Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[Fabulous]

Mad Dog and Glory (1993)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/1iNRjJSlyLolYvhG3dlBtAGTnJw.jpg

[I_Wear_Pants]

Are they Bill Murray and Robert De Niro?

I'm going to watch some Kangaroo until I can't stay awake. It's an understated film that relies on its performers to carry the film, which in this instance is a good thing since the acting has been really good. I've dug it so far.

[Robert the List]

I've watched Sweet Smell of Success a handful of times, and it gets better every time. I love the film to pieces. Now I want to watch it again... It's one of my favorites.

I watched Lady Beware this afternoon. It's really good. Ginger Rogers plays something of an heiress who is connected as a relative of victims of a murderous plot. I watched it on Tubi if you're interested. I'm in the middle of Kangaroo on Tubi right now. I need to get back to it.

I'm going to have to check out Smile 1 and 2. I keep reading positive things about them so I am succumbing to my curiosity. No one strong-armed me into watching them. I am just keen on my own.
I did wonder actually if it's one that gets better with a repeat viewing. Will give it another try.

[I_Wear_Pants]

I did wonder actually if it's one that gets better with a repeat viewing. Will give it another try.

I first watched the film four or five years ago on Turner Classic Movies (I recorded it) (I know where I watched it so I have a general gist of a time frame) and then the next day I regretted deleting it, which was a habit, because I wanted to watch it again, so I bought the film, and kept digging it more and more with each subsequent viewing. I think I pick up on more nuances and subtleties every time I watch it, and catch more of the progression so I recognize more details.

The screenplay is snappy it's awesome. Sweet Smell of Success is definitely a 50s film, and I say that with as much admiration as possible. I used to like to write snappy dialogue too (now I don't write more than four or five lines at a time) so it's neat to see someone else write like that on the big screen.

Please don't feel like you twisted me into reluctantly feeling the urge to watch the film again. While I do have a few films I need to watch first, I won't mind watching Sweet Smell of Success this weekend.

[Sedai]

Salem's Lot
Hooper, 1979

3_5

https://deadtalknews.com/wp-content/uploads/salems3.jpg

First off, let me just say that I saw this when it first came out back in 1979. I had just turned 8 years old, and for some reason, my mother, who was a big King fan, thought this would be a fun family film to take in together. When Danny Glick came floating up to the window in the mist, I was pretty much all done. I did try to stick it out, making it as far as the coffin scene with the gravedigger in the cemetery, at which point I beat feet to my bedroom to hide under the covers.

Needless to say, those scenes still to this day strike some deterministic nerve, creeping me out big time. The film on the whole holds up pretty well. It's well cast, well acted and the master vampire is pretty scary. The problem is that it was a two-part TV miniseries, so it is padded with quite a bit of filler content. I would love to see a stripped down 2.5 edit that removes some of that content.

Still, for a 1970s TV miniseries, Salem's Lot is pretty strong stuff. Has a great fall vibe to it, also.

[Thief]

THE DOLL'S REVENGE
(1907, Hepworth)

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


"From now on, you must take good care of your toys, because if you don't, we'll find out, Sid!... We toys can see EVERYTHING!... So play nice!"



The above quote comes from Toy Story, in a climatic moment where Woody confronts their nemesis, Sid, who took joy in torturing and destroying toys. But that's more or less the spirit of this short from 1907. The Doll's Revenge follows two quarreling siblings (Bertie and Gertie Potter). When their father brings an animated doll to the girl, the brother decides to destroy it. What he doesn't know is that... toys can see everything!

Grade: 2.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2499376#post2499376)

[Thief]

Salem's Lot
Hooper, 1979

3_5

https://deadtalknews.com/wp-content/uploads/salems3.jpg

First off, let me just say that I saw this when it first came out back in 1979. I had just turned 8 years old, and for some reason, my mother, who was a big King fan, thought this would be a fun family film to take in together. When Danny Glick came floating up to the window in the mist, I was pretty much all done. I did try to stick it out, making it as far as the coffin scene with the gravedigger in the cemetery, at which point I beat feet to my bedroom to hide under the covers.

Needless to say, those scenes still to this day strike some deterministic nerve, creeping me out big time. The film on the whole holds up pretty well. It's well cast, well acted and the master vampire is pretty scary. The problem is that it was a two-part TV miniseries, so it is padded with quite a bit of filler content. I would love to see a stripped down 2.5 edit that removes some of that content.

Still, for a 1970s TV miniseries, Salem's Lot is pretty strong stuff. Has a great fall vibe to it, also.

I was way younger, but I still saw it some time in the late 1970s, early 80s; I think maybe in similar circumstances with my mother putting it on :laugh: I barely remember it, but the scene with the kid in the window, and the vampire opening his eyes are burned in my brain. Need to revisit it.

For what it's worth, my wife saw the new version and didn't like it.

[Thief]

MERMAID
a.k.a. THE WATER NYMPH
(1910, Goncharov)

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


"Some strange force drags me against my will to these sad banks."



Based in an opera from Aleksandr Pushkin and Alexander Dargomyzhsky, Mermaid follows a prince that is forced to break up an affair with the daughter of a miller in order to marry a princess. Distraught and heartbroken, the daughter of a miller drowns herself, but returns as a "rusalka" (a malicious female water entity) to haunt the prince and drag him to the "sad banks" where she died.

Grade: 2.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2499395#post2499395)

[Allaby]

Scouting for Christmas (2024) The third Hallmark Christmas movie of this year's Countdown to Christmas. Tamera Mowry-Housley stars as a realtor whose daughter tries to set her up with a baker. I liked all three main characters and this was an enjoyable and pleasant film. 3.5

[Marco]

Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band (2019)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f9/Once_were_brothers_robbie_robertson_and_the_band.jpg
A really touching retrospective about (in my view) one of the most complete and underrated bands ever. It follows the Canadians' rise through reliable backing band (from being the rock and roll Hawks to Dylan no less) to carving their own identity out and forging their own enduring sound. The constant touring took it's toll though, that and the addictions meant they parted and did "The Lasts Waltz" (Scorsese), a brilliant film in itself. The name of the film is not glib, these guys were brothers.
4

[Thief]

GREMLINS
(1984, Dante)

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


"Y'know their still shippin' them over here. They put 'em in cars, they put 'em in yer TV. They put 'em in stereos and those little radios you stick in your ears. They even put 'em in watches, they have teeny gremlins for our watches!"



Gremlins follows young Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) whose father gifts him a "Mogwai" as a Christmas present. However, they must be careful to observe three important rules in order to avoid any mischief: keep them away of lights, don't get them wet, and don't feed them after midnight. Simple, right? Well, think again, cause in order to have a movie, they will obviously get wet, they will be fed after midnight, and maybe they will even get in the sun.

Even though it had been so long, most of it was still fresh in my mind. The mixture of horror, fantasy, and comedy is so well done, plus there are some really good setpieces through the film. There is also some amazing puppetry work here. If anything, this time I was more aware of Galligan's performance and he's pretty good. He also has good chemistry with Phoebe Cates, and his father's inventions are a fun extra that the kids enjoyed.

Grade: 4.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2499414#post2499414)

[Sedai]

For what it's worth, my wife saw the new version and didn't like it.

I have yet to hear anything even slightly good about this version, so I think I will pass!

[FilmBuff]

I have yet to hear anything even slightly good about this version, so I think I will pass!

The good thing is they didn't release it to theaters!! ;)

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDVkZjRjZjAtMmMyMy00ZDBmLWIwNWQtNDJiOWE4NjNjOGE0XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg


Umpteenth Rewatch...Still one of the funniest comedies ever made. One of the few films written by Neil Simon directly for the screen, this is the story of an eccentric millionaire named Lionel Twain (Truman Capote) who invites fictionalized versions of literature's greatest detectives to his creepy mansion for "dinner and a murder." Now let's skip over the fact that the blind butler (Alec Guiness) didn't get the stamps on the invitations and the guests showed up anyway, we are thrilled to meet Dick and Dora Charleston (David Niven, Maggie Smith), Sidney Wang (Peter Sellers), Sam Diamond (Peter Falk) and his secretary, Tess (Eileen Brennan), Jessica Marbles (Elsa Lanchester) wheeling around her nurse (Estelle Winwood), Milo Perrier (James CoCo) and his chauffeur (James Cromwell) and throw in the cook (Nancy Walker) who can't hear or speak trying to communicate with the blind butler, you have all the ingredients of a laugh out loud comedy that's just as funny during its 1976 release. And that triple reverse surprise ending is a dandy. 4

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BM2RlYmQwYWMtYjNmYS00Y2M4LWIzN2YtMDcxNDE2OWFmNjE1XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg



4th Rewatch...This film has been called "a masterpiece" by some and "exploitative trash" by others. I think it's somewhere in between because of bad marketing and viewer misinterpretation. After nine feature films that earned him five Oscar nominations, Al Pacino took a real career risk accepting this role playing an NYPD cop who goes undercover in Greenwich Village to investigate a series of murders of gay men among the underground BDSM crowd. Theaters that agreed to show this film during its original release were picketed because people didn't realize that the film was about a certain facet of the gay community and the film's depiction of the BDSM community is pretty unapologetic for 1980 movie audiences, but Pacino invests in the performance despite an over the top script that doesn't exactly paint gays in a flattering light, but as a cinematic curio, definitely worth a look and a definite eye opener for Pacino fans. 3

[I_Wear_Pants]

I finished Kangaroo this morning. It's a 1952 Western set in an Australian drought about two down-on-their-luck drifters who get caught up with some cattle ranchers after murdering a gambler. I liked it a lot. The film doesn't excel really at anything and it also doesn't do anything poorly. It's quite good. I watched it on Tubi so it was free with ads. I'm not sure what'll be next.

[Thief]

LEATHERFACE
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III
(1990, Burr)

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


"Do you hear what I'm saying, man? We're being hunted!"



For some reason, studios failed to capitalize on the character, so when New Line bought the rights to the franchise, they decided to put the spotlight on him (hence the title of this film). Still, there really isn't much difference in how much focus is put on Leatherface versus the previous films. This third installment follows a loose continuity with the first two parts, with law enforcement finding a mass grave, while Leatherface remains at large along with a handful of random members of the Sawyer family.

There are many flaws here, with a key one being that the two main characters are not that interesting. Michelle, the woman (Kate Hodge), does a decent job with what little she's given but her partner (William Butler) is not likable at all. Ken Foree is good, but the way he's integrated into the story feels clumsy, and that middle act when he appears drags the pace of the film a bit. The subplot with Sarah, the woman that escaped from Leatherface, feels like a waste of time and contributes to the off pace from that middle act.

Grade: 2


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2499493#post2499493)

[I_Wear_Pants]

I love the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and I have zero interest in any of the sequels or spin offs or any of that. It works on its own and there is no need for more story. I get the appeal to build off of the franchise. I just don't feel like watching any of it.

[iluv2viddyfilms]

Bullets Over Broadway (1994, Woody Allen) - A

Very funny film and overlooked when discussing some of the wonderful films that came out in 1994.

[ueno_station54]

https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/film-poster/5/1/6/2/0/51620-the-seventh-seal-0-1000-0-1500-crop.jpg?v=fa1963f0b2
The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)

My wife wanted to watch this because chess was involved lol. I remember liking this well enough when i first saw it ages ago but it hit a lot more this time around. I have nothing insightful to say about it though, i just liked it lol.
4

[FilmBuff]

Two feature films out in theaters now happen to be the directing debuts for promising new filmmakers, and both happened to have a Sundance premiere earlier this year. They're both worth checking out!


https://images.atomtickets.com/image/upload/w_520,h_780,q_auto/v1728578080/ingestion-images-archive-prod/archive/1728578080023_356149_cops_0.jpg

Your Monster
3.5

Mexican actor Melissa Barrera is quickly establishing herself as one of the leading scream queens of her generation, and Your Monster is practically guaranteed to add to her cinematic bona fides.

You definitely won't find a more appropriate rom-com for the Halloween season - as an indie film, it's unlikely to become a monster hit, but it could grow over time to become a Halloween staple (It has already won a Audience Favorite Award at the Sundance London festival).

The movie works as a riff on Beauty and the Beast, because it has been totally adapted for modern-day audiences instead of being set in some distant past in the land of princes and princesses.

Caroline Lindy, making her feature directing debut by adapting her short film, shows a lot of promise and she's definitely one of the most promising writer-directors of recent years.



https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/exhibiting-forgiveness-movie-poster-sundance.jpg

Exhibiting Forgiveness
2.5


One of those films that's earnest to the core, full of good intentions and great performances, Exhibiting Forgiveness could have used from some judicious trimming.

The story starts off well enough, but it isn't long before we're knee-deep in the land of cinematic cliches and overextended flashbacks. To make it worse, the movie almost seems to relish in its depiction of parents who lash out at their kids in almost sadistic ways.

Exhibiting some restraint would have gone a long way to making this a much better film - but it's still a promising start for painter Titus Kaphar, who is making his feature directorial debut here.

[SpelingError]

I love the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and I have zero interest in any of the sequels or spin offs or any of that. It works on its own and there is no need for more story. I get the appeal to build off of the franchise. I just don't feel like watching any of it.

That's why I've ignored the sequels/remakes. I just can't see them getting anywhere near the quality of the first film.

[Marco]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BM2RlYmQwYWMtYjNmYS00Y2M4LWIzN2YtMDcxNDE2OWFmNjE1XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg



4th Rewatch...This film has been called "a masterpiece" by some and "exploitative trash" by others. I think it's somewhere in between because of bad marketing and viewer misinterpretation. After nine feature films that earned him five Oscar nominations, Al Pacino took a real career risk accepting this role playing an NYPD cop who goes undercover in Greenwich Village to investigate a series of murders of gay men among the underground BDSM crowd. Theaters that agreed to show this film during its original release were picketed because people didn't realize that the film was about a certain facet of the gay community and the film's depiction of the BDSM community is pretty unapologetic for 1980 movie audiences, but Pacino invests in the performance despite an over the top script that doesn't exactly paint gays in a flattering light, but as a cinematic curio, definitely worth a look and a definite eye opener for Pacino fans. 3

I think with a few Friedkin films he struggles to really bring it to a close. Not wanting ribbon wrapped but it just sort of peters out into vagueness like some of his other films. Pacino's dancing really is something to see ha ha ha!!!!

[I_Wear_Pants]

That's why I've ignored the sequels/remakes. I just can't see them getting anywhere near the quality of the first film.

I guess they have their market. Personally I'm quite happy with the original and I just watch it. It's the same with Jaws and Psycho; I love the originals, and haven't watch any of the sequels or remakes or any of that. I just watch the original movies and enjoy those. Their stories are self-contained and are complete so I don't need any more and am quite happy with what I've seen.

[ueno_station54]

I guess they have their market. Personally I'm quite happy with the original and I just watch it. It's the same with Jaws and Psycho; I love the originals, and haven't watch any of the sequels or remakes or any of that. I just watch the original movies and enjoy those. Their stories are self-contained and are complete so I don't need any more and am quite happy with what I've seen.
ok but texas chainsaw 2 kinda rules and i've heard similar things for psycho ii

[SpelingError]

ok but texas chainsaw 2 kinda rules and i've heard similar things for psycho ii

2 is probably the only one I'd consider watching. Maybe I'll give it a shot when I'm in the right mood.

[I_Wear_Pants]

ok but texas chainsaw 2 kinda rules and i've heard similar things for psycho ii

That's fair. I can consider it. I had heard Psycho II wasn't so bad and that Texas Chain Saw II had its merit too. The track record for horror sequels isn't so good though. That's my opinion anyway. Out of the main slasher series, my favorite is always the first one.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d2/To_Die_For_%281995%29.png
By The poster art can or could be obtained from Columbia Pictures., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56860621

To Die For - (1995)

Here's one of those movies for me - those where such a long length of time has passed since I last saw it that watching it again last night was kind of like a first-time viewing. This time around I think I understood much more about how untalented, narcissistic and small-time Nicole Kidman's character was - working as a weather girl at a tiny cable TV station but seeing herself as a future star. When husband Larry Maretto (Matt Dillon) insists she give up on her dreams she finds it more palatable to have him murdered than go through with a divorce. She seduces teenage Jimmy Emmett (Joaquin Phoenix) - a high school student - to help with the crime. It was an absolute blast, seeing such a young Joaquin Phoenix in what must have been a breakthrough role of sorts for him. He was around about 20 when he played Emmett. Also baby-faced and new is Casey Affleck, who plays Emmett's immature buddy Russell Hines. Affleck was 19 when To Die For was made. The movie itself was directed by Gus Van Sant, who had previously cast the likes of River Phoenix and Rain Phoenix in his films. Based on the story of Pamela Smart, who is currently serving a life sentence in prison for enticing her 15-year-old boyfriend to kill her husband, it very smartly takes a docu-drama approach, while at the same time keeping certain cards up it's sleeve regarding the destiny of it's main character. I liked it then, and I like it now - a lot.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/85/Blandings1948.jpg
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3764572

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House - (1948)

Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas provide able back-up in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, but they're completely outshone in the end by the charisma machine Cary Grant is, and how pleasing this man is to watch with his impeccable comedic timing and all. A very solid entry for the talented Mr. Leach. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2499630#post2499630), in my watchlist thread.

7/10

[I_Wear_Pants]

I just watched One Missed Call from Takashi Miike. Admittedly it never scared me, so it didn't succeed quite has a frightful horror picture. It did though succeed as a suspenseful mystery film with some really high marks in every other regard for a tense film. I thought it was awesome. Is a high-quality film, although I've always been one for the off-kilter Japanese-style bonkers thriller, so there's that. I ordered One Missed Call without knowing it's on Tubi. After watching the film, I figure I will keep the order in place vis I found the movie great so I figure owning it is a good thing.

Next up, which will be tomorrow, I want to watch Nocturne. I meant to watch it tonight, and then I checked the IMDb page of One Missed Call and saw it's on Tubi, so I watched that instead. I'll do Nocturne tomorrow.

[iluv2viddyfilms]

The Thing (1982, John Carpenter) - A+

Probably one of the best takes on the who's the mole type of film ala Stalag 17.

The Thing From Another World (1951, Chris Nyby) - B

[LChimp]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71NDIC0VQcL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

3rd re-watch, this time with my 16yo son. We had a blast.

[Sedai]

April Fool's Day
Walton, 1986

3_5

https://canvas.tubitv.com/opts/ykadNSVvH0QMgw==/bcd49201-3aff-4e7a-9528-47a9a3156a0d/CIAPELgIOgUxLjEuMg==

At this point, many MoFos know of my undying adoration for the meta-before-it-was cool April Fool's Day. I straight up wore this VHS out back in the late 80s/1990s. I can pretty much recite this thing from memory. Is it a great film? Most certainly not. What it is is clever and fun with what was back then a novel twist; it's been done to death these days, but at one time, it was fresh and no one saw it coming.

I love the characters, the music, the silly locker room humor in the first act, and this is probably Deborah Foreman's best performance in a film.

Just remember... my name is Mary O'Reilly O'Toole O'Shea, and I plan on going to convent school...

https://images.kinorium.com/movie/shot/83224/h280_38470090.jpg

[Thief]

I love the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and I have zero interest in any of the sequels or spin offs or any of that. It works on its own and there is no need for more story. I get the appeal to build off of the franchise. I just don't feel like watching any of it.

The original is my favorite horror so I more or less felt like you. Actually, up until recently, I had only seen the OG and the 2003 remake, mostly because I had always that the continuity within the franchise was all over the place. But I'm a completist at heart so I knew at some point I would dive in. I checked the second one in 2018, which I thought was an interesting spin for Tobe Hooper, who decided to go for comedy/satire, and now I went with the third one. Anyway, I don't think they're required and so far, none of the ones I've seen approaches the original, but it's interesting to see the different approaches to these characters.

[Thief]

ok but texas chainsaw 2 kinda rules and i've heard similar things for psycho ii

2 is probably the only one I'd consider watching. Maybe I'll give it a shot when I'm in the right mood.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is Tobe Hooper basically saying "There's no way I will match the original, so I won't even try. I will do something completely different", and it kinda works. I would probably rate it 3, it feels like it lacks a second act, but it's fun, it has some effective scares, and it's great to see Dennis Hopper go all crazy in the lead role.

https://64.media.tumblr.com/8e89d3696ecbf8c819f046e67dde3b9e/53fbf0f05cbce98b-bd/s540x810/7b0377d1caf37e1ed64f849407ab07231ad0191e.gifv

[Marco]

Hit! (1973)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f1/Hit_movie_poster_1970s.gif
1st time watch and I loved it. Billy Dee Williams is a father seeking revenge for his daughter who overdosed on heroin. To do so he assembles a rag tag of very different people (also impacted by the use of drugs in different ways) who hatch a plan to head to Marseille to try and cut off the head of the snake, i.e the main drugs suppliers. It's inventive and each member of the revenge mob (including Richard Pryor) carry their duties out wonderfully. The cover somehow tries to make it look like Blaxploitation film and its anything but: the story, performances and dialogue are all excellent. Hidden gem.
4

[Gideon58]

[QUOTE=PHOENIX74;2499644]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d2/To_Die_For_%281995%29.png
By The poster art can or could be obtained from Columbia Pictures., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56860621

To Die For - (1995)

Here's one of those movies for me - those where such a long length of time has passed since I last saw it that watching it again last night was kind of like a first-time viewing. This time around I think I understood much more about how untalented, narcissistic and small-time Nicole Kidman's character was - working as a weather girl at a tiny cable TV station but seeing herself as a future star. When husband Larry Maretto (Matt Dillon) insists she give up on her dreams she finds it more palatable to have him murdered than go through with a divorce. She seduces teenage Jimmy Emmett (Joaquin Phoenix) - a high school student - to help with the crime. It was an absolute blast, seeing such a young Joaquin Phoenix in what must have been a breakthrough role of sorts for him. He was around about 20 when he played Emmett. Also baby-faced and new is Casey Affleck, who plays Emmett's immature buddy Russell Hines. Affleck was 19 when To Die For was made. The movie itself was directed by Gus Van Sant, who had previously cast the likes of River Phoenix and Rain Phoenix in his films. Based on the story of Pamela Smart, who is currently serving a life sentence in prison for enticing her 15-year-old boyfriend to kill her husband, it very smartly takes a docu-drama approach, while at the same time keeping certain cards up it's sleeve regarding the destiny of it's main character. I liked it then, and I like it now - a lot.

8/10

So glad you love this movie. This is my favorite Kidman performance and Buck Henry's screenplay is brutal.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjg1ZGRiMTEtYmU4Zi00NTkwLWJmODQtMjU3MTAyMGQ2OGZlXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg


1st Rewatch...This attempt to recapture the spirit of the first two Christopher Reeve movies is so dark and humorless, unlike the movies it is trying to emulate. This film finds Superman returning to Metropolis after a five year absence where he was confirming the destruction of Krypton. Upon his return, he finds Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) has also returned with another evil plan for world domination and he also learns that Lois is engaged to Perry White's nephew and has had a child with him. This movie pretends that the 3rd and 4th films featuring Reeve didn't exist and opens eerily with Lex Luthor and his crew exploring the fortress of solitude before flashing back to teenage Clark saying farewell to adopted mother Martha Kent. This film is told with way too straight a face and goes on forever. Reeve-look-alike Brandon Routh is an acceptable Superman/Clark Kent, but Kevin Spacey is no Gene Hackman and Kate Bosworth is a bland Lois Lane. Frank Langella's reinterpretation of Perry White is snore-inducing as is James Marsden as his nephew and Lois fiancee.The film received an Oscar nomination for Visual Effects, but it's just too long and too serious. 2.5

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjg3MmNiNWQtOWI1OS00MjE2LWFhYzYtMWY0NWRhZmVkMGFiXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg



1st Rewatch...Imaginative direction by Elizabeth Banks is probably the best thing about this over-the-top black comedy/thriller, which is allegedly based on a true story. This film opens aboard an about to crash plane where a man is observed throwing hundreds of bricks of cocaine out of the plane before it crashes. The man dies as the plane crashes in Tennessee but some of the cocaine ends up in a small forest community in Georgia where a large amount of it gets ingested by a female grizzle bear, sending her on a gory killing spree. Banks has somehow managed to present a story that is a perfect combination of black comedy and Friday the 13th gore that rivets the viewer to the screen without ever taking itself too seriously. I especially love the scene where two kids find a brick of cocaine and not knowing how to use it, decide to sample it by putting a spoonful in their mouths. That scene where the wasted bear chases an ambulance has to be seen to be believed. The fun part of this story is that this bear doesn't really want to hurt anyone, she just wants more cocaine. There are standout performances by Margo Martindale as an over zealous park ranger, Alden Emmmerich and O'Shea Jackson as drug dealers, and in the final feature film performance of his career, Ray Liotta. 3

[Gideon58]

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8TPlyQfospo/hqdefault.jpg



1st Rewatch...Director and screenwriter Chris Columbus scores with this sweet natured romantic comedy. The late John Candy plays Danny Muldoon, a romantically challenged, 38-year old Chicago cop who lives with his bigoted, manipulative mother who runs his life and has him wrapped in guilt when he makes any attempt at a social life, but things might be changing when Danny meets a lonely funeral cosmetologist. Columbus takes Candy out of his comfort zone here, playing a regular guy, filled with insecurities and flaws, but never turns into one of the cartoon characters we're accustomed to seeing from Candy and Ally Sheedy (who has never looked more beautiful onscreen) is equally charming as his love interest. But where Columbus really scores here is when he coaxed movie legend Maureen O'Hara out of retirement to make her first movie in twenty years, to play one of the most unlikable movie characters I've ever seen, the monstrous Rose Muldoon. There are moments in this film where you just want to strangle this woman...watch her in that scene where Danny takes her and his new girlfriend out to dinner or her toast at the wedding dinner. There's also a lovely supporting turn from another cinematic legend, Anthony Quinn, as a neighbor who is crushing on Rose. This was Quinn and O'Hara's first film together since 1952's Against All Flags. Appointment viewing for Candy and O'Hara fans. 3.5

[iluv2viddyfilms]

3rd re-watch, this time with my 16yo son. We had a blast.

It's a wonderful tongue-in-cheek dark grotesque humor action/sci-fi film. I remember I was in ninth or 10th grade when it came out and my friends talking about how brutal it was, but I didn't watch it until it hit VHS. This was about the same time that the video game Starcraft came out, which for anyone who was in high school or college in 1997 or 1998 THAT was the came, so naturally we made huge comparisons of the bugs to the Zerg and the humans to the Terrans. So in my mind, Starship Troopers is inexorably linked to Starcraft.

I do love Paul Verhoeven films and his cold and dethatched, zero compassion form of explosive and nasty violence and dark humor in his films and Robocop will forever be on my list of favorite "bad" films and the first one I give an A+ to just because there really has never been anything quite like it before or since to be honest.

Starship Troopers doesn't quite measure up to Robocop or even Total Recall, but I'd put it in the B-rating range along with his other dive into sci-fi Hollow Man which is also underrated. But unlike Hollow Man, Starship Troopers has grown and cult and comic book store loiterer hang out spot following over the years. I have yet to really go back to Verhoeven any of his films he's made since Hollow Man.

[ueno_station54]

https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/film-poster/2/0/7/7/8/1/207781-end-of-the-wicked-0-2000-0-3000-crop.jpg?v=28440fcc34
End of the Wicked (Teco Benson, 1999)

I've seen a (very) small amount of Nollywood movies now and unfortunately this one is probably my least favourite. Disappointing considering this one seems to have a bit of a reputation, and its not for no reason, there's tons of individual crazy moments that i should be eating up but for whatever reason it just didn't hit right. Maybe because its just like, all crazy moments? to the point where if its all crazy moments none of its crazy? idk. Basically its just a coven of witches f*cking with a town, from outright murder to causing a car engine to knock and that's just like the whole movie. Lots of cool stuff but kind of gets repetitive. Could see myself enjoying it a lot more with company.
rating_3

[I_Wear_Pants]

The original is my favorite horror so I more or less felt like you. Actually, up until recently, I had only seen the OG and the 2003 remake, mostly because I had always that the continuity within the franchise was all over the place. But I'm a completist at heart so I knew at some point I would dive in. I checked the second one in 2018, which I thought was an interesting spin for Tobe Hooper, who decided to go for comedy/satire, and now I went with the third one. Anyway, I don't think they're required and so far, none of the ones I've seen approaches the original, but it's interesting to see the different approaches to these characters.

I think watching Texas Chain Saw sequels isn't a terrible idea. It's just not one I'm too enthused to follow through doing. I've never regretted watching a movie once, even my least favorite film, because then I know I needn't ever watch it again and now I know it's bad, and I got to find it out for myself. I might regret rewatching a film, which is of course a different beast. I could check the sequels out at some point so I can satisfy my curiosity and see how they are.

I timed my movie watching poorly. I started Outlaw Josey Wales a bit later than I should have so I won't have time to finish it before picking up the kiddos, so I think I'll need to finish it tonight after they go to bed. I have an hour left and I don't feel comfortable pushing the envelope and getting ready to go at the same time I have to leave, so I turned it off. It's not because the movie is bad. Far from it. I think the movie is great. It's just picking up the offspring is more important to me than watching a movie that I can watch later.

[Fabulous]

Broken Flowers (2005)

4

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/5XXMjeWSr9PQVM9AI3zCQbALIcw.jpg

[FilmBuff]

https://pics.filmaffinity.com/499-906363514-large.jpg

499
2.5


There are some fascinating ideas in Rodrigo Reyes's 499, but it is also a film that is at war with itself; being a sort of hybrid that mixes hard-hitting documentary and some dreamy imagery with concepts borrowed from sci-fi.

The part of the film that simply documents the present-day situation in many parts of Mexico is definitely hard-hitting and uncompromising; it's hard to not feel devastated when hearing a grieving mother speaking about the men who raped and murdered her 12-year-old daughter in broad daylight.

The other part of the film is straight out of something that Terrence Malick might have thought of: a dreamy exploration of the Mexican landscape by a Spanish soldier who, by some quirk of destiny, finds himself transported 500 years into the future and gets a good look at what became of the land he helped Cortez to conquer.

Either idea would make for a superb film on its own; but the way they are brought together here, the combination feels a little unwieldy and lacking cohesion.

[TONGO]

Barbarian
4 out of 5 stars.


Destroyer
2 1/2 out of 5 stars.

[pahaK]

Barbarian
4 out of 5 stars.


Destroyer
2 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Yes, Barbarian is much better... Wait, you're not talking about Conan movies? Never mind.

[I_Wear_Pants]

I finished Outlaw Josey Wales and I think it's an awesome film and I'm glad I rewatched it. The action and acting and visuals are awesome. Eastwood is the shiniest spot and his compatriots did a fine job as well. The writing isn't the most compelling, I'm not a big one for revenge stories, although this one is written fairly well. I dig it. Is it a quality film? I reckon so.

[Gideon58]

That's fair. I can consider it. I had heard Psycho II wasn't so bad and that Texas Chain Saw II had its merit too. The track record for horror sequels isn't so good though. That's my opinion anyway. Out of the main slasher series, my favorite is always the first one.

Psycho II was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. Psycho was a film I never imagined having a sequel.

[I_Wear_Pants]

Psycho II was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. Psycho was a film I never imagined having a sequel.

I wouldn't expect something like Psycho getting a sequel, although I can't say it's surprising. Successful films often beget sequels. The timing was weird though... Twenty-three years later seems a bit late... The premise doesn't even sound bad honestly. By being a sequel to a Hitchcock film, there would be a lot of pressure and it probably pales in comparison based on that alone. Really I'm tempted to watch it just to see if it is a good film.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQ3OTQwMjQ5NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNDcwNTY0NA@@._V1_.jpg



3.5

[Robert the List]

Whitney Houston A Concert for a New South Africa (Durban) 10/10

Review (with pictures of Whitney Houston):
https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=71402

[Fabulous]

Celebrity (1998)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/tRcvjiYNxjoeZ5qdcXPLdwkMYsA.jpg

[Midnight FM]

The Pledge - 6/10

[LChimp]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmVjZGZjOGItMjIxOS00MDI2LWEyNmMtMDVjZjQ1NmUzM2M3XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg

Last Stop in Yuma County - (2023)


"Boy, that escalated quickly." (Burgundy, 2004)

[chawhee]

Last Night in Soho (2021)
https://static1.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/last-night-in-soho-poster-1.jpg
3
I remember most reviews being mixed on this one, and my opinion is as well. Some of the movie was gripping and compelling, but some of it was predictable and dragged a bit.

[mrblond]

Le Conseguenze dell'Amore [The Consequences of Love] (2004)

Written and Directed by Paolo Sorrentino
Starring Toni Servillo

My second re-watch.
One of the Sorrentino's early works that I discovered about eleven years ago during a film festival in my city. The duo Sorrentino-Servillo is just always Wow! These who are familiar with the world-wide famous The Great Beauty (2013) know what I mean. The Consequences of Love is another masterpiece work by this team, this time using minimalist methods contrary to the later lavishly styled The Great Beauty.
4.5+
93/100
101715

[Sedai]

I finished Outlaw Josey Wales and I think it's an awesome film and I'm glad I rewatched it. The action and acting and visuals are awesome. Eastwood is the shiniest spot and his compatriots did a fine job as well. The writing isn't the most compelling, I'm not a big one for revenge stories, although this one is written fairly well. I dig it. Is it a quality film? I reckon so.

One of my favorites, and I would argue it has some damned fine writing, as well. This is one of my favorite scenes in any film:

Ten Bears: These things you say we will have, we already have.

Josey Wales: That's true. I ain't promising you nothing extra. I'm just giving you life and you're giving me life. And I'm saying that men can live together without butchering one another.

Ten Bears: It's sad that governments are chiefed by the double tongues. There is iron in your words of death for all Comanche to see and so there is iron in your words of life. No signed paper can hold the iron. It must come from men. The words of Ten Bears carries the same iron of life and death. It is good that warriors such as we meet in the struggle of life... or death. It shall be life.

[Sedai]

Black Christmas
Clark, 1974

4

https://film-grab.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Black-Christmas-044.jpg

The one that started it all. I know I had seen this years ago - probably many years ago - as certain scenes and lines of dialogue were familiar as I watched, but I couldn't recall the entire film or how it all ended up. So many films afterward borrowed heavily or lifted scenes entirely. A clear influence on future slashers, this film helped create the formula films like Halloween and its ilk would follow and refine over the years while simultaneously running the idea into the ground. Another horror film that would come out several years later based its entire premise on a twist from this film.

Really good stuff. My wife hadn't seen it, and she had a blast watching it. A must see for horror fans!

[FilmBuff]

Last Night in Soho (2021)
I remember most reviews being mixed on this one, and my opinion is as well. Some of the movie was gripping and compelling, but some of it was predictable and dragged a bit.

I watched this movie when it first opened in theaters, and I remember that the reviews were definitely not mixed, at all. Just now I went back and looked at the RT score, it was scored at 75% positive from critics, and 65 on Metacritic, so those would be mostly positive as well...

Having said that, I can totally understand it would get mixed reactions from viewers, I don't think it's a movie for everyone.

[ueno_station54]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BY2YyNTQ4YWUtNzdiYS00Mzc4LTk0YWUtOGY2Y2ZjNzMzNjc4XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg
Evil Tapes (Alexander Henderson, 2022)

So I'm a big fan of the "found footage" format, though its the one genre where the rules need to be strictly adhered to for me to enjoy. I need to know why things are being filmed and more importantly, how and why its being edited and presented to us. If nothing else, Evil Tapes gets this right (minus one like 2-minute segment that seems unrelated to the rest of the film?) by being a collection of weird events that have happened to a freelance videographer while on the job. He edited this footage together because he actually survives all the events. Any footage that he didn't shoot himself it makes sense why he has access to it (again, minus that one segment). This is something most films in this genre completely fumble. They want to shoot found footage style because its cheap, not to embrace the limitations. While Evil Tapes is kind of silly for honestly most of the segments (see the poster lol) it works well enough for me to enjoy it and there is some legitimately decent moments sprinkled in.
rating_3

[I_Wear_Pants]

One of my favorites, and I would argue it has some damned fine writing, as well. This is one of my favorite scenes in any film:

Ten Bears: These things you say we will have, we already have.

Josey Wales: That's true. I ain't promising you nothing extra. I'm just giving you life and you're giving me life. And I'm saying that men can live together without butchering one another.

Ten Bears: It's sad that governments are chiefed by the double tongues. There is iron in your words of death for all Comanche to see and so there is iron in your words of life. No signed paper can hold the iron. It must come from men. The words of Ten Bears carries the same iron of life and death. It is good that warriors such as we meet in the struggle of life... or death. It shall be life.

I more meant story-wise. Some of the dialogue, such as what you posted, is great. The conversation between Josey Wales and Ten Bears is probably the best part of the film. I don't think the writing is necessarily bad so much as not as good as the rest of the film. Does that make sense?

One thing I liked was how the old lady seemed to praise Josey Wales and the Red Legs while they were trying to kill each other and she had no idea. She was blinded by her prejudices.

[Sedai]

I more meant story-wise. Some of the dialogue, such as what you posted, is great. The conversation between Josey Wales and Ten Bears is probably the best part of the film. I don't think the writing is necessarily bad so much as not as good as the rest of the film. Does that make sense?

One thing I liked was how the old lady seemed to praise Josey Wales and the Red Legs while they were trying to kill each other and she had no idea. She was blinded by her prejudices.

Like many back in those times, I'm sure.

And sure, that absolutely makes sense!

[I_Wear_Pants]

Like many back in those times, I'm sure.

And sure, that absolutely makes sense!

The DVD I watched had a very tiny intro from Eastwood about the film, and I'm sure there are some special features on it with more in-depth information, and he stated that he made the film with societal commentary in mind. I would surmise that the old lady was a reflection of people's way of thinking back in both the 1970s and the 1860s to showcase prejudice.

I think the second half is written better than the first half, which the first half is very much a way to segue into the commentary of the second half. I'm kind of mulling over the film as I'm typing this. The revenge eventually takes a co-captain chair with redemption. That sort of thing.

[Thief]

THE WALKING DEAD
(1936, Curtiz)
Horror film from the 1930s

https://i.imgur.com/oFD18Jy.jpeg


"Why did you have me killed?"



A film featuring Boris Karloff being brought back from the dead! No, it's not Frankenstein or The Ghoul; it's The Walking Dead. This time, Karloff plays John Ellman (Boris Karloff), a man that is wrongly executed but it's brought back to life by a scientist experimenting on dead bodies. As a result, Ellman goes out to seek those that framed him to try to understand their reasons with the above question.

I saw this film ranked fairly high among horror films from the decade, so I decided to give it a shot. I kept my expectations on check, considering its similarities to other films, but I was pleasantly surprised at how different it was. Despite being labeled as "horror", The Walking Dead feels a bit more introspective than other similar films, with Karloff's questioning being one, not so much of revenge, but of genuine anguish: "why did you do this to me?"

Grade: 3


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2500220#post2500220)

[Darth Pazuzu]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ell9NBiUL._AC_UY218_.jpg

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (Andrew Dominik / 2007)

This is probably one of the saddest Westerns I've ever seen. Brad Pitt portrays the famed outlaw Jesse James, who has seen better days and whose career has been on the wane ever since the James-Younger Gang faced their Waterloo in Northfield, Minnesota. And Casey Affleck plays the young man who would ultimately deliver his former idol unto his fate... and subsequent immortality. Brad Pitt portrays Jesse James with a mixture of humor and charm on the one hand, but also with a strange, volatile skittishness on the other, suggesting a Hamlet-like existential crisis as well as a possible death wish. Casey Affleck starts out as being incredibly awkward and grating as a fanboyish Robert Ford, but becomes gradually more sympathetic as events conspire to put him into the position of Jesse's executioner. The beauty of the film's story lies in the fact that it's not one thing that makes Ford do what he does, but several: The thought of notoriety to equal his hero's, the fact that he had previously killed Jesse's cousin Wood Hite (Jeremy Renner) and fears a possible reprisal, as well as the $10,000 price on Jesse's head.

When I first saw this movie, it was around the same time I first saw John Hillcoat's The Proposition (2005), and I can't help but think of these two in the same headspace. They're both incredibly melancholy, and they're both the work of Australian filmmakers. The Aussie connection even extends to Nick Cave and Warren Ellis doing the scores for both films.

While The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford might be considered a bit on the slow side for those who want their Westerns a bit more action-packed, and its style is admittedly a bit on the "artsy" side, it's still a very worthwhile viewing experience.

[I_Wear_Pants]

I would say Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is slow and artsy, which are part of its charm. I've watched the film a handful of times because it is so well-made and just good to watch. Most Westerns are the fast-paced, action-packed thrill ride, which is why I like watch Assassination et cetera from time to time to change the pace a little.

[TheManBehindTheCurtain]

Watched "The Woman in the Window," (2021) with Amy Adams as a child psychologist who's confined inside her Manhattan home due to her extreme agoraphobia. So she spends her days, while undergoing therapy, watching several families across the street. It is a very conscious nod to Rear Window. Amy Adams does a fine job as the woman who thinks she's witnessed a crime, right up through a fairly nicely framed and acted "moment of recognition."

Then they lost their minds and and tried to do the master "one better" by abandoning the psychological thriller they'd done passably well and bolting on a slasher-type twist and chase at the end. Note to filmmakers. If you're going to borrow from Hitchcock, less is more.

2/5

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/98/The_Woman_in_the_Window.jpg

[Allaby]

Conclave (2024) This is juicer than expected. It has scheming, secrets and scandals. Ralph Fiennes is excellent and Stanley Tucci is fantastic too. The score is great and the cinematography and production design are very good too. Conclave has a sharp, well written screenplay with some wonderful dialogue. One of the best films of the year. 4.5

[iluv2viddyfilms]

On the Bowery (1956, Lionel Rogosin) - A

[LeBoyWondeur]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BM2RlYmQwYWMtYjNmYS00Y2M4LWIzN2YtMDcxNDE2OWFmNjE1XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg
4th Rewatch...This film has been called "a masterpiece" by some and "exploitative trash" by others. I think it's somewhere in between because of bad marketing and viewer misinterpretation.
I think of it as a "Dressed To Kill" for grown-ups.

[ueno_station54]

https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/film-poster/9/7/6/4/0/6/976406-satranic-panic-0-2000-0-3000-crop.jpg?v=c97f2b5384
Satranic Panic (Alice Maio Mackay, 2023)

I've only seen one of Alice Maio Mackay's other films (of the six she's somehow cranked out by age 21) which I 100% loved the concept and the sentiment of but didn't actually find all that entertaining and I can just copy/paste that for this film too unfortunately, though at least this one actually has some momentum to it. Still gonna check out her new christmas slasher tho because in this house we support trans rights and trans wrongs.
rating_3

[I_Wear_Pants]

I think of it as a "Dressed To Kill" for grown-ups.

I could be wrong, but isn't Dressed to Kill for grown-ups too?

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6d/THEGUARDposter.JPG
By The poster art can or could be obtained from Element Pictures., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32348267

The Guard - (2011)

The dialogue in hit Irish film The Guard is really funny, but it's also really sharp and clever as well. It features an unorthodox Sergeant in the Garda Síochána (the Irish police, commonly referred to as "The Guards") - Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson), who isn't crooked, but at the same time takes the drugs he confiscates off crooks and corpses, frequently uses call girls and makes the most of his position. Okay, perhaps he's a little crooked - as all of the Guards in this seem to be - but when his partner is offed by cocaine smugglers he teams up with an American FBI agent, Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) to help bring them down. It's an odd couple buddy cop comedy that provides frequent laughs - and is the most successful independent Irish film in history. I've seen it a couple of times now. Brendan Gleeson's constant wry remarks and abundant charisma make The Guard a pleasure to watch.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/81/My_house_in_umbria_film_poster.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from Home Box Office., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5683505

My House in Umbria - (2003)

Okay, I picked an absolute horror of a movie to commemorate the passing of Maggie Smith last night - it was not on my wavelength at all, and there would have been no saving it because it was the story itself I had huge problems with. Author Emily Delahunty (Smith) is on a train, homewards bound in France when a hidden bomb explodes, killing around half of the people in her compartment. The survivors (all of whom have lost a loved one) decide to have a delightful holiday at her house when they all leave hospital - and that looks as weird as it sounds. There's no trauma (apart from a young girl, Aimee (Emmy Clarke) being mute for a few days), and everyone seems to be having a delightful time. Delahunty narrates her thoughts as if she's writing one of her novels. When Aimee's uncle (her parents were killed in the explosion), Thomas Riversmith (Chris Cooper) arrives to collect his niece, the movie treats him like he's a party pooper, despite the fact that he's the only sane person in the movie. Nothing feels right - not Delahunty's psychic dreams, old Quinty's (Timothy Spall) love affair with a young maid or the cheerful General (a very old Ronnie Barker) - these people have just lost their nearest and dearest ones for goodness sakes. The whole "let's make a garden!" side plot, Delahunty's alcoholism, Delahunty's flashbacks to being sexually abused by her adoptive father or her real parent's riding off a circus daredevil barrel on a motorbike up, up, up into heaven - these are all cobbled together in a clumsy fashion and I couldn't find my footing at all. I thought My House in Umbria lacked cohesiveness, and I couldn't wrap my head around the happy tranquility these people had found after the horror they'd experienced. I had so many more issues with this movie, but I've said enough.

4/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1f/Koniec_cywilizacji.jpg
By filmweb.pl, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28133725

O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization - (1985)

I'm hopelessly curious when it comes to seeing what apocalyptic visions look like, but invariably I walk away pained that such a dead end for humanity is even possible. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2500044#post2500044), in my watchlist thread.

8/10

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6d/THEGUARDposter.JPG
By The poster art can or could be obtained from Element Pictures., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32348267

The Guard - (2011)

The dialogue in hit Irish film The Guard is really funny, but it's also really sharp and clever as well. It features an unorthodox Sergeant in the Garda Síochána (the Irish police, commonly referred to as "The Guards") - Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson), who isn't crooked, but at the same time takes the drugs he confiscates off crooks and corpses, frequently uses call girls and makes the most of his position. Okay, perhaps he's a little crooked - as all of the Guards in this seem to be - but when his partner is offed by cocaine smugglers he teams up with an American FBI agent, Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) to help bring them down. It's an odd couple buddy cop comedy that provides frequent laughs - and is the most successful independent Irish film in history. I've seen it a couple of times now. Brendan Gleeson's constant wry remarks and abundant charisma make The Guard a pleasure to watch.

7/10Loved this movie. It might be in my Top 10 all time. Or at least Top 20. :up::up::up::up:

[iluv2viddyfilms]

On the Town (1949, Gene Kelly) - A-

[I_Wear_Pants]

I just watched Nocturne. It's not really scary but it is incredibly tense with good drama and suspense. I thought the two leading ladies were great, especially Sydney Sweeney. Her character is mentally unstable as she tries to find her way into art school for music. I found it highly captivating. Oh I forgot; it reminded of something of a version of Black Swan except with pianists instead of ballerinas, and everyone is real. Dang it, I forgot something else; I'm going to rewatch Black Swan now. Not really for comparison but because it seems like a good idea.

[FilmBuff]

https://static1.moviewebimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/sharedimages/2024/06/venom-the-last-dance-til-death-do-they-part-poster.jpg

Venom: The Last Dance (3D IMAX)
3.5


This may seem like faint praise, but Venom: The Last Dance is easily the best of the Venom trilogy, and the best of all the Sonyverse movies (all the Marvel-related Sony movies that didn't have Spider-Man in them).

There are some bewildering artistic choices that have been made here - why, for instance, are all of the main parts played by British actors? - and the pacing is haphazard at best.

Given that the previous Venom movie was positively painful to even look at, one has to be truly grateful that Sony appears to have made at least a minimal effort to course-correct.

Despite the overall lack of quality in this trilogy, I'll be darned if Tom Hardy hasn't grown on me thanks to these movies in a way that he never really did with all of his previous work - and this, in turn, has made me more appreciative of his work in "serious" films like The Bikeriders.

This movie also provides a nice sense of closure to the series, while at the same time, possibly, leaving the tiniest door open for, like, something or other or maybe nothing at all.

But, with any luck, Sony will not be allowed to make any more solo Venom movies.

[FilmBuff]

https://nickelodeon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Anora-One-Sheet.jpg

Anora
5


As the first American film to win a Palm D'or since 2011, expectations are understandably high for Sean Baker's Anora.

Anora more than delivers, achieving the trickiest of cinematic achievements: here is a movie that plays out like a twisted fairy tale that, somehow, rings true.

Mikey Madison delivers one of the absolute greatest performances in any recent Oscar-contender in the title role, and it will definitely be a darn shame if she doesn't get the prize, because she absolutely deserves it.

The character Madison creates here absolutely bursts with vitality, seeming at total ease in scenes that involve both pole-dancing and a much more complicated dance - the dance of romantic entanglements. She has also mastered the art of sounding like a Brooklyn girl who can barely get by with her broken Russian, in a way that gives you hope she could be the next Meryl Streep.

She is surrounded by a magnificent supporting cast of Russian actors, all of whom I would love to see in more movies, should they be able to continue working for American directors.

Contemporary American cinema just doesn't get much better than Anora.

[Fabulous]

Demon Seed (1977)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/UJZePu7YMnmj4B6d7ilmXMI0c5.jpg

[FilmBuff]

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/21upgpgdh32RxE85oAZOue4VVH5.jpg

Happiest Season
3.5


P.S. I am seriously thinking about importing the Australian blu-ray of this movie, which is supposed to have some deleted scenes and a gag reel!

Quick update: I did go ahead and ordered the Australian blu-ray, just to get the extras. Well, it also would be nice to have a physical copy of the movie, in case it ever gets removed from Hulu or whatever.

The blu-ray should be here by the weekend, so I'll let y'all know how that pans out.

[Stirchley]

I just watched Nocturne. It's not really scary but it is incredibly tense with good drama and suspense. I thought the two leading ladies were great, especially Sydney Sweeney. Her character is mentally unstable as she tries to find her way into art school for music. I found it highly captivating. Oh I forgot; it reminded of something of a version of Black Swan except with pianists instead of ballerinas, and everyone is real. Dang it, I forgot something else; I'm going to rewatch Black Swan now. Not really for comparison but because it seems like a good idea.

Huge fan of Sweeney. Never even heard of this movie, but it’s letterboxed now.

[Stirchley]

101752

Not bad. I did finish it after bailing out, but forcing myself to watch the 2nd half.

[Allaby]

The Runner from Ravenshead (2010) Watched on Tubi. An adventure film about an escaped prisoner on the run. What sets this film apart is that all the actors are children. Joel Steege directs his kids Amelia, Harrison, Addison, Brendan, and Tate. He also wrote and produced the film with his wife, Lisa. The five siblings have good chemistry together and all do a wonderful job. The film is well shot and has an effective score. If you are looking for a fun adventure with a cute cast, then you will likely enjoy this. 4

[Sedai]

REC 2
Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza, 2009

3_5

https://www.bcncatfilmcommission.com/sites/default/files/styles/film-gallery/public/films/foto_35.jpg?itok=1K20noVE

REC 2 covers the same events of the first film, but from a different angle, as we follow a SWAT team into the quarantined building. This film maintains the quality of the first film, while ramping up the zombie action and expanding the religious implications of the first film. Overall, another strong entry in the series.

[I_Wear_Pants]

Huge fan of Sweeney. Never even heard of this movie, but it’s letterboxed now.

Ooh cool. I hope you like it. I thought it was awesome. I hope I haven't set your expectations too high.

[Stirchley]

Ooh cool. I hope you like it. I thought it was awesome. I hope I haven't set your expectations too high.

I don’t expect anything. I bail out of movies all the time. :)

[I_Wear_Pants]

I don’t expect anything. I bail out of movies all the time. :)

Well that works. I am glad you have a method that works for you. There were two aspects I thought they could have done with more but they went in a different direction than those, although one I think wasn't meant to be focused on that much. It was nice and subtle.

I didn't want to make another post, so I edited this one. Over the past four days, not including today, I've watched six movies. It had been quite a time since I really sat down to watch movies as I've been reveling in being able to play video games ad continuum the past thirteen months, and it's been quite a good time too. I'm in the first third of Tromeo and Juliet on Tubi right now, although I'm not actually watching it at the moment because the boys are up. I'll finish it tonight probably. It's bonkers and entertaining, and I think the usage of Shakespearean dialogue is actually clever. I'll have more thoughts later.

Addendum; I'm up to eight in five. This is fun.

[LeBoyWondeur]

I could be wrong, but isn't Dressed to Kill for grown-ups too?
My point was that Cruising delivers what Dressed To Kill promised to do (or show), but didn't.

Although it can be argued that Cruising is preceded by Looking For Mr. Goodbar, which, due to licence/copyright problems, has become a sought-after obscurity.

[I_Wear_Pants]

My point was that Cruising delivers what Dressed To Kill promised to do (or show), but didn't.

Although it can be argued that Cruising is preceded by Looking For Mr. Goodbar, which, due to licence/copyright problems, has become a sought-after obscurity.

Ah got it. Thank you for clarifying. My curiosity for Cruising is piqued. I may have to look into it.

[Marco]

I don’t expect anything. I bail out of movies all the time. :)
Indeed Stirchley, I've bailed on so many supposed "classics". Either went over my head or my head is thick, "Tokyo Story" did after about 40 mins.

[I_Wear_Pants]

I just finished Tromeo and Juliet. It's on Tubi, albeit with adverts, which is fine because it's free. It's silly and goofy and overall very entertaining. It's a Troma film, so of course there's very little substance. The very ending is my least favorite part but I loved the rest. I loved the inclusion of Shakespearean dialogue. I thought that was clever. The film does follow the Romeo and Juliet story albeit with some, uh, explicit differences. Overall I enjoyed it for what it is.

[James D. Gardiner]

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

He Was Her Man (1934)
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Starring James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Victor Jory

Nice change of pace in this Warner Bros. gangster film turned melodrama, with some good low key performances bringing out a refreshing degree of sincerity and sentimentality. Cagney plays a double crossing mobster on the run from his old gang, travelling with a female acquaintance out of town as a means of cover. The girl with a shady past, played by lovely Joan Blondell, attempts to resist his advances in the hopes of settling down and marrying a simple fisherman, played by Victor Jory. Stepping away from the usual wisecracking dialogue and ever present violence of the genre, the film also has a surprisingly effective ending. Enjoyed this one.

7/10

[skizzerflake]

Conclave - The Pope is dead, long live the Pope. Ralph Fiennes is a cardinal who is directing the process by which the rest of the cardinals choose a new pope. Of course, it's all based on virtue and religion....or maybe not. Personalities, politics, race, sex, nationality and power rear their ugly heads too. When this secretive process is completed, there's a new pope.

But wait. Who or what IS the new pope... (I'm not telling). We, the audience, seem to know a little bit more than the cardinals and far more than the eager public waiting for the right color of holy smoke (literally) to tell then where the latest vote has chosen a new pontiff.

Can a theology debate make a suspenseful movie? I thought it did. Compared to so many action and FX centered movies, this one gives you something more substantial to think about. The cast plays it well, a process so removed from everyday reality that it doesn't seem to belong in our century.

:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX9jasdi3ic

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/08/In_a_Violent_Nature_%282024%29_poster.jpg
By Twitter, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75910734

In a Violent Nature - (2024)

It's funny that most of the slashers I watch today tend to be parodies of what I was watching back in the 80s, trying to make some kind of statement about the phenomenon. What was that really fun one where a character gets transported into a movie her late mother appeared in? I can't remember. Anyway, In a Violent Nature is already famous as "the one where we follow the killer around instead of hanging out with the victims". It pretty much borrows wholesale from Friday the 13th, it's "Jason" a character called Johnny (Ry Barrett), who has already been mythologised and retrofitted with previous unseen chapters to his story. Think of it as a franchise starting at it's third or fourth entry. The way we follow him around, it kind of reminded me about a modern Playstation game - which is the one thing which really gave me pause, because this is a game I wouldn't enjoy playing. I'd keep leading Johnny elsewhere, and I'd never get anywhere because you don't really want Johnny to kill anyone. He does though, and the censors that used to sanitize the Friday the 13th movies have long since retired, so we get some particularly nasty sequences. The victims are less realised than the monster, because we get to learn all about Johnny's legend, and even pop inside of his head to receive a revelation about what he really wants (a pendant, which once belonged to his mother, and which was given to him by his father) - don't worry, that's not a spoiler because we learn this at the film's outset. I thought In a Violent Nature was an interesting take on slashers in general, because I've never seen anything like it - the horror is effective, and the unusual perspective feels uncomfortable - which I thought was a good thing. I thought this would be more arthouse than it was in the end, perhaps because I was transfixed by ,the lumbering zombie we follow everywhere, constantly on edge. Generally, hanging out with teenagers or young adults is more boring. It took me out of a familiar comfort zone.

8/10

https://i.postimg.cc/XvFhwM1S/The-Far-Country-poster.jpg
By Reynold Brown - http://www.movieposterdb.com, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25030158

The Far Country - (1954)

“One may smile, and smile, and be a villain," - what really got me about The Far Country was it's central villain, Judge Gannon (John McIntire), who we meet hanging a couple of supposed miscreants. He threatens Jeff Webster (James Stewart) with hanging for doing not much more than disturbing his concentration - and with little pretext confiscates the herd of cattle he's spent countless days corralling. This judge is using his authority as a lever in every interaction he has, and is supremely corrupt - and also happy. It's his cheerfulness which enrages, and although John McIntire isn't even billed on The Far Country's poster he's the one that made all the difference in my liking or disliking this Western. Corinne Calvet as Renee Vallon, a French-Canadian silly tom boyish love interest for Webster almost swung the pendulum the other way. All else is very typically 1950s James Stewart Western material in this Anthony Mann film. The uneasy mix of capitalism and unquestionable authority is a topic always worth exploring.

7/10

https://i.postimg.cc/jSjy2XVY/Meet-Me-in-St-Louis-poster.jpg
By Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (Loew's Inc.) - source, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38280874

Meet Me in St-Louis - (1944)

I don't have the words to describe how sweet and warm this colourful, endlessly engaging musical is - a mood enhancer no matter how dark your feelings may be. Judy Garland really sparkles as one of eight Smith family members (not including the maid) we encounter here through the seasons in 1903 - the year preceding the St Louis World's Fair. Here I found where "The Trolley Song" comes from, along with "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," which I read once had very depressing lyrics ("Have yourself a merry little Christmas / It may be your last / Next year we may all be living in the past.") If I love the music and the visuals, you can pretty much do anything and I'll enjoy watching it - so once sucked in I was ripe to put my cynicism and jaded mindset to one side and enjoy an old fashioned celebration of family, tradition and music. Beautiful set decoration and production design. Beautiful costumes. When you get it right, it doesn't matter how hokey you might otherwise sound - it simply feels more genuine and heartfelt.

8/10

[I_Wear_Pants]

Conclave - The Pope is dead, long live the Pope. Ralph Fiennes is a cardinal who is directing the process by which the rest of the cardinals choose a new pope. Of course, it's all based on virtue and religion....or maybe not. Personalities, politics, race, sex, nationality and power rear their ugly heads too. When this secretive process is completed, there's a new pope.

But wait. Who or what IS the new pope... (I'm not telling). We, the audience, seem to know a little bit more than the cardinals and far more than the eager public waiting for the right color of holy smoke (literally) to tell then where the latest vote has chosen a new pontiff.

Can a theology debate make a suspenseful movie? I thought it did. Compared to so many action and FX centered movies, this one gives you something more substantial to think about. The cast plays it well, a process so removed from everyday reality that it doesn't seem to belong in our century.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX9jasdi3ic

I really want to see Conclave. I wasn't sure at first and now I keep seeing positive feedback for it that is pushing my decidey needle towards "Watch it!" I like the idea of a movie with little action and effects. It's been too long since we've had films like that. It sounds like you liked it a fair amount too. I may wait until it hits the library though.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Indeed Stirchley, I've bailed on so many supposed "classics". Either went over my head or my head is thick, "Tokyo Story" did after about 40 mins.Glad to know I'm not the only person here that couldn't get through Tokyo Story.

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/cc/Immaculate_Poster.jpg/220px-Immaculate_Poster.jpg

3.5

SF = Zz

Viewed: Amazon Prime, in the UK currently up on Prime free for a limited time apparently.



[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

[I_Wear_Pants]

I just watched Wicker Man '73. Is a high-quality film. I found it to be incredibly gripping. It wasn't really scary apart from being just creepy in its plausibility. Like this could actually happen. There are zero supernatural elements. It's about cultists who are stern believers thanks to their charismatic leader, in this case a brown-haired Christopher Lee. I don't mean anything negative by any of that. I thought it was incredibly well-done with no real short-comings. I suppose I could scrutinize and try to find tiny details to proclaim what I'd do differently, except that seems silly. One thing I found amusing, in a good way, was the height difference between the two leads; Lee and Woodward, the latter being the protagonist Sergeant Howie. I highly doubt that was accidental. Yeah I dug it.

[Marco]

The Flying Scotsman (2006)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Flying_scotsman.jpg
The story of Graeme Obree, the man that took cycling design to another level famously by using washing machine components on his bike (the old faithful) to become World Champion and defeat moneyed teams. This sounds dull and, to be fair, it is of limited appeal. It's not a David vs Goliath story but a good depiction of a guy struggling with mental health but wanting to do his best. Johnny Lee Miller is great in the part strongly supported by Brian Cox and Laura Fraser.
3.5
p.s glad Graeme found his peace.

[Fabulous]

The Hidden (1987)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/3NhTdtnIwkZPbT5rAQ1yzItx2aH.jpg

[Marco]

I just watched Wicker Man '73. Is a high-quality film. I found it to be incredibly gripping. It wasn't really scary apart from being just creepy in its plausibility. Like this could actually happen. There are zero supernatural elements. It's about cultists who are stern believers thanks to their charismatic leader, in this case a brown-haired Christopher Lee. I don't mean anything negative by any of that. I thought it was incredibly well-done with no real short-comings. I suppose I could scrutinize and try to find tiny details to proclaim what I'd do differently, except that seems silly. One thing I found amusing, in a good way, was the height difference between the two leads; Lee and Woodward, the latter being the protagonist Sergeant Howie. I highly doubt that was accidental. Yeah I dug it.
Some scenes are quite hilarious. The thing that works well is the clash between the presbyterian copper and the, shall we say, open minded residents of Summerisle....terrific ending, right up there with the best!

[I_Wear_Pants]

Some scenes are quite hilarious. The thing that works well is the clash between the presbyterian copper and the, shall we say, open minded residents of Summerisle....terrific ending, right up there with the best!

Yeah some scenes had some good humor about them. I think the humor helped the film. It showed them as being very human and almost innocent and certainly blindly devoted. I think it's very well-written.

I couldn't sleep so I watched Clockwise just now. It's hilarious, although I could be a smidge biased vis it's John Cleese, who is a former Python, and I have an affinity for Monty Python. Still, even with that, I laughed a lot, even at other people, so it worked everywhere.

[Gideon58]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/92/All_the_president%27s_men.jpg



2nd Rewatch...This 1976 Best Picture nominee is usually been labeled a political thriller, but I also think this film is one of the greatest detective stories ever put on film. This is the film version of the book by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein and how their investigation of five men breaking into the Watergate Hotel led to a conspiracy that led all the way to the White House. Alan J Pakula's direction and William Goldman's Oscar-winning screenplay is meticulous as we watch "Woodstein" slowly break down the barriers to learning the truth. Redford is terrific in the opening scenes where he is mostly on the phone...watch him in that scene where's he on the phone with Kenneth Dahlberg. Hoffman also scores in that scene with Jane Alexander as the terrified bookkeeper, a performance that earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Jason Robards won the first of consecutive Best Supporting Actor Oscars for his Ben Bradlee as well. Drawing a blank trying to come up with something wrong with this movie. 5

[Gideon58]

https://resizing.flixster.com/-XZAfHZM39UwaGJIFWKAE8fS0ak=/v3/t/assets/p162331_p_v8_ar.jpg


1st Rewatch...Time has done nothing to help with this unfunny and borderline tasteless holiday comedy. Matthew Broderick plays Dr Steven Finch, a tightly wound optometrist who lives in a Massachusetts suburb with his wife and two kids, who is also the coordinator of all the town's Xmas activities, but everything falls apart when a used car salesman named Buddy Hall (Danny DeVito) moves in across the street from him with his wife and his nubile twin 15 year old daughters (who look 22) and Hall goes about putting up elaborate Xmas decorations because he has decided he wants his decorated house to be visible from space. Not sure if Broderick is playing anal or just looks embarrassed to be involved in this debacle, but it really doesn't matter. DeVito manages some laughs as does Kristen Chenoweth as his wife, but this movie is just so dumb and borders into the territory when the story implies that DeVito might be improperly involved with his daughters. For hardcore DeVito fans only. 1.5

[Gideon58]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b2/Bad_Teacher_Poster.jpg



1st Rewatch...Next to the 2014 remake of Annie, this was the worst film that the recently retired Cameron Diaz made. She plays Elizabeth Halsey, a lazy, self-employed, materialistic teacher who quits after a year to get married only to have her fiancee dump her. She returns to teaching and goes about using the school and the students to finance her dream of having her breasts enhanced, while trying to catch the eye of a nerdy but cute history teacher (Justin Timberlake), while ignoring the sweet gym teacher (Jason Segel), who somehow sees past Elizabeth's faults and really loves her. Elizabeth Halsey is one of cinema's most despicable characters wrapped in a smoking hot package. Usually a strong supporting cast helps films like this, but not in this case...Lucy Punch's performance is like nails on a chalkboard and Phyllis White is just boring, not to mention John Michael Higgins who sleepwalks through his role as the school principal. Hardcore Diaz fans might enjoy the scene of Elizabeth at the 7th grade car wash, but there's really not much else to recommend here. 1.5

[I_Wear_Pants]

I watched Woman on the Run this afternoon. The best part was the occasional snappy dialogue. The story is good, albeit simple, and the flow is fine. I wish they didn't reveal the big reveal how they did, and some of the performances weren't so good. A character gave himself away and all of the tension just died. It was disappointing. The movie isn't bad. It's just not great.

[Nausicaä]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e6/Family_Pack_2024_film_poster.jpg/220px-Family_Pack_2024_film_poster.jpg
Family Pack

3

SF = Z

Viewed: Netflix

Trailer:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=bqd702kNnRk&pp=ygUTZmFtaWx5IHBhY2sgdHJhOGxlcg%3D%3D


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

[Marco]

Yeah some scenes had some good humor about them. I think the humor helped the film. It showed them as being very human and almost innocent and certainly blindly devoted. I think it's very well-written.

I couldn't sleep so I watched Clockwise just now. It's hilarious, although I could be a smidge biased vis it's John Cleese, who is a former Python, and I have an affinity for Monty Python. Still, even with that, I laughed a lot, even at other people, so it worked everywhere.
Clockwise is great, John Cleese doing his "bit of authority" and falling slowly apart a la Basil Fawlty. Good film and I thought the schoolgirl did well in her part (Sharon Maiden).

[FilmBuff]

https://i.postimg.cc/NMG1WDKr/IMG-3796.jpg

The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival
4.5

The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & the Art of Survival is one of the most remarkable art documentaries of the last few years, and one that was long overdue.

It's quite possible that Tamara de Lempicka is one of the most underappreciated painters of the 20th century, and this sparkly documentary lays out the case as to how and why this may have happened, and the answer may have to do with a little bit more than simple sexism.

The Polish-born painter lived a remarkable life, becoming a well-known painter in Europe before WW2 and escaping to America in the early years of the war; she eventually became extremely popular among Hollywood's elite and eventually wound up retiring in Mexico. After her death, she requested that her ashes were scattered over the Popocatépetl volcano.

One of the constants throughout her life is that de Lempicka frequently had to conceal important aspects about herself, for her own safety and/or that of her family. She started out her career by trying to conceal the fact that she was a female painter - having a justifiable concern that her work wouldn't be taken seriously unless critics assumed it was the work of a man.

Over time, some of her biggest fans would include major pop stars like Barbra Streisand and Madonna, both of whom spent millions on her paintings.

Today, many people might recognize one of her paintings if they saw it, but it's very possible they wouldn't be able to name the artist who painted them.

One can only hope de Lempicka will finally be given the recognition she so richly deserves.

[Marco]

Ghost World (2001)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c3/Ghostworldposter.jpg
Based on a comic, it really didn't work for me. Just so heavily laden with sarcasm (maybe that's the point?) it becomes gnawing. Then you realise they are trying to find their way in life, and connect, whilst just fannying about. And the both of them are just up their own arses. It's quirky but the acting is atrocious. (BTW what happened to Thora Birch?).
I didn't really see the point to their little investigations...and saying "I would sooo do him" all the time is facile.
1.5

[I_Wear_Pants]

Clockwise is great, John Cleese doing his "bit of authority" and falling slowly apart a la Basil Fawlty. Good film and I thought the schoolgirl did well in her part (Sharon Maiden).

Heck yeah man. John Cleese bumbling through a situation that gets the better of him is always entertaining. I swear he wrote it but I guess not. He just starred in it. It's fine. That doesn't change my perception of the film at all. I was just mistaken. I learned watching Python that Cleese doesn't mind being punished for comedy (although he wasn't the biggest fan of it) (out of the group that would be Graham Chapman) ("fan"). I thought they were all good, and yeah Maiden did a fine job.

[iluv2viddyfilms]

Pennies From Heaven (1981) - A+
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) - B

[Marco]

Heck yeah man. John Cleese bumbling through a situation that gets the better of him is always entertaining. I swear he wrote it but I guess not. He just starred in it. It's fine. That doesn't change my perception of the film at all. I was just mistaken. I learned watching Python that Cleese doesn't mind being punished for comedy (although he wasn't the biggest fan of it) (out of the group that would be Graham Chapman) ("fan"). I thought they were all good, and yeah Maiden did a fine job.
Of an age now where everyone was telling me the Montys were great, seen all the TV progs and I'd say hit and miss but certainly trailblazing on tv. Films the same. Cleese went onto do A Fish Called Wanda which was a huge hit. If he didn't marry everyone he'd met have a pretty penny.

[I_Wear_Pants]

Of an age now where everyone was telling me the Montys were great, seen all the TV progs and I'd say hit and miss but certainly trailblazing on tv. Films the same. Cleese went onto do A Fish Called Wanda which was a huge hit. If he didn't marry everyone he'd met have a pretty penny.

I own pretty much all the Python movie and show stuff there is to own. I'm a huge fan. Some of their stuff isn't the best. Most of it though I find absolutely hilarious. We all have our favorites. Monty Python is my favorite.

[skizzerflake]

I really want to see Conclave. I wasn't sure at first and now I keep seeing positive feedback for it that is pushing my decidey needle towards "Watch it!" I like the idea of a movie with little action and effects. It's been too long since we've had films like that. It sounds like you liked it a fair amount too. I may wait until it hits the library though.

Having once been, for a while, a philosophy major in college, I've always been at least interested in the various teachings, distortions of teachings, preachings....the better or worse of religion. The whole Vatican thing with its labyrinth (both physical and metaphorical) of doctrines, intrigues, rivalries, back-biting and philosophical horror carries a degree of fascination to me, as long as I can view it from a distance. I assume that this movie is mainly plausible fiction (it IS plausible), but it seems to veer close enough to reality to make it, for me, the most interesting movie I've seen in a while that did NOT have any sex, violence, monsters or sci-fi. There's lots of angels dancing on the heads of lots of pins here.

[iluv2viddyfilms]

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944, Minnelli) - B+

[*Sky*]

Stagecoach (1939) - John Ford: 8/10

[Robert the List]

The Forbidden Planet (1956) 8.25
Wow, I hadn't watched this for decades. Maybe not since childhood.
This was a sci-fi film WITH a big budget. But they spent so much on the sets, the artistic director and the cinematographer that they had nothing left for a script writer!
It is beautiful to look at, but the story is as dumb as a sausage, and the script as wooden as the hull of the Mary Rose.
It's undoubtedly had substantial impact on sci-fi both in the movies and tv series, and was ahead of its time in many respects. Wish I had room to include more pictures!

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[Gideon58]

https://i.etsystatic.com/10759380/r/il/2ff0b7/2119241614/il_570xN.2119241614_eeaf.jpg



Umpteenth Rewatch....It barely resembles the 1971 Broadway musical it was based on and has been cleaned up for the silver screen, but the 1978 film version of this Broadway show has became the top grossing movie musical of all time. This story of the high school romance between a tough hood named Danny Zuko and a virginal exchange student named Sandy Olsson doesn't feature a single teenage actor in the cast but no one seemed to care. Stockard Channing, who played Rizzo, was 34 years old when the movie was released. The film features a terrific score and wonderful choreography by Patricia Birch. Following his Oscar-nominated performance in Saturday Night Fever, John Travolta cemented his position as the hottest actor on the planet with his performance as Zuko and after Marie Osmond turned down the role, Olivia Newton-John made a pleasant film debut as Sandy. Channing and Eve Arden steal every scene they're in. Musical highlights include "Summer Nights”, Travolta's “Greased Lightning", Frankie Avalon's "Beauty School Dropout' and "Born to Hand Jive.". The original score wasn't tampered with too much, but "You're the One that I Want", "Sandy", "Grease", and Olivia's solo "Hopelessly Devoted to You" received an Oscar nomination for Best Song. And though it's treated as a throwaway, I love Channing's rendition of "There arte Worse Things I Could Do." 4

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91NViBf9h-L._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg


1st Rewatch...A wonderfully endearing performance by Jay Baruchel in the starring role makes this rom-com worth a look. Baruchel plays Kirk, an airline security employee who was recently dumped by girlfriend Marnie and then meets cute with a smoking hot lawyer turned event planner named Molly (Alice Eve), ut finds himself fighting the romance all the way because he doesn't understand why a hottie like Molly would be interested in him. This film contains a lot of physical comedy and some funny dialogue but it's Baruchel who carries this. Alice Eve is a hottie who, for some reason, I never saw again in another film. TJ Miller and Krysten Ritter also garner laughs as the leads BFF's but it's still Baruchel's show. 3.5

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmM3ZjE0NzctNjBiOC00MDZmLTgzMTUtNGVlOWFlOTNiZDJiXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg


Umpteenth Rewatch...With the aid of executive producer and co-screenwriter Steven Spielberg and director Robert Zemeckis. Michael J Fox replaced Eric Stoltz and graduated from television star to movie star with this flawless action adventure about a teenage named Marty McFly who because of his relationship with an eccentric inventor named Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) is accidentally transported back to the year 1955 and, in order to get back to the present, must make sure his parents get together. Everything works here. Solid production values, meticulous direction, and a charming performance by Fox and scene stealing performances from Lloyd and Crispin Glover as Marty's dad, George. An instant classic that inspired two solid sequels. 5

[Gideon58]

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944, Minnelli) - B+

Why only a B+ on this movie?

[FilmBuff]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmM3ZjE0NzctNjBiOC00MDZmLTgzMTUtNGVlOWFlOTNiZDJiXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg



Big fan of the entire trilogy, recently scored some tickets for the BTTF musical, hope it will live up to expectations. :D

[matt72582]

Istoriya Asi Klyachinoy, kotoraya lyubila, da ne vyshla zamuzh - 6.5/10

https://youtu.be/F9aWb4Bz_pg

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjUwNmFmMzQtNzAzOS00N2M4LWJlMzktYjZmZmY2MDliZTZhXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg


2nd Rewatch...Don't know how I left this off my list of most disturbing movie experiences. Possibly the finest work of Sydney Pollack's career, this brutal and uncompromising look at capitalism, the human condition, and the business of show business is one of the most difficult films I've ever had to watch. This gritty look at depression era dance marathon is a lot more than a group of couples holding each other up on a dance floor for a few hours. This movie follows a disparate group of people for whom winning this marathon means everything and we're not really sure why. I equate a lot of what happens in this movie to today's reality television where people climb mountains, eat bugs, or betray friends for the sake of winning. Pollack creates such a bleak and depressing atmosphere here that you almost feel like a shower when the movie is over, with a climax that is just devastating. The film was nominated for nine Oscars, including the first Best Actress nomination for Jane Fonda, who is absolutely extraordinary here. On my list of favorite Jane Fonda performances, this one clocked in at #1. Outstanding Direction nomination for Sydney Pollack (who should have won), a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Susannah York, and after two previous nominations, Gig Young won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his oily Master of Ceremonies. If you've got the stomach for it, this is appointment movie viewing. 4.5

[iluv2viddyfilms]

Why only a B+ on this movie?

The Halloween sequence drug on just a bit too long I thought and when the little girl became the focus on the film, I thought it hurt the pacing and tone a bit. Also toward the end where the father upon seeing the girl destroy the snow people, suddenly decides not to move, but stay, I was a bit taken aback. I didn't know how it was going to end, i genuinely thought they were going to go to New York, so it felt a bit too close to a forced Hallmark Christmas movie ending for me and the transpiring of that event undermines not only the theme of the film, but also the brilliant number "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" that just played. Had they moved and had it been more downbeat and consistent in tone, it would be an A grade film and may have even been among my top 25 musicals.

[LChimp]

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

Wolfs - (2024)

I love these kind of movies, right up my alley. 8/10

[Fabulous]

Airport (1970)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/ego9lzApJytXHDgEsQEGjHeWA9L.jpg

[skizzerflake]

I really want to see Conclave. I wasn't sure at first and now I keep seeing positive feedback for it that is pushing my decidey needle towards "Watch it!" I like the idea of a movie with little action and effects. It's been too long since we've had films like that. It sounds like you liked it a fair amount too. I may wait until it hits the library though.

" I like the idea of a movie with little action and effects"

I was thinking and wondering about that as I watched it. I've never seen the Vatican, so I don't really know where this was set, but it seemed very convincing, like Sistine Chapel convincing. I see in IMDB that it was shot in a studio in Italy. Given the look of the movie, I suspect that a lot of it was done with FX, but mainly backdrops for this clerical debate. It also definitely has no action aside from cardinals shifting in their seats and walking around, but I also guess that they did not have the "leave" of the church to shoot in the real Vatican. It very well may have been heavily FX laden, but perhaps a virtual Vatican? I don't know.

[skizzerflake]

The Forbidden Planet (1956) 8.25
Wow, I hadn't watched this for decades. Maybe not since childhood.
This was a sci-fi film WITH a big budget. But they spent so much on the sets, the artistic director and the cinematographer that they had nothing left for a script writer!
It is beautiful to look at, but the story is as dumb as a sausage, and the script as wooden as the hull of the Mary Rose.
It's undoubtedly had substantial impact on sci-fi both in the movies and tv series, and was ahead of its time in many respects. Wish I had room to include more pictures!



It's an old favorite of mine but I loved the script. The idea of runaway technology conjuring a monster without the knowledge of the person doing the conjuring is fascinating and seems almost inevitable in the real world. I loved how Morbius is asleep, materializing the monster in his dream, while the power gauges behind him are going ballistic churning out energy to materialize the monster. It's a journey into a sort of Freudian sci-fi.

I also love the sound FX. The electronic "music" really adds to the whole effect. The amazing animation of the Krell technology is one of my favorite sci-fi scenes ever.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+forbidden+planet+power+plant

The Id Monster is a favorite that gave 6 year old me nightmares for a couple weeks, especially the screams of the crew members who are being eviscerated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0n1nsTAzJ4

[I_Wear_Pants]

" I like the idea of a movie with little action and effects"

I was thinking and wondering about that as I watched it. I've never seen the Vatican, so I don't really know where this was set, but it seemed very convincing, like Sistine Chapel convincing. I see in IMDB that it was shot in a studio in Italy. Given the look of the movie, I suspect that a lot of it was done with FX, but mainly backdrops for this clerical debate. It also definitely has no action aside from cardinals shifting in their seats and walking around, but I also guess that they did not have the "leave" of the church to shoot in the real Vatican. It very well may have been heavily FX laden, but perhaps a virtual Vatican? I don't know.

Hm yeah that's fair enough. Would it be fair to say it has background effects over character effects? A lot of films have settings manufactured in post, but that's not typically what people mean when they reference "effects". I think I get what you mean though. Like instead of CGI characters and items, it's just settings. It's not the flashy effects that are seen so often.

Conclave does look really good. I will have to check it out.

[matt72582]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjUwNmFmMzQtNzAzOS00N2M4LWJlMzktYjZmZmY2MDliZTZhXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg


2nd Rewatch...Don't know how I left this off my list of most disturbing movie experiences. Possibly the finest work of Sydney Pollack's career, this brutal and uncompromising look at capitalism, the human condition, and the business of show business is one of the most difficult films I've ever had to watch. This gritty look at depression era dance marathon is a lot more than a group of couples holding each other up on a dance floor for a few hours. This movie follows a disparate group of people for whom winning this marathon means everything and we're not really sure why. I equate a lot of what happens in this movie to today's reality television where people climb mountains, eat bugs, or betray friends for the sake of winning. Pollack creates such a bleak and depressing atmosphere here that you almost feel like a shower when the movie is over, with a climax that is just devastating. The film was nominated for nine Oscars, including the first Best Actress nomination for Jane Fonda, who is absolutely extraordinary here. On my list of favorite Jane Fonda performances, this one clocked in at #1. Outstanding Direction nomination for Sydney Pollack (who should have won), a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Susannah York, and after two previous nominations, Gig Young won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his oily Master of Ceremonies. If you've got the stomach for it, this is appointment movie viewing. rating_4_5


My 4th favorite movie ever.



SPOILERS
It means everything for Fonda because she's tried everything else, and is ready to end it all, so she thinks, one last try... I think it's much more relevant today as well.. Notice the spectators watching? It's "social media". Everyone tries to get a cut some way, and it's a dog-eat-dog world. Even the winners lose! When "sailor" (Buttons) dies, their media spins it with "Sailor is doing great. He'd want you to keep going. IT's all about the show". Gotta keep that fire (income) going, even if we have to burn everything inside. And then the corruption, with Fonda pleasuring Gig Young. So many other examples.. Dignity (Dern and his wife). And now it happens at home, alone, so it's easier for some (and more) to engage in this behavior for peanuts, but do it because they're desperate - the system isn't broken, it's fixed.

[I_Wear_Pants]

The Forbidden Planet (1956) 8.25
Wow, I hadn't watched this for decades. Maybe not since childhood.
This was a sci-fi film WITH a big budget. But they spent so much on the sets, the artistic director and the cinematographer that they had nothing left for a script writer!
It is beautiful to look at, but the story is as dumb as a sausage, and the script as wooden as the hull of the Mary Rose.
It's undoubtedly had substantial impact on sci-fi both in the movies and tv series, and was ahead of its time in many respects. Wish I had room to include more pictures!

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You do know they based the story on Shakespeare's Tempest don't you? It's basically a contemporary future retelling of Tempest. The dialogue is also rooted deep in 1950s society, although I can understand a culture gap with it.

[skizzerflake]

Hm yeah that's fair enough. Would it be fair to say it has background effects over character effects? A lot of films have settings manufactured in post, but that's not typically what people mean when they reference "effects". I think I get what you mean though. Like instead of CGI characters and items, it's just settings. It's not the flashy effects that are seen so often.

Conclave does look really good. I will have to check it out.

It's about as dialog-driven as any movie I've seen for a while. Outdoor scenes, lobbies, etc are just establishing shots and indoor scenes make very little use of the actual setting.

[FilmBuff]

You do know they based the story on Shakespeare's Tempest don't you? It's basically a contemporary future retelling of Tempest. The dialogue is also rooted deep in 1950s society, although I can understand a culture gap with it.

I was just going to point this out, but you beat me to it. Yes, the story is indeed Shakespearean in its source inspiration. I think it's a beautiful conceit.

[FilmBuff]

https://christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2024/conclave2024-1b.jpg

Conclave
3

"No sane man would want the papacy!" says Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci) in Edward Berger's new movie, Conclave.

Indeed, it's hard to disagree with him after having watched the movie, which is obviously fictional but, if anything, probably underestimates the level of intrigue that may actually take place in the middle of a papal conclave.

I had not been in much of a rush to watch this movie - I feared that it would be too talky, too stodgy, and perhaps a little sanctimonious in tone. Well, I was right about part of that, but the last third of the movie kind of redeems all that preceded it (No, I'm not going to spoil it!).

The biggest problems with Berger's new film, aside from the fact that it suffers in comparison to his previous one, is how dramatically uneven it is, and how - for the most part - predictable it is. Most of what happens can be seen coming miles away, or at least it was for me.

There is a clever twist thrown in - but, as I said before, no spoilers.

There's some good actors in the case, mostly Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci, though I don't think they're given a chance to really shine; John Lithgow is dramatically misused as a cardinal who may not be as nice as you'd like to think. Isabella Rossellini is also wasted in one of the smallest talking parts of the film.

It's also a movie that's oddly uncinematic - a lot of it just looks drab and undistinguished. One of the cool things about it, though, is that parts of the movie were filmed in the Royal Palace of Caserta in Italy, which is doubling for the Vatican. This is the palace where the Naboo Castle scenes from Star Wars Episode 1 were filmed almost a quarter-century ago.

Since I have not read the Robert Harris of the same name on which the film is based, I can't say how accurately it follows the source material, but a more cinematic adaptation would probably have helped.

It's still more likely than not that the film will receive some Oscar nominations, and perhaps Fiennes or one of the other guys in the film might win, but it would take more than a miracle for this to become an Oscar frontrunner.

[FilmBuff]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNGQ2ZDIzZWItNTI3NS00YWMzLWIxODQtZDQ4ODI0YjkyYjgzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjkyNzI2MTQ@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg

Mothers' Instinct
2.5


It's fairly mind-boggling that a 2024 movie starring two famous Oscar-winning actors like Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain simply didn't get a theatrical release. But actually watching it, it sort of doesn't seem that surprising in hindsight.

The film is an adaptation of a French novel, Derrière la haine, and marks the directorial debut of acclaimed cinematographer Benoît Delhomme - it's possible that his lack of experience as a director may have doomed the project.

At its core, it is very much one of those "did so-and-so really do XYZ, or is the other person crazy for suspecting then of doing XYZ?" movies that was surprisingly popular in the 1990s.

While it is extremely well-acted, it also feels very much like a by-the-numbers effort, where there is less and less uncertainty as the movie progresses, and then perhaps the smallest little surprise in the denouement.

As with Conclave, I have no idea how closely this follows the source material.

It may not be a particularly bad movie, but I can very much see why it is the kind of material that, despite the actors attached, really feels like the kind of stuff that goes straight to streaming these days, lacking any of the pizzazz that would be expected of something that gets a theatrical release.

As such, I would strongly recommend it to fans of Chastain and/or Hathaway, but not really to anyone else.

[Fabulous]

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/7ftHEAmaNtPc89H7ODM12FcOJmg.jpg

[iluv2viddyfilms]

South Pacific - C
My Fair Lady - A++

[I_Wear_Pants]

I watched Immaculate. What a trippy movie. I thought it was awesome. It had some good jump scares and some great visceral imagery. The ending was a good wrap up. I am glad I watched it. Whether I ever watch it again is beyond my current scope of vision. We'll see. I thought Sydney Sweeney did a great job. She does unhinged really well.

[Robert the List]

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) 8.75
This is a great film, relatively overlooked. It's definitely a key player in the development of science fiction films.
You can probably accept a few obvious plot issues, such as the spaceman arriving with a perfect American accent, humanity posting 2 dopey soldiers to guard the alien invasion etc, and perhaps most of all vehicle engines immediately ceasing to work because there's no electricity.
It's nicely constructed with a good pace.
Very influential film, from .E.T The Extra Terrestrial (1982), to Arrival (2017) to most of David Bowie's career, to Rolo Tomasi.
A few lovely pieces of camera work too, and some really decent special effects.101877
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[chawhee]

Its Whats Inside (2024)
https://www.plaza.ir/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Its-Whats-Inside-1.jpg
4
Credit to the forum here for posting positive reviews of this one to entice me to watch it, as I thought the trailer was lacking. However, the movie is remarkably entertaining. It has its flaws, but I couldnt stop smiling and laughing throughout.

[Stirchley]

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Elizabeth Banks very good in this underwhelming movie. I did finish it.

[FilmBuff]

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) 9
This is a great film, relatively overlooked. It's definitely a key player in the development of science fiction films.


"Klaatu, Barada, Nikto!" ;)

[Sedai]

Weekend watches:

Alien: Romulus
Álvarez, 2024

2_5

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/08/16/multimedia/15alienromulus-review-fkhq/15alienromulus-review-fkhq-videoSixteenByNine3000.jpg

What a frustrating watch.

First off, I think Fede Álvarez is a skilled director. He clearly has vision and a deep understanding of cinema, and I think he has been able to examine past works of other directors while understanding what made their films unique and special. He has done this wile simultaneously developing his own style, which i think is apparent in his work on the Evil Dead series and now Alien.

The first 45 minutes or so of Alien: Romulus showed a creative reverence for both Alien and Aliens, with meticulous attention paid to the set and sound design, the score, and the earlier films of the series. While some shots were a bit too on the nose, I took them more as dedicated homage and I was impressed at how seamlessly Alvarez's film felt like a natural extension of those earlier films. If only he could have maintained this restraint for the entire runtime.

I understand his style is that of a measured suspense that gets broken up by intense scenes of violence and action, and this film is no exception, but one of the key aspects of the early Alien films is that each of those films spent time developing and building an affinity for the entire cast - a world weary group of space truckers in the first film, and a crack team of seasoned space marines in the second. I guess it just goes to show the skill of both Ridley Scott and James Cameron in the handling of character development, as both the cast of Alien and Aliens ended up being memorable to the point of being almost iconic. Each and every character in Alien, and a vast majority of the characters in Aliens were fully fleshed out characters played by skilled actors who delivered fantastic performances. They also reacted to situations in a very human way, and their actions made sense in the situations into which they were plunged. While Romulus is fully dedicated to capturing the essence of world-building and sound design, and strikes a great balance between the dread of the first film and the ball out action of the second, it falls flat on its face(hugger) as far as characters are concerned.

Alien: Romulus is perhaps the worst in the franchise in this regard - Alien: Covenant is also weak here, but at least you had characters like David and Tennessee that spring to mind immediately when considering that film. Prometheus had quite a few memorable characters, even if a majority of them were dumber than a bag of hammers. Romulus really only tries to develop two of the main characters, and I think it succeeds in really only having one good character: David Johnson's Andy. Sadly, Andy's story has been done to death in science fiction - that of the artificial being struggling against conflicting programming - so he is ultimately kind of an also-ran, even if the actor delivers a good performance. I think using such a young cast was a mistake, even though I understand the strategy of the studio here. This film has the weakest cast of all the Alien films, but I was willing to forgive this if the film managed to deliver a compelling story through to the end. It did not.

Once we get to the second half, which admittedly has some stellar visuals and set pieces, we end up with what felt like a re-telling of the Alien: Resurrection story. The film falls back on the unwanted pregnancy themes of the first film while sort of mirroring the finale of Resurrection, which itself lifted the final scene of Alien...and on and on. I mean, how many times are they going to do this? Just reshoot the same scenes over and over? I don't want to get too far into spoilers, but the final monster in Romulus had me shaking my head and wishing for the film to end; the massive space station plummeting down into the rings of the planet was an apt allegory for the trajectory of this film. The icing on the turd cake was a half-hearted delivery of a now infamous line from Aliens, which it seemed like the actor himself cringed while saying.

Where does this all leave us? With a middling film that looks fantastic, is well-directed, but is poorly written and played out by a weak cast; an overall disappointing experience, with this film landing down in the bottom half of the franchise as far as quality. Not as laughably bad as Covenant, and maybe not as dumb as Prometheus, but still pretty bad. I am sure we will get another Alien film a few years from now, as the studio continues to resurrect the corpse of the Xenomorph.


Scream
Craven, 1996

4

https://static0.gamerantimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/scream-1996-1.jpg

Wes Craven's love letter to horror films still holds up today. The opening is still one of the best in the genre, and the film is entertaining from start to finish, even generating some fun laugh-out-loud comedy as it moves along. It deconstructs the slasher genre while simultaneously creating a memorable and iconic killer in Ghostface. The film has spawned decades of sequels, reboots, parodies, and copycats, with each one attempting to put a new spin on the meta-analysis of horror tropes and cinema overall with some being more successful than others. This will always be the OG, though - it's steeped in its 90s-ness, and always manages to transport me back to those more carefree times.

[Robert the List]

"Klaatu, Barada, Nikto!" ;)
Rolo Tomasi

[Robert the List]

You do know they based the story on Shakespeare's Tempest don't you? It's basically a contemporary future retelling of Tempest. The dialogue is also rooted deep in 1950s society, although I can understand a culture gap with it.
I didn't, and I'm not familiar with the Tempest, but I do know that that junk of a script is nothing like anything written by Shakespeare!!
I suspect any connection is very nominal. Interesting nonetheless.

[DrakeJoshua]

Wanted eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. idK why people find it that interesting. It was an okayish watch i guess.

[Stirchley]

Wanted eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. idK why people find it that interesting. It was an okayish watch i guess.

Never been able to finish this movie though I have tried.

[I_Wear_Pants]

I didn't, and I'm not familiar with the Tempest, but I do know that that junk of a script is nothing like anything written by Shakespeare!!
I suspect any connection is very nominal. Interesting nonetheless.

How can you know that if you aren't familiar with it?

[Robert the List]

How can you know that if you aren't familiar with it?
I am familiar with works of Shakespeare and the quality of his playwriting, and I am familiar with the film The Forbidden Planet and the quality of its plot and script.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDg3NjY2ZGUtNzcwNy00NjFhLWJhZDMtNmIyM2JkYzE5YTI1XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg



3

[I_Wear_Pants]

I am familiar with works of Shakespeare and the quality of his playwriting, and I am familiar with the film The Forbidden Planet and the quality of its plot and script.

These are not one and the same. I am starting to lose interest in this conversation. I think I'm going to end my part of it.

[stillmellow]

Watched the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, and it was a lot of fun! The stop motion effects were really good, and the acting was much better than expected. It's still a Godzilla clone, but I enjoyed it. 👍

[Robert the List]

Didn't take any photos, and don't have all that much to say about it, but These Are the Damned (1962)
is a decent sci-fi and horror.
Particularly inventive sci-fi for the early 60s, and it makes a pretty decent job of it.
All things considered, I don't mind giving it an 8.5.

[Darth Pazuzu]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/70/The_Wild_Robot_poster.jpg/220px-The_Wild_Robot_poster.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/ed/Saturday_Night_%282024_film%29_poster.png/220px-Saturday_Night_%282024_film%29_poster.png

October 22, 2024

THE WILD ROBOT (Chris Sanders / 2024)
SATURDAY NIGHT (Jason Reitman / 2024)

Well, last week at the movies was a lot of fun. First up was The Wild Robot, a very cute and very intelligent animated sci-fi wilderness adventure about an all-purpose service robot named Roz (the voice of Lupita Nyong'o) - part of the ROZZUM series - who, due to an accident, finds herself stranded on an island populated by wildlife and devoid of humans to serve. Therefore, she must find herself a purpose and develops relationships with the local wildlife, as well as serving as a foster mother to an orphaned goose named Brightbill (Kit Connor). She is aided in her efforts by a sly fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal). I don't want to drone on any further, so I'll just say that it's a very fun, very entertaining animated feature, with very funny dialogue, lots of laughs, intelligent observations about modern society as well as questioning whether competition vs. cooperation is the key to survival, and a genuine sense of poignancy. There's a little something for everybody here, and I would heartily recommend it to anybody.

Next up, we've got Saturday Night, the true story of the chaotic events leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live on October 11, 1975. A very put-upon and stressed-out Lorne Michaels (a very good Gabriel LaBelle) - with only 90 minutes until showtime - is trying to deal with on-set accidents, friction between the actors, and a rebellious crew. On top of that, network man David Tebet (Willem Dafoe) has arrived on set and although the man is outwardly encouraging, it's 50/50 odds on whether or not he'll give this counter-culture longshot a chance and allow it to air live at the appointed time. For when asked what exactly the show is about, Lorne can't really give an easy answer. On top of that, he needs to encourage a very rebellious and wasted John Belushi (Matt Wood) to sign his contract before showtime. In the meantime, things threaten to get ugly between Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith) and Milton Berle (J.K. Simmons), the puritanical NBC censor Joan Carbunkle (Catherine Curtin) spars with Michael O'Donoghue (Tommy Dewey) and host George Carlin (Matthew Rhys) makes his own feelings known in no uncertain terms. In short, a quite famously bad case of last-minute collective showbiz jitters. But as history has proven, Saturday Night Live did make it to air, and has been entertaining us for the past 50 years. Very funny, very inspirational, and the actors playing the original SNL cast are very good in their roles, in particular Lamorne Morris as a perplexed Garrett Morris (no relation).

[Robert the List]

I downgraded The Day the Earth Stood Still to an 8.75.
The alien guy (who should really have been played by Henry Fonda) does get quite tiresome.

[ueno_station54]

https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/film-poster/5/0/3/5/8/50358-jacob-s-ladder-0-2000-0-3000-crop.jpg?v=f2a3a739d6
rating_3

[*Sky*]

Notorious (1946) - Alfred Hitchcock: 7/10

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/98/Casse-t%C3%AAte_chinois_poster.jpg
By C@rtelesmix, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40859594

Chinese Puzzle - (2013)

Well, I at least proved that you can watch this third entry in Cédric Klapisch's "Spanish Apartment" trilogy without having seen the first two, and still get what's going on without any problems. I guess wherever Xavier (Romain Duris) is concerning life, you can pick up from where he's at. He briefly fills us in through narration anyway at the start of the film. It's basically about a French guy (Xavier), whose English wife, Wendy (Kelly Reilly), divorces him and takes his two kids to live in New York. Xavier goes to live there himself, staying with his gay friend Isabelle (Cécile de France) - who he helped impregnate so she could have a baby. He marries a nice Chinese-American lady, Nancy (Li Jun Li), so he can stay in America and gets more than friendly with friend Martine (Audrey Tautou) when she visits. His is a complex life, considering his kids and his precarious position in a foreign country with scarce work opportunities - and it all evolves into a drama that approximates a French Woody Allen movie (inescapable consideration because this movie is really focused on living in New York, and takes a loving look at the city.) It was okay - moderately funny, and moderately interesting. It made me feel like moving to New York simply because if you get a nice apartment in a high-rise then there are some spectacular city views on offer.

6/10

I watched Bad Education, Spider-Man : Homecoming and Dream Scenario all for a second time :

Bad Education (2019) I upgraded to 8/10 - Powerful yet fun true-life story about corruption and theft involving a school superintendent (Hugh Jackman) and his underlings stealing from the school they're employees of. Great performances and snappy screenplay - and just as good the second time around.

Spider-Man : Homecoming (2017) I upgraded to 7/10 - It might be derivative, but it's still a load of fun and Michael Keaton adds a whole lot to the formula as villain Vulture. That Marvel magic was fading, but there's still some to be found here.

Dream Scenario (2023) Remained a steady 8/10 - I was able to pay a lot more attention to what this was really all about, and although I rate it the same, I enjoyed this even more the second time around.

https://i.postimg.cc/9X1D9BC9/danger.jpg
By RKO Pictures - https://www.amazon.com/Most-Dangerous-Game-Movie-Poster/dp/B001YZHE18, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=102066713

The Most Dangerous Game - (1932)

Really enjoyable and exciting early '30s horror, on par with The Old Dark House. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2501264#post2501264), in my watchlist thread.

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e4/Ike_Countdown_to_D-Day.jpg
By https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTM5NDEwMDUzN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODcwODYyMQ@@._V1_.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51638104

Ike : Countdown to D-Day - (2004)

Ike : Countdown to D-Day was fine. It went through the motions, but at least contained a lot of information that I didn't know about that didn't deviate too far from actual historical fact. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2501572#post2501572), in my watchlist thread.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/18/Bound_movie_poster.jpg
By Internet Movie Poster Awards http://www.impawards.com/1996/bound_ver1.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3926250

Bound - (1996)

Well executed and with a whole lot of erotic and violent snap to it. I had a great time watching Bound last night, and while a lot of the time this kind of film can be disposable once all the twists and turns have been revealed, this neo-noir gangster movie has enough artistry regarding performance and visualisation woven into it's DNA that it's worthy of future rewatches. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2502011#post2502011), in my watchlist thread.

8/10

[Corax]

Alien:Romulus - Sad

[iluv2viddyfilms]

The Horse Soldiers (1959, John Ford) - B-

[Fabulous]

Critters (1986)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/omoQkyiQ94FfyR4gUmA66VXQyZ9.jpg

[Robert the List]

La Belle et la Bête (1946) 9

Cocteau turned his earlier experimental work into unreality here with this marvellously enchanting and compelling fantasy romance; a fairy tale for grown ups, about the power of love.
Using groundbreaking techniques which still look the part 80 years later, he weaves a spell over the viewers just as La Bete does over those who come into his Kingdom.
A beautiful film which, whilst perhaps inspired in parts by The Wizard of Oz (1939), was one of its kind at the time in both ambition/visualisation and execution, and would much later inspire the likes of Guillermo Del Toro. That Cocteau was able to do this in the 1940s was masterful.


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[LChimp]

https://acdn.mitiendanube.com/stores/004/687/740/products/pos-03698-c6552a20fdeaf25a5817200248922322-1024-1024.jpg

MaXXXine - (Ti West, 2024)

Loved the first two (X and Pearl), but this one felt a little off. The ending was quite bad too. 5/10

[Ultraviolence]

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2

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2_5

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3

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.justwatch.com%2Fposter%2F7168545%2Fs718%2Fdevilman-volumen-2-el-pajaro-del-demonio.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=f773e18d4cc6024b622ee94d5169e89ef8a8edeb68429d67bfd7f86da881930e&ipo=images
4

[Sedai]

I downgraded The Day the Earth Stood Still to an 8.75.
The alien guy (who should really have been played by Henry Fonda) does get quite tiresome.

Michael Rennie in the original version? Iconic performance, and no, Fonda shouldn't have played it instead. Top tier classic and is an easy 5.

[FilmBuff]

Michael Rennie in the original version? Iconic performance, and no, Fonda shouldn't have played it instead. Top tier classic and is an easy 5.

https://i.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExd2dweDVwYmpiYmM3Z3ljaWRzeXBxcTNpNm5ld2lnd2t0MnQweDhrZSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfY nlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/PlxkQdfX6kglz5tCdv/giphy.gif

[Sedai]

Managed to get two in last night

The Gate
Takács, 1987

3

https://www.therpf.com/forums/attachments/the-gate-darkbook-record-jpg.1035489/

Perhaps objectively, this is pretty rough, but I used to watch this a lot as a teen so there is a strong nostalgia factor here. Still fun, with some great 80s cheese and fun 80s attire and hair etc. Kudos for playing into the silly satanic panic via heavy metal that was big in those days - I love the detail they put into the Sacrifyx band and lore in this film. Also, for a PG-13 flick, there are some intense scenes that my wife said freaked her out when she was a kid; she is almost 10 years younger than me, so she saw it at a young age. A guilty pleasure that I plan on continuing to enjoy throughout the years.


Kill, Baby... Kill!
Bava, 1966

5

https://film-grab.com/wp-content/uploads/photo-gallery/imported_from_media_libray/thumb/killbabykill049.jpg?bwg=1546976550

I had trouble finding a screenshot for this film, since the cinematography is such total shit. Oh wait, every single frame in basically poster worthy. My favorite Bava, and an absolute pleasure from start to finish. Seminal camera, use of color and set design portray a story that is pretty much perfect for the season. Almost fits in the bloodless category, but it doesn't matter, as it just serves to reinforce its classic status. If you haven't seen this, run, don't walk to see it immediately.

[Torgo]

Kill, Baby... Kill!
Bava, 1966

5

https://film-grab.com/wp-content/uploads/photo-gallery/imported_from_media_libray/thumb/killbabykill049.jpg?bwg=1546976550

I had trouble finding a screenshot for this film, since the cinematography is such total shit. Oh wait, every single frame in basically poster worthy. My favorite Bava, and an absolute pleasure from start to finish. Seminal camera, use of color and set design portray a story that is pretty much perfect for the season. Almost fits in the bloodless category, but it doesn't matter, as it just serves to reinforce its classic status. If you haven't seen this, run, don't walk to see it immediately.Love this one as well and Bava in general.
You've gotta see his Planet of the Vampires if you haven't already.

[Sedai]

Love this one as well and Bava in general.
You've gotta see his Planet of the Vampires if you haven't already.

I've just seen Kill, Baby...Kill! and Bay of Blood, I think. Would have to check his catalog to make sure, though. I will put Planet of the Vampires on my watchlist!

Thank you!

[Torgo]

I've just seen Kill, Baby...Kill! and Bay of Blood, I think. Would have to check his catalog to make sure, though. I will put Planet of the Vampires on my watchlist!

Thank you!Enjoy, and I'll be adding A Bay of Blood to mine. It looks indeed, for lack of a better word...bloody.

[honeykid]

The Radley's (2024) - 2+ It's one of those 'vampires live like normal people' vampire films and it does it pretty well. If you like Damien Lewis you get a double dose of him here, as he plays brothers. One the father and head of the titular Radley family, trying to live a normal life and abstain from his/their vampiric ways, while the other is the 'wild child'/bestial nomadic vampire, all hedonism and blood lust. There's also the wonderful Kelly Macdonald and she's the best thing in it. Without her there really isn't a lot from the drama as she's the heart of the whole thing.

There's some nice touches with Vampire lore and I like the way the story gets kickstarted and its repercussions early on before it finds its groove. From there though, it kind of hits the beats I expected and, for the most part, they play out as expected. This isn't a bad thing and it's done well enough, I guess I was just interested in something else? In having it go another way and I think that's the films main problem. I don't think it's enough of any one thing to satisfy that crowd. Also, I just found bad brother too cliche? Or maybe it was just too much Damien Lewis for me? I don't know. Worth a look though I thought and I'm not sad that I spent the time watching it. But if you're looking for thrills or real horror, there's nothing for you here.

Housebound (2014) - 2.5+ This is probably horror comedy rather than an amusing horror film? And it ramps up towards the end in a way I enjoyed, but there's a lull towards the end of the second act (I think) which felt like it was winding down, so when it picks up again I was a little surprised that we still had about 20 minutes to go. I was aware of this because Morgana O'Reilly is in it. She played Naomi in Neighbours and she and Rima Te Wiata (who plays her mother) are really good in this.

Dracula, Prince Of Darkness (1966) - 2.5 I know a lot of Hammer fans really like this one, but it's just a little too much of a retread of the original for my liking and without Peter Cushing ((or Christopher Lee for a lot of it) and so it's mostly basic Hammer period stuff and you get the wonderful Barbara Shelley as well. But, while watching it, I just get the feeling that I should just watch the 58 version instead as I'd get the same thing and a better time.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYWU0ZDZiMWMtY2RhYi00NWE5LWIwM2QtMDQ2MDhiZWE5NTU3XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg


Umpteenth Rewatch...The late Dudley Moore is probably remembered for his drunken playboy in Arthur, but I actually prefer his much richer performance in this witty Blake Edwards comedy playing a three dimensional character. Moore plays George Webber, a man having a midlife crisis. He has everything a man could ask for money, fame, a beautiful girlfriend stage actress girlfriend (Julie Andrews) but still feels something is missing in his life. One day while stopped a traffic signal, he gets a glance of a bride in a limo (Bo Derek(, and becomes completely obsessed with her. From the above poster, this film was incorrectly marketed as a smarmy sex comedy which it is not. This is the story of a man who has to go through comical and pathetic journey to learn that maybe the grass isn't always so greener somewhere else. Edwards penchant for physical comedy gets exercised here, but this story is told in a completely realistic vein. Moore is superb and has a terrific ensemble backing him up including Robert Webber as his gay songwriting partner, Dee Wallace as a romantically challenged divorcee he meets in Mexico, James Noble as Derek's father, Max Showalter as a songwriting minister, and Don Calfka as George's sex maniac neighbor. This movie has endless rewatch appeal for me. 4

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTdmOWViYWMtMjVjNC00MDI5LTk3ZmEtM2MxMzFkMzQ5NzNjXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg



6th Rewatch...This 1986 Best Picture nominee is my favorite Woody Allen movie. It's the story of three sisters (Mia Farrow, Barbara Hershey, Dianne Wiest) and the various people who drift in and out of their lives. Woody's Oscar-winning screenplay is witty and intelligent, filled with fantastic one-liners and a depth you don't really see coming. Michael Caine won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance as Farrow's confused husband and Dianne Wiest won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her nutty Holly, though Farrow, Hershey, and the Woodmeister make the most of every minute they have onscreen. A winner. 5

[Gideon58]

https://fr.web.img4.acsta.net/pictures/14/05/05/14/12/283033.jpg


1st Rewatch...Rita Hayworth's steamy performance is the heart of this sexy and stylish 1946 film noir. Glenn Ford plays a gambler who gets hired by a wealthy casino owner (George Macready) to be his right hand man. The boss goes on vacation and returns with a sexy new bride (guess who), initiating on of the steamiest and most intense love triangles ever put on the screen. A lot of the credit has to go to director Charles Vidor who doesn't allow the script to tell the whole story, the camera gets equal time. Most of what is going on between these characters comes through subtle glances and body language, and even when the script takes center stage, none of the characters ever say exactly what they mean, it's all in subtext. And what can be said about Rita's rendition of "Put the Blame on Mame" that hasn't been said. 3.5

[Allaby]

Halloween Party (2012) There isn't much of a plot to this, but it is all about the vibes and the chill. The acting isn't great, but does have some charm. It has some quirky characters and a few funny lines. Worth a watch if you want to hang out with some wacky costumed partygoers for a couple chuckles. 3

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjQ4MDJhZGMtNDliZS00ZTYwLWJmN2ItZWY3NDc2NTFjN2VmXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg


1st Rewatch...This musical was the biggest hit of Marilyn's career, the film she is most associated with and that is no accident. Based on a Broadway musical that starred Carol Channing, this is the story of Lorelai Lee, a chorus girl who has an eye and nose for money and diamonds (in the opening scene we actually watch the girl notice a ring box in the coat pocket of her boyfriend), who in order to get said boyfriend (Tommy Noonan) to propose to her, takes a cruise to Paris with her BFF Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell). The girls don't know that the boyfriend's father has sent a detective (Elliott Reid) on the cruise to keep an eye on Lorelai, but he is distracted when he falls hard for Dorothy. This sparkling musical directed by Howard Hawks has a lot going for it, but the thing you go away from this movie with is why the love affair between Marilyn and the camera lens was so intense. No matter what else was going on in this movie, I just couldn't take my eyes off of her. There will never be another Marilyn. Musical highlights include "Two Little Girls From Little Rock", "Bye Bye Baby", "When Love Goes Wrong", and of course Marilyn's "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend", which has become part of pop culture. And if you look close, you will notice Julie Newmar and George Chakiris as dancers in that number. Charles Coburn and little George Winslow also garner laughs as wealthy passengers who fall under Marilyn's spell. And I didn't notice this the first time I watched, but the actress who plays Coburn's wife, Lady Beekman is Norma Varden, who twelve years later would play Captain von Trapp's housekeeper in The Sound of Music. 4

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTkwOTU4OTg2MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzQ3NjkxMQ@@._V1_.jpg



2.5

[Marco]

An Inspector Calls (2015)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5a/An_Inspector_Calls_%282015_TV_film%29.jpg
An interesting adaptation of the JB Priestley novel. An upper-class family are visited by an inspector over the suicide of a pregnant young woman that they had all individually wronged in some way. Driving her from a dedicated worker at the family factory seeking workers rights to eventual prostitution through despair. I'd never seen/read this but had heard of it as my son did it at school. For those who have, the one big question is about the ending.....who was "The Inspector" and how did he have the knowledge to pose the questions pre-incident???
3.5

[Robert the List]

(1962) short film.
9.75
A superb experience. I want to see a feature length film like this!!
Genius!

[I_Wear_Pants]

I watched A Taxi Driver, the Korean historical drama. Is a great film. I wouldn't say I loved it though. I'm glad I watched it all the same.

[FilmBuff]

I watched A Taxi Driver, the Korean historical drama. Is a great film. I wouldn't say I loved it though. I'm glad I watched it all the same.

Is it streaming somewhere?

[I_Wear_Pants]

Is it streaming somewhere?

It's on Amazon's Freevee. It came with ads which didn't bother me. Freevee is part of Prime.

[exiler96]

Five Graves to Cairo (1943) - Early BIlly Wilder; automatically gets the shit luck of being compared to his latter masterpieces. I don't know if it totally deserves it's 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes but it's a movie not to be missed... I only wish I had seen it with subtitles and maybe a more relaxed mindset to pick up on it's naunces some more, especially those regarding Peter van Eyck's character and performance.

What is there to see is an entertaining war-set story with some thrilling character moments among the protagonist (Franchot Tone, unforgettable face from Mutiny on Bounty starring here as a British soldier finding himself in the role of a servant in an egyptian bar hosting German officers during WW2. Yeah! ), a lovely (and multi-layered) Anne Baxter and Field Marshal Rommel himself (an expectedly wonderful Eric Von Stroheim). Even though it mostly takes place in the saloon building and it's corners, Wilder milks the situation to create some visually outstanding moments, take the fight between Tone and Van Eyck scene for example.

It just lacks a memorable finishing spark like that time when Robinson lights up MacMurray's last smoke, or when Gloria announces she's ready for her close-up, or when we were reminded that nobody's perfect, or that that's another story...

https://blueprintreview.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/five-graves-to-cairo-1b.jpg

[iluv2viddyfilms]

Judge Priest (1934, John Ford) - A

[Fabulous]

The Witches (1990)

3.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/mZXX3WIGjJEc3mCKO5W2vMenhpa.jpg

[ueno_station54]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/17/Smile_2_%282024%29_poster.jpg
4

[PHOENIX74]

I took a dip into Spy Thriller territory yesterday - the initial wobbly Frederick Forsyth/John le Carré/Alistair MacLean adaptations. I used to enjoy reading these novels in my early teens.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/50/Odessa_file_movieposter.jpg
By May be found at the following website: http://www.movieposter.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7492944

The Odessa File - (1974)

I remember reading this a lifetime ago. I also remember cheating in English class by pretending to read it for an assignment when I'd actually already read it, and feeling guilty when the teacher lauded my achievement of roaring my way to the halfway point of the novel while I was actually only pretending to read it for the first time having recently already read it. I thought to myself "I'm probably pretending to read this too fast." It really didn't matter, because my family were moving to the country before the assignment was due. My conversation with the teacher probably went something like this :

"So, you going to finish reading The Odessa File?"

"Yeah. I'm going...it's great...it's a great....yeah, I'm going to read it..."

"You seem to have been roaring through that. I thought you'd finish it in days, but since then you've slowed down considerably."

"Yeah. I mean it was really...I had a...lately...."

"Anyway, make sure you finish it! It has a great ending."

"Oh yeah. That's a....I mean it really....I'm loving it...."

Awkward guilty conversations still haven't improved for me.

But the movie! The movie is only a little bit boring in places - there's an investigative phase where you don't really feel Peter Miller's (Jon Voight - with a German accent) life is in danger, but he does a lot of travelling around and questioning person after person - I feel like the adaptation is nearly too faithful to the book, and that an action scene or two could have been invented - this runs 130 minutes, and we have to wade through a feature's worth of investigation before the life-risking and exciting stuff starts to up the ante. (The poster hints at the film's most famous moment, half way through when Miller is pushed in front of a subway train.) It's dogged and faithful in ways that don't translate really well to cinema, but it redeems itself somewhat with a really satisfying ending (Maximilian Schell really kills it as an unapologetic former SS officer trying to claim Germany's economic successes are somehow related to the killing off of inferior Germans during Hitler's reign - slimy and calculating while Miller holds a certain ace up his sleeve.) I liked it okay enough.

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ee/The_Looking_Glass_War_%28film%29.jpg
By https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZDMxMzRmNzktYjU4NC00NGEzLWI0ZTMtM2FhNzMzMzA1NmU3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA@@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,65 5,1000_AL_.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61450297

The Looking Glass War - (1970)

Just look at that slightly tarnished poster for The Looking Glass War - how many original intact posters are out there? I mean, it's pretty obscure, right? Anyway, this movie had moments where it soared, but unfortunately as a whole it's a little clunky. America's answer to Alain Delon, Christopher Jones, features as lead character Leiser - A Polish misfit recruited and forcefully molded into a spy for a shadowy group of British spooks. One of them, John Avery, is played by a young Anthony Hopkins. This doesn't play the whole spy genre straight and instead delights in unusual scenes where characters do things you'd never expect them to do - especially Leiser, who unravels as soon as he crosses the border into Soviet-dominated East Germany. I'd love to rate it solely on it's great moments - but the overall package is disjointed. There no sense of rhythm or pace, or sense of a satisfying whole. Despite that, I really enjoyed my time with The Looking Glass War. Hopkins is really good in this. Christopher Jones looks great - and it's a shame he quit acting on the cusp of superstardom (some say part of the reason for that was the murder of close friend Sharon Tate.)

6/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/94/When_Eight_Bells_Toll.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=26360161

When Eight Bells Toll - (1971)

Okay, When Eight Bells Toll sucked. All the more amazing to think that this was meant to knock James Bond off his perch immediately after the retirement of Sean Connery from his iconic role. Yes - Philip Calvert (played gamely by Anthony Hopkins) was supposed to supersede James Bond. Producers Elliott Kastner and Jerry Gershwin were so sure they were onto a winner that they commissioned more Calvert novels from Alistair MacLean (my DVD is telling me it's Alistaire MacLain - but it's not - who was in charge of designing that DVD cover?) Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue like James Bond - Philip Calvert. "The name's Calvert? Philip Calvert?" Care for a brandy old chap? Anyway, he's a superspy sent to find out where a bunch of pirated ships with gold bullion on them went - and I don't know if he has a license to kill, but he does kill so many people before declaring "This is the only logical place to purposely sink a ship!" and by Jove, he's right somehow. So he kills everybody except for the luscious big-breasted baddie who he amazingly gives a bar of gold to and sends on her way. Hey - if you do Philip Calvert you get concessions. He's having to compete with James Bond - he needs all of the sexual help he can get. What really makes this a third-rate James Bond rip-off is the horrible location we're stuck with for the duration - a cloudy, rock-strewn ugly Scottish coast with nothing remotely cinematic to wow us with. In the meantime Calvert breaks necks, shoots, stabs, drowns and rams his boat into as many people as he can in-between bouts of bedding the lady with the big boobs who he knows is a baddie but can't resist. No quips - just Hopkins and his curt "I don't have dandruff!" which may have become Philip Calvert's famous catchphrase.

4/10

[I_Wear_Pants]

I just watched this one:
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=101975
I quite liked it. I guess Mary Philbin was a bigger star than Conrad Veidt when even the titular character's actor doesn't even get top billing.

Anyway it's a solid film. Man Who Laughs doesn't have really anything wrong with it, aside from a few narrative character blunders, and the Iron Maiden, which were stylistic choices more than anything, and I wouldn't say it's the best at anything either. Still, from start to finish, I was engaged and entertained and enthralled.

The character of Gwynplaine, the titular Man Who Laughs, is the visual inspiration for DC's Joker. The characters weren't that similar from my minimal knowledge of Joker. I can see the striking visual similarities though.

[iluv2viddyfilms]

The Man Who Laughs has some of the most haunting and horrifying images in cinema, and it's a truly great silent film. They just don't make em' like that these days... well maybe Robert Eggers who is doing some amazing things with the genre and style of filmmaking, oh and of course Guy Maddin. But yeah, The Man Who Laughs is legit.

[I_Wear_Pants]

Yeah the imagery is great. I love the visuals. It's a fine film. I know that wasn't in depth but I've not felt well all day and I'm starting to feel crappy again.

Addendum; I thought the drama was really good along with the visuals. I think my biggest gripe is the characters made some poor decisions, even though they were crucial to the story. I wasn't quite sure why Ursus waited for Gwynplaine to come out of prison when he went into prison so why would he come out an hour later? I don't know. The writing I guess needed some tightening. It works overall even with some nit picks.

Gwynplaine's shame for the permanent smile was done really well though, which worked with how people reacted and responded to it. I liked that aspect.

Overall Man Who Laughs is great with very little reason to complain. I just have issue with some of the plot armor, which I suppose is because I watched it in 2024 when it came out in 1928. Yes I believe that makes a difference.

[Midnight FM]

Collateral

9/10

[Robert the List]

Limite (1931)
I don't really know what to give it, but 9 seems as good as anything.
I don't really know what was happening, and being honest I dozed off in parts of it. But that's really the kind of film that it is. With its beautiful score and mesmerising and often haunting images, you just let it drift you gently down river, and you float along with it.
The images are stunning, as is the fluidity of the movement. Years ahead of its time in that respect. Terrifically played by the small cast.
The director was only 22 when he made this, but never made another film in spite of being clearly a movie genius. It's one where I don't have the knowledge to understand or explain exactly what the movie is (which may be in part because it was reassembled during restoration, and with a missing scene), but where I know what I've seen is genius, and one of the greatest and most vital silent movies.101979
101980
101981
101982
101983
101984
101985
101986
101987
101988

[Sedai]

My wife wasn't feeling well last night, so she went to bed early. I put this on, because she is terrified of heights and will never watch it when I try to put it on.

Fall
Mann, 2022

3_5

https://www.tvmovie.de/bilder/758/2023/11/24/100886-the-fall.jpg?itok=SsYu4g_c

Didn't expect much from this one. I hadn't heard much about it, but it had a decent aggregate so I gave it a shot. It ended up being a tight little thriller that was put together in a well-paced and economical way. It borrows from a couple of other films with its allegory, but still uses its resources effectively to generate some pulse-pounding scenes and it ends up delivering its message fairly well. Obviously some CGI is used, but it manages to be convincing for most of its run time that these people are really 2,000 feet off the ground.

I would think this film's effectiveness with hinge on how much each viewer is affected by extreme heights. As I mentioned, my wife wouldn't even watch it. I am not terrified of heights, but they do sometimes make me a bit uneasy, and several scenes in this film had my palms sweating.

[LChimp]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYjJjZDc5YTUtYTc4My00Yzc2LTkwMGUtOTg3ODIwYzJkYTJiXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg

The Iron Claw - (2023)

Efron's wig was a little too distracting. Nothing really stands out, but it's not bad. 6/10

[Gideon58]

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



1st Rewatch...Some terrific performances keep this slightly raunchy variation on Meet the Parents watchable. The film stars Bryan Cranston as the owner of a small printing company in the midwest who, along with his wife (Megan Mullally) and son, has been invited by his college student daughter (Zoey Deutch) to fly to California to spend Xmas with her and her boyfriend. The family is thrown when they learn the boyfriend, Laird Mayhew (James Franco) is a tech billionaire who lives on a massive estate with live animals wandering the grounds and a dead buffalo encased in urine in his living room. I like the idea of making the prospective son-in-law a billionaire, but this guy has no filter, no sense of personal space, ad has a mouth like a sailor. He also does all the wrong he does for all the right reasons and the eventual bonding of him and dad is a much longer journey than need be. There's a scene involving a paperless bathroom and Xmas party that go on way too long but both Cranston and Franco do a lot of wrong for the right reasons but it takes too long to untangle. Cranston is properly anal as dad and Franco's breezy performance is a lot of fun. Also liked Keegan-Michael Key as Franco's assistant and Kaley Cuoco as the voice of Franco's Siri. There are laughs, but it takes too long to get where it's going. 3

[I_Wear_Pants]

My wife wasn't feeling well last night, so she went to bed early. I put this on, because she is terrified of heights and will never watch it when I try to put it on.

Fall
Mann, 2022

3_5

https://www.tvmovie.de/bilder/758/2023/11/24/100886-the-fall.jpg?itok=SsYu4g_c

Didn't expect much from this one. I hadn't heard much about it, but it had a decent aggregate so I gave it a shot. It ended up being a tight little thriller that was put together in a well-paced and economical way. It borrows from a couple of other films with its allegory, but still uses its resources effectively to generate some pulse-pounding scenes and it ends up delivering its message fairly well. Obviously some CGI is used, but it manages to be convincing for most of its run time that these people are really 2,000 feet off the ground.

I would think this film's effectiveness with hinge on how much each viewer is affected by extreme heights. As I mentioned, my wife wouldn't even watch it. I am not terrified of heights, but they do sometimes make me a bit uneasy, and several scenes in this film had my palms sweating.

That's a lot of cleavage. Really though the movie looks good. I still need to watch it. I had it on loan from the library and never got around to watching it. It was when I barely had the opportunity to use the TV. I should request it again. Yeah it sounds like a simple yet effective film.

[Gideon58]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/718406a50253786002bb81f160a688ca184f6ae4462fbe34e5b17ffa939287cc.jpg



4

[Stirchley]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/718406a50253786002bb81f160a688ca184f6ae4462fbe34e5b17ffa939287cc.jpg



4

I loved it.

[FilmBuff]

https://www.allentheatresinc.com/modules/movies/content/uploads/venom_the_last_dance_3d/venom_the_last_dance_3d.jpg

Venom: The Last Dance (2nd 3D IMAX viewing)
3.5


I didn't really get to talk about the movie's use of 3D the last time I wrote about this - so I'm just going to say that while there's nothing particularly great about the use of 3D in the latest Venom installment, I'm nonetheless glad they bothered with a conversion.

As a first-time director, Kelly Marcel probably was a bit over her head mastering the complex stuff that's involved in a CBM with a lot of VFX - and it's clear she didn't really know how to make great use of 3D.

Still, I'm positive the 3D IMAX version is way more fun than the regular version probably is, since any kind of additional "distraction" helps to make up for the somewhat lazy writing that's in display here - and the overall deliberate cheesiness of the whole trilogy, which probably reaches new heights in the third movie.

There's a lot of things that could probably have been greatly improved by a quick consultation from a talented script doctor - but it's just as well that the trilogy has now seemingly concluded, without crashing at the box-office but clearly showing signs that perhaps it's a good time for Sony to move on and do something different.

[iluv2viddyfilms]

I think my biggest gripe is the characters made some poor decisions, even though they were crucial to the story. I wasn't quite sure why Ursus waited for Gwynplaine to come out of prison when he went into prison so why would he come out an hour later? I don't know. The writing I guess needed some tightening. It works overall even with some nit picks.


Great point. I myself, right or wrong, do tend to be more forgiving... VERY forgiving with the writing and plot when it comes to silent films, just because the medium of film was so new and it wasn't really until some great filmmakers burst onto the scene in the 1930s with early "talkies" such as Ernst Lubitsch, Howard Hawks, Frank Capra and so on that dialogue, continuity, plot elements, etc took focus in using film as a medium of storytelling.

But that's just it. With the silent films, I can easily forgive "poor writing" or elements in the story that maybe aren't explained well or don't match up quite right with continuity or lack of explanation for what's happening on screen because first and foremost in silent films I'm looking at images, atmosphere, tone/mood, and a consistency in overall theme and the story at a macro 10,000 foot in the air view as opposed to the granular minutia. A truly great silent film that I watched for the first time last year, and to be honest, one I had never heard of is called Seventh Heaven. There's some plot inconsistencies in that too, but it's a great A+ film for me. The same thing with some of the other great silent pictures such as Greed, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and Sunrise.

If I can get behind the characters, tell them apart, marginally understand what's happening in the story, even if I can't explain every single scene or how and why we got there, I'm perfectly OK with that. Silent film is about emotion, tone, and being absorbed into an entirely unique and otherworldly realm of storytelling. And it's great.

Here's a very rough copy of Seventh Heaven that someone uploaded on youtube. The version I saw was much clearer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frH9lRHyn8o

[iluv2viddyfilms]

Collateral

9/10

Is that the Michael Mann film with what is perhaps the single greatest two seconds of gunplay on film?

[I_Wear_Pants]

Great point. I myself, right or wrong, do tend to be more forgiving... VERY forgiving with the writing and plot when it comes to silent films, just because the medium of film was so new and it wasn't really until some great filmmakers burst onto the scene in the 1930s with early "talkies" such as Ernst Lubitsch, Howard Hawks, Frank Capra and so on that dialogue, continuity, plot elements, etc took focus in using film as a medium of storytelling.

But that's just it. With the silent films, I can easily forgive "poor writing" or elements in the story that maybe aren't explained well or don't match up quite right with continuity or lack of explanation for what's happening on screen because first and foremost in silent films I'm looking at images, atmosphere, tone/mood, and a consistency in overall theme and the story at a macro 10,000 foot in the air view as opposed to the granular minutia. A truly great silent film that I watched for the first time last year, and to be honest, one I had never heard of is called Seventh Heaven. There's some plot inconsistencies in that too, but it's a great A+ film for me. The same thing with some of the other great silent pictures such as Greed, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and Sunrise.

If I can get behind the characters, tell them apart, marginally understand what's happening in the story, even if I can't explain every single scene or how and why we got there, I'm perfectly OK with that. Silent film is about emotion, tone, and being absorbed into an entirely unique and otherworldly realm of storytelling. And it's great.

Here's a very rough copy of Seventh Heaven that someone uploaded on youtube. The version I saw was much clearer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frH9lRHyn8o

That's certainly fair enough. I get what you mean. Man Who Laughs really has very little negatives even if we include some minor story gripes. Most of the story gripes I have are still done today as well. I liked Man Who Laughs quite a lot, and I could see some silent tropes.

I'm not trying to sound like I disliked the film. It's great and I liked it a lot. I did consider watching it again in a few months now that I know what to expect and see what I think of it upon rewatch. Silent films have a different style, to which you alluded, which is a bit of an adjustment. It's not a bad thing though.

[FilmBuff]

Is that the Michael Mann film with what is perhaps the single greatest two seconds of gunplay on film?

I thought that was Heat... ;)

[iluv2viddyfilms]

The Last Hurrah (1958, John Ford) - A - Ranks up there with A Face in the Crowd as one of the great political satires of the 1950s.

[Midnight FM]

Is that the Michael Mann film with what is perhaps the single greatest two seconds of gunplay on film?
That's right.

[iluv2viddyfilms]

I thought that was Heat... ;)

Well, he said Collateral. It's true, Heat is widely recognized for the great gunplay and AR-15 reloads by Val Kilmer, but I'm referring to the lightning fast Mozambique Drill as Tom Cruise easily dispatches two thugs in the alley with his HK USP.

Numerous "gun nuts" have commented that this is the best single moment of gunplay they've seen on film and as someone who has fired thousands of rounds downrange in my lifetime, I can tell you that something like that would be very difficult to do from the draw, but is very doable with drilling and training, but yeah they got it perfect and Cruise nailed it.

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

[Marco]

Race with the Devil (1975)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7a/RaceWithTheDevil.jpg
A pretty decent thriller with a fair bit of overacting in it. 2 couples go for a holiday in a new RV (Believe me, that's a big part of the story). They bump into occultists and witness a sacrifice. After that they are on the run to find justice. This is all ok apart from Peter Fonda's desire to get justice locally and Warren Oates' desire to continue the holiday and go ski-ing (bearing in mind they both witnessed the murder and know its a local chapter of nutters). Decent hokum but nothing special.
2.5

[I_Wear_Pants]

Well, he said Collateral. It's true, Heat is widely recognized for the great gunplay and AR-15 reloads by Val Kilmer, but I'm referring to the lightning fast Mozambique Drill as Tom Cruise easily dispatches two thugs in the alley with his HK USP.

Numerous "gun nuts" have commented that this is the best single moment of gunplay they've seen on film and as someone who has fired thousands of rounds downrange in my lifetime, I can tell you that something like that would be very difficult to do from the draw, but is very doable with drilling and training, but yeah they got it perfect and Cruise nailed it.

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

It's also easy when the script says what happens.

[iluv2viddyfilms]

It's also easy when the script says what happens.

I'm confused. What is this in regards to?

[I_Wear_Pants]

I'm confused. What is this in regards to?

I mean in the effectiveness of shooting someone with a quick draw and fire in two seconds. It's easy to execute the maneuver when the script says it'll happen.

[iluv2viddyfilms]

I mean in the effectiveness of shooting someone with a quick draw and fire in two seconds. It's easy to execute the maneuver when the script says it'll happen.

I guess I'm still confused. A MoFo member rated Collateral 9/10 and I commented how it is a film that a lot of people in the firearms community agree has one of the best if not the best single gunplay moment in all of film.

So when you write "It's easy when the script says what happens," does this mean that you're complimenting the script, or taking away from the power of the scene because somehow what we see on film is not as significant as how it was written - as though those two things were in opposition? Are you taking away from the execution of performing the scene from the actor, Tom Cruise, because it was written well... soooo... "nothing to see here?"

I'm genuinely confused on what point or "claim" you are making. Yes it was written well. Yes it was filmed well, nearly every frame in long shot, and yes it was performed well and yes it's a great scene. Iconic and legendary to tell the truth.

Is the claim that great scenes don't matter because anyone can write a great scene? I'm genuinely confused.

Yes writing is important.
Yes good films like Collateral are cool.
Yes Michael Mann makes great action scenes - among the all time best.
Yes Michael Mann and his crew have great attention to detail and unlike many Hollywood films, especially of and before that time (2004), he wants the gunplay to look, sound, and feel real.
Yes Tom Cruise practiced that and nailed it and it's a legitimate scene in how firearms work and what they do and how fast that stuff happens.
Yes with great filmmakers it's "easy" which is too bad it doesn't happen more often.

Keep in mind too this is before John Wick made this type of stuff "mainstream" in film. This is a time when we were living in a Jason Bourne insane amount of camera edits, close up filming so it's difficult to follow, not always showing reloads or the effects of firearms or technique in long shots, etc, etc and in 2004 we're still only 20 years or less from the insanity that are Rambo films, we're in the midst of Steven Seagal actioners, overly stylized and "cool looking" but unrealistic Matrix gunplay, and Michael Bay is at his most obnoxious best in the pinnacle of his career showing random explosions, infinite ammo cheats, no aiming, no reloading, no real firearms techniques or drills...

So aside from Heat, Black Hawk Down, The Way of the Gun, and a few other gems that had been released by this time... the type of stuff that we see in Collateral just ain't common faire.

Here's a video from Larry Vickers breaking down why the scene works and is perfect and the technique is a REAL WORLD technique and is done flawlessly. Again, maybe you're more familiar with firearms and shooting than I am, but at least in my experience of shooting dozens and dozens of different firearms in nearly all major calibers and throwing thousands of rounds down range... what you see on screen in Collateral, ain't easy. At all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEZeb5lKPkk

[I_Wear_Pants]

I fail to see what the misunderstanding is. I mean the ease of effectiveness. Maybe it looks clean and smooth and true to life, which is all good of course, so naturally props to the filmmakers for accomplishing that. What I'm saying is that Tom Cruise killing those guys in two seconds is easy to do when the script says they get shot and killed. Maybe the maneuver is tough and takes practice in real life. However Collateral is not real life. Collateral is a film.

I shot someone with a sniper rifle from down a hill up to a balcony in a film. It wasn't impressive because it was in a film. It was scripted my bullet would hit him. It took zero skill. That's what I mean here. It took zero actual combat skill to do this. He just had to make it look good.

[Corax]

I mean in the effectiveness of shooting someone with a quick draw and fire in two seconds. It's easy to execute the maneuver when the script says it'll happen.
True, but we don't verisimilitude in film on the basis of the script's "say so."

Rather, we have to judge verisimilitude in terms of our own experience How many gun fights have you been in? Yeah, me neither, go figure. and the commentary of experts in the technical sphere who have the cognitive authority to speak on a topic. This is one of those rare scenes that has been singled out for high praise.

Curiously, this is a kind of genre on YouTube. Doctors reviewing clips from medical shows. Cops talking about police shows and so on. Curiously enough, I've heard tell that My Cousin Vinny has been singled out by some law school profs as offering a very solid depiction of certain legal procedures/go figure. Seems like a stretch to me, but then again, I ain't a lawyer and everything I think I know about the law, I've learned from film and TV.

[I_Wear_Pants]

True, but we don't verisimilitude in film on the basis of the script's "say so."

Rather, we have to judge verisimilitude in terms of our own experience How many gun fights have you been in? Yeah, me neither, go figure. and the commentary of experts in the technical sphere who have the cognitive authority to speak on a topic. This is one of those rare scenes that has been singled out for high praise.

Curiously, this is a kind of genre on YouTube. Doctors reviewing clips from medical shows. Cops talking about police shows and so on. Curiously enough, I've heard tell that My Cousin Vinny has been singled out by some law school profs as offering a very solid depiction of certain legal procedures/go figure. Seems like a stretch to me, but then again, I ain't a lawyer and everything I think I know about the law, I've learned from film and TV.

It's hard though at times because film so often misrepresents actuality that the accuracy of something can be muddled. I concede that the form of Cruise's actions is most likely exemplary of someone doing such a maneuver.

One reason, and not the sole reason, is your notion of there being a sort of genre on YouTube where professionals dissect whether a scene or shot is accurate to what really happens.

I do think realism is good. It's just so hard to achieve. I've seen too many actions in films that are unrealistic for me to take many seriously. Exceptions to the rule are fun though. If Cruise's maneuver here is accurate, then that's good. The cast and crew did a fine job.

And then we get scenes where people are stabbed through the heart and out the back and he has a chance to say three sentences before he dies. Oh my...

[Corax]

It's hard though at times because film so often misrepresents actuality that the accuracy of something can be muddled. I concede that the form of Cruise's actions is most likely exemplary of someone doing such a maneuver.

One reason, and not the sole reason, is your notion of there being a sort of genre on YouTube where professionals dissect whether a scene or shot is accurate to what really happens.

I do think realism is good. It's just so hard to achieve. I've seen too many actions in films that are unrealistic for me to take many seriously. Exceptions to the rule are fun though. If Cruise's maneuver here is accurate, then that's good. The cast and crew did a fine job.

And then we get scenes where people are stabbed through the heart and out the back and he has a chance to say three sentences before he dies. Oh my...
If, as a general viewer, you are skeptical of Tom Cruise's demonstration of fighter combat or gun handling, that's more of a sign of common sense than anything else. This just seems to be one of those odd cases where they happened to do a pretty good job of showing a "pro-thing."

I think the most implausible thing about our action heroes is not that they may exhibit competent technique indicative of training (a scene in isolation may be solid), but that they have a highly implausible string of "Ws" in repeated high risk scenarios. One guy acting in alone in repeated 1-vs-many fights is kind of like beating a blackjack table by repeatedly doubling-down. John Wick movies, for example, show some real-deal firearms and some real-deal techniques (I guess Keanu isn't half-bad at that cowboy stuff and that he has trained with some legit people), but you have to be smoking crack to think that anyone is going to shoot their way through seventy armed thugs to get to the final boss.

[iluv2viddyfilms]

Edge of Tomorrow - C-

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/44/A_Different_Man_poster.jpg
By http://www.impawards.com/2024/different_man_xxlg.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77369634

A Different Man - (2024)

I'll give it this - A Different Man made me think a lot, even though it tries to do a lot of the thinking for us. Have you ever thought about your worst quality - your Achilles heel - and considered what your life would be like if you were free from it? For Edward Lemuel (Sebastian Stan) it's something major - neurofibromatosis, which has turned his face into an oversized, disfigured wonder. He has to endure the constant reactions, attention and absence of physical affection - until meeting Ingrid Vold (Renate Reinsve), whereupon he sets himself on a journey where he'll discover just how much who we are underneath the skin matters. This is especially true when the impossibly charismatic Oswald (Adam Pearson - you'll remember him as the deformed man in Under the Skin) comes into Edward and Ingrid's life, bringing tough to stomach realizations to our protagonist in this film. This was quite funny in parts, and at times I found it frightening - the only big negative being just how obvious the whole message of the film is in it's final stretch. (The last line felt like being hit over the head with it - I like to leave a movie thinking "what was that all about?" instead of pretty much being literally told.) Not quite, but something akin to a movie written by Charlie Kaufman.

7/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/eb/High_Crimes_poster.JPG
By The poster art can or could be obtained from 20th Century Fox., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1374291

High Crimes - (2002)

This might sound pretty stupid, but I was hoping the soldiers accused of massacring civilians in El Salvador had of been under the influence of hallucinogens or some other drugs to add a bit of sparkle to this film's dull, literal title. There are many twists in this film, and all of them bland, rote, simple and unsurprising - making this an uninspiring dud of a legal thriller. Crack lawyer Claire Kubik's (Ashley Judd) husband Tom (Jim Caviezel) is picked up on a warrant left over from his Marine Corps days when he had a different name - was he fleeing because he'd killed civilians in El Salvador? Kubik enlists the help of military law guru Charlie Grimes (Morgan Freeman) and the green lawyer this case was assigned to, First Lieutenant Terence Embry (Adam Scott) to try and save him from the death penalty. I could see everything that was about to happen from a mile away so while I wasn't really bored I wasn't thrilled or surprised either. A tasteless sausage in a genre that should offer spicy chicken wings.

5/10

[Fabulous]

I Love You, Man (2009)

4

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/8xYdOj57JD1OFYv1a7zlXKHQU6p.jpg

[Ultraviolence]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cinema-lepalace.com%2Fmedias%2Fimages%2Ffilms%2F158320.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=2ce62a4d88054a10b43c8c68983b99ddd63b9deb67516559b07d7f152e9c84d7&ipo=images
3
Funny surrealist horror movie. I like how this movie embraces the absurd. The gore is extremely entertaining and funny. Art, the clown is quite charismatic. Excited to see the third movie this weekend.

[Sedai]

Loop Track
Sainsbury, 2023

2

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/a8dfdef087d08b85359c27666376a027f48b47e5c7d54bc58ac5061036215e01._SX1080_FMjpg_.jpg

The premise of this film seemed right up our alley, what with my whole family being avid hikers. Right off the bat, we both found ourselves being pretty annoyed with the main character. While I did have some empathy for him in the sense that this was some sort of allegory for battling mental illness or social anxiety, the guy was just ultra annoying, so I found myself being pretty ambivalent to his plight. Not only that, but the guy he meets in the woods was also really annoying, especially to my wife, who kept complaining about him as we watched.

The straw that broke the camel's back was the third act, that careened into pretty silly territory. I just sort of rolled my eyes and accepted the film was just sort of goofy, but my wife was mad she had wasted the time watching it. I will go ahead and rate it as above, but she pretty much hated it.

Sadly, a miss for both of us!

[FilmBuff]

https://dx35vtwkllhj9.cloudfront.net/verticalentertainment/the-storied-life-of-aj-fikry/images/regions/us/onesheet.jpg

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
2.5


The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is definitely a misfire, but a fascinating one.

First of all, I should say this one should appeal to anyone who is inclined to like movies with a literary theme or characters who are authors or whose lives revolve largely around books.

It also boasts a pretty likable cast: Kunal Nayyar and Lucy Hale, headlining; and Christina Hendricks and David Arquette absolutely great in supporting roles.

Where the movie goes sideways in a very oddball way is in the way that it tells a very offbeat story in a way that simultaneously makes you feel for the characters and also kind of makes you want to distance yourself from them at some key moments, where they exhibit increasingly unlikely behavior.

Having said that, the locations are very beautiful and the way characters obsess over literary themes is kind of charming.

[Allaby]

Halloween Friends (2022) Watched on Tubi. A horror comedy anthology with an unusual wraparound device. Freddy's wife, Jason's daughter, and Michael's sister are friends and tell short horror stories. A couple of the short films are entertaining. The whole thing is pretty goofy and silly. It's not great, but I liked it. 3

[Allaby]

All Hallows' Eve (2016) This was cute in a cheesy sort of way. It's predictable and cliched, but has some charm. 3

[Thief]

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
(2010, Bayer)
Horror film from the 2010s

https://i.imgur.com/ONZl1lQ.jpeg


"I'm starting to dream with my eyes open. I can't tell what's real anymore. I haven't slept in three days. If I sleep, I dream. If I dream, I'm dead."



This remake follows the basic template of the original, with a group of teenagers being terrorized in their dreams by Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley), a child molester that was burned alive by the parents of his victims years before. Having somehow blocked those memories, some of the kids start realizing what is going on so they decide to end their nightmares in order to sleep in peace again.

First of all, I appreciate that it goes back to its roots of making Freddy really scary, as opposed to the wisecracking goofball that plagued most of the sequels. Part of that is in the story/writing, but part of that is also in the casting and performance of Haley. The most important thing is that he's not trying to imitate Robert Englund, but adding his own take to Freddy. His pace, body movement, and mumbling add a certain muted menace to the character that I enjoyed.

Grade: 2.5


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2502954#post2502954)

[Allaby]

Black Pumpkin (2018) This was pretty fun. I liked the main characters and it was entertaining. 3.5

[pahaK]

This remake follows the basic template of the original, with a group of teenagers being terrorized in their dreams by Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley), a child molester that was burned alive by the parents of his victims years before. Having somehow blocked those memories, some of the kids start realizing what is going on so they decide to end their nightmares in order to sleep in peace again.

If I could (or were forced to) remake this, I would make Freddy's alleged child molester reputation count. In other words, I'd like to see Freddy who targets tweens instead of late teens (who, at least physically, are more like young adults).

The 2010 remake offered nothing new to the original and should never have been made.

[iluv2viddyfilms]

Harvey (1950) - A

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/78/Halloween_III_Season_of_the_Witch_film_poster.jpg
By The poster art can or could be obtained from Universal Pictures., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24902935

Halloween III : Season of the Witch - (1982)

One of my favourite horror films. When Halloween III came out I didn't necessarily think it was going to feature Michael Myers, but I thought it was going to be connected to the universe he exists in. I thought it might be a kind of spin-off, and we'd touch on why he was the way he was while going off in a new direction. Back then, when first watching this, I slowly started to get the feeling it had nothing to do with the first two films, and then I saw the TV commercial for Halloween which confirmed that this was set in a universe that had nothing to do with the first two films. I felt cheated, because I thought sequels were like chapters in books, where a story continues. Funnily enough, my feelings of anger over that overshadowed the fact that I'd kind of enjoyed the movie itself. It took years and repeated viewings (of which I always came away liking the film even more) before I came to regard this stand-alone sequel as the best Halloween film barring the original. I'm a huge fan. Dan O'Herlihy's wickedly evil performance is brilliant, and if you watch him closely you'll see all kinds of little nuances in it. The story, combining ancient folk horror and modern technology, is creepy and was very original in it's day. The whole "bugs and snakes" weird and ghastly horror (they just erupt from people's heads when they wear these specific Halloween masks) is inspired, sickly and truly frightening. Every moment of horror in this works so well. I don't watch this every Halloween, but I sometimes do. I really enjoyed it yet again last night.

8/10

https://i.postimg.cc/q7QN0gsL/big-heat.jpg
By "Copyright 1953 Columbia Pictures Corp." - Scan via Heritage Auctions. C, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=88034804

The Big Heat - (1953)

The Big Heat ticks so many boxes as far as great film noir traits go, and good movies period. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2502841#post2502841), in my watchlist thread.

9/10

[Fabulous]

The Other (1972)

3

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/veDQ2dMbldgWBPVx8UkXeAPy9Rf.jpg

[Gideon58]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/57/There%27s_No_Business_Like_Show_Business_movie_poster.jpg


1st Rewatch...This lavish movie musical directed by Walter Lang (The King and I ) chronicles a family vaudeville act called the Five Donahues, Molly (Ethel Merman), husband Terry (Dan Dailey) and their three children Tim (Donald O'Connor), Katy (Mitzi Gaynor) and Steve (Johnnie Ray), whose act falls apart when Steve decides to quit to become a priest and an ambitious showgirl (Marilyn Monroe) becomes an obsession of Tim's. The film features just about every song Irving Berlin ever wrote, either performed or utilized as background music. The film features lavish settings and costumes and the cast is terrific, but Marilyn is the show here, proving once and for all that she was no dumb blonde she just played on a lot, because her character here, Vicky, is no dummy and just like in Gentleman Prefer Blondes, whenever Marilyn is onscreen, you can't take your eyes off her. The musical numbers are brilliantly choreographed by Robert Altman, I especially loved the multi-language version of "Alexander's Ragtime Band" performed by the Donahues and Marilyn's "Heat Wave". This is also another one of those 50's musicals that features George Chakiris in the chorus. 3.5

[iluv2viddyfilms]

Harvey (1950) - A
42nd Street (1933) - A

[FilmBuff]

https://i.imgur.com/ZPq2x27.jpeg

HERE
4.5


If you're a big Robert Zemeckis fan, you will probably enjoy HERE much more than the average moviegoer.

Zemeckis has been experimenting with narrative in so many interesting ways in recent years that it's easy to take him for granted; in some ways, I think he's at his best when he gets to work with Tom Hanks.

His latest movie is a multi-generational saga spanning, well, strictly speaking, millions of years, although for the most part it concentrates on events from the 20th century.

This isn't the kind of movie that I think the average moviegoer will have the patience to really appreciate - the still-camera trick hasn't been used much lately, and it may put off some viewers.

That means essentially that the camera doesn't move at all for 99.9% of the movie - everything revolves around shifting the temporal perspective, sometimes going forwards, and sometimes going back.

Hanks is also reunited with Robin Wright, and they get to play characters from their teenage years to old age, thanks to the movie magic that Zemeckis is so good at playing with. Paul Bettany and Kelly Reilly are also wonderful, playing the parents of the Hanks character.

There's a lot of creativity here, because it isn't easy to tell a story where the camera basically never moves - but Zemeckis and his awesome cast have come through with flying colors.

[I_Wear_Pants]

I watched Triangle, a horror picture from 2009, this morning. It's about stranded yachters who think an ocean liner is going to save them and take them ashore. The ocean liner has other ideas. Last night I added some Freeve films to my Prime Video Watchlist, and Triangle was one of them, so I went ahead and watched it this morning. It is an interesting film that is a little up and down. Overall it's very good albeit inconsistent, I think would be a good word.

The idea feels very much like an episode of Twilight Zone what involves a U-boat captain on an ocean liner that sinks, except Triangle has more gunfire and blood and swearing. I won't give away the ending. I will say it was nicely done. I thought the lead actress, Melissa George, who plays Jess, did a great job in her role. Her support was some good some less good and overall all right. If her character had a month of therapy the movie wouldn't have happened.

Really though the movie is quite good. I am glad I took the time to watch it. I think an 8/10 is a good score for it. It's not perfect. However, it is well-done and rather captivating.

[Darth Pazuzu]

Look out! Here's seven more Westerns! :lol:

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Track of the Cat (William A. Wellman / 1954)
Seven Men from Now (Budd Boetticher / 1956)
Warlock (Edward Dmytryk / 1959)
Death Rides a Horse (Giulio Petroni / 1967)
Jeremiah Johnson (Sydney Pollack / 1972)
Keoma (Enzo G. Castellari / 1976)
Open Range (Kevin Costner / 2003)

Track of the Cat is a Western, it is directed by William A. Wellman, and it's based on a novel by Walter Von Tilburg Clark. But believe me, those are the only three things this one has in common with 1943's The Ox-Bow Incident! If anything, it's proof of Wellman's range and stylistic diversity. It's this very strange tale of a very dysfunctional family living on a ranch in Northern California during the winter months, during which their cattle herd is terrorized by the ravages of a mysterious (and unseen) panther, and Robert Mitchum's character is determined to track it down and kill it. I've read some rather mixed commentary on this film in different books, one writer comparing it to a Roger Corman / Edgar Allan Poe film from the early '60s, and another describing its story as being like a bad Eugene O'Neill play. So I was naturally quite intrigued and quite determined to check it out. And I'm really glad I did, because it's one of the most unique and eccentric Westerns from the '50s.

Seven Men From Now is the first of seven films that director Budd Boetticher made with Randolph Scott and which have come to be known as the Ranown Cycle. This one, alas, wasn't part of The Ranown Westerns box set which the Criterion Collection recently released, so I had to get it separately. And it's really quite good. Not necessarily the best of the seven (I personally prefer The Tall T, Decision at Sundown and Ride Lonesome), but it's definitely worth watching. I mean, Lee Marvin plays the villain, and you can't go wrong there!

Warlock stars Henry Fonda plays a legendary freelance marshal who is hired to deal with some no-good cowboys making trouble in the town of Warlock. Anthony Quinn plays his Fonda's scheming partner, and Richard Widmark is the reformed cowboy who ultimately has to stand up to Fonda. This one's quite a nifty late '50s epic Western, and there's more than just a hint of the Tombstone / Wyatt Earp legend in the story. Oh, and Star Trek's DeForest Kelley plays one of the cowboy gang, so there's a nice bit of icing on the cake! :up:

Death Rides a Horse is one of several Italian Westerns from the late '60s that starred legendary American character actor Lee Van Cleef, best known from the second and third films in Sergio Leone's "Dollars / Man With No Name" Trilogy. John Phillip Law plays a young man whose entire family was killed in front of him when he was a boy, and he has sworn revenge on the outlaw gang responsible. Lee Van Cleef plays the older gunfighter who comes to his aid, and who has his own particular beef with the members of the gang. I must admit, though I thought this was a really good Italian Western, I didn't like it quite as much as other films from the period starring Van Cleef, in particular The Big Gundown and Day of Anger (which also came out in '67). My main problem is John Phillip Law, whose performance I thought was really stiff.

Jeremiah Johnson is a very cool wilderness adventure starring Robert Redford as the title character, a war veteran who retires from civilization and heads up to the Rockies to live as a mountain man. Will Geer plays the grizzled eccentric who becomes Jeremiah's mentor. I thought this was a very effective film, and it's definitely got its share of tragedy and melancholy.

Keoma is an Italian Western from its "twilight" period in the late '70s, during which the sub-genre was kind of fading and on its last legs. Django's Franco Nero turns in his second most iconic Western performance as the title character, a half-Indian Civil War veteran who returns to his hometown to confront his three half-brothers, who have allied themselves with a tyrant named Caldwell who has taken over the town and put it on lockdown while a plague is ravaging the populace. William Berger plays Keoma's sympathetic father, and the legendary Woody Strode plays his childhood mentor George, who has become an alcoholic and must recover his former strength in order to help take the town back. There's also a mysterious old woman who appears to Keoma, who may be a witch or may even represent Death itself. A very strong and compelling late Italian Western, with a bent towards the mystical and religious allegory.

Open Range stars Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner - the latter of whom also directed - as open range cattlemen who run afoul of a tyrannical Irish rancher (Michael Gambon) who largely runs the local town of Harmonville, and whose men have crippled one of their hired hands (Diego Luna) and killed another (Abraham Benrubi). Costner's character is a Civil War veteran dealing with traumatic memories of the conflict, and he eventually develops a relationship with the town doctor's sister (Annette Bening). Whle not quite conceived on the grand scale of Dances With Wolves or Horizon: An American Saga, this movie definitely showcases Costner's ability to deal with more intimate characterizations and storytelling. Of Costner's Westerns, this is certainly more of a "chamber piece." And it doesn't hurt that Michael Gambon is one of those actors who excels at playing villains. (If you don't believe me, check out Peter Greenaway's The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover from 1989. He plays a serious piece of work in that one!)

[Thief]

THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE
(1946, Siodmak)
Horror film from the 1940s

https://i.imgur.com/k89fw3f.jpeg


"Anything can happen in the dark."



Set in early 20th Century, The Spiral Staircase follows Helen (Dorothy McGuire), a mute young woman that is being stalked by a serial killer that seems to be targeting disabled women. When circumstances force an assorted group of characters to converge at the house, she has to figure out who is the killer, how to stay safe, and what's happening in the dark down the spiral staircase.

This is a film I had probably heard mentioned here and there, but didn't know much else about it. However, it is directed by Robert Siodmak (The Killers, Criss Cross), so I decided to jump in and it was a very pleasant surprise. Part of its assets is precisely in Siodmak's direction, which adds a very effective atmosphere of eeriness and dread to what's happening. This is part because of his directing and camera movement, but also for its use of light and dark.

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2503266#post2503266)

[Thief]

THE SKELETON DANCE
(1929, Disney)
Horror film from the 1920s

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


"You never forget how to dance. It's just a matter of your bones working and things like that." --Christopher Walken



Like many early animated shorts, The Skeleton Dance can be seen as an excuse to test many animation techniques. There are owls hooting, bats flying, spiders crawling, dogs howling, and cats arching before the titular skeletons come in. They tiptoe and walk and dance and run, all to the sound of Carl Stalling's music. The coordination of both animation and music is pretty cool.

Grade: 4


---


HELL'S BELLS
(1929, Iwerks)
Horror film from the 1920s

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


"♪ I won't take no prisoners, won't spare no lives. Nobody's puttin' up a fight...♫"



Hell's Bells was released right after The Skeleton Dance in 1929. Following a similar template to Disney's short, this one is set in Hell where we can see Satan and several of his minions dancing around, playing instruments, and having fun... until Satan gets hungry and decides to take no prisoners and spare no lives.

Grade: 3.5


Full reviews on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2503293#post2503293)

[FilmBuff]

https://pics.filmaffinity.com/emilia_perez-766094362-large.jpg

Emilia Perez
3.5


Emilia Perez is one of the most highly-anticipated year-end releases, and there's definitely a very good chance one or more of the actors in it will win an Oscar for their work here - and they absolutely would deserve it.

As for whether or not the movie works as well as its director intended, well, that's a different question altogether. I have extremely mixed feelings about it, because there are undoubtedly things about it that I liked a lot, but I don't think the film as a whole is as good as some of its parts.

Without going too much into spoiler material, I will simply say that the film tries to have it both ways, addressing some very serious social issues while at the same time the main storyline is something out of a telenovela. It is a jarring issue, because the issues are serious but the plot can't really be taken seriously, and people in the movie don't behave like any real person would.

Then there's the matter of the movie looking very much like it was made in a backlot somewhere, even though most of the movie takes place in Mexico City - and there's absolutely nothing in the movie that really could come close to capturing the most majestic aspects of North America's biggest city.

Neither do the musical numbers, for the most part, reflect much of the local culture.

The cast does a wonderful job with the material they've been given, although unfortunately, Selena Gomez stands out like a sore thumb speaking Spanish like a pocha, something that absolutely nobody ever comments on during the movie (the chances of that actually happening in Mexico are about the same as those of the temperature in hell reaching the freezing point).

While watching the movie, I kept thinking that this felt very much like an old man's well-meaning take on some of the stuff that's happening today in the world. I didn't remember off the top of my head how old director Jacques Audiard is, but I still couldn't shake that feeling. Looking him up after the movie was over, I saw that he's currently 72.

So, yes, the movie definitely feels like something put together by an old man trying to keep up with the times, and it absolutely means well and wears its heart on its sleeve, but it also feels like out of the current zeitgeist in some small but very important ways.

This is definitely a movie worth watching - and totally worth seeking out during its all-too-brief theatrical release; it will barely play on theaters before it starts streaming on Netflix.

[iluv2viddyfilms]

THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE
(1946, Siodmak)
Horror film from the 1940s

https://i.imgur.com/k89fw3f.jpeg




Set in early 20th Century, The Spiral Staircase follows Helen (Dorothy McGuire), a mute young woman that is being stalked by a serial killer that seems to be targeting disabled women. When circumstances force an assorted group of characters to converge at the house, she has to figure out who is the killer, how to stay safe, and what's happening in the dark down the spiral staircase.

This is a film I had probably heard mentioned here and there, but didn't know much else about it. However, it is directed by Robert Siodmak (The Killers, Criss Cross), so I decided to jump in and it was a very pleasant surprise. Part of its assets is precisely in Siodmak's direction, which adds a very effective atmosphere of eeriness and dread to what's happening. This is part because of his directing and camera movement, but also for its use of light and dark.

Grade: 4


Full review on my Movie Loot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2503266#post2503266)

Robert Siodmak is a name I had never heard of before until maybe a year ago or so they had a featured collection of his films on the Criterion Channel. I went through near all the selections and his stuff is SOOO good. I especially was fond of Phantom Lady. I don't think I've seen Spiral Staircase however.

Also tonight's viewing:

The Big Clock (1948, John Farrow) - A-

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/91/Secretary_%282002%29.png
By CineMaterial, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59586270

Secretary - (2002)

I've always loved this film, but oh boy - it walks a tightrope through all kinds of highly charged and concerning territory with it's two psychologically complex characters. Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) self harms, and comes from a dysfunctional family - growing up I never had much exposure to people who cut and/or otherwise hurt themselves. I met people as I got older - and it's not a headspace you can really share. She gets a job as a secretary for lawyer E. Edward Grey (James Spader), who battles with shyness and a lack of self confidence, which produces worrying behaviour that should really see him get in trouble, being abusive - but it just so happens that it's behaviour which excites Lee, and that's not something Grey expects or understands fully himself, despite appearances. Making matters more messy is Lee's painfully nice boyfriend Peter (Jeremy Davies). Can this troubling set of circumstances possibly lead to a happy ending? It's all so dark and kind of disturbing, but also funny and slightly crazy. I don't think anyone should relate what happens in Secretary to real life, but as a film it's quite a departure from most any other movie you might decide to watch, and our exploration of Lee is a fascinating journey to go on. Anyone else, and this would be the story of an horrifically abused secretary taking her lawyer boss on in court, but instead turns out to be a raunchy delve into S&M and a love story featuring a pair of damaged souls. Great performances from Gyllenhaal and Spader. A new purchase on Blu-Ray.

8/10

I rewatched Saint Maud (2019) - It keeps the 8/10 score I originally gave it.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/64/Inside_poster.jpg
By Focus Features, Universal Pictures - IMP Awards., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72775428

Inside - (2023)

Inside seems to have a lot to say about art and the artistic process, doing so within the familiar narrative of a protagonist having to survive with limited resources, and in complete isolation while trapped in the apartment he's tried to rob. It's helped along a great deal of the way by the talented Willem Dafoe. Full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2503448#post2503448), in my watchlist thread.

7/10

[Fabulous]

Willard (1971)

2.5

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/cLtR3YuzMytfi5zzMtvzoqN5djv.jpg

[ueno_station54]

my wife and i did a double feature of stuff we rented from the library :)

https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/film-poster/5/5/9/0/0/55900-in-the-good-old-summertime-0-2000-0-3000-crop.jpg?v=43a467f405
rating_3


https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/film-poster/3/1/1/0/8/31108-the-boy-friend-0-2000-0-3000-crop.jpg?v=1b9a349f02
rating_4

[exiler96]

Anora (2024) - My second Baker... the first 30 minutes or so were pretty meh but little did I know that it was all being set up. Best thing about this section is establishing Ani's character and Mikey Madison's performance; who totally convinces us of her profession and world-view. The editing never makes it feel boring.

It really gets going once the russians show up though, one stealing the show from another. I kid you not, my entire theater was laughing for a good hour in the middle... until Ani's disillusionment is completed. Great moments with the mother near the end. QT is quoted word by word at some point, but this thing never feelsl like a copycat, which is impressive.

I preferred if they didn't dumb down (that's the best expression I've got atm) Yura Borisov's character as much as they did, but man, that closure hit me like a Sam Shepard story.

Would make my top 5 of the year (along with Challengers, The Substance, The Bikeriders and Love Lies Bleeding) for the time being....

https://www.comingsoon.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-09-150825-e1728501025181.png?w=1024

[Robert the List]

I failed to finish Under the Skin and Holy Motors, on a rewatch of both.
Both decent enough movies. I think Holy Motors is the better of the two.
Johansen is terrific, but really you can only watch so many blokes getting in a van then wandering around in total blackness before sinking into some gunk, whilst the same musical refrain plays over and over again. Really it becomes vacuous.
Holy Motors is nothing if not original! And I do like that. I also can't deny that it is gripping and absorbing, which is a great sign for a film. It is just such complete nonsense though that I reached the point where I couldn't abide it, and I realised I was only still watching now because I wanted to see Kylie.
I can understand others liking these films, especially HM, but they aren't for me. I'm moving on to something else.

[Raven73]

Plane
7/10.
I was hoping to see Gerard Butler yell "This... is... my plane!" and then kick a bad guy out the door of the plane... but all the fighting took place on the ground. Oh well.
There were a few moments that bended reality too much, but this tends to happen in action movies. Overall, it was an entertaining one.

Airplane (1980) ruined airplane movies for me: at the end when the passengers are exiting the plane after their terrible ordeal, I picture the flight attendant brightly smiling and thanking the passengers for flying the airline. :)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d2/Plane_%282023_film%29_poster.png

[skizzerflake]

Here - This was too sentimental for me. The movie plays out in a a single place, in multiple time spans, ranging from the dinosaurs, the asteroid impact, the ice ages, the colonial era and down to some version of recent time.

People are born and die here, as do dinosaurs. Hanks and Wright are married characters, waning with age and dementia. They lived most of their lives in this house...births and deaths, good times and not-so-good, met challenges, and somehow managed to stay together, not to mention, redecorate that same room a bunch of times

The movie is heavy with seeming heartfelt emotion, to the point that I got overdosed. I basically agreed with the sentiment, but it was poured on too thick for me. My movie partner, generally more sentimental than I am, agreed. We see Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, as well as some supporting characters, at many different ages, wearing many kinds of presumably digital makeup.

By the time it was over, I was wishing for those dinosaurs to stomp on that house.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_id-SkGU2k

:popcorn::popcorn:

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/30/As_Tears_Go_By.jpg
By scanned from the DVD cover, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13199933

As Tears Go By - (1988)

You've got to start somewhere, but there are enough flashes of brilliance in this first feature from Wong Kar-wai that it's imperfections don't seem to matter too much. He's especially gifted at grafting a love story into your average gangster crime film narrative - Andy Lau and Maggie Cheung have serious chemistry as star-crossed lovers Wah and Ngor. Wah's main purpose in life is to protect his idiotic brother Fly (Jacky Cheung), who is so desperate to prove himself on the streets that he keeps finding himself in deep trouble. You can see where it's all leading, but it's no less compelling for that. I loved the Cantonese version of "Take My Breath Away", and I'm surprised at how well adapted Wong Kar-wai already is to his chosen genre, and how you can already see the development of what we'd get from him in later films.

Next up is Days of Being Wild (1990)

8/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/03/Clerks_II_Theatrical_Poster.jpg
By The Weinstein Company - imdb.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56852175

Clerks II - (2006)

I don't know what to say but...I liked this? I liked this. I'm sorry. I apologize to all of those who have a certain reverence for Clerks and found this sequel to be inferior and lacking in what made the first film special. I never really fell in love with Clerks and have a general dislike for Kevin Smith's films, but for some reason this really clicked with me and I found it to be pretty damn funny and perhaps too solid a movie in all departments to feel as anarchic and rule-breaking as Smith's famous debut. I mean, the circumstances are so different - but I guess some would have liked to have seen the guy try to film this on a $100,000 budget instead of $5 million (which was still considered extremely low-budget for the kind of attention-getting property this would be.) I get it, but all the same it had already been done. I enjoyed this as a regular comedy, and compared to many that are out there it still felt fresh and well-written. It actually made me feel like watching the original again, perhaps seeing it in a new light. I'd read so much hate directed at this that I was expecting something soulless and empty - but it didn't feel that way at all. It has something to say and it's damn funny - I like it more than the original... at the moment anyway.

7.5/10

[WHITBISSELL!]

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/30/49/97/304997f7d9fe07b06bd9c72aed1a2250.jpg

The Revenge of Frankenstein - This was an unexpected watch. I ran across it on youtube and had no idea it was a Hammer Production. But it starred Peter Cushing and turned out to be the direct sequel to The Curse of Frankenstein. Anyone who has watched that would have thought it put an end to Cushing's character of Baron Frankenstein but I suppose the opportunity to turn a profit is too powerful. Hence the Baron is back and operating under the name Stein in the town of Carlsbruck. He's successful to the point where the local medical council considers him a threat. Having recognized his true identity one of it's junior members approaches Dr. Stein and blackmails him into taking him on as an apprentice. And so the stage is set for more bizarre experimentation with stray body parts being gathered and brains being transplanted.

I thought this was a bit slow moving with not a lot going on but it does have exemplary reviews and is lauded as one of the better entries in the Hammer/Frankenstein catalogue. I did enjoy being able to check off another entry in my Hammer film watching and Cushing, as always, is money in the bank.

75/100

[iluv2viddyfilms]

On Dangerous Ground (1951, Nic Ray) - A-