like Clooney and Pitt as the film revolves around their interaction with both being "fixers" with markedly different methods (the line "I have a fob" did make me chuckle). The story itself is quite slight but the 2 protagonists play it well. Always good to see Milo from "Pusher" appear too :) Enjoyable enough eye candy.
3

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNWI2MzdiM2ItMTg2Zi00MTYwLThlZmItM2FkNWI4NjE3ZjRhXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg



4

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Limits_of_control.jpg
By Impawards.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21956502

The Limits of Control - (2009)

I've seen actor Isaach de Bankolé in many films, but at the same time I'm not all that familiar with him. This is definitely the only time I've seen him as lead actor though, and unfortunately Jim Jarmusch doesn't give him anything to do other than just "be" in the scene and passively facilitate a predetermined series of events, without any emotion. There are a lot of little intimations about what this is all about, but overall there wasn't a lot that excited me about The Limits of Control, because there's nothing much to get from it other than the esoteric idea it's trying to express. The Lone Man (de Bankolé) is sent on a mission to Spain where he meets a variety of people who pass him secret messages and diamonds - these people/agents played by Tilda Swinton, Gael García Bernal, Bill Murray, John Hurt and more. Nice cinematography - maybe one day I'll see something in this - but as far now, for me, it's Jim Jarmusch's least accessible movie.

5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/12/The-emperors-naked-army-marches-on-film-poster.jpg
By May be found at the following website: https://www.cinematerial.com/movies/yuki-yukite-shingun-i92963/p/fdnmtrya, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69519253

The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On - (1987)

Such a strange, sad, and mad documentary. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2492753#post2492753), in my watchlist thread.

8/10

[FilmBuff]

https://www.theupcoming.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Megalopolis-e1727180892720.webp

MEGALOPOLIS
(1st non-IMAX showing)

After having already watched Francis Ford Coppola's MEGALOPOLIS three separate times in the IMAX format, I decided it was time to watch the regular non-IMAX presentation.

Now, to be sure, there is no better way to enjoy this cinematic masterpiece than in a larger-than-life IMAX screen. The regular screen in which I rewatched it is probably about 1/4th the size of the IMAX one. And it also doesn't benefit from the exclusive IMAX ratio in the parts of the movie that were shot with IMAX cameras.

All in all, however, it is still a mind-blowingly awesome experience, the likes of which we have never seen before presented in such a spectacular way. The smaller screen gives some of it a greater sense of intimacy, and in some individual shots, allows you to take a better look at all of the detail that Coppola has packed into every frame.

The 4th overall viewing also proved a valuable opportunity to get a closer look at some of the secondary characters. I think one of the most underrated character is that of Huey, played by a newcomer by the name of Bailey Ives. He has a very interesting arc throughout the movie, and I strongly suggest you keep an eye on him if you watch the movie.

I can't promise that I won't catch MEGALOPOLIS a few more times over the next few days; it's very likely the movie will disappear entirely from cinemas after its first week, because people these days (for the most part) aren't really interested in something that can best be described as a 21st century big-budget experimental film.

[FilmBuff]

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/27e79b_8a373e98b46b4b3781a7ecfddc3b6278~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_675,h_1000,al_c,q_85,enc_auto/27e79b_8a373e98b46b4b3781a7ecfddc3b6278~mv2.jpg

Apartment 7A
2

I have to confess, this movie impressed me in some important ways - but none of them are enough to make it a film worth recommending.

Starting off with the positives: the movie has a really good cast, and pretty good production values for something that went straight to streaming. The period detail, production design and cinematography were all much better than I anticipated.

But, again, this went straight to streaming. And Paramount has previously given a theatrical release to stuff that was originally intended for streaming only - so the studio knew this one really wasn't going to be a very popular movie, or they would have given it at least a small theatrical release.

What's wrong with the movie, then? Well, I would say that it's incredibly boring, and predictable, and not scary at all... which are pretty major weak spots for something that's supposed to be a horror movie. And particularly awful given that this is a prequel to one of the most famous horror movies ever made.

It's a shame that a good cast has been wasted in this turkey, because for anyone who has never seen Rosemary's Baby, it's hardly likely to make them want to watch the original.

[LChimp]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDhiMmU0YzEtNzE0Mi00OTRmLWEyMjAtZWRhNzJlZmRiM2U2XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg

The Greatest Night in Pop - (2024)

10/10

[Sedai]

In a Violent Nature
Nash, 2024

2_5

https://www.azfamily.com/resizer/CrYwbd1ly59b_iOYaY_EBb2CH4I=/arc-photo-gray/arc3-prod/public/M5VHCYR5EFDMBDRIAMDCIT4ZJI.png

I get it. The slasher genre is dead. This film was fairly interesting as an experimental deconstruction of a moribund subgenre, but aside from its sort of hypnotic inexorability, I found my interest waning as it went along, only to have it fizzle out completely during the final 10 minutes, which sort of felt like the film maker was trolling me.

I understand the notion that when you remove the admittedly weak character development and campiness from films of this nature, all you are left with is pointless, excessive violence. Some of us buy the ticket for the lackluster character development and especially the camp, You know, the camp at the summer camp!

Look, many slasher films, despite their excessive violence, are pretty fun. This film is the antithesis of fun. By importing the relentless shuffling maniac into a Gus Van Sant style motif of quiet contemplation, you end up with a film that is as cold and lifeless as its antagonist. Points for the style, but for this viewer anyway, it provided perhaps 5 minutes of interesting analysis which helped me dial in exactly why I keep coming back to slasher classics, and why I won't be returning to this film.

Still not quite a dud, but one of my least favorite so far this season and of 2024.

[Allaby]

Daughters (2024) Watched on Netflix. A documentary about a father daughter dance for incarcerated fathers at a jail. A beautiful, powerful, sad, and honest documentary. You will feel all the feelings. I predict this will win the Oscar for best documentary feature. 4.5

[Marco]

Killer Heat (2024)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fe/Killer_Heat_poster.jpg
So-so detective story with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Great location (Corfu) but the story really is too thin and once I'd seen that there was twins with one's death being investigated it was rather obvious the outcome with little additional side-twists. Pretty bland in all honesty.
2

[Allaby]

Killer Heat (2024)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fe/Killer_Heat_poster.jpg
So-so detective story with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Great location (Corfu) but the story really is too thin and once I'd seen that there was twins with one's death being investigated it was rather obvious the outcome with little additional side-twists. Pretty bland in all honesty.
2

I agree, this was boring and bland.

[Stirchley]

Daughters (2024) Watched on Netflix. A documentary about a father daughter dance for incarcerated fathers at a jail. A beautiful, powerful, sad, and honest documentary. You will feel all the feelings. I predict this will win the Oscar for best documentary feature. 4.5

I loved it. Dreadful at the end when one of the fathers (forget which one, but he was nice) got 30 more years. What the heck are these guys even incarcerated for? Gotta be something major I would guess.

[Stirchley]

I agree, this was boring and bland.

As the NYTimes or the New Yorker posted at the weekend (can’t remember which) what the heck happened to Gordon-Levitt? They said he lost all his pizzazz or words to that effect.

[Allaby]

I loved it. Dreadful at the end when one of the fathers (forget which one, but he was nice) got 30 more years. What the heck are these guys even incarcerated for? Gotta be something major I would guess.

Yeah, 30 years seems excessive.

[Stirchley]

101200

Re-watch of an excellent movie. Funny how the time flies when one watches something really entertaining.

101201

Not much to this indie movie, but I liked it.

[Marco]

Querelle (1982)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/55/Querelle%2C_film_poster.jpg
Bizarre and stylised version of the Jean Genet book. The late, talented Brad Davis plays the shipmate Querelle, prostitute, thief, murderer and all round bad piece of work. The story itself isn't bad but it's the louche direction by Fassbinder (his last film) that stands out. Almost like a dreamlike painting. The basis of the story being Querelle's fascination of dominance and submissiveness. Needless to say, it is very gay. Some bits work (the boat scenes) and some do not (anything with the policeman). A strange but enjoyable romp.
3

[Stirchley]

Yeah, 30 years seems excessive.

Plus what he’d already served.

[Marco]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNWI2MzdiM2ItMTg2Zi00MTYwLThlZmItM2FkNWI4NjE3ZjRhXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg



4
I'll probably watch again :)

[FilmBuff]

I'll probably watch again :)

I already watch it twice (in theaters) - I think it benefits from repeat viewings

[Thief]

THIRTY LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
(1914, Gregory)

https://i.imgur.com/4WewFST.png


"The monster's rage when it is brought to the surface."



Thirty Leagues Under the Sea is a 13-minute excerpt of a longer documentary also called Terrors of the Deep. The film is notable for being the first one to feature underwater footage, through the use of a device called the "photosphere". The whole video is considered lost, but we can still go "thirty leagues under" with this short and see what remains.

Grade: 2


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2492948#post2492948)

[Thief]

NEW DESK
(1914, Valentin)

https://i.imgur.com/dabEBUD.jpeg


"I am happy when it rains, because if I am not happy, it'll still rain."



New Desk features Valentin as Sekretär Dürr, a clerk that apparently has just ordered a new desk for his office. Unfortunately, the desk is to tall for him making it unable for him to use it. But as the above quote says, he's determined to be happy despite of "the rain", and try to make it work one way or the other.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2492949#post2492949)

[Thief]

THE DINOSAUR AND THE MISSING LINK
A PREHISTORIC TRAGEDY
(1915, O'Brien)

https://i.imgur.com/vfH2USJ.jpeg


"If you young gentlemen want any dinner, you'll have to go out and get it."



This 5-minute comedic short film made with stop-motion animation was quite a surprise. The main reason was the impressive special effects by Willis O'Brien. It was only as I was writing this that I realized that he's responsible for the special effects for King Kong and The Lost World.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2492950#post2492950)

[Thief]

KRAZY KAT GOES A-WOOING
(1916, Herriman)

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


"♪ Under neet dy window - Ignatz I em waitink ♫"



Like the title says, the short follows Krazy Kat's attempts to serenade Ignatz Mouse. It starts with Kat flying a plane and then stumbling upon a window he believes belongs to Ignatz. Unfortunately things go wrong in more ways than one.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2492951#post2492951)

[Marco]

As the NYTimes or the New Yorker posted at the weekend (can’t remember which) what the heck happened to Gordon-Levitt? They said he lost all his pizzazz or words to that effect.

Yes Stirchley, rather than looking enigmatic in this movie he just looks disinterested. The material is not great however.

[FilmBuff]

NEW DESK
(1914, Valentin)

https://i.imgur.com/dabEBUD.jpeg





They really don't make them like they used to! :D

[Marco]

I already watch it twice (in theaters) - I think it benefits from repeat viewings
To me this is a very interesting outlook. I have actually trashed films in the past just because I wasn't in the mood for the style/genre/acting.In many cases I hadn't noticed the attention to detail because I drifted away after ~20 mins and just saw them though in boredom. I'm all for the 2nd (and further!) watching!

[FilmBuff]

To me this is a very interesting outlook. I have actually trashed films in the past just because I wasn't in the mood for the style/genre/acting.In many cases I hadn't noticed the attention to detail because I drifted away after ~20 mins and just saw them though in boredom. I'm all for the 2nd (and further!) watching!

I think this movie is enjoyable mostly because of that unique chemistry between Clooney and Pitt - and also because the supporting cast is very good. It's not anything groundbreaking in terms of cinema, but the humor it offers is something that I found myself was greatly enhanced watching this in a theater - obviously people really enjoy all of the witty repartee and some wild, crazy things that happen in the movie.

It's a fun popcorn movie, and it almost certainly won't win any awards, but it offers some unique pleasures in the age of big IP.

[Thief]

They really don't make them like they used to! :D

Yep. Desks AND short films.

[Gideon58]

https://i0.wp.com/notesonfilm1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/the-cobweb1.jpg?ssl=1



1st Rewatch...Vincente Minnelli's direction makes this steamy melodrama seema lot better tha it is. This glossy soap opera takes place at a private psychiatric hospital where a plan to install new drapes on one of the patient wings becomes the springboard for multiple melodramas. The film has a really interesting cast, incuding Richard Widmark, Lauren Bacall, Charles Boyuer, Lillian Gish, John Kerr ( in a role that should have been played by James Dean, but he died that year), but it's the fabulous Gloria Grahame who steals the show as Widmark's flighty and self-absorbed wife. I think I enjoyed this one even more the second time. 3.5

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51BkT79VFrL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg


Umpteenth rewatch...Grade A cheese that is one of my guiltiest pleasures. This grade z Big Chill follows seven close knit friends four months after graduating from Georgetownand the continuing drama after graduation. This film features most of the young actors who would later become infamous as "The Brat Pack" minus Molly Ringwald. Somehow, the immensely talented Mare Winningham managed to escape Brat status. If Winningham looks chunky in this film, it's because she was pregnant when they began filming, but had her child during production because if you look at her last two scenes in the film, she's obviously thinner than she was at the beginning of the fim. Pretty people having pretty problems. 3.5

[KeyserCorleone]

Well I'm done with Faust, and I can easily say that this was a perfectly done take on a classic gothic tale. The imagery was insanely food, the storytelling progressed beautifully and the feels were there in spades. I'm gonna put this in my top 50. The silent age rocks hard.

[Takoma11]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Limits_of_control.jpg
By Impawards.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21956502

The Limits of Control - (2009)

I've seen actor Isaach de Bankolé in many films, but at the same time I'm not all that familiar with him. This is definitely the only time I've seen him as lead actor though, and unfortunately Jim Jarmusch doesn't give him anything to do other than just "be" in the scene and passively facilitate a predetermined series of events, without any emotion.

5/10

I liked Limits of Control, and I didn't mind the passivity of the main character.

I watched 10 movies featuring Bankole a few years back. I'd recommend

Otomo
Mother of George
Night on Earth
Chocolat (the 1980s one)
Casa de Lava

[iluv2viddyfilms]

Divorce, Italian Style - A

[Fabulous]

Greed (1924)

4

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/zc5vjonSbXUUazuQSi0R2bUfWNP.jpg

[PHOENIX74]

I liked Limits of Control, and I didn't mind the passivity of the main character.

I watched 10 movies featuring Bankole a few years back. I'd recommend

Otomo
Mother of George
Night on Earth
Chocolat (the 1980s one)
Casa de Lava

I haven't given up on The Limits of Control - I love just about everything Jim Jarmusch, and a second attempt would probably involve a little reading up on everyone's thoughts so I can see it from a different perspective. I'll always give a Jarmusch movie many a go.

Looks like Otomo is going to get me worked up!

[xSookieStackhouse]

3.5 love halle berry shes an amazing actress and she did a good job on this movie but to me its pretty slow, had few jumpscares and cried about the dog D=
https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/09/d236f-17265120834339-1920.jpg

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f3/Megalopolis_%28film%29_poster.jpg
By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77636839

Megalopolis - (2024)

My experience of Megalopolis wasn't of the best kind. School holidays are on, and a bunch of teenagers who would have been better off going to see something really dumb were there - but options seem really limited for those over 10 years-of-age, and as such I sighed while thinking "they're not gonna like this". They tried to behave, but there was a lot of whispering and giggling from their direction during the entire film, and it ended up annoying a whole row of patrons. At one stage one of them blurted out "I hate this movie!" If these kids forked out for tickets, then it was pretty silly of them to pick Megalopolis, which it seems they picked at random. But like I said, there's not much showing beyond Deadpool and Wolverine, and I'd dare say they'd already seen that. They didn't behave outrageously, but they were pretty annoying throughout.

So - how did I like this movie though? I needed the IMAX version. The success of this film on personal terms for me is closely associated with mood, and since I found the screenplay for Megalopolis grated on me quite a lot, I couldn't enjoy it's fabulous visual qualities as much as I ordinarily would have been able to. This is going to divide people for quite some time to come - and not because people don't get it, but because people don't like it. I scraped through, but left sure in the knowledge that I was to try this film again one day. I love the idea, and it obviously has the look - but as for the rest, it struck a discordant tone. It could go down as one of cinema's greatest follies, but I can't say for sure how I feel about it yet. I simply didn't enjoy this viewing very much. I didn't like what I saw as a whole, even though it has it's merits. How can I give it a really low rating though, if I kinda have a soft spot for Zardoz?

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5d/The_Tracker_poster.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2002/tracker.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17797646

The Tracker - (2002)

This sometimes heavy-handed Australian film comes up shining thanks to the esteem of it's two most experienced leads, Gary Sweet and the legendary David Gulpilil. There are quite a few 21st Century films from this nation that deal with race, and the preaching can drown out the narrative altogether at times - especially when the soundtrack and visual motifs of this film go so hard at it - but the screenplay and performances hit such heights of excellence that I couldn't help but like this movie one hell of a lot. We know what's right, and we know what's wrong - so it's great to still feel enlightened by the movie a little instead of just told what we already know. It's great to see an attitude to adopt that leads in the right direction, as well as being told a story about a regrettable past.

8/10

[Fabulous]

Year of the Dragon (1985)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/3adCoSDr6UYo9YrBY2NWg34CdGw.jpg

[FilmBuff]

https://static.cinemagia.ro/img/db/movie/32/69/653/joker-folie-a-deux-813314l.jpg

Joker: Folie à Deux
1

As a lifelong fan of musicals, I'll tell ya - Joker: Folie à Deux isn't much of a musical. It isn't even much of a movie.

This time, the joke's on the audience. And it isn't even remotely funny.

This is one of those movies where the behind-the-scenes featurettes are guaranteed to be more entertaining than the movie itself.

It's a 2-1/2 hour compilation of mostly awful or pointless scenes adding up to... nothing, really.

The movie tries to provide a "shock" ending and, well, good luck avoiding spoilers for this one, because they're going to be out there and they're going to be hard to miss. And it is very unlikely, once word gets out, it will make people want to even watch the movie.

It's a real shame, because it's obvious that WB spared no expense in getting a first-rate supporting cast and a very good crew. The building materials to make a decent movie are all there - but there's just no story.

You could probably get a 5-year-old to come up with a better and more entertaining story than what passes for one here: it's basically Joker being put on trial for what he did in the first movie. That's it.

And then there's the absolutely worst thing about the film: what it does to the character of Harley Quinn (called "Lee" here). There have been some pretty good depictions of the character in other movies and animated series. But here, it isn't even much of a character: it's just an excuse to get Gaga in the movie, and use the character's actions for convenient plot turns.

The Joker sequel doesn't work as a musical, doesn't work as a courtroom drama, doesn't work as a psychological thriller, and frankly, it just doesn't work at all.

Even the use of IMAX format here is completely wasted - which is particularly maddening since this movie comes just a week after the greatest masterpiece of the year, Coppola's Megalopolis, which made such excellent use of the format.

It is really very sad to see fine character actors like Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Steve Coogan and Zazie Beetz wasted in tripe like this.

Hands down, the leading candidate right now for worst movie of the year.

[Thief]

THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN
(1976, Pierce)

https://i.imgur.com/i3jwZJ3.jpeg


"Texarkana looked normal during the daylight hours. But everyone dreaded sundown."



In 1946, a serial killer dubbed as the "Phantom Killer" started terrorizing the residents of Texarkana. In a period of four months, he attacked eight people, murdering five of them. These crimes, and the fact that he was never captured, created an air of dread among the residents of the town who didn't dare to come out at night, something that inspired this film.

The main thing with the film is that it doesn't know what it wants to be; whether it is a quasi-documentary, a crime thriller, a slasher, or a cop comedy. Most of the moments depicting the attacks of the serial killer are well executed and effectively scary, but then that is undercut by a goofy cop crashing cars in the creek, with wacky banjo background music.

Grade: 2


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2493330#post2493330)

[Sedai]

Catching up on some titles from the weekend...

Night of the Demons
Tenney, 1988

3

https://bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/demons-2.jpg

Look, this thing is a total piece of crap, but I love it nonetheless. Fits snuggly into the so-bad-it's-good catalog of 80s horror, even if it doesn't quite reach the legendary status of stuff like Troll 2. I just had to put this on Friday night after a chance encounter at work with two of the film's cast. As soon as I get a frame, I will proudly display my signed one-sheet. Excellent makeup and a fun soundtrack complete the package in this cult classic trash horror.


Attack of the Doc!
Gore, 2023

3_5

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DsTr1cbbstA/maxresdefault.jpg

Anyone else here miss Attack of the Show!? This documentary is a love letter to a freer time, a more offensive time, a silly time. Film Threat's Chris Gore does a great job covering the rise and fall of G4 TV, and its flagship hour of over-the-line nonsense, Attack of the Show!. Where else could you see two morons slam 11 shots of Cholula hot sauce in an attempt to one-up each other? Participate in a a live colonoscopy with commentary? Watch a scantily clad Olivia Muff jump into a giant pie? The Mayans were right: The world ended on December 31, 2012.


Friday the 13th
Cunningham, 1980

4

https://d32qys9a6wm9no.cloudfront.net/images/movies/backdrop/4b/e8629a5e9e2330f3566a17259ff6cabb_1280x720.jpg?t=1644637557

Ah, 1980. The year we were blessed with a low budget suspense flick chock full of bad acting, cultural appropriation, braless wonders, and one hell of an original score. I doubt the tiny crew of actors and crew had any idea what sort of cultural zeitgeist they would start with this little film. By picking up the ball that had started rolling with Black Christmas and Halloween - that of the Killer's POV as he stalked his victims - Friday the 13th cemented the formula of the genre for the next decade. The funny thing is that this franchises main draw - its infamous hockey mask wearing killer - wasn't even in the film. I mean, he was, but more so as a catalyst for the slayings, himself a victim of alleged neglect by horny camp counselors.

Most people cite Friday the 13th Part 2 as the strongest of the bunch, and they certainly have an argument, especially since most of the films are pretty bad, but I will always hold the original in the top slot for its inventiveness and reliance on actual suspense. It's actually a pretty damned great little film, IMO. Was it diminished by an endless parade of crappy sequels? Probably. But I still put it on every year in the fall, and I never grow tired of it.

[Gideon58]

https://static.cinemagia.ro/img/db/movie/32/69/653/joker-folie-a-deux-813314l.jpg

Joker: Folie à Deux
1

As a lifelong fan of musicals, I'll tell ya - Joker: Folie à Deux isn't much of a musical. It isn't even much of a movie.

This time, the joke's on the audience. And it isn't even remotely funny.

This is one of those movies where the behind-the-scenes featurettes are guaranteed to be more entertaining than the movie itself.

It's a 2-1/2 hour compilation of mostly awful or pointless scenes adding up to... nothing, really.

The movie tries to provide a "shock" ending and, well, good luck avoiding spoilers for this one, because they're going to be out there and they're going to be hard to miss. And it is very unlikely, once word gets out, it will make people want to even watch the movie.

It's a real shame, because it's obvious that WB spared no expense in getting a first-rate supporting cast and a very good crew. The building materials to make a decent movie are all there - but there's just no story.

You could probably get a 5-year-old to come up with a better and more entertaining story than what passes for one here: it's basically Joker being put on trial for what he did in the first movie. That's it.

And then there's the absolutely worst thing about the film: what it does to the character of Harley Quinn (called "Lee" here). There have been some pretty good depictions of the character in other movies and animated series. But here, it isn't even much of a character: it's just an excuse to get Gaga in the movie, and use the character's actions for convenient plot turns.

The Joker sequel doesn't work as a musical, doesn't work as a courtroom drama, doesn't work as a psychological thriller, and frankly, it just doesn't work at all.

Even the use of IMAX format here is completely wasted - which is particularly maddening since this movie comes just a week after the greatest masterpiece of the year, Coppola's Megalopolis, which made such excellent use of the format.

It is really very sad to see fine character actors like Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Steve Coogan and Zazie Beetz wasted in tripe like this.

Hands down, the leading candidate right now for worst movie of the year.

God, what a creepy poster

[Gideon58]

https://store.abramsbooks.com/cdn/shop/products/9781419750632.jpg?v=1636366121


3rd Rewatch...With each rewatch of this film, I am finding a lot more to like than not in this ambitious, could-not-be-done, remake of the Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical. This is the first thing that Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner did right. They approached this musical as if the 1961 Oscar winning film version didn't exist. All the scenes and songs have been returned to their proper place in the original Broadway libretto. It was also nice the way Spanish has been peppered into the Sharks dialogue providing a sense of realism to their exchanges with Jets. was also impressed with the way this screenplay gave minor supporting actors like Officer Krupke, Anybodys, and especially Chino, a little more depth then they had in '61. It was also nice to see the five lead roles played by actors who could actually sing. The only actor in the '61 version who did all of his own singing was George Chakiris. As for the musical numbers, the orchestrations are a little on thin side, but serviceable, as is Justin Peck's choreography, which doesn't even touch Jerome Robbins' work in the original. Hated "Gee Officer Krupke" in this version and even though I preferred Robbins' choreography in the original, I think "Cool" is a much more effective storytelling tool in this version. If the truth be told, the musical highlight of this film is "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love". I wish the care put into this number had been put into the rest of the musical numbers. Ansel Elgort does an admirable job with the complex role of Tony and I like that his vocal takes on "Something's Coming" and "Maria" didn't sound like an opera singer. Ariane DuBose's ferocious Anita dominates the screen whenever she's on it, more than worthy of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress that she won and I loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved Mike Faist as Riff and Josh Rivera as Chino. This movie is a real feast, Mr. Spielberg, we're not worthy. 4.5

[Thief]

DESPICABLE ME 4
(2024, Renaud)

https://i.imgur.com/mX6Wkju.jpeg


"Gru, you’re going to have to try to be less Gru-ish."



Gru and his family trying to readjust to their new lives at the idyllic Mayflower community is just one of the many subplots this film tries to juggle. Most notably, there's Gru's attempts to connect with his young son who seems to hate him. Meanwhile, Gru's minions are transferred to the Anti-Villain League headquarters where five of them are turned into superheroes as part of a new project. Finally, there's also the young girl who admires Gru and is blackmailing him into helping her start her supervillain "career".

The thing is that most of these subplots feel like loose strands that don't connect with each other. The family's struggles to fit within Mayflower falls into some very predictable "fish out of water" tropes, the thing with the young neighbor that blackmails Gru feels like a somewhat unnecessary detour while Maxine Le Mal's plan feels underserved. And let's not mention the five Minion superheroes, which feels like an entirely different film setting things up for an actual different film.

Grade: 2.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2493442#post2493442)

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81FMterKq5L._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg


3

[Thief]

MALICE
(1993, Becker)

https://i.imgur.com/Sg5uf3j.jpeg


"You ask me if I have a God complex. Let me tell you something: I AM GOD."



The above is the closing line of an iconic monologue from Dr. Jed Hill (Alec Baldwin), a narcissistic surgeon sued for malpractice in this wicked neo-noir thriller. Malice follows Andy and Tracy (Bill Pullman and Nicole Kidman), a young couple whose lives are sent into a spiral after they meet "God". The above is probably the most iconic scene of the film, but the film still packs plenty of wicked lines and moments in what is, overall, a pleasant piece of "twisty" candy.

The story and the script were co-written by Aaron Sorkin, which is quite evident once you get a glimpse of the crackling dialogue and the intricated plot turns. The film starts off with the threat of a serial rapist that is terrorizing the campus where Andy works, but the film then takes you into a labyrinth of red herrings, misdirections, and again, twists and turns that when you turn your head to look back at, looks nothing like how it started.

Grade: 4


Full review in my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2493483#post2493483)

[Marco]

Speak no Evil (2024)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9f/Speak_No_Evil_%282024%29_Theatrical_Poster.jpeg
Pretty quick (2 years) remake of the Danish chiller. Young-ish couple having marital issues meet another of a similar age on holiday and decide to keep in touch (and visit) once back in the UK. All goes well until the visiting couple and their daughter become increasingly concerned with Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara's (Aisling Franciosi) libertine passive/aggressive actions, not to mention bullying their mute son. It's a bit of a pot-boiler and reminded me of the gem "the Comfort of Strangers". Inevitably the ending is not as dark as the original lest our sensibilities are shook.
3

[FilmBuff]

https://www.theupcoming.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/A-Different-man-poster-601x901.jpg

A Different Man
5

A Different Man is the kind of absurdist-surrealist black comedy that, once upon a time, could only have been made by a master director like Luis Buñuel.

But it is, in fact, the 2nd film from writer-director Aaron Schimberg, who was born with facial disfigurement and has stated he tends to gravitate towards narratives that focus on similar people.

The film has 3 absolutely fabulous performances, starting with Sebastian Stan, a man whose life undergoes the most radical transformation after being given a miraculous cure for the neurofibromatosis he was born with.

Stan is best known to mainstream audiences as "Bucky" Barnes/Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so many moviegoers might be surprised to see just how much range he actually has as an actor (Between this and The Apprentice, he's practically guaranteed an Oscar nomination).

The other top performances in the film are those of Adam Pearson, an actor who actually does have neurofibromatosis; and Norway-born Renate Reinsve, who was also fabulous as the star of The Worst Person in the World.

To reveal more about the relationship between these three characters might spoil many of the most wonderful moments in the movie; let's just say that it may not be what most viewers might at first assume.

Even with A24 distributing this film, it may have trouble finding an audience during its theatrical run, but if you have a taste for sophisticated and witty films, then you really should run, not walk, to any theater near you where it might be playing.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/Goodnight_poster.jpg
By May be found at the following website: http://www.carteles.metropoliglobal.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2608693

Good Night, and Good Luck - (2005)

History repeats. The events of Good Night, and Good Luck feel familiar in some ways - it's about a TV news program, headed by Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn), that has to take a monumental risk in exposing the shenanigans of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy - a man long lost in paranoid communist conspiracy theories, lies and a lack of morals. Courage was needed because, the way things were at the time in the United States, going for a brutal take-down could go very wrong if the spell McCarthy had on the U.S. Senate wasn't broken. Strathairn, Patricia Clarkson, George Clooney, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr. and Frank Langella all bring an understated maturity to their roles, and betray a tension on par with the 20th July plot in 1944 to kill Hitler as they go to air and wait for the repercussions. Over a series of broadcasts McCarthy was exposed as a liar, and his notions were clearly shown to be ridiculous, immoral and unlawful, thanks to great, professional journalism. Thankfully, there was no internet back then. So, a great profile in courage, and a very nice (probably the best) directorial effort from George Clooney.

8/10

[PHOENIX74]

A Different Man
5

Even with A24 distributing this film, it may have trouble finding an audience during its theatrical run, but if you have a taste for sophisticated and witty films, then you really should run, not walk, to any theater near you where it might be playing.

I'll be running! This looks like my kind of movie.

[Fabulous]

Casper (1995)

2.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/g5hN9Kp4ShUcXmnjoaqg3LSWcHr.jpg

[doubledenim]

https://static.cinemagia.ro/img/db/movie/32/69/653/joker-folie-a-deux-813314l.jpg

Joker: Folie à Deux
1

As a lifelong fan of musicals, I'll tell ya - Joker: Folie à Deux isn't much of a musical. It isn't even much of a movie.

This time, the joke's on the audience. And it isn't even remotely funny.

This is one of those movies where the behind-the-scenes featurettes are guaranteed to be more entertaining than the movie itself.

It's a 2-1/2 hour compilation of mostly awful or pointless scenes adding up to... nothing, really.

The movie tries to provide a "shock" ending and, well, good luck avoiding spoilers for this one, because they're going to be out there and they're going to be hard to miss. And it is very unlikely, once word gets out, it will make people want to even watch the movie.

It's a real shame, because it's obvious that WB spared no expense in getting a first-rate supporting cast and a very good crew. The building materials to make a decent movie are all there - but there's just no story.

You could probably get a 5-year-old to come up with a better and more entertaining story than what passes for one here: it's basically Joker being put on trial for what he did in the first movie. That's it.

And then there's the absolutely worst thing about the film: what it does to the character of Harley Quinn (called "Lee" here). There have been some pretty good depictions of the character in other movies and animated series. But here, it isn't even much of a character: it's just an excuse to get Gaga in the movie, and use the character's actions for convenient plot turns.

The Joker sequel doesn't work as a musical, doesn't work as a courtroom drama, doesn't work as a psychological thriller, and frankly, it just doesn't work at all.

Even the use of IMAX format here is completely wasted - which is particularly maddening since this movie comes just a week after the greatest masterpiece of the year, Coppola's Megalopolis, which made such excellent use of the format.

It is really very sad to see fine character actors like Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Steve Coogan and Zazie Beetz wasted in tripe like this.

Hands down, the leading candidate right now for worst movie of the year.

Where have I seen this post before 🤔

[Gideon58]

To me this is a very interesting outlook. I have actually trashed films in the past just because I wasn't in the mood for the style/genre/acting.In many cases I hadn't noticed the attention to detail because I drifted away after ~20 mins and just saw them though in boredom. I'm all for the 2nd (and further!) watching!

I. too got the impression that it improves with repeat viewings

[Raven73]

The Wild Robot
8.5/10
A good little modern fairy tale. Probably the best movie I've seen so far this year, animated or otherwise.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/70/The_Wild_Robot_poster.jpg/220px-The_Wild_Robot_poster.jpg

[Sedai]

Strange Darling
Mollner, 2024

4

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SD_093022_AR_04456-copy-e1724694341322.jpg?w=1512

May deserve a bit of a higher rating, but I am still letting this one marinate. Auteur craftsmanship abounds in this gripping, intense thriller molded in a style that is a blend of Lynch and Tarantino at their best and most seminal.

Structurally inventive, anchored by a pair of stellar performances from the leads, there is a lot to like here. This will go right to the top of my shortlist of best films of the year, in no small part due to the sumptuous cinematography, lensed by a guy we are used to seeing in front of the camera, Giovanni Ribisi! If this is his first film behind the camera, he did a hell of a job. Color is punched way up, with scenes soaked in washes of color or accented with bold strokes of red and yellow. One scene is entirely awash in neon blue, another drenched in red. I must mention he shot the entire film on 35mm, as well.

https://loudandclearreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/strange-darling-2.webp

I won't comment on the details of the narrative, as this film is best experienced knowing as little as possible, but I had to comment on some of the wonderful artistic choices. I would also warn any viewers that have trouble with depictions of sexual violence that they may want to skip this one.

[Gideon58]

MALICE
(1993, Becker)

https://i.imgur.com/Sg5uf3j.jpeg




The above is the closing line of an iconic monologue from Dr. Jed Hill (Alec Baldwin), a narcissistic surgeon sued for malpractice in this wicked neo-noir thriller. Malice follows Andy and Tracy (Bill Pullman and Nicole Kidman), a young couple whose lives are sent into a spiral after they meet "God". The above is probably the most iconic scene of the film, but the film still packs plenty of wicked lines and moments in what is, overall, a pleasant piece of "twisty" candy.

The story and the script were co-written by Aaron Sorkin, which is quite evident once you get a glimpse of the crackling dialogue and the intricated plot turns. The film starts off with the threat of a serial rapist that is terrorizing the campus where Andy works, but the film then takes you into a labyrinth of red herrings, misdirections, and again, twists and turns that when you turn your head to look back at, looks nothing like how it started.

Grade: 4


Full review in my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2493483#post2493483)

Didn’t like this as much as you did but Baldwin and Kidman are excellent.

[Thief]

SUPERMAN II
(1980, Lester)

https://i.imgur.com/CBzyHiz.jpeg


"This 'super-man' is nothing of the kind; I've discovered his weakness ... He cares. He actually cares for these Earth people."



Superman II follows the struggles of Kal-El (Christopher Reeve) to adapt to normal life on Earth, which includes handling his feelings for Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). Meanwhile, a trio of Kryptonian criminals escape from their prison in space and decide to wreak havoc on Earth. As a result, Kal-El has to make some tough decisions if he actually cares for "these Earth people".

The thing is that the way that these three storylines are executed doesn't necessarily make them fit in the best way. I read a bit more about the conflicts between original director Richard Donner and his replacement Richard Lester, but I don't know if that's the main reason for that disjointedness. Whatever the reason is, those three sometimes feel like three different films.

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2493709#post2493709)

[Thief]

SOCIETY
(1989, Yuzna)

https://i.imgur.com/H5IzcEJ.jpeg


"You're going to make a wonderful contribution to society."



Society was the debut film from Brian Yuzna. Already known for his work as a writer and producer for films like Re-Animator and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, he wanted to make a film that leaned into body horror and gore; something that Society fits to a tee. His inspiration for one of the most climatic scenes on the film comes from a painting by Salvador Dalí called "The Great Masturbator".

The film's main themes are paranoia and mistrust, as Billy knows someone is out to get him. He is joined by Clarissa (Devin DeVasquez), a mysterious student he had a crush on at school. What he doesn't know is if Clarissa is also in on things, or if she's there to help him. That is paired with a general mistrust on the elite and the "high society" to give an ever-present of dread through all the film.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2493723#post2493723)

[Thief]

FALL
(2022, Mann)

https://i.imgur.com/vTVI0lI.jpeg


"You have to do something that makes you feel alive."



That's sort of the mantra that climber Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) tries to live through. That is until her husband Dan (Mason Gooding) dies in a terrible climbing accident putting her on a freefall of depression and alcoholism. When her best friend and fellow "daredevil" Hunter (Virginia Gardner) comes to her with the idea for them to climb a 2,000-foot tower, the need to do something to "feel alive" becomes more compulsory.

If you've seen the trailer for this, or heard the basic plot, you can probably guess what you will get. Two friends trying to climb a tower, things go awry, lots of edge-of-your-seat, hair-raising moments, will they/won't they fall, etc. From that perspective, the film doesn't really disappoint. It is full of those kind of moments that make you feel all tingly in your tummy.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2493747#post2493747)

[Sedai]

Superman II follows the struggles of Kal-El...

Not sure if you have seen The Richard Donner Cut, but it is worth a watch if just to compare the differences. That cut is sort of incomplete, and has some really rough edges where production and post weren't finished up, but I like the more serious tone of that cut more than the sort of silly, sight gag filled Lester cut.

[Thief]

THE MONOLITH MONSTERS
(1957, Sherwood)

https://i.imgur.com/0AJPozR.jpeg


"Dave, if it is a meteorite, chances are it's been hurtling around our universe for a good many centuries. The answer to your question lies buried in those centuries. We'll just have to dig it out."



The Monolith Monsters follows the efforts of the citizens of the desert town of San Angelo, California to stop the threat that comes from the fragments of a large meteorite. As the residents try to figure out what's going on, the fragments start growing and spreading nearby town petrifying those that come in contact with it.

Had this on my watchlist for a while, not sure where I picked it up, but I was always intrigued by the premise. As goofy as it might sound, I thought there was something to seeing the different elements of small town America, from the small newspaper and paperboys to local construction workers and law enforcement, unite forces against an atypical threat that – despite the movie title – is not necessarily a monster, but more of a threat of nature.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2493751#post2493751)

[Thief]

Not sure if you have seen The Richard Donner Cut, but it is worth a watch if just to compare the differences. That cut is sort of incomplete, and has some really rough edges where production and post weren't finished up, but I like the more serious tone of that cut more than the sort of silly, sight gag filled Lester cut.

Haven't seen it, but that was actually the plan. I wanted to revisit the original first before diving into Donner's cut.

[FilmBuff]

Haven't seen it, but that was actually the plan. I wanted to revisit the original first before diving into Donner's cut.

I think you might like it better!

[Thief]

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
(2024, Burton)

https://i.imgur.com/7GWybQs.jpeg


"I swear the afterlife is so random."



Beetlejuice Beetlejuice follows Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) who is tormented by visions of the titular character, even though it has been almost 40 years since they last saw each other. Lydia, who is now the host of a successful supernatural talk show, is struggling with pill dependency, love, and a strained relationship with her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega). Things worsen when her dad dies in a freak accident, forcing Lydia to return home and face her past, however random they might seem.

About a month ago, we introduced one of our kids to the original, and he liked it well enough. So when the opportunity came to see the new one, we all jumped in. For the most part, even though the kid found some things to be creepy. I think he liked it. His mother and I? Ehhh, not so much. The film has several issues with it, but the main thing for me was that there was just too much stuff going on.

Grade: 2


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2493780#post2493780)

[Gideon58]

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
(2024, Burton)

https://i.imgur.com/7GWybQs.jpeg




Beetlejuice Beetlejuice follows Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) who is tormented by visions of the titular character, even though it has been almost 40 years since they last saw each other. Lydia, who is now the host of a successful supernatural talk show, is struggling with pill dependency, love, and a strained relationship with her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega). Things worsen when her dad dies in a freak accident, forcing Lydia to return home and face her past, however random they might seem.

About a month ago, we introduced one of our kids to the original, and he liked it well enough. So when the opportunity came to see the new one, we all jumped in. For the most part, even though the kid found some things to be creepy. I think he liked it. His mother and I? Ehhh, not so much. The film has several issues with it, but the main thing for me was that there was just too much stuff going on.

Grade: 2


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2493780#post2493780)

"Too much stuff going on" seems to be the consensus with most people who've seen this movie, myself included. I did rate it slightly higher than you did.

[Ultraviolence]

rewatch
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Foriginal%2F14QbjXp8m3LN9l1U4SoBWy441kr.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=bb82696acc0972267f45bddb5b5535b9309cafdfc7fdf192a1e442ff5e75098d&ipo=images
The Man from Nowhere
3_5

[Thief]

"Too much stuff going on" seems to be the consensus with most people who've seen this movie, myself included. I did rate it slightly higher than you did.

I'm pretty sure that if they had streamlined some of these subplots and nicked others, the film would've been significantly better. The whole Beetlejuice girlfriend subplot, with Monica Bellucci, was pretty much useless.

[Gideon58]

https://themotionpictures.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/sp.jpg?w=616&h=466



2nd Rewatch...This long nd lumbering film version of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical just seems longer and more lumbering with each viewing. This story of army nurses, plantation owners, hustlers, island girls, and WW II spies is still worth a look for that glorious score: "Bali H'ai", "There Ain't Nothin Like a Dame", "Younger Than Springtime". "Gonna Wash that Man Right Out of My Hair", 'Some Enchanted Evening", "Happy Talk, "You've Got to be Carefully Taught, "This Nearly was Mine. I also have issues with the casting...sorry, Citizen, I know you love Mitzi Gaynor but for me, this role was a little above her pay grade. I think Doris Day should have played Nellie. Gaynor is pretty much the only cast member who does her own singing though. I was just as crushed when I learned Juanita Hall was dubbed as I was when I learned that Jeremy Brett was dubbed in My Fair Lady. John Kerr doesn't exactly turn the world on fire as Lt Cable either. A wonderful role that I probably would have given to Tab Hunter, but that's me. 2

[Gideon58]

I'm pretty sure that if they had streamlined some of these subplots and nicked others, the film would've been significantly better. The whole Beetlejuice girlfriend subplot, with Monica Bellucci, was pretty much useless.

Agreed, weakest part of the movie.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61nxdR79peL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg


1st Rewatch...Still think Apollo 13 /I] is his masterpiece, but Oscar winner Ron Howard came pretty close to topping it with this meticulous docudrama that addresses a side of the Nixon administration that [I]All the President's Men and Nixon did not. The film opens in 1974 right after Nixon has resigned as a way of avoiding facing prosecution for his part in Watergate and there is a rumbling surfacing in America that a lot of US citizens want to see Nixon pay for his crime, or at least confess to it and display contrition. An opportunity arises for down on his current career talk show host David Frost when Nixon agrees to sit down for series of interviews for the purpose of said confession. The film begins in a squirm worthy matter as Frost underestimates Nixon and is not taking this golden opportunity seriously, but once he does, this movie goes on sizzle and stays there. The movie is based on a Broadway play that actually only ran for 137 performances but this did not stop Howard from allowing Frank Langella and Michael Sheen to reprise their stage roles as Nixon and Frost, respectively. Langella is extraordinary as he disappears inside Nixon. This performance earned Langella the first and only Oscar nomination for Best Actor to date. Sheen matches him note for note and Howard's direction earned him a directing nomination too. There is solid support from Matthew McFayden, as Frost's producer, Kevin Bacon as Nixon Chief of Staff Jack Brennan and Sam Rockwell as writer Jack Reston, who was at the top of Nixon's enemy list. Appointment movie viewing, Howard really knocked this out of the park. 4.5

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjlkYmYyZWQtNTZkOS00ZjA0LWEwNWUtNzE2ZGNiYjg0MjA2XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg


1st Rewatch...Robert DeNiro's Oscar winning performance as Jake Le Motta anchors Martin Scorsese's scorching and unflinching biopic about the boxer who, until this film was originally released, I had never heard, but in this film Le Motta was a superb athlete who allowed his inner demons to destroy his career, those demons seem to have been manifested from the facts that he was a middleweight who wanted to be a heavyweight and his obsession that his child bride (Cathy Moriarty) was cheating on him. Scorsese and Moriarty also received nominations as did Joe Pesci, who just about steals the show as Jake's little brother. There's a lot of shocking stuff going on here, but Le Motta is credited as one of the screenwriters, making it hard to question the legitimacy of a lot of the horror on display, but as pure entertainment, it works. 4.5

[Thief]

SHOCK
(1946, Werker)

https://i.imgur.com/O1xBJl6.jpeg


"The workings of the mind depend on so many things inside as well as outside."



Shock follows Janet (Anabel Shaw) who accidentally witnesses a man murder his wife through a balcony window, which leaves her in a state of catatonic shock. In a stroke of chance, the doctor that is called up to examine her is the murderer himself, Dr. Richard Cross (Vincent Price). Upon realizing that she witnessed his crime, Cross is determined to do anything to keep her silent; even if it means having her committed.

Shaw does a pretty solid job, at least for a character that spends most of her screentime in bed; but she makes the most of the moments she gets to shine. Lynn Bari, who plays Dr. Cross colleague and lover, is also great whereas Frank Latimore as the husband is a bit of a blank spot. However, if you've seen any Vincent Price film, you probably know that the main reason to watch them is Vincent Price, and this is no exception.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2493857#post2493857)

[matt72582]

The Big Room With Mort Sahl (Nicolas Roeg) - 8/10


https://youtu.be/dQAfTNVKbxY

[Citizen Rules]

https://themotionpictures.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/sp.jpg?w=616&h=466



2nd Rewatch...This long nd lumbering film version of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical just seems longer and more lumbering with each viewing. This story of army nurses, plantation owners, hustlers, island girls, and WW II spies is still worth a look for that glorious score: "Bali H'ai", "There Ain't Nothin Like a Dame", "Younger Than Springtime". "Gonna Wash that Man Right Out of My Hair", 'Some Enchanted Evening", "Happy Talk, "You've Got to be Carefully Taught, "This Nearly was Mine. I also have issues with the casting...sorry, Citizen, I know you love Mitzi Gaynor but for me, this role was a little above her pay grade. I think Doris Day should have played Nellie. Gaynor is pretty much the only cast member who does her own singing though. I was just as crushed when I learned Juanita Hall was dubbed as I was when I learned that Jeremy Brett was dubbed in My Fair Lady. John Kerr doesn't exactly turn the world on fire as Lt Cable either. A wonderful role that I probably would have given to Tab Hunter, but that's me. rating_2Ouch!:p I do really like Mitzi Gaynor, have you seen her musical Bloodhounds of Broadway?

[Marco]

Kill her Gently (1957)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fe/Kill_Her_Gently_film_poster.jpg
Of it's own but quite a nice little noir lite. about a "bounder" that picks up two escapees with plans of his own. Namely to knock off his wife and get her loot (what's new). It emerges that the husband carries a grudge as he had to be hospitalised due to mental issues (his plan here would suggest they were correct to do so) and thinks his wife was having carnals with the doctor. It is played very well and even though mostly shot in one house is quite expansive. I enjoyed it.
3.5

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/81/Agoraposter09.jpg
By Impawards.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22712753

Agora - (2009)

For those of you who'd like to get into a time machine and go back to the Alexandria of the 4th Century, Agora is visually breathtaking and beautiful - that goes for costumes and make-up as well, everything in this movie feels detailed and authentic. The city writhes with life and an alien culture that is beset with 3 religions very uncomfortable to be sharing the same physical space. Central to our journey is of course the famous library and the Mouseion - where Hypatia (Rachel Weisz) teaches her students at the Platonic school, which includes future ruler Orestes (Oscar Isaac). We follow the fortunes of Alexandria from 391 A.D. to 415 A.D. as the Christians, Jews and Pagans constantly battle for supremacy, and Hypatia tries to find an answer to whether the heliocentric model of the solar system makes sense.

This film has the weirdest kind of narrative shape - I swear, an hour in (the mid-point of the film) I thought it had ended, and that there was something wrong with the version I was watching. By that stage we'd kind of followed a story to it's conclusion, with the movie still continuing onwards as we skip forward in time. I think I felt this way because I'd read that this was all about the Christian siege of the Library of Alexandria and it's destruction - but instead it kind of settles on the life of Hypatia once that story has played out already. The ending (spoilers I guess) is gut-wrenching. Even though it doesn't portray Hypatia's death accurately. To quote Wikipedia "the mob stripped Hypatia naked and murdered her using ostraka, which can either be translated as "roof tiles", "oyster shells" or simply "shards". Damascius adds that they also cut out her eyeballs. They tore her body into pieces and dragged her limbs through the town to a place called Cinarion, where they set them on fire. The Christians of old were pretty brutal.

This film delighted me in it's visual portrayal of Alexandria, and was okay as long as you discount how disjointed and weirdly shaped it's narrative is. The first half is a lot stronger and focused than it's second. An interesting look at an early clash between religion and science, along with how outspoken religious differences often become heated and soon after, violent. Everything that doesn't conform to a fanatic's viewpoint ends up burning.

6/10

[xSookieStackhouse]

FALL
(2022, Mann)

https://i.imgur.com/vTVI0lI.jpeg




That's sort of the mantra that climber Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) tries to live through. That is until her husband Dan (Mason Gooding) dies in a terrible climbing accident putting her on a freefall of depression and alcoholism. When her best friend and fellow "daredevil" Hunter (Virginia Gardner) comes to her with the idea for them to climb a 2,000-foot tower, the need to do something to "feel alive" becomes more compulsory.

If you've seen the trailer for this, or heard the basic plot, you can probably guess what you will get. Two friends trying to climb a tower, things go awry, lots of edge-of-your-seat, hair-raising moments, will they/won't they fall, etc. From that perspective, the film doesn't really disappoint. It is full of those kind of moments that make you feel all tingly in your tummy.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2493747#post2493747)

i heard they making a 2nd of this movie, i wonder how it goes

[Fabulous]

Basic Instinct (1992)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/zTwoyVOAc6XCLjYfzWER6oQgpbO.jpg

[LChimp]

https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/eacee9125568947.611bf644a1c53.jpg

Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 - (2021)

Too abstract and philosofical for my poor intellect. 5/10

[Daniel M]

Mean Girls (Mark Waters, 2004) 2.5

https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/140313171146-mean-girls-movie-still.jpg?q=w_1510,h_1000,x_0,y_0,c_fill

Funny in parts, well cast and acted. I can see why it's a cult classic. Nothing creative in terms of filmmaking.

[Sedai]

Speak No Evil
Watkins, 2024

3

https://www.ruthlessreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/evil-header-1024x574.jpg

This is one of more highly rated films on horror lists this year, so I went into it with fairly high expectations. After all was said and done, Speak No Evil, which is a remake of a very recent Dutch film that came out a mere two years ago, is pretty by-the-numbers affair. It's well made and the performances are good, but nothing on either side of the camera stand out as particularly remarkable. Perhaps James McAvoy - who clearly spent the year before production slamming steroids and spending 12 hours a day at the gym - is the stand out here, as his performance is memorable, but beyond that everything plays out as expected.

Because I have just come off a string of films featuring stellar performances by female leads, such as Immaculate, The First Omen, Strange Darling, and Cuckoo, Mackenzie Davis seems outclassed here, but then again, she isn't given much to do aside from fretting about the odd family they are staying with.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GK18zWiXAAA0pYI?format=jpg&name=large

What few surprises there are can be seen coming from a mile away. There are several instances of characters making inexplicably bad decisions, which perhaps help this film secure its spot as a horror film, since it's ostensibly more of a thriller. I won't split hairs too much on that, as I have included films of its ilk in my horror-thons in the past.

Anyway, I think this is one of those films that has a majority of positive feedback and reviews but only just, as it isn't a bad film or worthy of a negative review but doesn't offer anything unique or overly creative. I doubt I would watch it again.

[FilmBuff]

Basic Instinct (1992)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/zTwoyVOAc6XCLjYfzWER6oQgpbO.jpg

Unrated or R-rated?

[Thief]

i heard they making a 2nd of this movie, i wonder how it goes

Apparently they're making TWO more :eek:

‘Fall’ Sequel to Be Directed by ‘Jigsaw’ Helmers the Spierig Brothers for Capstone (EXCLUSIVE) (https://variety.com/2024/film/global/fall-2-director-spierig-brothers-capstone-1236004259/)

[FilmBuff]

https://static1.moviewebimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/casa-bonita-mi-amor-movie-poster.jpg

¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!
4.5

For those of us who had never before heard about Casa Bonita in Colorado, this documentary is an absolute jaw-dropper!

Casa Bonita is, indeed, much more than a Mexican-themed restaurant; since opening in 1973, it was much closer to a theme park than a regular restaurant. There were actors performing, some cliff divers regularly jumping into a inner pool, and lots of caves to get lost in - it really has to be seen to be believed.

What's even more unbelievable is the determination of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone to rescue the beloved institution from going out of business forever.

Parker and Stone initially paid $3.1 million for Casa Bonita, without fully realizing just how much maintenance and repair had been put off by the previous owner, or how expensive it would be to bring everything up to working condition and hire a top-notch Mexican chef. In the end, the documentary tells us they ended up spending more than $40 million in restorations and repairs.

There's no words to describe how amazing the place looks today, or how much I really wish I could go to Casa Bonita at the earliest possible opportunity.

This is really an amazing documentary about one of the most unique restaurants it the world.

[Allaby]

Salem's Lot (2024) This feels like a bad tv movie. It looks cheap and ugly. Lewis Pullman falls flat in his performance, but that may be more to do with the way the character is written. Most of the characters are underdeveloped here and the actors don't have much to work with. Alfre Woodard does a decent job with her character and gives the best performance in the film. This isn't very enteraining or fun, although there are a couple cool looking moments. 2.5

[Gideon58]

SUPERMAN II
(1980, Lester)

https://i.imgur.com/CBzyHiz.jpeg




Superman II follows the struggles of Kal-El (Christopher Reeve) to adapt to normal life on Earth, which includes handling his feelings for Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). Meanwhile, a trio of Kryptonian criminals escape from their prison in space and decide to wreak havoc on Earth. As a result, Kal-El has to make some tough decisions if he actually cares for "these Earth people".

The thing is that the way that these three storylines are executed doesn't necessarily make them fit in the best way. I read a bit more about the conflicts between original director Richard Donner and his replacement Richard Lester, but I don't know if that's the main reason for that disjointedness. Whatever the reason is, those three sometimes feel like three different films.

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2493709#post2493709)

I think this is the best of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies.

[FilmBuff]

https://www.brickfanatics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Piece-by-Piece-August-2024-poster-768x1138.jpg

Piece by Piece (Dolby Cinema)
3.5

I knew next to nothing about Pharrell Williams before watching this, and I'm definitely not a big fan of his music - but, as an animation fan, this was pretty high on my must-see list.

To the best of my recollection, this is the first documentary about a musician (or really, about anyone at all) to be presented with LEGO animation.

It might initially seem a bit too cute, but it actually seems to work quite well, for the most part.

And, to be honest, I thought there was enough good material here to support an even longer version of the project - I think it could very easily have been expanded to a 4-part miniseries with 30-minute episodes.

There were times when I definitely wished we could have listened to longer excerpts from Pharrell's music, as well as some of the other artists who are interviewed (the part with Gwen Stefani, for example, has a small clip of "Hollaback Girl")

If you do decide to watch this, try and catch it in a Dolby Cinema theater, because with such gorgeous-looking animation and catchy music, it is definitely worth watching in a state-of-the-art auditorium.

[Gideon58]

https://bertokenyon.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/its-always-fair-weather-movie-poster.jpg?w=500


2nd Rewatch...The best MGM musical that nobody saw. This is becoming one of those movies that I never tire of re-watching and I'm crushed that I left it off my list for the musical countdown. From the creative team behind Singin in the Rain, this 1955 film was originally conceived as a sequel to On the Town, but Jules Munshin was having health issues and Frank Sinatra was making The Man with the Golden Arm, so Gene Kelly recruited Dan Dailey and future Tony winning Broadway director and choreographer Michael Kidd to join him in this story of three soldiers returning home from WWII who swear they will be BFF's and promise to reunite at a bar in Manhattan ten years later. Even though each one thinks the other two won't show up, they all do but find they are very different people. They accidentally meet a programming executive named Jackie Leighton (Cyd Charisse) who decides to exploit their reunion on the TV show, she works on, a "This is Your Life" type program hosted by the vivacious Madeline Bradville (Delores Gray). The film is actually anchored by a near brilliant screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who also wrote Singin in the Rain that actually takes some effective potshots at the television and advertising industries, and earned Comden and Green an Oscar nomination. This film is mostly remembered for a musical number called "I Like Myself" where Kelly dances on roller skates, but every number in this movie works...love the number in the restaurant with the three guys munching on celery, the ashcan dance, Charisse's "Baby You Knock Me Out", Dailey's "Situation Wise" and Gray stops the show with "Thanks Baby, But No Thanks." Didn't really notice it until this viewing, but Dailey, Kidd, and Gray kind of own this movie, Kelly kind of throws it to them. If I had a minor quibble, it would be that Charisse is only given a single dance number, but other than that, this is a winner. 4.5

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMGI0Yjg2ODAtNDYzNi00Njc2LTlkMmMtMmRmYWI5MDE4ZGRkXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg


Umpteenth Rewatch...Bill Murray's laid back, slightly smarmy comic genius and some eye-popping (for 1984) special effects are still the anchor for this instant comedy classic that still brings the same funny it did 40 years ago. The film has inspired four sequels, but none of them hold a candle to this one. 4

[Thief]

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH
(1964, Salkow)

https://i.imgur.com/XCxkGM7.jpeg


"Is that all it has been since I inherited the world? Only three years. It seems like a hundred million. Yeah, I own the world. An empty, dead, silent world."



This is yet another film I saw to put another notch on my Vincent Price belt. Unlike Shock, this is one I had heard often. The film is based on the novel I Am Legend, which was also adapted recently with Will Smith in the lead. I was actually quite surprised by how similar both films are. It is not an exact carbon copy, but it does feature most of the same story elements.

I also appreciated that the film has a more pensive and mournful vibe to it, instead of focusing on scares and thrills. Director Sidney Salkow makes an effort to show the toll that this isolated life has taken on Morgan's life, and Price does a pretty good job transmitting it. The few sequences of him dumping bodies in a firepit were quite striking.

Grade: 3.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2494150#post2494150)

[Thief]

EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS
(1956, Sears)

https://i.imgur.com/SsQ9KV9.jpeg


"When an armed and threatening power lands uninvited in our capital, we don't meet him with tea and cookies!"



Earth vs. The Flying Saucers follows Dr. Russell Marvin (Hugh Marlowe) and his wife Carol (Joan Taylor) as they try to stop the threat of a flying saucer invasion on Earth. Marvin, who is a scientist in charge of a space project himself, has to figure out a way to figure out what's happening. Things get complicated when the actual arrival of one of these saucers is met with immediate violence, instead of "tea and cookies".

I've been on a kick for "cheap", 50s sci-fi/horror films and this one fit that to a tee. From the grandiose title to the goofy costumes and special effects, it's hard not to love that. But Earth vs. The Flying Saucers does give a bit more than that. For example, there is a certain eeriness to the aliens appearance, even with their goofy space costumes. Their bizarre look and strength still have some impact.

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2494185#post2494185)

[Thief]

ICE QUAKE
(2010, Ziller)

https://i.imgur.com/ZgqGqCz.jpeg


"These weren't tremors, Colonel. These were some kind of ice geysers. Fragments of ice blasted up out of the ground. It was like nothing I've ever seen before."
"An eruption of ice fragments? Are you sure?"



That's how geologist Michael Webster (Brendan Fehr) describes this sudden threat to his superior (Victor Garber). Something that he had never seen before, probably like this SyFy film. Ice Quake follows Michael's attempts to survive this "ice quake", along with his family, while also trying to prevent a catastrophe on Earth.

What we get is this mostly dull survival journey of this family as they try to stay safe, followed by a race against time to blow some explosives that will somehow stop the methane flow from creating this "ice quakes"...? Yeah, whatever. The thing is that it lacks the tension and thrill to make us care about anything, especially since we know how it will all end.

Grade: 1


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2494191#post2494191)

[Gideon58]

Ouch!:p I do really like Mitzi Gaynor, have you seen her musical Bloodhounds of Broadway?

I have never seen Bloodhounds on Broadway but I have seen a lot of her work and have always enjoyed her I just didn’t like her in this particular movie

[Citizen Rules]

I have never seen Bloodhounds on Broadway but I have seen a lot of her work and have always enjoyed her I just didn’t like her in this particular movieBloodhounds on Broadway (1952) isn't an easy movie to find, but I have a link, I'll send it to you.

[Marco]

Spring and Port Wine (1970)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Spring_and_Port_Wine_FilmPoster.jpeg
Strange one this, I'd heard the title many times but never seen it, only stills. I presumed it was a "Kitchen Sink Drama" in the ilk of a John Osbourne or Alan Sillitoe film but was well off. It's more a soap opera under the disapproving eye of the (completely miscast but still great) James Mason's Rafe. It's of it's era but completely non challenging film-wise.
2

[Raven73]

The Holdovers
7/10.
This is not usually my kind of movie, but I found myself enjoying this one.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/62/Holdovers_film_poster.jpg

[FilmBuff]

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Uf4AAOSwleZmzXw6/s-l1600.jpg

Saturday Night
5

Saturday Night might just be the best movie about live television ever made.

Those who have never worked in a live broadcast probably couldn't begin to imagine the massive levels of adrenaline that must be pumped in the process of getting something ready to air, nor the absolute ecstasy that comes with getting a broadcast just right.

Jason Reitman's new film comes as close as possible to illustrating what that's like on the people responsible for a live broadcast.

The movie captures the zeitgeist of the era, even if one could debate endlessly whether or not individual characterizations are spot-on or not quite (for the record, I think they are all, for the most part, unbelievably accurate)

Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels, Matt Wood as John Belushi, J. K. Simmons as Milton Berle and Willem Dafoe as NBC executive David Tebet are particularly memorable, but everyone here really gives it their all (and see if you can tell, while watching the movie, which actor is playing two entirely different comedians).

This love letter to SNL makes the most of its premise, taking place in real time during the last 90 minutes before the first show aired on Oct. 11th, 1975.

Those 90 minutes were as grueling on everyone in the show as anyone could have imagined, with additional pressure from NBC execs who kept threatening, up until the last second before the show started, to air a rerun of the Johnny Carson instead.

I never would have imagined what it was like over at 30 Rockefeller Plaza right before the show that would become a cultural institution aired its first broadcast; short of having a time machine and access to Studio 8H, this is the next best thing.

[Fabulous]

Fallen (1998)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/cYlvxDI16HtZ74L159LyKvxHyXU.jpg

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/73/The_Equalizer_2_poster.jpg
By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57168198

The Equalizer 2 - (2018)

Pretty much what you'd expect here, if you've seen the first Equalizer. Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) sees a lot wrong with the world today, and he does his bit to solve it by breaking bones, making pretty bad contusions, stabbing, shooting, burning or otherwise hurting those people that make us really mad. When someone murders friend Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo) you better believe there's going to be more work for the coroner than he can handle, meaning a cancelled fishing trip. McCall is a human terminator, and can sense a butterflies wings flapping 5 miles away with his epic concentration, so no matter what you plan to do, he's going to break your arm before you can explain yourself - keep out of his way. Breaking bones is like popping bubble-wrap for him. He just can't stop at one.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/42/The_Jewel_of_the_Nile_%281985%29_film_poster.jpg
By Poster found at http://www.impawards.com/1985/jewel_of_the_nile.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8198300

The Jewel of the Nile - (1985)

There's some slick Hollywood packaging around this Romancing the Stone follow-up, but a real lack of screenplay punch or narrative excitement. Set-pieces include a getaway through Arabian streets in a jet, a train chase, Michael Douglas wrestling an African giant and a Batman trap. Not one memorable line is uttered - and this seems a case of Michael Douglas and Lewis Teague doing just enough to not completely alienate the audience. The characters are enjoyable, despite never landing a knock-out blow (or, come to think of it, any blows at all.) Billy Ocean's 'When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going' was unstoppable though.

5/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fb/Murderers_Among_Us_poster.jpg
By from imdb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9009202

The Murderers Are Among Us - (1946)

The Murderers Are Among Us captures a moment in time unique in world history. A nation remaking itself from the ground up. Nothing needed to be faked or exaggerated, and there's a grim sense of fascination I have regarding how people survived this terrible situation after years of Hitler's rule. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2493995#post2493995), in my watchlist thread.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a7/Veneno_Para_Las_Hadas.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=26528095

Poison For the Fairies (Veneno para las hadas) - (1986)

I really loved this movie, and was blown away by the ending - what a great pair of child actresses as well! Oh, and well done to Ana Patricia Rojo for what looks like handling a really, really big spider. I shuddered at the thought of that. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2494286#post2494286), in my watchlist thread.

9/10

[Daniel M]

Amongst plenty of other films, I've watched two very different masterpieces this week:

https://www.rogerebert.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sansho-the-Bailiff.jpg

https://hauntedjukebox.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/allthatjazz4.jpg

Sansho the Bailiff and All That Jazz.

[Stirchley]

101307

All the actors are very good. I finished the movie, but have no idea what it was about.

101308

Very good movie & with a strange true story. Two leads very good especially the woman.