Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review

[SpelingError]

Thanks! All of the last three films I reviewed were in the 23rd HoF. OMG that HoF had so many great films in it! I still have more from that HoF to add to my review thread.

Though I missed the 23rd HoF, I'm enjoying the 24th one quite a lot. Though I've only seen a few movies from it so far, I'm looking forward to several of them.

(p.s. make sure to put Vampyr at the top of your ballot after you finish ;))

[Citizen Rules]

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Jojo Rabbit
(Taika Waititi, 2019)



Who knew Hitler could be so fun! At least when Taika Waititi plays him! Oh sure he doesn't look like the Fuhrer, but realism isn't what we really want here. We want to see the lighter side of Nazism while have a good laugh at the Third Reich.

Did this movie go to far? Hell no! There ain't nothing offensive here, it ain't that kind of movie. I mean have people forgotten TV's Hogan's Heros, where Allied prisoners in a Nazi prison camp were played just for laughs and the Nazis were sillier than snot...Or what about Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, which gave us funny Nazis while showing the world the dangers of a dictatorship way back in 1940.

No, Taika isn't the first to cover this subject in this way...BUT in this day and age he deserves all sorts of credits for having balls enough to make Jojo Rabbit!

Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! Especially the first 20 minutes...I don't think I've laughed more at a movie than in the first act of Jojo Rabbit. I do wish the film would've kept the same tone instead it gets more serious with the Jewish girl under the stairs, and that in and of itself worked, but it's old hat and has been done before.

I knew before the film ended that we had to be clearly shown that the Nazis were bad, but I mean come on we already knew that. In fact if the viewer is paying attention we can see just how nutty the ideology of the Nazis really are. I mean they're training 10 year old boys to fight, how daft is that?

Roman Griffin Davis was just perfect as the 10 year old, would be Nazi, who can't even kill a little bunny (and I don't blame him either!). He was really good here. I don't even care that he had an English accent he was perfect in his role and well this is a satire comedy.

Sam Rockwell, nailed it! I loved his sympathetic one eyed Nazi character who acts as a mentor to young Jojo. The last scene he was in was so well done that it makes me want to watch Moon again. Oh BTW those aren't Americans who are machine gunning the captive Nazis, hope you all knew that.

Scarlett Johansson, she was great as the loving but tough German mom. I wish she had more screen time and I don't think she needed to come to such an ending...

BTW hope everyone also knows that the vast majority of Germans during WWII were NOT Nazis and that includes the German Army too.

4

[Citizen Rules]

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Al-Mummia (1969)
AKA: The Night of Counting Years
Director: Chadi Abdel Salam
Writer: Chadi Abdel Salam
Cast: Ahmed Marei, Ahmad Hegazi, Nadia Lutfi
Genre: Drama
Language: Arabic

"An Upper-Egyptian clan robs a cache of mummies and sells the artifacts on the illicit antiquities black market. After a conflict within the clan, one of its members goes to the police, helping the Antiquities Service find the cache."



This film was cursed! I swear it was...I started watching it on Memorial day night when a huge freakish wind storm came up out of nowhere and the lights blinked, then...off goes the power and all was dark. For two days we were without power as the outside air filled with smoke from nearby fires. All very scary too as the fires were so close.

Then after the power came back on, I started watching my video file of the movie, only this time the sub titles ran out at the 45 minute mark. Not being able to understand Arabic, I tried the next night to watch it on Youtube on my TV. Did I mention my TV doesn't like Youtube?...After watching about 15 minutes the stream ended with an error....OK, so I just now managed to watch the end of Al-Mummia on my computer. I hate watching movies on my computer and so never do it.

With all that said, I think this is a very cool movie as it's something I've never heard of before and it's very meditative. It reminded me of a Tarkovsky movie in the way the camera lingered and took it's time on the beauty of emptiness that made up the Egyptian desert. The score too reminded me of something from Tarkovsky. A very effective score!

I of course love history and knew of this remarkable find of a cache of mummies stashed in a mountain cave, as I seen a documentary on it before. But I didn't know there was so much turmoil between the mountain people and the city people over the find of the mummies. For me it was hard not to view the mountain people as the antagonist as smashing a Pharaonic mummy is sacrilege!

I really wish this had a Criterion restoration as I think it's beautiful filmed and effective in it's seductive simpleness and the quality of the Youtube video was lacking.

Did I spell Pharaonic right? My browser thinks not.

4

[Citizen Rules]

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The Fisher King (1991)

Director: Terry Gilliam
Writer: Richard LaGravenese
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Adam Bryant
Genre: Drama Comedy

"A former radio DJ, suicidally despondent because of a terrible mistake he made, finds redemption in helping a deranged homeless man who was an unwitting victim of that mistake."


That screenshot from the Chinese restaurant was my favorite scene. I loved the set design there too with its gorgeous blue and red Chinese motif as a backdrop. The last hour of the film when the Amanda Plummer story line came into focus was more to my liking than the first hour. The first hour was a bit hectic and truth be told I'm not a big fan of Robin Williams. I had hoped Williams might be more restrained in this but he often went into his famous long improvs. While he was really good at improv and stream of consciousness monologues, I had a hard time connecting to his character. I know he would've been very capable of delivering some serious, heart felt drama like other skilled comedians have done if he was reined in some. Perhaps it's Terry Gilliam's indulgences in allowing so much improvisational scenes...sometimes those work and at other times they are distracting from the theme of the movie.

Jeff Bridges was fine here, I never think of him as a great actor but he's always reliable. Some of my favorite scenes were in the video store, gosh I loved looking at that store with all those old VHS tapes on display. I thought Mercedes Ruehl was a stand out, she was especially good during the emotional conflict scenes with Bridges. Mercedes definitely made the most out of her air time.

I wasn't too deeply ingrained into the movie's story but I found things to like. Besides all the aforementioned stuff I just mused over...I have to give a big shout out to the super cool New York City shooting locations.

3.5-

[Gideon58]

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Jojo Rabbit
(Taika Waititi, 2019)



Who knew Hitler could be so fun! At least when Taika Waititi plays him! Oh sure he doesn't look like the Fuhrer, but realism isn't what we really want here. We want to see the lighter side of Nazism while have a good laugh at the Third Reich.

Did this movie go to far? Hell no! There ain't nothing offensive here, it ain't that kind of movie. I mean have people forgotten TV's Hogan's Heros, where Allied prisoners in a Nazi prison camp were played just for laughs and the Nazis were sillier than snot...Or what about Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, which gave us funny Nazis while showing the world the dangers of a dictatorship way back in 1940.

No, Taika isn't the first to cover this subject in this way...BUT in this day and age he deserves all sorts of credits for having balls enough to make Jojo Rabbit!

Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! Especially the first 20 minutes...I don't think I've laughed more at a movie than in the first act of Jojo Rabbit. I do wish the film would've kept the same tone instead it gets more serious with the Jewish girl under the stairs, and that in and of itself worked, but it's old hat and has been done before.

I knew before the film ended that we had to be clearly shown that the Nazis were bad, but I mean come on we already knew that. In fact if the viewer is paying attention we can see just how nutty the ideology of the Nazis really are. I mean they're training 10 year old boys to fight, how daft is that?

Roman Griffin Davis was just perfect as the 10 year old, would be Nazi, who can't even kill a little bunny (and I don't blame him either!). He was really good here. I don't even care that he had an English accent he was perfect in his role and well this is a satire comedy.

Sam Rockwell, nailed it! I loved his sympathetic one eyed Nazi character who acts as a mentor to young Jojo. The last scene he was in was so well done that it makes me want to watch Moon again. Oh BTW those aren't Americans who are machine gunning the captive Nazis, hope you all knew that.

Scarlett Johansson, she was great as the loving but tough German mom. I wish she had more screen time and I don't think she needed to come to such an ending...

BTW hope everyone also knows that the vast majority of Germans during WWII were NOT Nazis and that includes the German Army too.

4


Very pleased that you watched this and I agree with just about everything you said and rated it the same you did. Sam Rockwell did nail it.

[Gideon58]

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The Fisher King (1991)

Director: Terry Gilliam
Writer: Richard LaGravenese
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Adam Bryant
Genre: Drama Comedy
aforementioned stuff I just mused over...I have to give a big shout out to the super cool New York City shooting locations.

3.5-

We're worlds apart on this movie, but I enjoyed reading your review anyway.

[Citizen Rules]

We're worlds apart on this movie, but I enjoyed reading your review anyway.I'm just not a fan of Robin Williams. So far I haven't liked him in anything that I've seen him in. Maybe One Hour Photo will be something I like.

[Gideon58]

Ha, he does look like Vince Vaughn a bit.

I never thought of it until I read this but, facially. there is a bit of a resemblance between Orson Welles and Vince Vaughn:

https://assets.mubicdn.net/images/cast_member/2089/image-original.jpg?1337541337

https://i1.wp.com/tim.blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/vince-vaughn.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1&resize=1200,1200

[Captain Steel]

I never thought of it until I read this but, facially. there is a bit of a resemblance between Orson Welles and Vince Vaughn:



I really see it in Rules's latest avatar - where Orson is resting his face in his hand! :D

[Gideon58]

Yeah, I see it too

[Citizen Rules]

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Christiane F. (1981)



Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (original title)
Director: Uli Edel (as Ulrich Edel)
Writers: Herman Weigel, Christiane Felscherinow (novel)
Cast: Natja Brunckhorst, Eberhard Auriga, Peggy Bussieck
Genre: Biography Drama
Language: German

"A teen girl in 1970's Berlin becomes addicted to heroin. Everything in her life slowly begins to distort and disappear as she befriends a small crew of junkies and falls in love with a drug-abusing male prostitute."


Christiane F. for such a heady, dark subject I felt almost nothing while watching this film. Though I do think it's a well made film. Some films don't touch me emotionally. It just depends if I can suspend disbelief. With Christiane F I couldn't buy into what I was seeing. It all seemed to much like an educational 1980s anti-drug movie. I think I've seen too many movies as I end up watching them to see how they're constructed.

My primary interest with Christiane F. was getting a first hand look at Berlin circa 1981. That and also wondering how Christiane could run so fast from the cops in high heels! I kept expecting her to trip...she did trip, but it wasn't from her footwear choice. I thought the film was shot well and constructed well (because well, I was checking that out, like I said!), but I never believed the story for a second (and yes I know about that).

The actress who played Christiane was too fresh face for me to believe that she goes from baking a cake with her mom to shooting 'H' heroin. I mean she looked 12. All the kid actors looked a little too fresh faced and photogenic to be 'H' addicts.

'You hump with foreigners!'...That movie line cracked me up! It's curious that this German film has one of the worst insults that one can say to another as accusing them of 'humping a foreigner.' Best scene was the puke scene while they were trying to go clean and get off heroin. Wow, that vomit came up in force and was so pink, that is looked like Pepto Bismol. I liked how she puked away all the 'H' that was lined up on the bed, thus causing them to finish drying out.

At the end of the movie I learned this was a true story, I guess that's sad, but then again no one forced them to shoot up 'H'.

rating_3

[Captain Steel]

I'm just not a fan of Robin Williams. So far I haven't liked him in anything that I've seen him in. Maybe One Hour Photo will be something I like.

I missed this comment last week.

One Hour Photo is interesting as a thriller that uses a very original plot device (the photo developing department at a local store) and, like most great villains, the antagonist has qualities that are relatable which, on some level, make him more human & realistic.

But it would probably be a forgotten movie if not for Robin Williams... not that his performance is so spectacular or anything, but that the role was such a deviation of character for him. It's one of the few roles people remember where Robin didn't play a genuinely good guy.

[Citizen Rules]

I missed this comment last week.

One Hour Photo is interesting as a thriller that uses a very original plot device (the photo developing department at a local store) and, like most great villains, the antagonist has qualities that are relatable which, on some level, make him more human & realistic.

But it would probably be a forgotten movie if not for Robin Williams... not that his performance is so spectacular or anything, but that the role was such a deviation of character for him. It's one of the few roles people remember where Robin didn't play a genuinely good guy.That's good to hear, as it makes me want to watch One Hour Photo even more. So far I haven't liked any movie with Robin Williams in it...Well maybe The World According to Garp but that has been so long ago I don't even remember it. The strange thing is Robin was one of my favorite late night guess on Letterman and The Tonight Show, but as a movie character he always seems to be playing characters I don't like. Oh wait a minute, Mrs Doubtfire was funny and he was good in that.

[Captain Steel]

That's good to hear, as it makes me want to watch One Hour Photo even more. So far I haven't liked any movie with Robin Williams in it...Well maybe The World According to Garp but that has been so long ago I don't even remember it. The strange thing is Robin was one of my favorite late night guess on Letterman and The Tonight Show, but as a movie character he always seems to be playing characters I don't like. Oh wait a minute, Mrs Doubtfire was funny and he was good in that.

I think you'll like it (if you're in the mood for a decent stalker thriller) because of the fact that Robin is almost unrecognizable as Robin.

I mean, you know it's him, of course, but he doesn't do any of his usual schticks or portray the kind-hearted, but "always on," fast-talking goofball that he plays in many of his comedy movies. Even his voice, which is still his, is subdued so he doesn't sound like he's doing one of his stand up routines - which is also how he sounds in many of his movies.

I watched a YouTube video recently about the top 10 most out-of-character roles for major stars... and Robin Williams in One Hour Photo was in the list.

As a film, it's also more cerebral than most - focusing on story & character with very little suggestion of overt violence (it's not a slasher flick).

[mattiasflgrtll6]

One Hour Photo is one of my favorite Robin Williams movies. It's a terrifying portrayal of just how far people can go due to loneliness, and his performance is at the least among his top 3 best.

[Captain Steel]

One Hour Photo is one of my favorite Robin Williams movies. It's a terrifying portrayal of how just for far people can go due to loneliness, and his performance is at the least among his top 3 best.

Been watching some clips since I haven't seen it in years, and I think what is so effective is Robin thoroughly becomes the character to the extent that, within seconds, you forget you are watching a Robin Williams movie (there's really no trace of the Robin Williams we've come to know through so many other movies in the character of Sy Parrish).

When an actor can do that, then they've succeeded.

[mattiasflgrtll6]

Insomnia is another movie where Robin plays a very creepy character, though unlike Sy he's completely evil inside and out. Amazing role and performance as well.

[Citizen Rules]

I think you'll like it (if you're in the mood for a decent stalker thriller) because of the fact that Robin is almost unrecognizable as Robin.

I mean, you know it's him, of course, but he doesn't do any of his usual schticks or portray the kind-hearted, but "always on," fast-talking goofball that he plays in many of his comedy movies. Even his voice, which is still his, is subdued so he doesn't sound like he's doing one of his stand up routines - which is also how he sounds in many of his movies.

I watched a YouTube video recently about the top 10 most out-of-character roles for major stars... and Robin Williams in One Hour Photo was in the list.

As a film, it's also more cerebral than most - focusing on story & character with very little suggestion of overt violence (it's not a slasher flick). You described why I don't usually like Robin Williams in his movies, he's always 'on'...but One Hour Photo is sounding better and better to me.

One Hour Photo is one of my favorite Robin Williams movies. It's a terrifying portrayal of just how far people can go due to loneliness, and his performance is at the least among his top 3 best.What are in your opinion his other top performances?

[gbgoodies]

Insomnia is another movie where Robin plays a very creepy character, though unlike Sy he's completely evil inside and out. Amazing role and performance as well.


I haven't seen One Hour Photo, but Robin Williams was great in Insomnia.

[Captain Steel]

I haven't seen One Hour Photo, but Robin Williams was great in Insomnia.

I haven't seen Insomnia (not even sure if I ever knew about it until I heard about today from mattiasflgrtll6), but Robin Williams was great in One Hour Photo. ;)

[gbgoodies]

I haven't seen Insomnia (not even sure if I ever knew about it until I heard about today from mattiasflgrtll6), but Robin Williams was great in One Hour Photo. ;)


I tried watching One Hour Photo a few years ago, but the DVD was damaged. It's still on my watchlist, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

[mattiasflgrtll6]

You described why I don't usually like Robin Williams in his movies, he's always 'on'...but One Hour Photo is sounding better and better to me.

What are in your opinion his other top performances?

Probably Dead Poets Society and Insomnia, though the more I think about it, the harder it is to narrow it down to just three. I mean, his performances in Awakenings, Good Will Hunting and World's Greatest Dad are too incredible not to include.

[gbgoodies]

Probably Dead Poets Society and Insomnia, though the more I think about it, the harder it is to narrow it down to just three. I mean, his performances in Awakenings, Good Will Hunting and World's Greatest Dad are too incredible not to include.


Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting would be my top 2 Robin Williams performances. I also think he's very underrated in What Dreams May Come.

[mattiasflgrtll6]

I can't believe I haven't seen What Dreams May Come yet. It seems like quite the experience.

[gbgoodies]

I can't believe I haven't seen What Dreams May Come yet. It seems like quite the experience.


It's not his best movie, but it's a good movie, and definitely worth watching.

[Citizen Rules]

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The Skin I Live In (2011)

Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Writers: Thierry Jonquet (novel), Pedro Almodóvar (Screenplay)
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Jan Cornet
Genre: Thriller Drama Horror
Language: Spanish

"A brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession."


Wow, that was weird, a really weird film!...Nothing at all like I had expected. I went into this blind and I didn't know what to expect...except I thought it might be visually graphic & gross, which it wasn't.

I have to say subjectively this is an excellent made film with some uncomfortable subject matter that's presented quite seamlessly. I can see why people would really like this. Objectively it's not the type of film I usually watch, though the second to last 'payback' scene was just desserts! I don't think I've ever more wanted to see two evil characters get what they deserved than here in this film. I'm so glad for that scene, it felt like redemption.

I liked the pacing and the art design of the sets too. Everything was very professional and artistically done, nothing seemed rushed. I like how that screen shot that I used...mirrors a nude painting that hangs in the doctors house. I thought that was pretty creative. So was the breakfast scene where the doctor has a small bottle of syrup he pours on his waffles and then licks the bottle, then the maid brings a bigger bottle which turns out to be blood. I don't know why but I thought that was ingenious.

The Skin I Live In, can be interpreted many different ways and films that are open to interpretation are often rewarding in that they allow us to think about the subject matter, as oppose to just watching it. My take on the film was that: *Spoiler... I get the idea from the last scene in the clothing store, that the man in the beginning of the story might have had different gender identity feelings already present, so that in the end his/her fate didn't seem so horrible as she still loved the other woman and now has a chance at a relationship with her. That's how I interpret the film, but those points are left vague so can be interpreted differently.

rating_3_5

[Citizen Rules]

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Al-Mummia (1969)
Al-mummia (original title)
Director: Chadi Abdel Salam
Writer: Chadi Abdel Salam
Cast: Ahmed Marei, Ahmad Hegazi, Nadia Lutfi
Language: Egyptian


"An Upper-Egyptian clan robs a cache of mummies and sells the artifacts on the illicit antiquities black market. After a conflict within the clan, one of its members goes to the police, helping the Antiquities Service find the cache."


This film was cursed! I started watching it on Memorial day night when a huge freakish wind storm came up out of nowhere and the lights blinked, then...off goes the power and all was dark. For two days we were without power as the outside air filled with smoke from nearby fires. All very scary as the fires were so close! Then after the power came back on, I started watching my video file of the movie only this time the sub titles ran out at the 45 minute mark. Not being able to understand Egyptian I tried the next night to watch it on Youtube on my TV. Did I mention my TV doesn't like Youtube?...After watching about 15 minutes the stream ended with an error....OK, so I just now managed to watch the end of Al-Mummia on my computer. I hate watching movies on my computer and so never usually do it.

With all that said, I think this is a very cool movie as it's something I've never heard of before and it's very meditative. It reminded me of a Tarkovsky movie in the way the camera lingered and took it's time on the beauty of emptiness that made up the Egyptian desert. The score too reminded me of something from Tarkovsky. A very effective score!

I love history and already knew abut this remarkable find of a cache of mummies stashed in a mountain cave...I seen a documentary on it before. But I didn't know there was so much turmoil between the mountain people and the city people over the find of the mummies. For me it was hard not to view the mountain people as the antagonist as smashing a Pharaonic mummy is sacrilege!

I really wish this had a Criterion restoration as I think it's beautiful filmed and effective in it's seductive simpleness and the quality of the Youtube video was lacking.

rating_3_5

[Citizen Rules]

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La Belle et la Bête
(Christophe Gans 2014)


Beauty and the Beast (2014)
Director: Christophe Gans
Writers: Sandra Vo-Anh & Christophe Gans (script), Jeanne-Marie (novel)
Cast: Vincent Cassel, Léa Seydoux, André Dussollier
Genre: Drama, Family, Fantasy
Language: French

"An unexpected romance blooms after the the youngest daughter of a merchant who has fallen on hard times offers herself to the mysterious beast to which her father has become indebted."


Impressive film version of the classic French 18th century fairy tale. Beauty in the Beast is a well known story that has been put onto celluloid many times in the past. This 2014 French version imparts impressive world building thanks to the digital age. The enchanted kingdom of a cursed king comes to life with stunning vistas and alluring sets that weave this netherworld into the very fauna of nature.

I was immediately drawn into the story of Belle and her family. Each scene moved with a satisfying pace, taking time enough to weave details into the back story of Belle. Thus we know the kind of person she is and that then grounds the actions she takes when she's imprisoned in the Beast castle. The Belle of this film is presented as a real person... she's both generous and stubborn, kind and yet she's no trinket to adorn the castle walls. She's flesh and blood and very real.

The Beast too is multi dimensional. He reeks of things gone wild. He's no saint, he's a wild creature...a thing that hates himself and needs to earn Belle's love so he can shed his self loathing and reclaim his humanity.

The actress who played Belle Sandra Vo-Ahn was not only perfectly cast but looked fabulous in her period piece, fancy gowns, kudos to the couture.

rating_4

[Citizen Rules]

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Tideland (2005)

Director: Terry Gilliam
Writers: Tony Grisoni & Terry Gilliam (screenplay)
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Tilly, Jodelle Ferland
Genre: Drama, Fantasy

"Because of the actions of her irresponsible parents, a young girl is left alone on a decrepit country estate and survives inside her fantastic imagination."


What the hell!!! I actually liked this film! and I had expected to hate it!

I really liked the first half, which I'd rate a 5/5, it was near perfect. The first scene in the house with mom and dad junkies was actually pretty cool (the house was as awesome set too). I loved the character Jennifer Tilly created. It was a blast how she moans & bitches with her screechy voice while laying in bed like a doped out slug...Then she hugs her daughter, telling her she loves her and will do something special for her one day....But when the little girl tries to grab her stash of chocolate bars and so mom hauls off and wallops her and calls her a little bitch...I thought that was funny because it seemed like a black comedy and a lampoon on a deeply messed up family of junkies. If I had taken these people as real then it wouldn't have been so comical.

Jodelle Ferland was a really amazing actress in this. She was so natural and could convey all sorts of emotions that adult actors would have had a problem portraying. I loved the creative use of the doll heads! And Jodelle Ferland did all the voices too. That was pure genius on Terry Gilliam's part. It was like the little girl had multiple personalities and the doll heads was her conduit to escaping reality.

Oh and the old house in the sweeping wheat fields, wow what a cool location that was! I don't know why but it was even more interesting when the dad OD and she was left on her own. It was interesting how she kept talking to him and dressing him up all the while he was stinking and she either wouldn't admit it to herself or didn't know what the stink was. Such a weird film!

The second half of the film with the introduction of Dickens and Dell, was too over the top for me and I lost some interest. Terry Gilliam like Wes Anderson and so many other directors often go way over the top in the last part of the movie. I guess that's what most people want, but not me. The whole body preserving and creepy Dell character was too silly and too much.

I was not comfortable with the more sexual suggestive scenes between Je-liza Rose and Dickens. I don't think they were needed in the story. In fact Dell and Dickens weren't needed as the actress who played the little girl could've done this as a one person show and pulled it off, that might have earned this film critical acclaim.

The film could've ended with her either alone in the house with the rotting corpse of her dad or with someone coming to take her away. The ending with the train didn't do much for me either.

3.5++

[Citizen Rules]

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DragonHeart (1996)


Director: Rob Cohen
Writers: Patrick Read Johnson & Charles Edward Pogue
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Sean Connery, Dina Meyer
Genre: Fantasy Adventure

A fun watch, with a colorful bad guy and a cool looking dragon too.' CR


DragonHeart reminded me of the opening scene in The Good The Bad and The Ugly where Clint Eastwood captures and turns in a wanted outlaw, Eli Wallach...After collecting the reward money and as Eli is about to be hanged, Eastwood then shoots the rope and sets Eli free, galloping away on horseback to another town for the same trick.

Visually DragonHeart was impressive, such cool sets that were real and built on location. I couldn't find the screenshot I wanted...it's of the water filled rock quarry with enslaved town's folks mining the rock from high up on wooden scaffolding. There was also a long floating bridge over the pond. Pretty cool stuff! So was the castle ruins and the countryside of Slovakia where it was filmed.

I was taken aback at first by Sean Connery's voice coming out of the dragon. The sound mix was such that Connery's voice boomed as if he was standing behind my tv set. Now the last thing I want is a middle-aged Scottsman getting tangled up in all those HDMI cables!

So after awhile I got use to the dragon sounding like Connery, though I wish they would've digitally mixed his voice so that it sounded more raspy with snorty gasps, you know like a dragon would make.

The highlight for me was David Thewlis as the evil, bully king who delighted in being mean, really mean! He alone made the movie and was my favorite character. Dennis Quad was OK, I think his character needed to be punched up more and played larger than life. Dina Meyer was OK too, she didn't get to do much, though she had a fair amount of lines. I liked her better in Starship Troopers.

Let's see, what else can I talk about? I guess that's it.

3.5

[Citizen Rules]

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Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)


Majo no takkyûbin (original title)
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Writers: Eiko Kadono (novel), Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay)
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Drama

"A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service."


My third Miyazaki and I liked it! I found the style of story telling refreshingly un-adversarial when compared to a typical Disney animation story. I appreciated that the film focuses more on the personal tale of a 13 year old girl as she tries to make her way in a new city, as a young witch. Had this been a Disney film her journey would've been fraught with dangerous perils as she overcame huge obstacles, fighting for her life, to finally triumph in the end. But what I loved about this was that Kiki's obstacles were of a smaller nature and the type she might have actually encountered in her delivery business.

I liked the way the story handles the cat being left with a dullard boy and a big dog, in lieu of the stuff cat toy which was lost in the woods. I really expected to see the poor cat tormented mercilessly by the boy and the big dog, an American film would've done just that..and that would've made me cringe. But here that scene reinforces the gentle, nurturing message of the film...The boy might be a brat but he doesn't hurt the cat and the old dog is so sweet that once he discovers the cat toy is real, he curls up next to it and protects it. Loved that scene and I loved how the people Kiki meets cares enough to help her.

I watched this in English dub and I'm glad I did (let's face it ALL animation is dubbed). I knew the cat's voice was very familiar and I had thought it sounded like Phil Hartman but I was surprised to see during the end credits, that I was right. Though I had no clue that Kiki was voiced by Kirsten Dunst and one of the old ladies was by Debbie Reynolds.

rating_3_5

[Citizen Rules]

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Kwaidan (1964)

Director: Masaki Kobayashi
Writers: Yôko Mizuki (screenplay), Lafcadio Hearn (novel)
Cast: Rentarô Mikuni, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Language: Japanese

"A collection of four Japanese folk tales with supernatural themes."


I don't know why but I always expect to see old Japanese films in b&w. So when Kwaidan first starts with those blue and red blobs of artistry, I kinda thought I had the wrong film. Nope, I had the right film...I ended up liking the use of color along with the stylized backdrops for the studio sets. At times I swear I eyed eyeballs in those backdrops...or were they just color globules and the sheer terror of the film made me image them? OK, the film wasn't really terrifying at all. Actually it felt very relaxing and meditative...and had an unhurried pacing where we get to spend time reflecting on what we're seeing. That seems appropriate to me for a Japanese cultural film that brings to 'life' the spirit stories of their ancestors. I enjoyed it for those reasons.

The Black Hair
This one was effective as the sheer guilt that a human can feel is enormous, and when that guilt doesn't subside but grows and festers over the years, that guilt can be utterly devastating. The most effective scene was when the beleaguered man returns to his first wife and they talk of grief and forgiveness. That love bond between them was strong and we see that the man has made a horrible mistake by leaving her. A mistake that will haunt him forever.

The Woman of the Snow
This segment goes very surrealistic in the set's backdrops and lighting, which adds to the other worldliness of it. While not emotionally charged like The Black Hair was, it's story is more fleshed with more set pieces. I don't why but snow covered scenes are always cool.

Hoichi the Earless
This by far was the most elaborate of the stories, it functions as a show piece for the entire movie. We're treated to a retelling of a famous sea battle between two clans, where the defeated end up committing suicide by jumping overboard into the blood filled sea. Their spirits haunt the land, with their faces appearing on the backs of crabs. I loved the music that was played on the string instrument and singing the tale was creative. But what I really liked was the monastery setting. Were the priest sure that the spirits would really rip Hoichi apart? The spirits didn't seem to be a threat. But I guess they were as witnessed by Hoichi's poor ears! When the spirit Samurai approached him and seen his ears, I thought for sure he'd slice them off with his sword...but yikes he pulled them right off. How horrible for the poor guy!

In a Cup of Tea
My least favorite, though the premise of a narrator telling us about old, unfinished manuscripts with no endings was interesting...and if In a Cup of Tea was truly a real, unfinished manuscript than that was a great way to end the movie.

rating_3_5

[Citizen Rules]

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Dragonslayer (1981)


Director: Matthew Robbins
Writers: Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins
Cast: Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Ralph Richardson
Genre: Fantasy

'A young wizard's apprentice is sent to kill a dragon which has been devouring girls from a nearby kingdom.'


I liked it and I'm not saying that out of fond memories either as I've never seen it before. I know I liked it because the film hooked me from the get-go and I was interested in seeing what was coming next.

I instantly liked the sorcerer played by Ralph Richardson. He reminded me of one of the great actors John Gielgud. I thought his sorcerer's layer was pretty nifty looking too. In fact I liked all the cast. The girl who first masqueraded as a boy was good in that she had a certain gutsyness to her. The young sorcerer Galen was OK, not my favorite, but he worked well enough in the role.

What I really loved was some of the script surprises. When the princess' name was put into the lottery, to be sacrificed to the dragon and she was picked...and then her father the king stepped in and drew another name, I was surprised that the film didn't build hatred for the inequity of the rich over the poor by having a poor girl chosen instead. It was pretty interesting that the film had the princess going to her death out of fairness. Though I though it was ironic that the girl Valerian who had escaped the lottery by masquerading as a boy was in the forefront chanting for the princess to be sacrificed. Maybe Valerian should keep a low profile least the village people demand she be sacrificed instead...or maybe she should just lose her virginity:p

I liked the way the dragon looked and it's lair. It was pretty darn cool seeing it's dragon babies eating the princess's foot, ha! That was unexpected so cool. For 1981 I thought this film delivered...and the practical effects were well done. The on location shooting in the Scottish isles was awesome too.

3

[Citizen Rules]

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The Lord of the Rings:
The Fellowship of the Ring
(2001)
Director: Peter Jackson
Writers: J.R.R. Tolkien (novel), Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson (screenplay)
Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom
Genre: Fantasy



That BIG creature who guarded the tunnel under the mountain was my favorite creature and my favorite scene too. I almost hated to see him get killed:( He reminded me of a Ray Harryhausen stop-motion creation. Harryhausen knew how to take his stop-motion creatures and give them a personality of their own...I didn't feel a lot of personality coming from the creatures in this film though.

The movie is made perfect for those who are already familiar with the story. It functions like a beautiful illustration to the Lord of the Rings novel...effectively providing a visual & auditory journey to the beloved story by J. R. R. Tolkien...

...But I've never read Lord of the Rings...and after spending 3 hours with the movie I still didn't feel any magic. I wanted more of the personal tale, more about their hopes & fears...and more character interactions too. The movie functions as an abridged version of the novel where all the scenes are pared down to the briefest moments, it then relies on visuals to do the storytelling. I get that it's necessary for a director to do that when bringing a long and popular novel to the screen. The same thing happened with David Lynch's Dune (1984). To Peter Jackson's credit he was apparently true to LotR novel, where as Lynch altered the Dune novel for film and thus pissed off the fans.

Objectively: The Fellowship of the Rings is near perfect as it delivers what it intended to do and fans of the novel seem to love it.

Subjectively: I was bored with the lack of exposition and felt I never was invested enough to care about what was happening on the screen. It didn't help that I couldn't make out 1/3rd of the dialogue, thanks to the sound mix being extremely heavy on the music score. The endless creepy creatures and sword fighting did little for me either. While I was amazed at the sheer spectacularness of it all, I struggled to have any connection to the actual story.

rating_3-

[Citizen Rules]

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The Dark Crystal (1982)


Directors: Jim Henson, Frank Oz
Writers: David Odell (screenplay by), Jim Henson (story by)
Cast: Jim Henson, Kathryn Mullen, Frank Oz
Genre: Fantasy

I believe it helps to have grown up with The Dark Crystal. For myself, I'd never seen it until now and wasn't a fan.

While I was amazed at the sheer amount of intricate detail and artistry that went into the production, I just couldn't buy into the story. It was clear to me that a lot of the film was based on the puppetry creative skills of Jim Henson, whilst the storytelling itself was threadbare.

The first scene where the narrator explains the world of the dark crystal, went on and on. I found myself thinking, yes we get it, please start the damn movie...I had to laugh at the bad guys, the Skesis, when the two would-be emperors battled for the control of their evil clan. They had these nasty looking swords but what did they do with them? They fought a large rock! But then the defeated Skesis had to pay the price. Surly I thought he was to be killed but no, they merely undressed him and sent him outside...BUT I then reminded myself that this was made for children and so judging it by adult movie standards wasn't fair. And in that vein I could see how children and teens could've loved this film back in the day.

I did enjoy the film once the Gelfing Jen went on his adventure. I dug the house with the one eyed goat lady and the big planetarium device, very cool set. And I flat out loved the forest sets and the swamp too! My eyes darted around trying to capture all the uniqueness of the fauna and life that was there. That scene did environmental world building so well, what a joy to see...and that's where Jim Henson's talent truly shined.

rating_3-

[Citizen Rules]

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Platoon (Oliver Stone 1986)


Wow! This was powerful...and such an emotional watch for me. I felt like I was forgetting to breathe, it was that intense. I'd seen this before too, in fact I reviewed it here at MoFo and only gave it a 3.5. I don't remember why I wasn't as enthused last time.

Since I last watched Platoon I watched an excellent documentary by Ken Burns, The Vietnam War (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877514/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) It's 17 hours long in 10 episodes and riveting! It was a real eye opener about the causes and effects of the Vietnam War including interviews with North & South Vietnamese and U.S soldiers...all who lived through that time. I can say that Platoon is pretty well factual and those types of atrocities did actually happen. Not often, but sadly they did happen.

My favorite part of the film is the first act where we get to know the young grunt Chris, (Charlie Sheen) who drops out of college to do his part in the war effort and finds out it's nothing like he had imaged. I like the set up where his voice-over reads his letters to his grandma. Those letters tell us a lot about Chris and Vietnam too. Then we get the attack scene during the jungle patrol, followed by the atrocities at the village. That was so hard for me to watch knowing those events did occur.

This is a near perfect film and I'm picky about what I call a perfect film. The only thing I can nitpick is the second time Oliver Stone appears on screen. The first time was during a lull in the action so it wasn't a big deal and he didn't speak. But the second time is during the final attack (the Tet Offensive by the North) and seeing Stone on screen for me broke the intensity and realism of that final attack.

4

[Citizen Rules]

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The Mission (1986)

Director: Roland Joffé
Writer: Robert Bolt (original story & screenplay)
Cast: Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Ray McAnally, Liam Neeson
Genre: Historical Drama

'Eighteenth-century Spanish Jesuits try to protect a remote South American tribe in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal'


I have mixed feelings about this movie. First the positive: I loved the South American jungle settings! I've only seen a few movies set in the tropical rain forest of South America so it was cool to see this. The magic of the rain forest is hard to explain. I luckily got to visit the Costa Rica rain forest and spent some time in Panama too, where believe it or not we took a river journey just like in the movie in long motorized canoes up a slow moving jungle river and visited the indigenous Embera. That was like 10 years ago and they lived along a forest river in elevated thatched roof huts, like we see in this movie. So to me seeing the native people and the tropics in the film was a magical remembrance.

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I wish I could say I liked the overall movie, but I didn't. Robert De Niro was badly miscast and I couldn't buy that this slave trader character who had killed his own brother was looking for redemption by joining a group of Jesuit priest. I wish Jeremy Irons had played his role instead, that would've elevated the movie. I don't think Robert De Niro works at all here. The script itself was pretty weak and not deeply introspective like I would've hoped for..But the on location scenery was amazing...so I'm glad to have watched it.

rating_3

[Citizen Rules]

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Bambi (1942)

Studio: Walt Disney
Genre: Family Animation

I was surprised by how dark the themes in Bambi were. I assumed this was a G rated family movie, but in someways it had one of the most disturbing scenes I've ever watched. That would be the hunting scene with little Bambi and his mom:(

Though that hunting scene really shouldn't surprise me, as Bambi was made during World War II...and with the carnage of war came a much darker tone to movies, especially film noir. But now, I know those more dismal themes of loss of life were also represented in Disney's animated feature.

77913


I really appreciated the artistry of the hand created animated cells that make up the film. There's such a deeply rich and beautiful look to the woodland home of the forest animals. What I liked most was how the community of animals were shown to be in harmony with nature and it was man's intrusion into the animal's woods that brought chaos and death, which is sadly so true.

I'm glad to have finally watched this classic Disney animation classic.
3++

[Citizen Rules]

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Oldboy (2003)

Director: Chan-wook Park
Writers: Garon Tsuchiya (story), Nobuaki Minegishi (comic)
Cast: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-Tae, Kang Hye-jeong
Genre: Crime Action
Language: Korean

'After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in five days.'


Did Quentin Tarantino dirty up the rest of the world's cinema with pulpy, cheesy torture fluff scenes? OMG I hope not!!! But Oldboy sure seems like Pulp Fiction meets Disney mass entertainment...and I blame Tarantino:p

It starts off promising enough with Dae-Su (Min-Sik Choi) doing a damn funny drunk...then it gets even cooler when it goes psych-surrealistic with Dae-Su mysteriously imprisoned in a curiously decorated room. That all too brief first act reminded me of The Truman Show. I'd give that first 45 minutes a 4/5.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hnuhzyO5Drc/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEXCNACELwBSFryq4qpAwkIARUAAIhCGAE=&rs=AOn4CLCrOgZ6HPJmJASiAm1AJbb70oyfHw


But once he's out of his personal prison the reveal of what was going on bored me. I had hoped we'd find out that his prison room was all in his own head, or perhaps he was in a mental ward and had hallucinated the entire other life....But what we get is the usual revenge, action, torture stuff which is crap to me and reminded me of Pulp Fiction a film I don't like. I'm not generally a fan of Korean movies, the ones I've watched seem like Korea's version of the Hollywood blockbuster, big on action and cheap thrills. I like movies that feed the soul and the mind. I don't care for movies that are the equivalent of deep fried pork rinds.

rating_2_5

[Citizen Rules]

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The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)


Director: Albert Lewin
Writers: Albert Lewin (screen play), Oscar Wilde (novel)
Cast: George Sanders, Hurd Hatfield, Donna Reed, Angela Lansbury, Peter Lawford Peter Lawford
Genre: Fantasy, Drama

'A corrupt young man somehow keeps his youthful beauty, but a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all.'


I've been wanting to see The Picture of Dorian Gray for the longest time, so I'm glad I finally got around to it. I wish I could say I loved it, but I mostly found it blasé. Maybe that's because of preconceived build-up...you know that's where a film is touted as being one of those must see movies, and when you finally get around to watching it your expectations are much higher than the film can ever deliver. So maybe this movie was better than I experienced.

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It was an interesting premise and I loved the look of the period piece sets with their rich exuberance, but the lead actor had zero personality and I couldn't discern why he became so evil? I mean I know he made a bargain to keep forever young while his portrait would age, but it was never clear to me why he became such a scallywag? I think it might have been better if George Sanders was cast as Dorian Gray and allowed to be more flamboyant like he usually is in his other movies. But here even Sanders was bland and that's a rarity as Sanders is almost always the high spot of any movie he's in.

Maybe the movie went over my head? Though I'm pretty sure I seen the same story on the old TV show The Twilight Zone...the episode with the people who wear hideous mask that represent their true inner selves and once they take off their mask their faces have become grotesquely distorted.

I wish I knew what Oscar Wilde was trying to say in his novel? Maybe the book made it more clear but the movie was more of let down for me.

rating_3

[Citizen Rules]

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Before Sunrise (1995)
Director: Richard Linklater
Writers: Richard Linklater, Kim Krizan
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
Genre: Drama, Romance

'A young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together. '
All you do to me is talk, talk
Talk, talk, talk, talk
All you do to me is talk, talk
Talk, talk, talk, talk
All you do to me is talk, talk


Damn, now I got that 1980s pop song stuck in my head...Which is kind of apt, because talk, talk, talk, talk is all this insipid couple did during the movie. And there's nothing wrong with a dialogue heavy movie. I love movies where nothing much happens and the dialogue is rich and full of life and the characters seem to be all so real...Sadly that wasn't the case here.

Before Sunrise looked to be my type of movie, I should've loved it. But I didn't...I didn't believe these people were real. I didn't believe they were a couple and I sure didn't sense any chemistry between them.

But what I did sense was that the director gave them a few 'deep' topics to talk about and then told the actors to improvise their discussions. Especially in the first scenes like on the train when they meet, neither of the actors were in tune with the other. Just one example: Ethan Hawke tells this strange story how as a boy he was spraying the hose nozzle so that the sunlight made a rainbow and then he saw his dead grandmother standing there. As soon as he was done telling his story Julie Delpy launches into her pre planned speech. She had zero reaction to his highly unusual story. She wasn't in the moment. It was like she didn't even listen to the other actor. And that not listening to each other continued throughout the entire movie. I know both actors can do better work than they did here. I blame the director's format for shooting the scenes, I'm sure most dialogue was improvised and it showed. The only time I felt anything was when they parted ways, that was done decently.

rating_2_5

[Thief]

I'm a fan of the trilogy. Pity you didn't connect with it. The second one is my favorite, so maybe that one would fare better with you.

[Citizen Rules]

I'm a fan of the trilogy. Pity you didn't connect with it. The second one is my favorite, so maybe that one would fare better with you.Thanks for the tip, I haven't seen the other two in the trilogy. One of these days I'll catch the second one. I did like the actors and the concept.

[Wyldesyde19]

I'm a fan of the trilogy. Pity you didn't connect with it. The second one is my favorite, so maybe that one would fare better with you.
Much like CR, I wasn’t a fan of Before Sunrise either. I didn’t care for Hawke in it. Delpy was great of course.
Need to see the other two yet.

[Citizen Rules]

Much like CR, I wasn’t a fan of Before Sunrise either. I didn’t care for Hawke in it. Delpy was great of course.
Need to see the other two yet.That was a past PR movie, I don't remember who picked it for me? I should go take a look and see. I like Julie Delphy in the the films, I've seen her in.

[Wyldesyde19]

That was a past PR movie, I don't remember who picked it for me? I should go take a look and see. I like Julie Delphy in the the films, I've seen her in.
I think we both had it picked for us in the same PR haha.

[Thief]

Much like CR, I wasn’t a fan of Before Sunrise either. I didn’t care for Hawke in it. Delpy was great of course.
Need to see the other two yet.

That was a past PR movie, I don't remember who picked it for me? I should go take a look and see. I like Julie Delphy in the the films, I've seen her in.

I came to see all three films within a short timespan (2018, 2019, 2020 respectively), and I don't know how valid or accurate this is, but I've read arguments on how the films work better if you watch them when you're in the corresponding frame of age/frame of mind (i.e. seeing Sunrise in your early 20s, Sunset in your late 30s, Midnight in your late 40s?). So even though I really liked Sunrise despite being 40-41 at the time, I don't know if that's why Sunset resonated a bit more with me, considering that I was more or less in the same "mid-life crisis" headspace that the characters were. Who knows...

[Wyldesyde19]

I came to see all three films within a short timespan (2018, 2019, 2020 respectively), and I don't know how valid or accurate this is, but I've read arguments on how the films work better if you watch them when you're in the corresponding frame of age/frame of mind (i.e. seeing Sunrise in your early 20s, Sunset in your late 30s, Midnight in your late 40s?). So even though I really liked Sunrise despite being 40-41 at the time, I don't know if that's why Sunset resonated a bit more with me, considering that I was more or less in the same "mid-life crisis" headspace that the characters were. Who knows...

Im not so sure if one needs to be at the right age to appreciate it, to be honest.
For me, just to clarify my misgivings about it, I wasn’t a fan of how Hawkes character was written. Add in that I didn’t feel it was a good performance either, especially when compared to Delpy, who was splendid in it, it fell a little flat as a whole for me.

[Citizen Rules]

I came to see all three films within a short timespan (2018, 2019, 2020 respectively), and I don't know how valid or accurate this is, but I've read arguments on how the films work better if you watch them when you're in the corresponding frame of age/frame of mind (i.e. seeing Sunrise in your early 20s, Sunset in your late 30s, Midnight in your late 40s?). So even though I really liked Sunrise despite being 40-41 at the time, I don't know if that's why Sunset resonated a bit more with me, considering that I was more or less in the same "mid-life crisis" headspace that the characters were. Who knows...Interesting concept, I'd never heard of that before. I don't think it applies to me because I can be moved by couples falling in love of any age. For me the problem was the same as some of Altman's scenes in The Long Goodbye...improvisation. Sometimes improv works amazingly well, but other times it tends to miss the mark. You know if the second installment of this ever appears in an HoF, I'd be a happy camper🙂

[Citizen Rules]

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Paprika (Satoshi Kon 2006)


Director: Satoshi Kon
Writers: Yasutaka Tsutsui (novel), Seishi Minakami (screenplay)
Cast: Megumi Hayashibara, Tôru Emori, Katsunosuke Hori
Genre: Animation, Fantasy
Language: Japanese

"When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patients' dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist, Paprika, can stop it."


I won't claim that I understood all of the dream trippin' stuff, but I enjoyed the film anyway🙂 In fact, not fully 'getting' every scene would seem to be intentional on the part of the director...or maybe I'm just clueless!

The look of the richly inhabited dream world was visually stimulating...I love films often just for their creative visuals....and Paprika was very creative visually! So much cool stuff to see that one should probably watch Paprika twice just to catch all the intricate details.

Besides the dream stuff I liked that the lead was a female. I often like movies with female leads as to me they have more heart than the typical male hero. The alter ego of the carefree Paprika & her real self, the cloistered Chiba, also made the film a fun and worthwhile watch.

rating_3_5

[Gideon58]

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Bambi (1942)

Studio: Walt Disney
Genre: Family Animation

I was surprised by how dark the themes in Bambi were. I assumed this was a G rated family movie, but in someways it had one of the most disturbing scenes I've ever watched. That would be the hunting scene with little Bambi and his mom:(

Though that hunting scene really shouldn't surprise me, as Bambi was made during World War II...and with the carnage of war came a much darker tone to movies, especially film noir. But now, I know those more dismal themes of loss of life were also represented in Disney's animated feature.

77913


I really appreciated the artistry of the hand created animated cells that make up the film. There's such a deeply rich and beautiful look to the woodland home of the forest animals. What I liked most was how the community of animals were shown to be in harmony with nature and it was man's intrusion into the animal's woods that brought chaos and death, which is sadly so true.

I'm glad to have finally watched this classic Disney animation classic.
3++

I have never seen Bambi and have never had any desire to...until reading your review.

[Citizen Rules]

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Gangs of New York (2002)

Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: Jay Cocks (story) Steven Zaillian & Kenneth Lonergan (screenplay)
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis
Genre: Fictional Historical Drama

'In 1862, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father's killer.'


It's easy to dismiss this as one of Scorsese's lesser film with the complaint that it's not realistic...At least that's what I though as I watched this. To me it seemed one part The Warriors, one part Tombstone and one part Terry Gilliam...then I realized just what Marty was going for here...and it clicked.

Gangs of New York is not like other Scorsese films. Scorsese took all the history and legends that made up the backstory of New York City and put them into an eye poppin', adventurous tale. A tale that makes the characters larger than life...and a whole lot more fun too. And that's the way legends go, they get bigger, badder and more grandiose with each generation's retelling of the days of ole.

I think that broad based style comes clear in the end credits when we see modern NYC appear in the background and the graves of the men from days of old fade into memory. Even the ending title credits tell the viewer this isn't meant to be a slice of real history, it's mean to entertain and entertained I was.

3.5

[tatmmw2]

I would say "can't believe you didn't like Oldboy" but then again I don't remind the movie that much, what did you think of the reveal though? (I think i know what you thought of the villain's motivation already lmao) But what surprised me more is that you didn't like Pulp Fiction :eek:

[CENTER][SIZE=4]
The Dark Crystal [SIZE=4](1982)

rating_3-
Would you consider watching the netflix series that aired not so long ago if you liked the world building? I haven't watch any movies and only started a few episodes but it's really quite unique imo

[Citizen Rules]

I would say "can't believe you didn't like Oldboy" but then again I don't remind the movie that much, what did you think of the reveal though? Hi Tat! Long time no see. Glad you're back posting at MoFo:) To be honest I can't remember what the big reveal was in Old Boy.

But what surprised me more is that you didn't like Pulp Fiction :eek:So true:p I can't stand Tarantino and his films.

The Dark Crystal...Would you consider watching the netflix series that aired not so long ago if you liked the world building? I haven't watch any movies and only started a few episodes but it's really quite unique imoGlad to hear you like Netflix's The Dark Crystal. I don't have Netflix at the moment, who knows maybe some day I'll see it.

[Citizen Rules]

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A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
aka: Stairway to Heaven
Directors: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger


A Matter of Life and Death is the type of film that I often seek out to watch. I've seen a number of 'afterlife' fantasy/drama movies where the idea of a person entering the 'afterlife' is explored. This was a popular theme after WWII, most likely because so many people were grieving over the untimely loss of so many friends and loved ones and films like these gave them hope.

Some of my favorites in this sub genre is A Guy Named Joe (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035959) (1943), Heaven Can Wait (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035979/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_63) (1943) and Between Two Worlds (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036641/?ref_=tt_urv) (1944)...So I do like this sub genre.

A Matter of Life...sorry to say it was one of the worst constructed movies I've seen. The title credits followed by a long exposé of the mysteries of the universe, made for a slow and cumbersome start. That type of opening worked for Frank Capra in It's a Wonderful Life, but here it just sucked the energy out of the all important establishing 1st scene.

I did enjoy the next scene where David Niven is about to die as he jumps out of a burning aircraft and without a parachute. His waking up confused on a beach, but somehow miraculously alive from the jump, was done well...But why oh why was a naked boy needed on the beach scene? I'm befuddled by the reasoning for that? We don't see any nudity but it's clear from the side profile that the 10-12 year old boy is setting on the beach naked? Why?

But the first real faux pas was the instant love when the pilot spots the U.S. Army flight control woman he'd talked to as his plane went down (Kim Hunter). I mean he just kisses her after only a few words between them. Sure I know they had this emotional connection as he told her his farewells before dying...But geez, I just didn't buy that instantaneous jumping into each others' arms. That scene needed some room to breath. It should've been expanded as it's ALL important to the theme of the movie. Even another 60 seconds could've made their love seem real.

But my real complaint was the totally daft ending in heaven, with the trial to determine if David Niven gets to remain alive or has to be called to heaven. The trial should've been about the unbridled strength of love and it's power to rise above it all. Instead we get this silly fight between a dead American revolutionary patriot (Raymond Massey) who hates the British. Oddly the jury is made up of dead members of countries once dominated or defeated by Britain. A very heavy handed message. Heaven seems to be very politicized!..and all the soldiers are carrying guns:rolleyes: To still a line from my friend & fellow MoFo reviewer Gideon, the movie was a 'hot mess'.

2.5

[Citizen Rules]

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Brighton Rock (1948)

Director: John Bolting
Writers: Graham Greene (novel), Terence Rattigan (screenplay)
Cast: Richard Attenborough, Hermione Baddeley, William Hartnell, Virginia Winter
Genre: British Noir


"In Brighton in 1935, small-time gang leader Pinkie Brown murders a journalist and later desperately tries to cover his tracks but runs into trouble with the police, a few witnesses and a rival gang."

The British made a few good film noirs, but this isn't one of them. I didn't care for it, I didn't hate it, I'd call it 'stilted'. To me it just felt staged and unbelievable, especially the 17 year old Pinkie played by a very young Richard Attenbourgh. I just didn't buy his hold over the older gangsters, nor did I buy the instant love the waitress felt for him.

I did enjoy watching the real location at Brighton Rock captured in 1948. For me those real life scenes were the best part.

I'm not Catholic and I'm not religious but didn't the ending show the waitress girl refusing Absolution so that she could spend eternity in Purgatory with Pinkie? And I read that was a happy ending? Did I miss something, as it didn't seem happy to me.

rating_2_5

[Citizen Rules]

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Ghost (1990)
Director: Jerry Zucker
Writer: Bruce Joel Rubin
Cast: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore,Whoopi Goldberg

Lots of topless beefcake going on here, but not my thing! And who knew they had Covid back in 1990;) So put on those damn shirts AND those mask!

I've never liked Demi Moore, don't know why I just don't. I read she was the highest paid actress in the world at the time this was made....why? She can't really act, though she can cry. In fact I also read she could cry on cue out of either eye....weird!

I find Demi as charming & cute as a doorknob, so I wasn't into her character. I didn't particular care for Patrick Swayze either. In the movie he's done up as a pretty boy, beefcake, not my thing. Though at least he could act.

I did however like Whoopi Goldberg scenes those were funny. But otherwise, not much chance of this finishing high on my list. On the other hand I haven't really liked anything so far, so who knows this still might do well.

Ghost (1990) is a producers movie where they included all the popular elements and hottest stars to create prep-programed' box office demand. And it worked, Ghost was a big, money making movie..pfft!

rating_2_5

[Citizen Rules]

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Peter Pan (Disney, 1953)

Other than Tinker Bell I didn't care about any of the characters in Peter Pan and I had expected this to be my favorite classic Disney animated film. Not that I've seen many of them.

It wasn't until after I joined MoFo that I watched my very first, Fantasia. Unlike Bambi where I actually cared about the animals and their forest home...with Peter Pan I could care less about Wendy or her brothers...one of who must've been the inspiration for the Harry Potter series of novels.

At a scant 1 hour 17 minutes, there wasn't enough time to include any needed back story as to who Wendy was and why she needed to believe so readily in a fairy tale, aka Peter Pan. I wonder what the original British stage play of 1903 was like? It must have been written for adults as stage plays for children in 1903 were unheard of.

There's still a bit of adult musings in this G rated Disney film, mostly apparent in the antics of Tinker Bell. Tinker is a tiny hottie, who's concerned that her hips are too big and is jealous of Wendy to the point of trying to annihilate her. Tinker is quite impish and that was refreshing for what otherwise is a kids movie. I got a kick out of the many different means she took to keep Wendy apart from her crush, Peter.

Well that's four classic Disney animated films I've seen. So far I haven't loved any of them.

3

[Citizen Rules]

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Good Will Hunting (1997)


Director: Gus Van Sant
Writers: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck
Cast: Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck

"Will Hunting, a janitor at M.I.T., has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life."


Good Will Hunting was an OK watch, it made me appreciate Matt Damon a bit more. Previously I'd liked him as an actor but thought he was kinda blasé.

I've said before that I don't care for Robin Williams in movies...though he was a dynamic guest on late night talk shows. As I kinda expected he was able to play a more troubled, straight role with much veracity. Most talented comedians are able to give a damn fine dramatic accounting of themselves when given half a chance to shed the comedy stuff. But when Robin went into his free form improv, his character belief faded momentarily for me. Luckily he didn't do that much and overall he was solid.

I don't like Ben Affleck, I think he's limited in his characterizations...However I did like Casey Affleck here. Casey was by far the finest actor in the film.

I'm impressed that a young Ben Affleck and Matt Damon won a Best Writing Oscar for the script. That's a big feather in their hats. But truth be told it wasn't a well written script as far as I'm concerned. The scenes were packed with too much repetitive dialogue that was suppose to be deep and or clever. This caused the scenes to loose their punch and end up more as a writing exercise than deeply reflective.

What redeemed the movie were the moments when the truth of the subject matter rang out hard with a harsh truth. Especially the scenes were Minnie Driver is being dumped by Will (Matt Damon) who is to afraid to live and to take a risk.

3

[Citizen Rules]

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On Dangerous Ground (Nicholas Ray 1951)


Director: Nicholas Ray
Writers: A.I. Bezzerides & Nicholas Ray (screenplay), Gerald Butler (novel)
Cast: Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Ward Bond

"Rough city cop Jim Wilson is disciplined by his captain and is sent upstate, to a snowy mountain town, to help the local sheriff solve a murder case."


I find myself unsure of how to evaluate On Dangerous Ground? Do I compare it to the other noirs I've seen? I've seen a lot! Or do I compare it to the other Nicholas Ray films I've seen? Some of those are power houses.

So here it goes...I enjoyed this noir, as I enjoy noirs. Ida Lupino is a plus and Robert Ryan is a good noir character type. But I don't feel this is one of Ray's best works and the story intent never really comes into focus. Some of that might be on Ray himself and how he directed this. Some of it might lay on the shoulders of Robert Ryan who's asked to show a tender side that he just wasn't able to show. But mostly I think the blame lays with financier Howard Hughes who owned RKO studio and had a hand in editing the film.

The film has a split personality to it. The first half is a matter-of-fact police procedural, docu-drama. The second part takes an abrupt turn as our police detective (Robert Ryan) leaves the city and heads to upstate New York to solve a local murder. In the country side he encounters a blind woman (Ida Lupino) and falls for her. His encounter with the blind beauty changes his previous brutal bad-cop ways. Abrupt is the key word here as Ryan's character changes gears at a drop of a fedora.

So the dilemma is: I enjoyed this because it is noir and I love noir. But it was IMO flawed in it's narrative construction.

rating_3

[Citizen Rules]

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Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)


Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Writer: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Cast: Brigitte MiraEl Hedi ben SalemBarbara Valentin
Language: German

"A lonely widow meets a much younger Arab worker in a bar during a rainstorm. They fall in love, to their own surprise and to the outright shock of their families, colleagues, and drinking buddies."


'Citizen liked this. Citizen impressed with the film'...OK, I know enough of all that;) Besides if you haven't seen the film you don't know what the hell Citizen is talking about.

Strange title for a very minimalist film (and I mean that in a good way). I heard of this movie plenty in the past, and thought it was some weird sh**. It's not at all weird or sh**

Seriously, I was very impressed with this film and by the style of film making the director took. It felt very up close and personal and in a way it reminded me of Three Monkeys (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2008).

At first I cringed at the idea that this film was going to be all preachy, but then it did a 180 and ended up not taking any kind of stance at all. Except I guess that to say, 'find love where you can'.

I loved the filming choices in Munich, and was that corner restaurant where Hitler really use to eat? Strange things that you see in a movie. Fassbinder likes to shoot from afar with a wide angle lens through doors, that adds to the intimacy of the film and I liked that.

3.5+

[Citizen Rules]

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Black Orpheus (1959)

Director: Marcel Camus
Screenplay: Marcel Camus, Jacques Viot
Starring: Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn
Language: Brazilian Portuguese


'A retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, set during the time of the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro.'

To me this was a film watching adventure dripping in exotic locales before they became ruined by mega hotels and slums running to the horizon. Gosh I want to visit Brazil but in the year 1959!...and at carnival like shown in this film.

Black Orpheus was a Palme d'Or winner at Cannes and also won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. I'm embarrassed to say I was unaware of the film before watching it. I did appreciate the chance to see such a beautifully told and wonderfully filmed re-telling of the ancient Greek mythological love story. The movie works almost like a documentary as it doesn't rely deeply on character building or story telling. Instead it watches the people of the region as they get ready for the much anticipated yearly carnival celebration.

81677


I read that the director ran out of money and literally lived on the beach as he tried to get enough cash to finish the film. And it does seem to be a very personal film, ala indie film. Black Orpheus is like a time capsule to another place, quite magically.

4

[Captain Steel]

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Peter Pan (Disney, 1953)

Other than Tinker Bell I didn't care about any of the characters in Peter Pan and I had expected this to be my favorite classic Disney animated film. Not that I've seen many of them.

It wasn't until after I joined MoFo that I watched my very first, Fantasia. Unlike Bambi where I actually cared about the animals and their forest home...with Peter Pan I could care less about Wendy or her brothers...one of who must've been the inspiration for the Harry Potter series of novels.

At a scant 1 hour 17 minutes, there wasn't enough time to include any needed back story as to who Wendy was and why she needed to believe so readily in a fairy tale, aka Peter Pan. I wonder what the original British stage play of 1903 was like? It must have been written for adults as stage plays for children in 1903 were unheard of.

There's still a bit of adult musings in this G rated Disney film, mostly apparent in the antics of Tinker Bell. Tinker is a tiny hottie, who's concerned that her hips are too big and is jealous of Wendy to the point of trying to annihilate her. Tinker is quite impish and that was refreshing for what otherwise is a kids movie. I got a kick out of the many different means she took to keep Wendy apart from her crush, Peter.

Well that's four classic Disney animated films I've seen. So far I haven't loved any of them.

3



Just in case you didn't know, they say Disney's Tink was based directly on Marilyn Monroe (another hottie at the time the movie was made).

[Citizen Rules]

Just in case you didn't know, they say Disney's Tink was based directly on Marilyn Monroe (another hottie at the time the movie was made).That's probably why Tinker Bell had such a big ass!

IMDB trivia for Some Like it Hot
Supposedly when Orry-Kelly was measuring all three stars for dresses, he half-jokingly told Marilyn Monroe, "Tony Curtis has a nicer butt than you," at which point Monroe pulled open her blouse and said, "Yeah, but he doesn't have **** like these!"

[Captain Steel]

That's probably why Tinker Bell had such a big ass!

IMDB trivia for Some Like it Hot

I may need to add a correction: according to Snopes, Tink being based on Marilyn Monroe is "false" (although I had read it and heard it in several places long before Snopes existed)...

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tinker-bell/

The article contains a few interesting tidbits that you (Rules) touched upon in your review (such as Tink looking at her hips in a mirror).

I submit this correction because...
"I believe in truth, but I'm also a big fan of justice!"

[Citizen Rules]

I may need to add a correction: according to Snopes, Tink being based on Marilyn Monroe is "false" (although I had read it and heard it in several places long before Snopes existed)...

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tinker-bell/

The article contains a few interesting tidbits that you (Rules) touched upon in your review (such as Tink looking at her hips in a mirror).

I submit this correction because...
"I believe in truth, but I'm also a big fan of justice!"Tinker Bell's jealously of the human girl..and the fixation on how wide her hips were, made Tink very humanistic. That's why I liked her! Though I'm not much into Disney animated films.

[Citizen Rules]

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Midnight Cowboy (1969)


Director: John Schlesinger
Screenplay: Waldo Salt James Leo Herlihy (novel)
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight

I like being wrong. I do. It's self renovating to allow one's self the ability to be flexible and to reverse a held belief. And I believed that Midnight Cowboy would be something I'd loathed to watch. That's why I avoided it until now. It was originally rated X.

But as it turns out Midnight Cowboy was tame as an old farm horse. I've seen more provocative stuff in modern R films. And more importantly the film won me over with a heartfelt and original story backed up by two standout actors who bring these colorfully interesting characters to life. So yes, I liked the movie and was impressed by it.

Most people will mention the story, the characters and the actors who played them as being the reason they like the film. And those are good reasons!

But I have two other reasons to admire this film:


The cityscapes as seen through a time machine back to 1960. I love history, I love time, I think about time, all the time! There's no time machine that will lets us travel back in time, but movies allow us to do just that. I'm not talking about a film that's a period piece, say like Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, that's just a facsimile of what was. With Midnight Cowboy we see actual events, actual people and events as they occurred in time and captured on film. I loved the look at 1969 NYC. My eyes gobbled up the fashions and the store fronts and the way the world looked back then. All that is priceless to me.



Then there's the cinematic history of Midnight Cowboy. It's not just an Oscar Best Picture winner, it's the one and only X rated film to win an Oscar. It's also the only X rated film to be screened at the White House, and by Richard Nixon no less, wow! It's ground breaking too in it's frank look at New York City's colorful 42nd street circa 1969. Midnight Cowboy is probably the first American mainstream film to show gay people so up close and personal. The film captures a microcosmic on events and historical attitudes of a rapidly changing world.

4

[SpelingError]

Midnight Cowboy is one of the best films I saw this year for the first time. Glad you also liked it!

[Gideon58]

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Midnight Cowboy (1969)


Director: John Schlesinger
Screenplay: Waldo Salt James Leo Herlihy (novel)
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight

I like being wrong. I do. It's self renovating to allow one's self the ability to be flexible and to reverse a held belief. And I believed that Midnight Cowboy would be something I'd loathed to watch. That's why I avoided it until now. It was originally rated X.

But as it turns out Midnight Cowboy was tame as an old farm horse. I've seen more provocative stuff in modern R films. And more importantly the film won me over with a heartfelt and original story backed up by two standout actors who bring these colorfully interesting characters to life. So yes, I liked the movie and was impressed by it.

Most people will mention the story, the characters and the actors who played them as being the reason they like the film. And those are good reasons!

But I have two other reasons to admire this film:


The cityscapes as seen through a time machine back to 1960. I love history, I love time, I think about time, all the time! There's no time machine that will lets us travel back in time, but movies allow us to do just that. I'm not talking about a film that's a period piece, say like Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, that's just a facsimile of what was. With Midnight Cowboy we see actual events, actual people and events as they occurred in time and captured on film. I loved the look at 1969 NYC. My eyes gobbled up the fashions and the store fronts and the way the world looked back then. All that is priceless to me.



Then there's the cinematic history of Midnight Cowboy. It's not just an Oscar Best Picture winner, it's the one and only X rated film to win an Oscar. It's also the only X rated film to be screened at the White House, and by Richard Nixon no less, wow! It's ground breaking too in it's frank look at New York City's colorful 42nd street circa 1969. Midnight Cowboy is probably the first American mainstream film to show gay people so up close and personal. The film captures a microcosmic on events and historical attitudes of a rapidly changing world.

4

Glad you liked Midnight Cowboy and it is pretty tame now, but it's still a very good film. You should know that a film rated X in 1969 does not mean the same thing it does now. In 1969, an X rating simply meant that the film was not for children.

[Gideon58]

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Ghost (1990)
[LEFT][B] Director: Jerry Zucker
Writer: Bruce Joel Rubin
Cast: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore,Whoopi Goldberg


Sorry you didn't like Ghost, Citizen...I think Gooldberg's performance is seriously overrated and the only reason she won was to make up for the Oscar she should have won for The Color Purple

[Citizen Rules]

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Do the Right Thing (1989)

Director: Spike Lee
Writer: Spike Lee
Starring: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Rosie Perez, Spike Lee

Now that's some great urban cinematography in that screen shot! Spike really shot his film well. I liked those three older guys and their commentary on stuff going on in the community. The three older men worked like a Greek chorus in classic Greek theater. By that I mean, they cue us in on the happenings and do so in a semi-omnipresent way. Which worked brilliantly as they then anchor the film for the viewer.

I have to say Spike Lee was brilliant in his film making casting choices. Right at the start we get Rosie Perez dancing to Fight the Power...At first I'm thinking, 'hey, she can really move', but then after my 10 second attention span waned she kept dancing....and dancing and dancing! Her moves and the music was frantic! Just when I thought she was finally done, the scene changes to nighttime and now she's dancing/boxing at the camera and looking quite hostile too! Which set me on edge...AND THAT IS BRILLIANT, because Spike Lee had that all planned out.

And he continues that pressure cooker effect with the ever present heat wave and craziness. He makes us feel the craziness by introducing one character after another and they're all yelling or ranting about something. So by the time we get to the pizza parlor I'm as worked up as the denizens of the street block were. I think Spike Lee did something special here!

You know what the difference between Tarantino and Spike Lee is? Spike can actually act and Tarantino sucks when he's a character in his own films. Spike as the actor was as good as Spike the director, he made for a very interesting character, kind of like a black Woody Allen.

There were a lot of colorful characters in Do the Right Thing, Rosie Perez with her nasal jaw poppin whine and her profanity spewing, drove me bonkers through out the film and so did the stuttering guy...BUT that's exactly what Spike intendeds these characters to do to the audience...make us crazy!

I could wrote a book about the movies examination of racial and social problems in this poor inner city neighborhood. I'm sure the film can be interpreted a 100 different ways. For me I'll sum it up, I think Spike Lee wanted to show how it is, and in my book he succeed.

4

[Gideon58]

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Do the Right Thing (1989)

Director: Spike Lee
Writer: Spike Lee
Starring: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Rosie Perez, Spike Lee


Honestly, I never imagined you watching this, but I'm sure you glad you did and you seem to feel about it the same way I do. I've seen a healthy chunk of Spike's movies, but this is his masterpiece.;

[Gideon58]

78985
Gangs of New York (2002)

Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: Jay Cocks (story) Steven Zaillian & Kenneth Lonergan (screenplay)
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis
Genre: Fictional Historical Drama

'In 1862, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father's killer.'




I tried to watch this once and got about 45 minutes in before giving up.

[Citizen Rules]

Honestly, I never imagined you watching this, but I'm sure you glad you did and you seem to feel about it the same way I do. I've seen a healthy chunk of Spike's movies, but this is his masterpiece.;I seen it here:
https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2132008#post2132008

[Citizen Rules]

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Woman in the Dunes (1964)

Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara
Screenplay: Kōbō Abe
Starring: Eiji Okada,Kyōko Kishida
Genre: Drama Fantasy
Language: Japanese



Woman in the Dunes...It was fascinating to watch and I'm still thinking about it right now. That doesn't mean I think it was perfect and as I write this I haven't worked out my rating for it yet.

One thing for sure, there are so many great cinema-artsy shots in the movie that I had a hard time settling on just one image for this review. Visually this is impressive.

What's also impressive is how the TV show The Twilight Zone obviously influenced this movie...right down to the similar music. I loved this story and it's setting at the bottom of a sand pit. There's so much to think about here...and that's a rarity as most movies for me are forgotten the next day.

I do think there was some missed opportunities and I would've nixed the villagers lined up wanting to watch the man and the woman copulate. With all the closeups of their weird facial garb I was reminded of The Road Warrior and something about that scene and it's pacing seemed out of place in an otherwise contemplative type film.

The end scene (a bit of a spoiler here) with the woman being taking away in pain with a ectopic pregnancy, repeatedly crying out 'no-no', 'no-no'...was haunting and oh so sad. I find myself wondering what happened to her. Did she have her baby and return to live with the man in the dune pit? Or did she die? I hope she returned and they lived a good life, albeit a strange one.

rating_4_5

[Rockatansky]

You know what the difference between Tarantino and Spike Lee is? Spike can actually act and Tarantino sucks when he's a character in his own films. Spike as the actor was as good as Spike the director, he made for a very interesting character, kind of like a black Woody Allen.
I don't know if you've seen it yet, but Spike puts in a pretty memorable performance in She's Gotta Have It, as one of the heroine's three suitors. The movie's uneven but a great debut. He also reprised the character in his Air Jordan commercials.

[Citizen Rules]

I don't know if you've seen it yet, but Spike puts in a pretty memorable performance in She's Gotta Have It, as one of the heroine's three suitors. The movie's uneven but a great debut. He also reprised the character in his Air Jordan commercials.I'll have to check that out someday. I haven't seen many of his film, I think only two.

[Citizen Rules]

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Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica 1948)


A perfect film for me. It's so well made that it flows effortlessly and the pieces, the individual scenes, they all fit seamlessly. I felt like I was right there in the story and that's a feeling I don't get from many films.

Perhaps it was the actors that sold me on the film. The actor who played the father was very much in the moment. Without words he could express his emotions. His angst at having his bicycle stolen which meant losing his job, was palatable. There was no doubt in my mind just how life changing the loss of his bike and job was to him. Then there's his son. Wow, talk about a good kid actor! He doesn't really have many lines, but through the range of emotions that play out on his young face, I could see the desperation of his family in post war Italy. I especially liked the dynamic between the father and the boy and how at times the spacial distance between them grew as tensions rose.

I often love Italian films as they're so full of life, even if the subject matter is depressing or dark, the films themselves are alive with the movement of life.

I think the director did an amazing job making a simple story seem so personal. Of course this isn't just a story of a stolen bicycle, it's an expose on the hardships faced by the Italians immediately following the end of World War II. We see wide spread poverty with the people fighting for jobs and pawning what few positions they own just so they can have a meal. We see how people cope with the collapse of the economy and it ranges from criminal behavior to charlatanism to prostitution and to standing in long lines for some soup and bread.

I'm impressed with Bicycle Thieves.

4.5

[Citizen Rules]

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The 400 Blows (Truffaut 1959)

Director: François Truffaut
Writer: François Truffaut, Marcel Moussy
Starring: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, Claire Maurier
Language: French


The 400 Blows part of the French New Wave film movement that transformed the way movie stories were portrayed on the screen.

This is a very balanced film that never preaches or tries to make a case by focusing purely on a one sided issue. I mean in one way the troubled kid has problems which are a result of his dysfunctional family, especially his mother who never wanted him and shipped off to live with the relatives as soon as she could. Then again much of the problems the teen faces comes from his own dumb ass behavior. He does a lot of really stupid stunts and screws up constantly. He's not overly sympathetic, yet he's very real and believable.

Oh, I always thought the 400 Blows referred to some brutal beatings the kid had endured. That's not what the title means, I read that properly translated from French it means 400 pranks...referring to all the dumb stunts the kid ends up pulling.

So what does the film have to say? At the end we see the boy running free towards the ocean, of course he's not really free until he starts shaping up.

rating_4

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=76491 Children of Paradise (1945)


Director: Marcel Carné
Writer: Jacques Prévert
Cast: Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Pierre Brasseur, Marcel Herrand, Pierre Renoir
Language: French
Genre: Drama

"The theatrical life of a beautiful courtesan and the four men who love her, in 1830s Paris."


Good choice...at first I thought I wouldn't like this as it starts out with the courtesan in a shop with the 'dandy' thief...I didn't know what they were talking about and I feared the rest of the film would be just as confusing. To make things worse the copy I watched had the subs cut off on the bottom third. I could read them but it took my effort and made it harder to concentrate...but not the film's fault.

81872


As it turned out I did really enjoy this and I respected the director's colossal view of Paris street life. Another director might have got a few dozen extras to be in the opening street fair scene. But Marcel Carné not only packs the scene with people from front to back as far as the eye can see, he even has action taking place up on the balconies, like the can-can dancers. Through out the film I was amazed at how the camera moved fluidly with tracking and dolly shots. Modern films could learn a thing or two about staging from this movie.

I thought the actors were all well cast and fit the personas of their characters. For such a long movie, I never got bored in fact after the first 10 minutes which were bumpy, I was fully into the film and waiting to see what would happen next to the lovely courtesan and her four suitors.

4

[Citizen Rules]

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Dune (Villeneuve 2021)

'You get out, what you take in.'


Nope, those aren't Frank Herbert's words, they're mine. By that I mean a viewer's experience watching the new Dune movie will be in part a response to their previous Dune experience, or lack of same. If someone has never read the book and never seen the 1984 Dune version, then their experience going into the new Dune will be quite different than a hard core fan of the Frank Herbert novel and different than someone who loathes David Lynch's Dune...and even different than someone who loves Lynch's Dune. So yeah, reactions will very more so than the usual box office biggie of the week.

With that in mind I won't be reviewing this movie from anything other than my own very subjective experience...which is as follows:

I have read the novel Dune, but it was 37 years ago and only the one time. Even though I consider Herbert's Dune to be one of the greatest sci fi novels ever written, I don't remember it all that well. Thus I'm not one to complain if a movie got something 'wrong' as compared to the book. I have seen David Lynch's Dune (1984) several times and I've always really liked it.


So with that in mind I watched Denis Villeneuve's new Dune movie. I can't say I loved it, but it was interesting. Though I could see someone who has no interest in the Dune world being lost and confused by the movie, and that was also a complaint of the 1984 Dune. With Dune 2021 it's a lot of visuals and not much character exploration. The narrative is brief, I knew what was going on in each scene but I don't think the movie conveyed the majesty and awe of the novel very well. First timers to the Dune world might be left scratching their heads.

I mostly hated the casting choices. People say Timothée Chalamet (Paul Atreides) looked to young, I didn't think that myself and Paul was 15 in the book. But what got me was the lost little boy look the actor has...The Kwisatz Haderach? I'm not buying it, he looks more like the guy who couldn't decide what flavor of frozen yogurt he wanted on a hot Arrakis day.

I guess the actor who played Duke Leto was OK, though I didn't like the actress cast for Lady Jessica, not regal or savvy enough, where was all of her keen perceptions and manipulations that the Bene Gesserit had taught her, I guess some of that was shown but I never felt her hyper awareness coming from her performance. You know I could go through the whole cast but I ain't got the time.

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So...the two actors above I though were cast very well and looked the part. They played Chani and Dr Yueh, but jeez not much air time for them.

It's been a couple days since I seen this and nothing in the movie really stood out, no goose bump moments for me...but now I suppose I will be sucked into watching part 2.

rating_3

[Citizen Rules]

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Vivre Sa Vie (Godard 1962)

Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Writers: Marcel Sacotte (novel) Jean-Luc Godard (story)
Cast: Anna Karina, Sady Rebbot, André S. Labarthe
Language: French

"Twelve episodic tales in the life of a Parisian woman and her slow descent into prostitution."



Big fan of Anna Karina here! I've only seen her in a few films, but I like what I see. She's perfect for French new wave films as she's able to convey moodiness to exuberance with those expressive eyes of hers. Godard sure knows how to fill the frame with her to the film's best advantage. Vivre Sa Vie (Live Your Life) is a showcase for Anna Karina's talents and works well as a case study of a young woman with no real direction in life.

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Vivre Sa Vie is Godard's third feature length film and there's lots of experimental film making techniques employed which added to the films up close and personal feel. I enjoyed the various experimentation with camera and sound as much as I did watching Anna Karina.

The first half of the film was a 5/5 for me. I would've preferred if the story continued to follow Nana (Anna Karina) around Paris as she meandered through her own life. The prostitution story of the second half felt more conventional in story telling and lost me some, as I preferred the free form story of the first half. As much as I liked the film I have to say the very ending was disappointingly cliched. The very last scene was the equivalent of a book that starts out with 'It was a dark and stormy night'.
Overall I'm impressed.

rating_4

[Citizen Rules]

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The Earrings of Madame De... (Max Ophüls 1953)


Director: Max Ophüls
Writers: Marcel Achard, Max Ophüls & Annette Wademan (screenplay) Louise de Vilmorin (novel)
Cast: Charles Boyer, Danielle Darrieux, Vittorio De Sica
Language: French

"When an aristocratic woman known only as "Madame de . . ." sells a pair of earrings given to her by her husband in order to pay some debts, she sets off a chain reaction of financial and carnal consequences that can end only in despair."


I really enjoyed the grandeur of this period piece melodrama.
At the start of the film, when we're introduced to Madame De...she's in her boudoir choosing what to wear to that night's festivities. When she opens her closet it's full of ornate shelves that go right up to the ceiling. I love that scene because it visually defines in a personal way, the type of luxurious life that Madame De lives.

Much of the film is composed of these wonderfully elaborate sets and costumes...and is coupled with creative tracking shots and selective lighting that gives the film a deep richness. I just have to say wow to all that and especially to the gown she wears to the last ball. I would loved to seen that in color, I bet it was red.

Danielle Darrieux who played Madame De...gave a wonderful portrayal. She reminded me a bit of Luise Rainer in The Great Ziegfeld. She had the perfect combination of frivolousness & self indulgence and driven by the boredom of excessive wealth and status.

And hey, it's the director of my new favorite foreign language film Bicycle Thieves...Vittorio De Sica. And a shout out to Charles Boyer who I've of course seen before.

So good film I liked it, except for the duel at the very end. I would've ended the film on a lighter note by having Charles Boyer getting rid of those pesky earrings once and for all by giving them to someone who would never ever part with them.....the nanny.

4

[GulfportDoc]

The Earrings of Madame De... (Max Ophüls 1953)


Director: Max Ophüls
Writers: Marcel Achard, Max Ophüls & Annette Wademan (screenplay) Louise de Vilmorin (novel)
Cast: Charles Boyer, Danielle Darrieux, Vittorio De Sica
Language: French
I don't know that I ever saw this movie. I'm a fan of Ophuls, chiefly due to two of his noirs: Caught (1949), with Robert Ryan and Barbara Bel Geddes, and The Reckless Moment (1949), with James Mason and Joan Bemnett. Those were so well directed that I'll have to check out this film as well. It's on my list...

[Citizen Rules]

I don't know that I ever saw this movie. I'm a fan of Ophuls, chiefly due to two of his noirs: Caught (1949), with Robert Ryan and Barbara Bel Geddes, and The Reckless Moment (1949), with James Mason and Joan Bemnett. Those were so well directed that I'll have to check out this film as well. It's on my list...I don't know if I seen either of those noirs. But yeah the Earrings of Madame De...is well worth watching.

[GulfportDoc]

I don't know if I seen either of those noirs. But yeah the Earrings of Madame De...is well worth watching.
Sounds like a great one. Is it in French?

[Citizen Rules]

Sounds like a great one. Is it in French?About as French as they come!

[Citizen Rules]

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Ⓨⓔⓛⓛⓞⓦ Ⓢⓤⓑⓜⓐⓡⓘⓝⓔ
Dir: George Dunning (1968)


Ah, look at all the lonely people....Ah, look at all the lonely people


Eleanor Rigby, such a poetic song! Its verses are simple and yet so haunting in the loneliness it describes. It's been one of my favorite Beatles songs since I was a youngster. Yellow Submarine is like one grand psychedelic music video that's loosly based on two different Beatles songs Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and the of course the titular song Yellow Submarine.

There's 15 Beatles songs in a scant 85 minute long movie. Four of those songs were introduced for the first time in the movie. Like any musical the joy is in the music and the story is secondary to the songs.

The Beatles themselves do not voice their own characters, that's done by voice actors...but the songs are authentic Beatles and there's a short live action epilogue featuring the Fab Four.

https://i.gifer.com/2HrN.gif

The animation style might be off putting to modern audiences but animated aficionados and 'baby boomers' might appreciate the very distinct free-form style of late 1960s animation which scream psychedelic!

I seen Yellow Submarine on TV as a kid and the one thing I remembered was the blue meanies! and the submarine I always liked the funky submarine. My favorite music number is the high energy Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.

rating_3_5 that's for the movie, the music would be a 5/5

[Citizen Rules]

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The Reflecting Skin
(Philip Ridley 1990)


Geez, that exploding frog scene was a bit of silly horror stuff, pffft...It's too bad because it felt like this film had something and could've been great. Instead we get a bunch of animal cruelty scenes in the beginning. I'm going to guess no actual animals were hurt and it was all CG. But still, fake animal cruelty turns my stomach and sank the film right then and there for me...

But it did get more interesting with some amazing sets and shooting locations. The house set was cool and distinctive which help set the tone of the film...And the wheat fields, wheat fields always make an cinematic impact and are perfect for isolating a lone subject when then makes for an emotional statement all without dialogue.

Those dysfunctional little kids sure had some bizarre ideas, but not as bizarre as the mom with her water fixation which was pretty quirky...and the one eyed, one hand sheriff...and the guy who has sinful thoughts...oh and the twin ladies caring the dead bird down the road, wow strange stuff!

It's like the director took what could've been good source material about a messed up boy who thinks the strange English woman in black is a vampire. But instead the director then piles on a bunch of wackiness in a David Lynch Twin Peaks way. Only Lynch knew how to make the quirkiness work, this director didn't.

3

[Citizen Rules]

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The Great Mouse Detective (1986)


This was a nice, easy watch and short too! I'd never heard of The Great Mouse Detective before watching it. Which isn't surprising as back in 1986 when this first came out I had other things on my mind than watching Disney films:p I suppose a lot of younger people had this on VHS and watched it tell the tape broke. I missed that VHS era by a decade or so...and when I was a kid we were lucky that the TV was a color set!

My favorite scene was the mouse trap death defying scene. That sorta reminded me of a James Bond film. I liked the way Basil mouse quickly calculated the trajectory of the ball and then he set off the trap at just the right moment for the trap wire to hit the ball instead of their heads. Though I'm not sure how they avoided the axe and crossbow from getting them, oh well that doesn't really matter:p

You know what really surprised me was the amount of smoking the characters did. Even back in the 1950s a Disney film wouldn't have had that much smoking going on. I think that's because of the era it was made, mid 80s. In the mid 80s the popularity of smoking went way up after it had been in a long decline. Had this been made in 1976 or 1996 the amount of smoking would've been far less. Now, don't think I'm pissed or something, cause that would be a wrong assumption. I just find it fascinating how films reflect the social norms of the times in which they were made.

A lesser known Disney animated film with a decidedly British/Sherlock Holmes feel to it.

3

[Diehl40]

The original version had a making of feature that showed how they cast and made the movie. There are a few actors, but they really do their own singing and playing. Most of the other cast are musicians who are spoon fed their lines from scene to scene. There are two cd's that were released with the music from the movie. Alan Parker knows how to make movies about music. The Wall, Evita, etc.


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The Commitments (1991)

Director: Alan Parker
Writers: Dick Clement(screenplay), Roddy Doyle(novel)
Cast: Robert Arkins, Michael Aherne, Angeline Ball
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music

An Irish rock-soul band tries to make the big time in Dublin, but ends up with the members fighting among themselves. CR




Loved the music! it's right up my alley. I was even thinking about getting a CD of the soundtrack. I loved seeing the streets of Dublin, with the very realistic urban decay. I loved the way this was film, especially the stage shows which looked authentic. I still don't know if The Commitments are real or actors or what? I seen the bands name credited on some of the songs in the closing credits, but were they in the movie? Or were those actors?

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It's a good thing this movie has a great soundtrack and is visually unique as I couldn't connect to the characters, which meant I didn't care about them. That's mostly due to the strong accents, I must have only understood about half of what was said. I thought about putting on subtitles, but then again do I really need to read F*** 169 times, I don't think so.

It's like there's a great idea here, but not much story or character development, so in lieu of that the film makers have the band members fighting, and fighting...and bickering and screaming at each other! All this conflict for entertainment's sake, reminded me of Withnail & I (1987), a film I hated.

Luckily the music makes the movie and who ever performed the songs were amazing! I really liked the music!

rating_3

[Citizen Rules]

The original version had a making of feature that showed how they cast and made the movie. There are a few actors, but they really do their own singing and playing. Most of the other cast are musicians who are spoon fed their lines from scene to scene. There are two cd's that were released with the music from the movie. Alan Parker knows how to make movies about music. The Wall, Evita, etc.Oh wow, he made The Wall and Evita...I didn't even know that and I've seen both. Thanks

[Diehl40]

True appreciation of Mulholland Drive requires more than a single watch
I agree. The same for Lost Highway. You have to be familiar with the whole story until you get an idea where the different pieces fit. The story itself is a mystery to solve. Lynch gives you everything you need, but it is a process.

[Gideon58]

Oh wow, he made The Wall and Evita...I didn't even know that and I've seen both. Thanks

He also directed the original Fame in 1980.

[Citizen Rules]

He also directed the original Fame in 1980.
Not sure if I've seen Fame.

[Allaby]

Not sure if I've seen Fame.

Fame is great. You should definitely check it out, if you haven't seen it.

[Gideon58]

Not sure if I've seen Fame.


Glad you liked The Commitments though...didn't you watch it during our musical hall of fame last year? That's when I watched it and I'm pretty sure you were part of that.

[Citizen Rules]

Fame is great. You should definitely check it out, if you haven't seen it.Thanks Allaby. So many movies! Gosh I sometimes wish I could watch more but usually I can see one per day.

[Citizen Rules]

Glad you liked The Commitments though...didn't you watch it during our musical hall of fame last year? That's when I watched it and I'm pretty sure you were part of that.Yes, that is when I seen it. There were sure a lot of great films in that HoF.

[Diehl40]

Oh wow, he made The Wall and Evita...I didn't even know that and I've seen both. Thanks
He also made Angel Heart, Midnight Express, and Mississippi Burning.

[Citizen Rules]

He also made Angel Heart, Midnight Express, and Mississippi Burning.I seen Angel Heart and Mississippi Burning. I liked that later and should see it again.

[Captain Steel]

I saw The Commitments mentioned.
I remember almost nothing about it, except it being about a band (was it in Ireland?), but I do remember liking it quite a lot.
I only saw it on VHS and I remember recognizing Colm Meany in it - and saying, "Hey, it's Chief O'Brien!" as, at the time, I'd never seen him in anything else.

[Citizen Rules]

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Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi


"In medieval Japan, a compassionate governor is sent into exile. His wife and children try to join him, but are separated, and the children grow up amid suffering and oppression."


Technically & artistically a near perfect movie. I appreciated it and it was a good choice for me to watch. Classic Japanese films like, Late Autumn, 24 Eyes & The Naked Island are my favorite type of personal stories. Those are the kind of intimate story telling I like the most. I would still rate Sansho the Bailiff highly, but for me my reaction to the sad tale was one more of appreciation for the great sets and customs and one rather dismal realization about the history of humankind....

While I was watching Sansho the Bailiff I started to ponder one very deep and truly sad thought... Almost all of mankind's time on Earth during recorded history has been built on the back of slaves. I hadn't realized that in Japan's past they too had built wealth & power out of the bondage of other humans and that historical realization brought to the screen via film is another strong reason to watch this film.

The quietness of the very end scene with it's setting in a little hut near the water set the emotion of the finish of the film. Nicely done too!

rating_3_5

[Citizen Rules]

I saw The Commitments mentioned.
I remember almost nothing about it, except it being about a band (was it in Ireland?), but I do remember liking it quite a lot.
I only saw it on VHS and I remember recognizing Colm Meany in it - and saying, "Hey, it's Chief O'Brien!" as, at the time, I'd never seen him in anything else.Chief O'Brien, damn I must have missed him as I don't remember seeing Colm Meaney and he is kinda of unique looking too. Did he have a bigger role?

[Captain Steel]

Chief O'Brien, damn I must have missed him as I don't remember seeing Colm Meaney and he is kinda of unique looking too. Did he have a bigger role?

I think it was a small role, like someone's father or something.
IMDB says he played "Mr. Rabbitte"

[mark f]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViBnWEF7P3c

[Citizen Rules]

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A Man Escaped (Robert Bresson 1956)


"A captured French Resistance fighter during WWII engineers a daunting escape from a Nazi prison in France."


I liked A Man Escaped OK, but to be honest I found it a bit stoic and lacking in emotion. Or maybe I was just too tired and maybe the poor video quality affected my enjoyment of it. I should really see this again and with a nice sharp copy. I can say that I was never bored and it did seem well made, but it was sure plodding. I'm guessing that slowness was deliberate as to impart a feeling of time nearly standing still. Well it worked I guess.

As I was watching it I asked myself if I felt anything or any emotion...and the answer was no. I didn't feel or care for the man in prison. I didn't really care if he managed to escape or not. And I think the reason I didn't have any visceral reaction was that the prison and the Nazi's didn't have that omnipresent & oppressive feeling about them. That's because of the way it was shot, with mostly close ups and mid range shots. We never see that many establishing shots or wide shots that would make this prison seem real at least in my mind. To me it felt like a tiny studio set, hence I didn't feel any desperation from the story and you know a prison break from the Nazi's should be all about desperation!

I also couldn't help compare this to the excellent French prison film Le Trou (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054407/?ref_=tt_sims_tt) (1960) which also was about a prison break, but was much more dynamic.

rating_3_5

[Citizen Rules]

I think it was a small role, like someone's father or something.
IMDB says he played "Mr. Rabbitte" Cool (and thanks Mark too).

Of all the different Star Trek characters I always felt a kinship to Chief O'Brien. Then again there's other ST characters I could say the same for, that's probably why I love the different series so much.

[SpelingError]

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Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi


"In medieval Japan, a compassionate governor is sent into exile. His wife and children try to join him, but are separated, and the children grow up amid suffering and oppression."


Technically & artistically a near perfect movie. I appreciated it and it was a good choice for me to watch. Classic Japanese films like, Late Autumn, 24 Eyes & The Naked Island are my favorite type of personal stories. Those are the kind of intimate story telling I like the most. I would still rate Sansho the Bailiff highly, but for me my reaction to the sad tale was one more of appreciation for the great sets and customs and one rather dismal realization about the history of humankind....

While I was watching Sansho the Bailiff I started to ponder one very deep and truly sad thought... Almost all of mankind's time on Earth during recorded history has been built on the back of slaves. I hadn't realized that in Japan's past they too had built wealth & power out of the bondage of other humans and that historical realization brought to the screen via film is another strong reason to watch this film.

The quietness of the very end scene with it's setting in a little hut near the water set the emotion of the finish of the film. Nicely done too!

rating_3_5

That one is a straight up 5 for me.

[SpelingError]

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A Man Escaped (Robert Bresson 1956)


"A captured French Resistance fighter during WWII engineers a daunting escape from a Nazi prison in France."


I liked A Man Escaped OK, but to be honest I found it a bit stoic and lacking in emotion. Or maybe I was just too tired and maybe the poor video quality affected my enjoyment of it. I should really see this again and with a nice sharp copy. I can say that I was never bored and it did seem well made, but it was sure plodding. I'm guessing that slowness was deliberate as to impart a feeling of time nearly standing still. Well it worked I guess.

As I was watching it I asked myself if I felt anything or any emotion...and the answer was no. I didn't feel or care for the man in prison. I didn't really care if he managed to escape or not. And I think the reason I didn't have any visceral reaction was that the prison and the Nazi's didn't have that omnipresent & oppressive feeling about them. That's because of the way it was shot, with mostly close ups and mid range shots. We never see that many establishing shots or wide shots that would make this prison seem real at least in my mind. To me it felt like a tiny studio set, hence I didn't feel any desperation from the story and you know a prison break from the Nazi's should be all about desperation!

I also couldn't help compare this to the excellent French prison film Le Trou (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054407/?ref_=tt_sims_tt) (1960) which also was about a prison break, but was much more dynamic.

rating_3_5

I enjoyed that one, but it's been some time since I've seen it, so another viewing is long overdue.

[Citizen Rules]

I enjoyed that one, but it's been some time since I've seen it, so another viewing is long overdue.I seen in in the Personal Recommendation III which I really enjoyed as I found a lot of great movies, more so that what I usually find in the main HoFs. I wish we could do it again sometime.

[SpelingError]

I seen in in the Personal Recommendation III which I really enjoyed as I found a lot of great movies, more so that what I usually find in the main HoFs. I wish we could do it again sometime.

I'll have to join one of those someday. They look fun.

[Citizen Rules]

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Room at the Top (Jack Clayton 1959)

"An ambitious young accountant plots to wed a wealthy factory owner's daughter despite falling in love with a married older woman."

Love this film!

In the first scene when we meet Joe (Laurence Harvey) I thought I had him pegged as being the handsome cad...a guy who used women, chewed them up and spit them out onto the cold pavement, all without a mere thought of remorse. In the first scene it did indeed look like he would be the guy you 'love to hate'. I mean he did seem predatory at first, with his stalking of the daughter of the richest man in town. He was kinda creepy with his hellbent plan to marry her for money and social status, two things he sorely lacked.

But it was Joe's meager beginnings in a dirty northern England work town that made him who he was and as the film went along we could see that the war and the loss of his family and his early life had shaped him into the person he was and that then creates some sympathy for his character.

Along the way he does begin to change and realize that love is more important than money. But what I really liked is that the film never made that change in Joe clear cut, he was still a cad but a cad that could be understood.

Simone Signoret as Alice the older, married French woman that he falls in love with, made for a very realistic (for film) love story. She's very personable in this and their relationship felt dynamic. I liked the time the film spent on it.

rating_4_5

[Citizen Rules]

I'll have to join one of those someday. They look fun.I was just now thinking whatever genre theme wins the next Countdown, it would be neat to do a Personal Recommendation around that theme. Cricket did do just that for the Foreign Language countdown.

[Gideon58]

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[B]Room at the Top (Jack Clayton 1959)

rating_4_5

I don't know if you're aware, Citizen, but Signoret won the Oscar for Best Actress for this film.

[Citizen Rules]

I don't know if you're aware, Citizen, but Signoret won the Oscar for Best Actress for this film.I didn't know that...Have you seen Room at the Top (1959)? I highly recommend it.

[Thursday Next]

I was just now thinking whatever genre theme wins the next Countdown, it would be neat to do a Personal Recommendation around that theme. Cricket did do just that for the Foreign Language countdown.


I quite like this idea.

Also, Room at the Top is excellent.

[Citizen Rules]

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2280976#post2280976)
I was just now thinking whatever genre theme wins the next Countdown, it would be neat to do a Personal Recommendation around that theme. Cricket did do just that for the Foreign Language countdown.
I quite like this idea.

Also, Room at the Top is excellent.
I've been thinking how we could do a Personal Recommendation Comedy edition...I'll ask Cricket if he wants to do it, if he doesn't want to I could do it...just so the comedy countdown gets supported (assuming it wins).

Room at the Top was a really neat hidden gem, thanks for choosing it for me in the last Personal Recommendation....those were really fun:)

[Gideon58]

I didn't know that...Have you seen Room at the Top (1959)? I highly recommend it.
No, I haven't.

[Citizen Rules]

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The Player (1992)

Director: Robert Altman
Writer: Michael Tolkin(screenplay)
Cast: Tim Robbins Greta Scacchi Fred Ware
Genre: Comedy Drama

'A Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected, but which one?'


The Player is right up my alley, it was a fun watch. As a plus, I was glad to explore more of Altman's filmography as I haven't seen many of his movies. The Player reminded me of another favorite movie, by the Coen Brothers,Barton Fink.

What I really liked about The Player was the insider story of a Hollywood movie executive who listens to movie pitches and green lights only a handful of films...I want that job!!!:p OMG that was so cool to see someone actually performing this movie job on screen. I loved the inside look at the movie business, very cool.

I also loved the detail of the sets at the studio, and I loved spotting all the stars who made cameos and there was a lot of them!. Tim Robbins is a favorite actor of mine and I liked him here he's quite good and personable which makes his story all the more relatable.

I liked that the story was part comedy and never intense. I dislike intense, realistic crime thrillers, though I do like old 40s-50s film noir. Luckily this film had a lighter feel to it, which suited me. I thought the ending twist was pretty clever too and it gave the movie a film within a film feel.

The Player is one film I'd like to revisit again.
rating_4_5

[Citizen Rules]

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Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders 1984)

Reaction: Impressed

They say, If you can't remember a movie then it must not have been all that good. I don't buy that.

Before I watched Paris,Texas I had zero idea of what it was about...It was a blind watch. I thought it was going to be some quirky, Lynchian-like 1980s crime film. To my surprise this was a prime example of 'slow-cinema', a film movement that I enjoy...and I did enjoy Paris,Texas. Sure not much happens and the scenes go on for a long while, but like a slow cooked Texas barbecue the film was bursting with flavor.

A lot of that film-flavor is from Harry Dean Stanton who was born to make a movie like this. I read Paris,Texas was his favorite film that he worked on. I liked Dean Stockwell too. But what I really liked was the Jim Jarmusch like photography of small towns in Texas...I chose that photo because the composition is so amazing. It's so rich in background details that no real action is needed in the scene. The setting tells the story. The entire film was like that, those town-scapes told a tale that went beyond what was happening on the surface.

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As strange as it might seem I don't really remember the movie after a week but like Harry Dean Stanton's character I know something real important took place.

4.5

[Citizen Rules]

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Bullitt (Peter Yates 1968)


Reaction: Positive

"Robert Vaughn received the script and didn't like it. He felt that there was no plot, nor a sensible story line."

...and that's why I liked this film! It's straight up police investigation, stylishly done but without the Hollywood trappings of hero vs villain or any of the typical trappings that a Hollywood film usually goes for.

Had this film been made in the last 30 years it would've been a ramped up, edge of your seat, adrenaline ride...and I would've hated it! I appreciate how this 1968 classic stayed low keyed and realistic...If one of my favorite directors, Kelly Reichardt directed a stakeout, crime cop movie, it would look like Bullitt.

I don't have any complaints here, in fact I'm amazed at how artistically creative this film was made. Oh sure I LOVED the car chase. I've owned different 1960s Mustangs myself, so the car chase was aces! OMG that Bullitt Mustang is worth a small fortune today.

I respect the way the film respected the intelligence of the audience, to me that's the real highlight.

rating_4+

[Citizen Rules]

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The General (Buster Keaton 1926)


"Buster Keaton was the greatest of all the clowns in the history of cinema. For too many years he was under the shadow of Charlie Chaplin and for too many of his last years he had a very bad time of it...Those are the years in which I knew him. We use to work in the old Stage Door Canteen, I was doing magic tricks for the troops and Keaton was washing dishes. He was a lovely person, the supreme artist and I think one of the most beautiful people ever photographed." Orson Welles

Reaction: Touched

Knowing how badly Hollywood treated Buster Keaton and knowing how this great man who made great cinema was eventually left with only his sad face...makes me sad. As much as I appreciate the creative genius of Charlie Chaplin, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool fan of Buster Keaton. I've seen other Keaton films and liked them all. I'm glad we still have most of his silent films surviving as so many silent films are lost.

I know silent films aren't for everyone and even though I do enjoy them they can be a mixed bag...especially the long ones can get tedious. The General is only 79 minutes so a quick & easy watch and one that's packed full of Keaton's patented comic stunts that are both humorous as all hell...and frightening to watch as he risks his life riding on an old steam engine or other daring feats. And make no mistakes about it, Keaton did risk his life in doing his own stunts.

Keaton wrote, directed and starred in this film and like Orson Welles and Citizen Kane, The General was the last time that Keaton would have full control over his films, which is indeed sad.

4.5

[Citizen Rules]

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Bob Le Flambeur (Jean-Pierre Melville 1956)
"After losing big, an aging gambler decides to assemble a team to rob a casino."

Reaction: Cool watch

Pretty much any 1950s French film will work for me. Some are better than others of course, but if it's a French or Japanese film and from the 50s or early 60s, then it's a safe bet I won't hate it. And betting is what Bob The Gambler is all about! That's a translation from the original French title...I don't have any deep analyst of the film. I suppose there are parables to life but to me it was all about seeing different types of of people going about their unique lives. I enjoyed seeing the sights and sound of Paris circa 1956, the film is a time machine to a time long gone. I especially like the small cafes and clubs I wonder how many are still there.

The actor who played Bob made the film! I liked his story and the way the film treated Bob and those who came into his world and I liked his relationship with the head detective . At one point I thought this would be another crime caper film and I thought, well that could be OK. But I ended up liking the way the story turned out, especially once the young apprentice of Bob slipped up and told the girl there was a casino robbery being planned.

A side note, I didn't like the girl, she was just plain dumb and looked like she was 14. Not a great actress either and she sure didn't have much screen presences, but the film itself was a real good watch.

4

[Citizen Rules]

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City Lights (Charles Chaplin 1931)


Reaction: I so needed to see this!

I swear that every single time I looked at my MoFo movie list I'd see City Lights and think, 'damn this movie made every list.' OK, maybe it's not on every list, but it's on 10 MoFo list! I don't think any other movie appears on so many of our list here at MoFo.

I enjoy silent films and I've loved a number of Chaplin's greats: Modern Times, The Kid, The Gold Rush and others. I wish I could say I also loved City Lights, but I found it only OK. I wasn't really impressed with it and maybe that's because I was really, really tired that night. Being tired can dampening one's emotional resonances to a movie. Or maybe I wasn't really into City Lights because subconsciously I was comparing it to Buster Keaton's The General which I recently watched and was very impressed with.

When the film started I noted that it was 1931, that's into the sound era. Odd that Chaplin decided to stay with a silent film when sound was the thing at that point but I guess his confidence in himself as an actor was relaying emotion through body language and facial expression. And he does that like no one else!

Unlike The Kid and other of Chaplin's earlier films, I felt like the story here didn't earn it's pathos. It was like Chaplin was burnt out and just went to the same movie well one too many times. I mean you get the Tramp falling in love with the poor blind girl who's about to be evicted out of her home. The Tramp then helps her. That all seemed kind of hackneyed and pandering to the audiences emotions. Where as other of his films earned the audiences accolades. Or maybe I was just tired like I said.

I'd call City Lights middle of the road, BUT very glad to have watched it finally.

rating_3_5

[SpelingError]

Nice write-ups :up:

With Bob Le Flambeur, I think it helps to watch some of Melville's other films before watching it since it's pretty uncharacteristic of his filmography. With the other films I've seen from him (Le Samourai, Army of Shadows, Le Cercle Rouge), you get the sense that everyone is slowly closing in and suffocating the main characters in those films, creating a strong air of claustrophobia. Bob Le Flambeur is different though since Bob clearly feels more comfortable in his surroundings since he has the proper intelligence and connections to keep himself out of trouble. It's even implied at the ending that he'll likely get a minor sentence, may be acquitted fairly easily, and once he's released, will have a large fortune waiting for him.

[Citizen Rules]

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The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola 1974)



Wow! The first scene in the city square with the inter-cut scenes of the couple under surveillance and the rooftop teams with those powerful recording mics and Gene Hackman and his crew coordinating in a undercover van...were very powerful. They were filmed and edited like nothing I've seen in a movie before...I knew I was in for a treat.

In the next scene with Hackman being tight lipped with his girl-on-the-side Terri Garr...it tells us just what we need to know about this man who's gone 'down the rabbit hole' in his surveillance job. I knew at the start of the movie that the story idea must have been inspired in part by The Watergate incident a few years earlier...In it's day this film must have resonated with viewers.

Then there's a scene with Gene Hackman attending a surveillance equipment convention and that's when the film starts to go astray. This man who goes to great lengths to keep his own life private and hidden, is now like a celebrity among his fellow surveillance experiments, which undid what was built on in the first scenes.

Then the film goes off the rails when Hackman invites his competition back to his secret spy shop and shows them some of his equipment!....Nope, I'm not buying that he would do that. Then he stupidly allows a woman that he just met to steal his secret and some very dangerous tapes. But wait a minute he had a cage with a lock...I guess he forgot to lock it.
Anyway the film is not well written and if it wasn't for Coppola's and Hackman's success with other films, I don't think this film would be so highly rated.

rating_3

[Citizen Rules]

Nice write-ups :up:

With Bob Le Flambeur, I think it helps to watch some of Melville's other films before watching it since it's pretty uncharacteristic of his filmography. With the other films I've seen from him (Le Samourai, Army of Shadows, Le Cercle Rouge), you get the sense that everyone is slowly closing in and suffocating the main characters in those films, creating a strong air of claustrophobia. Bob Le Flambeur is different though since Bob clearly feels more comfortable in his surroundings since he has the proper intelligence and connections to keep himself out of trouble. It's even implied at the ending that he'll likely get a minor sentence, may be acquitted fairly easily, and once he's released, will have a large fortune waiting for him.I hope to watch more of Melville's films. I've seen Le Samourai (amazing, loved it) I've seen Army of Shadows (very impressed). Haven't seen but have heard quite a bit about Le Cercle Rouge.

[SpelingError]

I hope to watch more of Melville's films. I've seen Le Samourai (amazing, loved it) I've seen Army of Shadows (very impressed). Haven't seen but have heard quite a bit about Le Cercle Rouge.

Le Cercle Rouge is great (I believe it's one of seanc's all-time favorites). It's the kind of film where, while it doesn't have a nail biting level of suspense per se, it's able to maintain a fairly low key atmosphere of suspense from beginning to end, constantly giving you the impression that the characters are in at least a bit of danger throughout most of the film.

Also, I loved the jewelry heist scene, perhaps even more so than the one in Rififi since it has less exposition leading up to it.

[Citizen Rules]

Le Cercle Rouge is great (I believe it's one of seanc's all-time favorites). It's the kind of film where, while it doesn't have a nail biting level of suspense per se, it's able to maintain a fairly low key atmosphere of suspense from beginning to end, constantly giving you the impression that the characters are in at least a bit of danger throughout most of the film.

Also, I loved the jewelry heist scene, perhaps even more so than the one in Rififi since it has less exposition leading up to it.I usually don't like films with nail biting level of suspense, not if it's the entire length of the film as it wears me out.

I just read this about Le Cercle Rouge The heist sequence lasts for exactly 27 minutes and features no dialogue at all.To me that sounds promising.

[SpelingError]

I usually don't like films with nail biting level of suspense, not if it's the entire length of the film as it wears me out.

I just read this about Le Cercle Rouge To me that sounds promising.

Yeah, it's not, like, action packed or thrilling per se. It operates more on the level of, say, Jef attempting to escape from the detectives tailing him in Le Samourai.

[Citizen Rules]

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Secrets & Lies (Mike Leigh 1996)

Reaction: hmm



See that screenshot? That's my reaction to the film.

Now, don't get my wrong, I loved the subject matter which was right up my alley. In fact I expected to like this. The two lead actresses were good too.

I hate to describe a film as boring but I was bored with Secret & Lies and that's the truth. Everything felt so artificial, so much like a daytime TV soap opera. There was barely 90 minutes of relevant story here, which leaves an additional 50 minutes of added padding. Hence part of the reason I was bored.

I felt like each character was doing their own little monologue and wasn't really connected to the film's universe. It was like each actor got a bit of 'me time' to do their own personal, emotional breakdown scene. One after another they all delivered their little scenes at the birthday party and I didn't but any of it. Eventually I ended up laughing out loud at these people, really I did! Only it wasn't suppose to be funny....After the movie I read on IMDB that the director let the actors improvise a lot of their own dialogue, I'm not surprised either. I've found that when actors get to go off and improv the script it usually doesn't improve a film.

I can't say I like Mike Leigh's films, at least the ones I've seen. Twice in the past I was perusing the shelves of my local library when I came across a DVD that starred Sally Hawkins. I really like Sally Hawkins and the movie sounded good, so I borrowed it and watched it...then after 10 minutes of inane, fake sounding dialogue I shut it off, it was Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky. I can't stand his movie Naked either with the same chatter driven, faux characters. His Mr Turner (2014) was OK, so maybe there's hope.

rating_2_5

[KeyserCorleone]

I've seen four Altmans: The Long Goodbye, 3 Women, Images and The Player, the latter of which is the only one I gave a five-star rating to. My faorite movie of 1992. Of course, the ending raises a question:

If "The Player" was the movie instead of "the true story," did TIm Robbins really get the girl?

[Citizen Rules]

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Zodiac (David Fincher 2007)


For me, watching innocent victims being tied up and stabbed to death is way too violent to enjoy the movie especially when the scene is so brutally realistic and depicts an actual murder...I just don't need that image burned into my brain. I think that many movie watchers are desensitized to violence by the movies that they watch, so that they don't view brutal killings as shown in Zodiac as much of a big deal. But I don't watch slasher horror films, etc and so the killings were horrible to watch.

As an aside, I don't think showing the killings are necessary or even helpful to the movie's story, they could've been done off screen. The stories focus is that the Zodiac is a conundrum, a puzzling mystery to all. By showing the audience the actual crimes it takes away from the feeling of being in the cops shoes and feeling completely baffled by the mystery, as it makes us privy to what actual happened.

Even without the disturbing killings, this was a poorly directed movie. Both Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. blew in this. Downey was the same off the wall, nutsy druggie/drunk character that he's played in so many other films. He's like a caricature, good in a comedy-drama but silly in such a serious film.

Gyllenhaal is just a boring actor. I've never really liked him. He had no handle on how to be the odd, cartoonist guy. I was painful aware of his attempts at doing a 'character' and he failed as his acting was too visible. It was only towards the end of the film when he became obsessed with finding the identity of the Zodiac that his performance rang true.

Mark Ruffalo and his cop partner were both good in this and I did like whoever played Melvin Belli too.

The story itself was lagging, did this really need to be 2 hours and 45 minutes? Zodiac has the same lack luster quality as another disappointing news investigative movie, The Post.

A really good investigative, true crime movie was Spotlight (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1895587/)...about child abuse by pedophile Catholic priest...and that film didn't need to show children being horribly abused for shock value. BTW I didn't care for The Social Network and I don't like David Fincher style of direction.

2.5

[Citizen Rules]

I've seen four Altmans: The Long Goodbye, 3 Women, Images and The Player, the latter of which is the only one I gave a five-star rating to. My faorite movie of 1992. Of course, the ending raises a question:

If "The Player" was the movie instead of "the true story," did TIm Robbins really get the girl?I really liked 3 Women (and The Player of course, also liked The Long Goodbye). I feel Altman is a director that needs to grow on someone, at least the more I know of his films the more I generally like them.

[KeyserCorleone]

Maybe. But The Player was the first Altman I ever saw, and I loved it then and there. I typically have one concern or more involving each Altman besides The Player. I think it was really the density of the movie. It was much thicker than The Long Goodbye and 3 Women. And Images was very well-directed, but a little predictable and lacking character depth.

[Citizen Rules]

Maybe. But The Player was the first Altman I ever saw, and I loved it then and there. I typically have one concern or more involving each Altman besides The Player. I think it was really the density of the movie. It was much thicker than The Long Goodbye and 3 Women. And Images was very well-directed, but a little predictable and lacking character depth.Me too, I loved The Player on the very first watch. I even loved it in the first few minutes, it hooked me. I haven't seen Images yet, I suppose I should.

[KeyserCorleone]

Me too, I loved The Player on the very first watch. I even loved it in the first few minutes, it hooked me. I haven't seen Images yet, I suppose I should.

It;s considered an inferior film during his heyday, but maybe I;m a sucker for psycho thrillers and horrors.

[Captain Steel]

Me too, I loved The Player on the very first watch. I even loved it in the first few minutes, it hooked me. I haven't seen Images yet, I suppose I should.

I re-watched The Player just last week. I just wanted to see all the cameos (had no memory that it was a murder mystery). It was very satirical.

[gbgoodies]

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Bullitt (Peter Yates 1968)


Reaction: Positive

"Robert Vaughn received the script and didn't like it. He felt that there was no plot, nor a sensible story line."

...and that's why I liked this film! It's straight up police investigation, stylishly done but without the Hollywood trappings of hero vs villain or any of the typical trappings that a Hollywood film usually goes for.

Had this film been made in the last 30 years it would've been a ramped up, edge of your seat, adrenaline ride...and I would've hated it! I appreciate how this 1968 classic stayed low keyed and realistic...If one of my favorite directors, Kelly Reichardt directed a stakeout, crime cop movie, it would look like Bullitt.

I don't have any complaints here, in fact I'm amazed at how artistically creative this film was made. Oh sure I LOVED the car chase. I've owned different 1960s Mustangs myself, so the car chase was aces! OMG that Bullitt Mustang is worth a small fortune today.

I respect the way the film respected the intelligence of the audience, to me that's the real highlight.

rating_4+


Did you count how many hubcaps came off the Charger during the chase scene? :lol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEzQI4R-88I

[Citizen Rules]

I re-watched The Player just last week. I just wanted to see all the cameos (had no memory that it was a murder mystery). It was very satirical.Did you like it?

Did you count how many hubcaps came off the Charger during the chase scene? :lol:
Nope:D But I bet a lot did. I use to drive a Mustang convertible that had hubcaps and when I speed around sharp corners like Speed Racer (in my younger days!) the hubcaps would fly off and I'd have to park the car along side the road and go retrieve them. One time I lost a hubcap on a curvy road in the country. The hubcap went into the woods. It's probably still there after 40 years!

[ScarletLion]

That's a shame, I love Mike Leigh. Naked All or Nothing and Secrets and Lies are near masterpieces of British cinema.

[Citizen Rules]

That's a shame, I love Mike Leigh. Naked All or Nothing and Secrets and Lies are near masterpieces of British cinema.A lot of people love him, I know a lot of MoFos do. So yes he does hit the right marks for many. But not my jam.

[Captain Steel]

Did you like it?


Yes, it was entertaining. I'd always remembered the movie pitches (this movie MEETS this movie), yet they weren't quite as plentiful in the film as I remembered them - guess I exaggerated them in my memory.

One funny thing - I recently re-watched Annie Hall (1977)... both movies have Hollywood party scenes... and Jeff Goldblum is a guest at both parties (albeit, in Annie Hall, he was just an unknown guy making a phone call, since he wasn't quite famous yet). :D

[Citizen Rules]

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See No Evil, Hear No Evil (Arthur Hiller 1989)


My high expectations for liking this, See No Evil, Hear No Evil crushed it. I was really expecting to love Gene Wilder & Richard Pryor in this comedy vehicle as the pair made several successfully comedies together...and I find both funny and both are likable with lots of screen presences. But not in See No Evil, Hear No Evil. I do get bored by some movies, well this is one of them. I started checking the time remaining at the 45 minute mark and I kept checking until it was finally over. That's never a good sign.

Basically this is one of those 1980s buddy cop/crime movies that were so popular back in the day....Think Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, only this time it's a comedy with Wilder and Pryor...I didn't laugh at much, maybe a couple of chuckles ant that's it.

I will say Gene Wilder was good here, he's always good. Wilder never over sells his deaf character and indeed I could buy that he was indeed deaf. Pryor on the other had did this way silly, over the top, blind guy bit that I just didn't buy and it ended up being annoying. Interestingly enough the bad guy Anthony Zerba is also suppose to be blind and does pull that off quite well.

No cool cars this time, but there was one hot chick!

2.5

[Citizen Rules]

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Victor Victoria (1982)
Dir. Blake Edwards


I liked it. I loved Robert Preston in it, he was good! Preston inhabited his role just like he did in The Music Man. I often talk about actors who can own their role without over selling it and that's what Preston does here. The other aspect of film making that I gushed over are the sets. I loved the richness of the art deco sets here...Oh and sometimes I'm impressed by refrigerators. Alas, no refrigerators in Victor Victoria.

The first 45 minutes when the characters are getting established and the story is set up was my favorite part. I'd give the first third of the film a 5/5. I liked the rest of the movie too, but I've never been a fan of Blake Edward films in general. Blake both directed and wrote Victor Victoria and after the transformation of Victoria into the female impersonator stage star Victor...the film's story lost steam. It was like the next 90 minutes had no focus but instead delivered musical stage numbers. Luckily for me I like Julie Andrews singing and the choreography of the stage numbers was tops. I especially liked the two different renditions of The Shady Dame of Seville.

I did laugh a few times at Robert Preston's witty observations in the first part movie. But I wasn't onboard for the huge tonal shift of Blake Edward's comedy gags which came later. The lighting strike of the umbrella made me roll my eyes. I wish they would've cut the gag of the man out on the apartment ledge in a snowstorm, such old shtick. And I wish the comedy had came from the inherently unusual (for 1934) situation of a straight man (and a gangster too) falling for a man who's actually a woman. A sharp writer could've worked that idea for many a clever insightful laugh, instead Blake Edwards goes for the Inspector Clouseau style gags. At one point it seems his fellow gangsters are going to make his life really, really tough, but then nothing comes of it.

I didn't find much humor in this. I'm a tough cookie I guess:cool:

3

[Citizen Rules]

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Waitress (Adrienne Shelly 2007)


How could a PG-13 movie about a waitress who likes to bake pies not be fun! So what I'm trying to say is, it wasn't!...Now I'm sorry as I have some harsh things to say about this movie.

What the hell? Is this suppose to be a comedy? Oh gee, I guess a husband who physically assaults his wife, controls who she sees and where she goes and also stalks her...is suppose to be funny? The actor who played the husband role was so violent and so creepy-controlling that he made the husband in Dolores Claiborne look like a nice guy. I mean sure if this was a dark comedy then anything could go for humor. But the tonal shifts are so extreme that the film goes from a fun, cutesy Bridgette Jone's Diary type movie to the aforementioned Dolores Claiborne. I really liked the pie jokes but the husband who's a psycho, not so much. In fact he's played so intense that it ruined any chance of this film have a humorous impact on me.

I don't blame the actor who played the husband, I blame the director who also wrote and co-stars in this film, Adrienne Shelly. I don't know what she was thinking except I guess to show men as controlling jerks...because the husband isn't the only one. There's also this dweeb loser who might have been funny, only he clearly states that he's going to stock the other waitress (played by the director) until she agrees to marry her. She says he's called her 30 times in a day even though she asked him to go away. Then there's the handsome, nice guy doctor who seduces his pregnant patient right in the office and he's married too. And that all is suppose to be funny? Not.

2

[Citizen Rules]

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Bugsy Malone (Alan Parker 1976)


I liked those cars! They actually worked too. They were pedaled by the driver and had bicycle tires and working steering. Good detailing on those cars. It was funny when the kid gangsters drove them around, ha!...I liked the dreaded Sprulge guns too and how they shot custard mini-pies at the other gangsters that then 'rubbed them out'. Except in the big gun battle at the end when everyone was shot with creamy goo pies and no one was rubbed out. But oh well, it's a movie meant to be enjoyed.

Scott Baio stars, he later went on to play Fonzie's cousin Chachi Arcola in Happy Days and later had his own TV spin off Joanie Loves Chachi. I've seen ever episode of both of those too so I wasn't surprised that Baio was the standout actor here. He's good in this.

I chuckled a few times and the movie concept is amusing. It sort of reminded me of the all midget cowboy movie The Terror of Tiny Town (1938) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030845/)

The musical numbers didn't work for me here. I didn't like the arrangement of the songs. Something about mid 1970s music just didn't jive with me. Either did the kids who 'sing' but are actually dubbed by adult singers....Geez just let the little tykes sing for themselves, that would've been funner.

Glad I finally seen this.

rating_3

[Citizen Rules]

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Beetlejuice (Tim Burton 1988)


I like Winona Ryder so I used a screenshot of her instead of Michael Keaton who I'm ambivalent about in this. I just thought he went way over the top with his improv. He's an actor who needs a director that keeps him reeled in and focused on the written script... Oh I like Geena Davis too I mean what's not to like about her...

I thought I'd love this as I've liked most all of Tim Burton's films with Ed Wood and Mars Attacks! as two favorites of mine for my comedy countdown ballot. The only film of his I didn't care for was the live action Dumbo remake, good grief that was bad.

Michael Keaton himself was decent here. But I don't think he has the right type of comedy chops to pull of the freeform improv style of character comedy he was shooting for. Jim Carey (i.e. The Mask) would've been my first choice. Or just reel Keaton in a bit, I don't think he was the major attraction of the movie though the was the biggest star at the time.

Was that nice married guy really Alec Baldwin? I'm so use to him playing the self centered sleazy types. Baldwin paired well with Geena Davis and I liked their part of the story best, I'd be amiss if I didn't mention my appreciation for Catherine O'Hara, always liked her. What I really wanted was more of the afterlife as imagined by Tim Burton.

Burton really knows how to stack his films with lots of interesting stuff. My favorite here was the afterlife waiting room with Sylvia Sydey. Creative stuff!

3.5

[Citizen Rules]

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Knives Out (Rian Johnson2019)

Cast:
Daniel Craig
Chris Evans
Ana de Armas
Jamie Lee Curtis
Michael Shannon
Don Johnson
Toni Collette
LaKeith Stanfield
Christopher Plummer


With an ecliptic cast of talented actors and a set-up reminiscent of Clue (1985)...I expected to love Knives Out as I spent time with a misfit argumentative family. Sounded fun anyway...but turns out that for me this was just OK. Knives Out is nothing that hasn't been done many times before and not nearly as funny as that poster would seem to suggest. What's funny is that the movie referenced Clue, which is a wildly funny who-done-it mystery movie, to bad this movie falls way short of that board game to movie classic.

Knives Out has this cool collection of knives arranged in a circular pattern on a grid that makes for a interesting backdrop, but with 2 hours 10 minutes the characters themselves didn't get to shine and aren't all that interesting. Oh and their bizarre tendencies were eluded too but never delved into deep enough to satisfy. Instead maximum script time is spent on the mysterious death of a famous, ready for this, mystery writer. The film could've been shortened by 20-30 minutes as the murder mystery itself ran out of steam, thus evoking padding so that the magic 2 hour+ runtime could be achieved. And Daniel Craig's southern accent, ugh very distracting.

No real complaints here, just not all that interesting and I'm not sure I seen anything that could be described as funny.

rating_3

[Citizen Rules]

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Take The Money And Run
(Woody Allen 1969)


Woody Allen's first full directorial debut, though he did directorial work on What's Up Tiger Lily?...Here Allen wrote, directed and stars in what's been called one of the first mockumentaries ever made. Woody Allen in his first full directorial job created a new genre of films with his fictional autobiographical documentary about a poor boy from a poor family who turns to a life of crime and utterly falls at it.

When I first joined MoFo over seven years ago I didn't like Woody Allen or his films, though I hadn't seen many. Then a fellow MoFo challenged me to watch more of Allen's films. Now I'm happy to say I totally changed my mind and count Woody Allen as one of my favorite currently working directors. I like his movies, I like his writing and I like him as an actor. I find his work highly unique. Woody is quite the auteur.

I enjoyed Take The Money and Run, I thought it was originally clever and never pandering to low hanging fruit type comedy. It was funny and well made. I liked Woody in it as the lead actor Virgil Starkwell who's an inept bank robber and fails utterly at everything he tries to do.

4

[Citizen Rules]

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Hard Times (Walter Hill 1975)


'The adventures of a drifter turned illegal prize-fighter during the 1930s Depression Era in New Orleans.'


Hard Times was a rewarding watch of a film that I hadn't really ever heard of before. I would describe it as straight forward, non-pretentious film making/story telling. The film style was well suited for Charles Bronson...a no nonsense, laconic actor. I appreciated the camera work and score as I was never aware of either aspect during my viewing of the film. To me the style of the film was enhanced by the unobtrusiveness of its components. That's not to say the film's cinematography is in anyway blasé, just the opposite. The viewer is treated to effectively filmed cityscapes of New Orleans, especially the French Quarter with it's historic buildings.

There's quite a bit of on-location shooting, both for interior and exterior shots. As someone who spent a wonderful weeks vacation in the French Quarter I just love seeing the sites of those grand ole buildings with their wrought iron trimmed balconies.

I read on IMDB trivia that the director didn't think much of Jill Ireland's acting and cut many of her scenes. I can't say I've seen her in anything else except as a guest star on the original Star Trek series, But I thought she was fine in Hard Times. I would've liked to seen more of her and more of Chaney's (Charles Bronson) side story, as it would've fleshed out more of Bronson's enigmatic character.

3.5

[Captain Steel]

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Take The Money And Run
(Woody Allen 1969)


Woody Allen's first full directorial debut, though he did directorial work on What's Up Tiger Lily?...Here Allen wrote, directed and stars in what's been called one of the first mockumentaries ever made. Woody Allen in his first full directorial job created a new genre of films with his fictional autobiographical documentary about a poor boy from a poor family who turns to a life of crime and utterly falls at it.

When I first joined MoFo over seven years ago I didn't like Woody Allen or his films, though I hadn't seen many. Then a fellow MoFo challenged me to watch more of Allen's films. Now I'm happy to say I totally changed my mind and count Woody Allen as one of my favorite currently working directors. I like his movies, I like his writing and I like him as an actor. I find his work highly unique. Woody is quite the auteur.

I enjoyed Take The Money and Run, I thought it was originally clever and never pandering to low hanging fruit type comedy. It was funny and well made. I liked Woody in it as the lead actor Virgil Starkwell who's an inept bank robber and fails utterly at everything he tries to do.

4

This is one of my favorite Woody Allen movies... 1.) because it's the first "mockumentary" I ever saw and 2.) because the humor is simple.

Unlike some of his later films, this one is not esoteric, it's not targeted at intellectuals with a minor degree in sociology - it's just good, old fashion, silliness with in-your-face jokes, ironies, situations and a dose of slapstick.

It's the little things that crack me up - like playing the cello in a marching band.

[Citizen Rules]

This is one of my favorite Woody Allen movies... 1.) because it's the first "mockumentary" I ever saw and 2.) because the humor is simple.

Unlike some of his later films, this one is not esoteric, it's not targeted at intellectuals with a minor degree in sociology - it's just good, old fashion, silliness with in-your-face jokes, ironies, situations and a dose of slapstick.

It's the little things that crack me up - like playing the cello in a marching band.
The first mockumentary I saw was The Rutles (1978)...ha the cello, yeah that was pretty funny with him running to keep up with the band.

[Captain Steel]

The first mockumentary I saw was The Rutles (1978)...ha the cello, yeah that was pretty funny with him running to keep up with the band.

Ah, The Rutles! I haven't seen that since I was a kid... and then I don't know if I ever saw the whole thing. Would love to see that again. Based on the dates, it appears The Rutles was the inspiration for (or at least the precursor of) This Is Spinal Tap (like The Big Bus was the precursor to Airplane!) ;)

[Citizen Rules]

Ah, The Rutles! I haven't seen that since I was a kid... and then I don't know if I ever saw the whole thing. Would love to see that again. Based on the dates, it appears The Rutles was the inspiration for (or at least the precursor of) This Is Spinal Tap (like The Big Bus was the precursor to Airplane!) ;)Somebody once told me about The Big Bus;) fun movie! Hey, you're in luck The Rutles is on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f36fkktbM0Q

[Captain Steel]

Thanks!

[Citizen Rules]

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The Whisperers (Bryan Forbes 1967)

I made that 3-way panel to show just a snippet of that amazing title sequence. A film's title sequence sets the tone of the story to come. I loved the cinematography and the shooting locations for that opening sequence. It says to me: forlorn loneliness, forgotten and empty. The use of the stray dogs and cats further that feeling of abandonment.

The Whispers is a quiet film that shows the degradation of the poor elderly in British society circa 1967. That 'quiet showing' is very effective as it allows the viewer to feel the film on an internal level.

The film's style reminds me of one of my favorite current directors, Kelly Reichardt. I appreciate it when a director doesn't force his or her views down my throat...but instead shows me a world that I can then experience on my own...That's what the director of The Whispers did.

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British actress Edith Evans plays a convincing elderly lady living alone in poverty.


I've gushed about the directorial style, but I really need to swoon a bit over the interior sets! Gosh, I loved the rundown apartment of Mrs. Ross, it was so ecliptic, cluttered and looked oh so real. Mrs. Ross played by Edith Evans convinced me that I was watching an actual elderly lady with a touch of dementia. I never once thought of her as an actress and that's a compliment to her acting skill. Edith Evans was Oscar nominated for Best Actress for her performance in this film.

rating_4

[Citizen Rules]

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Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick 1975)


I seen this before sometime ago and liked it. This time around I still like it. I'd say I appreciate it's overall construction and elements more than ever...it's an excellent film.

OK, so now that you know where I stand on this film, I can talk about some negatives. People say Kubrick has technical film prowess but is cold and doesn't convey human emotions well. Barry Lyndon is suppose to be an exemption from Kubrick's detached mode. But I have to say on a second watch I found Barry Lyndon to be detached as much as the other Kubrick's films I've seen. If it wasn't for the VO narrator there would be scant little emotions in most scenes. The film is more of a pictograph of one man's stumbling journey though life's misfortunes. That's not a complaint btw.

Some will say Ryan O'Neil can't act, well he really wasn't a thespian or even someone with oodles of personality. He mostly had this one look of disappointment on his face through out much of the movie. That's probably because Kubrick drove him nuts. I read that Kubrick would do take after take after take:

Writer, producer, and director Stanley Kubrick would often shoot a great many retakes of a scene, just to get "that extra something" in a shot; twenty to fifty takes per scene was not uncommon. It has been claimed that Kubrick shot over one hundred takes of the scene in which Barry (Ryan O'Neal) first meets Lady Honoria Lyndon (Marisa Berenson).

Good grief! No director needs a 100 shots or even 50 to capture that special moment. Hell the scene where Barry meets Lady Honoria Lyndon was brief and unremarkable. And reading that about Kubrick has made me think less of him as a director. Truth be told I don't see very many acting moments of sublime clarity in his films. Nothing that transcends the film and goes right to the viewers 'awe' brain center.

So Barry Lydon technically a good movie. Kubrick, I'm on the fence.

4

[Citizen Rules]

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Antwone Fisher (Denzel Washington 2002)


'Antwone Fisher, a young navy man, is forced to see a psychiatrist after a violent outburst against a fellow crewman. During the course of treatment a painful past is revealed and a new hope begins.'

Antwone Fisher was a nearly perfect film for me. I might compare it to Goodwill Hunting as both films have similar themes. Only this film felt so much more grounded in reality and focused on the story at hand. And I've always liked Denzel Washington too. He reminds me of Tom Hanks as both have this quiet, yet determined demeanor about them. That quiet resolve is what makes Denzel so effective in this movie. And I have to say I'm impressed with the actor who played the titular role, Derek Luke. Derek was able to show blind rage, OK that's probably not too hard for actors. I've heard actors say anger is the easiest emotion for them to do. But Derek isn't just angry in the film, he's emotionally wounded and trying to heal his mental scars. He's shy and unsure of himself which comes from years of child abuse. Derek made me believe I was watching a real person and that's also saying a lot!

The real Antwone Fischer must be quite a talented person because he wrote this movie! That's impressive...And it's the movie's script and the story it describes that impresses me the most. I felt like I was watching these events unfold in real time. Part of the credit for the honesty of this film has to go to the director Denzel Washington. I liked the way Denzel directed this, no cheese, no over the top-hey look at me type direction. Denzels' directing is like his acting, perfectly in sync for what he's doing.
What a great film!

4

[Citizen Rules]

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La Dolce Vita (Fellini 1960)


I watched this film in one go...and the time flew by too. I've seen 90 minute movies that dragged, but with La Dolce Vita the visual sensory is on high and there's always something gorgeous to look at.

This was my first time watching it and I expected to be raving about Anita Ekberg. I mean whenever I see images from this movie, it's always of her. But I didn't find her or the scenes she was in to be all that fascinating. I didn't even really find her all that attractive. I mean she is of course, but just not my type. Probably nobodies type here! I actually found Marcello's wife Emma to be more attractive and interesting too. Well whenever she wasn't half dead from popping pills or screaming how much she loved Marcello.

Me, I loved the first 30 minutes of the movie, its kinetic energy and exploration of things common yet unseen, reminded me of another favorite Italian film L'Avventura.

I do however think Fellini is over indulgent and actually a bit lazy. He gives us three nearly identical and long scenes showing Rome's well-to-do engaging in drunken shenanigans. The first of these at Steiner's house with all the bored to tears, rich intellectual types, made Fellini's point crystal clear.

But then Fellini duplicates that party scene twice more: The old villa castle scene and the last party scene in the house where the unhappy Marcello pours chicken feathers over a drunken young lady...If you tell me that's symbolism, then the pizza stains on my sweatshirt are freakin' high art and surely must decipher the Da Vinci code just by looking at all that dried tomato sauce.

rating_4

[Citizen Rules]

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Shame (Ingmar Bergman 1968)

'In the midst of a civil war, former violinists Jan and Eva Rosenberg, who have a tempestuous marriage, run a farm on a rural island. In spite of their best efforts to escape their homeland, the war impinges on every aspect of their lives.'

Shame examines the collateral damage of an ongoing civil war. The effects of that war is seen through the personal experiences of two former musicians. This hapless couple ekes out a meager existence on a sparsely populated island. They bicker, they love, they vacillate. Then it's too late...war comes to their very doorstep.

I'm always happy to watch a Bergman film, but for an odd reason. I have yet to find a Bergman film that I love.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for Bergman. I can see his film's greatness and understand why others love them so. Maybe one day I'll find that one special Bergman film that I can connect to...But for now I can only say that I find his films to be coldly austere, like the image of the forlorn couple on a desolate beach. His films never make me feel much, nor do I long to immerse myself in their world...And the people who inhabit his films seem distant to me.

Objectively: Shame is a 4/5 in my book.
Subjectively: I found myself checking the run time of the film all too often. But I have no complaints, it's a near perfect film. Nothing I'd change. I guess Bergman is just not my cup of joe.

My rating: rating_3_5+

[rauldc14]

Ya I think Shame is really good. But I still like Virgin Spring and Autumn Sonata above it, perhaps a couple more.

[Citizen Rules]

Ya I think Shame is really good. But I still like Virgin Spring and Autumn Sonata above it, perhaps a couple more. I liked Virgin Springs. I've not seen Autumn Sonata. I'd like to see another Bergman, all the ones I've seen were in HoFs...maybe soon.

[beelzebubble]

My favorite Bergman is Fanny and Alexander the tv series. It is sumptuous. Which is not what you usually think of when you think of Bergman. My other favorite is The Best Intentions which is written by Bergman but directed by Bille August. this is a wonderful semi-autographical story about Bergman's parents as is Fanny and Alexander. Though The Best Intentions takes place in the early years of their marriage and Fanny and Alexander is that marriage seen through their children's eyes.

[SpelingError]

Nice set of films. Someone should nominate them for a HoF if they haven't already done so.

[crumbsroom]

Shame is a horribly overlooked Bergman.



Maybe the most horribly overlooked.

[Gideon58]

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Zodiac (David Fincher 2007)


For me, watching innocent victims being tied up and stabbed to death is way too violent to enjoy the movie especially when the scene is so brutally realistic and depicts an actual murder...I just don't need that image burned into my brain. I think that many movie watchers are desensitized to violence by the movies that they watch, so that they don't view brutal killings as shown in Zodiac as much of a big deal. But I don't watch slasher horror films, etc and so the killings were horrible to watch.

As an aside, I don't think showing the killings are necessary or even helpful to the movie's story, they could've been done off screen. The stories focus is that the Zodiac is a conundrum, a puzzling mystery to all. By showing the audience the actual crimes it takes away from the feeling of being in the cops shoes and feeling completely baffled by the mystery, as it makes us privy to what actual happened.

Even without the disturbing killings, this was a poorly directed movie. Both Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. blew in this. Downey was the same off the wall, nutsy druggie/drunk character that he's played in so many other films. He's like a caricature, good in a comedy-drama but silly in such a serious film.

Gyllenhaal is just a boring actor. I've never really liked him. He had no handle on how to be the odd, cartoonist guy. I was painful aware of his attempts at doing a 'character' and he failed as his acting was too visible. It was only towards the end of the film when he became obsessed with finding the identity of the Zodiac that his performance rang true.

Mark Ruffalo and his cop partner were both good in this and I did like whoever played Melvin Belli too.

The story itself was lagging, did this really need to be 2 hours and 45 minutes? Zodiac has the same lack luster quality as another disappointing news investigative movie, The Post.

A really good investigative, true crime movie was Spotlight (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1895587/)...about child abuse by pedophile Catholic priest...and that film didn't need to show children being horribly abused for shock value. BTW I didn't care for The Social Network and I don't like David Fincher style of direction.

2.5


I agree with you that as good as the movie is, there's no justifying its length. I also agree that Spotlight is a far superior film.

[KeyserCorleone]

You'd probably like The Guilty (2018). However, I disagree with the vast majority of your review this movie. Besides, there was only like 1 killing in Zodiac, wasn't there?

[Citizen Rules]

My favorite Bergman is Fanny and Alexander the tv series. It is sumptuous. Which is not what you usually think of when you think of Bergman. My other favorite is The Best Intentions which is written by Bergman but directed by Bille August. this is a wonderful semi-autographical story about Bergman's parents as is Fanny and Alexander. Though The Best Intentions takes place in the early years of their marriage and Fanny and Alexander is that marriage seen through their children's eyes.Interesting! I would've never guessed Bergman had directed a TV mini series. I hadn't heard of Fanny and Alexanderbefore. I see it's highly rated too.

Nice set of films. Someone should nominate them for a HoF if they haven't already done so.Yeah all of the main HoFs have had great films nominated. When I go back and take a look at what was chosen I'm surprised by the diversity and quality.

Shame is a horribly overlooked Bergman.
Maybe the most horribly overlooked. I hardly ever hear Shame mentioned and yet it was well received by the HoF members and certainly is a worthy film to watch.

You'd probably like The Guilty (2018). However, I disagree with the vast majority of your review this movie. Besides, there was only like 1 killing in Zodiac, wasn't there?Thanks for the recommendation but I read the mini synopsis on IMDB and it doesn't sound like my cup of joe. But I'm sure it's a good film, just not the genre/style I usually watch.

[Citizen Rules]

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The Day of the Jackal (Fred Zinnemann 1973)


August, 1962, was a stormy time for France. Many people felt that President Charles de Gaulle had betrayed the country by giving independence to Algeria. Extremists, mostly from the army swore to kill him in revenge. They banded together in an underground movement and called themselves the OAS.
[From the opening scene of The Day of the Jackal]

Those words that are spoken in the beginning of the film struck me with a blanket of despair. I viewed the message of this film as an ominous reminder of the specter of fascism in the world. Men of good faith don't change politics at the end of a gun barrel and yet as this fictional film pointed out, it has happened all too often throughout human history.

Especially hard for me to watch was the last scene of the President of France at the national parade, while a loan gunman seeks to change politics with a bullet. I wish events like this were limited only to fictional movies, at least I can wish that.

Not a film I'd love but a film I can respect. OMG the huge last scene with all those people in the national event, wow talk about staging a spectacular scene. The actor who played the Jackal was really good too. The custom made sniper's rifle was cool and I read that they made two for the movie AND they're working models. One's in a museum. But I really want is that white Alfa Romeo roadster!

3.5

[Citizen Rules]

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Rudderless (William H. Macy 2014)



Rudderless is a bitlike a Lifetime TV movie. And yes some of the acting wasn't the greatest. And yes Selena Gomez blew in this, not to mention that she looked 12 years old. So yeah there's alot of problems with this...BUT I still liked it.

Actually it did something many movies can't: It captured my imagination and attention right from the get go. I can't say I've seen another movie that told a narrative from the viewpoint of a parent of a school shooter. I image being a parent of someone who does murderous horrible things must be a certain type of hell. But does their story get told? Not often but in Rudderless it does. We see the damage effects it has on the parent of a school shooter, we see how such a horrible event has ruined his life as well as so many other peoples.

The other aspect I liked was the simple story of a struggling band trying to make a go of it. I've seen movies like that before and it's rewarding as it allowed me to live vicariously through the characters. I'm not over analyzing it just want to say I liked it and that's enough.

3.5

[Citizen Rules]

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Aniara (Pella Kågerman 2018)

Swedish sci-fi with a different feel than most big budget, glossy CG Hollywood stuff. I prefer my sci-fi to be varied and I do have a fondness for indie sci fi. I don't know the budget of Aniara but it felt like a smaller budget indie film to me. So I didn't have a problem with the spaceship even though it looked more like a modern shopping mall than a spaceship. We often rank on the overuse of CG and so I can't complain that the real sets didn't look sci-fi enough. I was fine with them.

The first 30 minutes held my attention. In fact I was never bored during the movie and that's a good thing. But once the space accident happened the story then went a half dozen different ways. These story mini arcs were never fully realized or gelled into the main story and so I was constantly disappointed in what never was brought to fruition.

I read that this was based on a 1956 Swedish poem. I'm guessing the film makers felt obligated to be true to the poem. But I never read the poem so I ended up feeling unconnected from the story.

There were cool story aspects that I wanted explored like: The probe they recover, that supposedly contains needed fuel and yet they can't access the hull of the probe. That seemed to be key to the story and yet just when the probe arc got interesting, the film moved onto another chapter. I think those chapter stories are the main weakness of the film. Maybe if this had another hour we could've learned more about the food shortages, the loss of moral, the religious cult group and the authoritative captain of the ship.

rating_2_5

[Citizen Rules]

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The Secret in Their Eyes
(Juan José Campanella 2009)


Sorry to say this one didn't do anything for me. I didn't hate it or object to it, I just found it dry and flawed. The writing for the spoken dialogue was banal and sounded all the same regardless of the character speaking it. I didn't believe these people talked this way, hell I don't believe anyone talks that way. It seemed like a case of a poorly written film as far as the dialogue goes. The plot too was half backed and hard to buy into.

The film looked like it was all shot in three or four different rooms and at no time did I feel like I was in Argentina...And for the flash back scenes I certainly didn't feel like it was 1974. The romance part was a wash and the notion that 'love is in the eyes', pfft! I mean the husband of the murdered woman had revenge in his eyes. The twist ending was daft like something out of Tales from the Crypt. And the whole idea that the killer was found by an old photograph were he was glaring at the murdered woman years earlier seemed like a plot point from Murder She Wrote.

The only time the film got interesting was at the 1 hour 20 minute mark when it was revealed that the corrupt officials had employed the murderer as an anti-leftist rebel buster, or whatever he was called. But we never really see any of this, were just told about it.

rating_2_5

[KeyserCorleone]

About that, did you like 12 Angry Men? If so, you'll get a kick out of it.

[Captain Steel]

About that, did you like 12 Angry Men? If so, you'll get a kick out of it.

;):D:eek:

[Citizen Rules]

About that, did you like 12 Angry Men? If so, you'll get a kick out of it.I loved the cinematography, the scene staging, the way it looked but I need another watch before I fully make up my mind.

[KeyserCorleone]

I loved the cinematography, the scene staging, the way it looked but I need another watch before I fully make up my mind.

The beauty of 12 Angry Men and The Guilty is that all the action happens in an enclosed area, and there's still a lot to absorb.

[Citizen Rules]

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Sundays and Cybèle
(Serge Bourguignon 1962)

Such a beautifully filmed movie and such a moving and yet sometimes uncomfortable story. And I loved the film for that!

So many Hollywood films tell you what to think & feel...and in doing so dumb down the narrative so that there's no room left for our own interpretation...Sundays and Cybele presents the narrative as it is and allows us to make of it what we will.

I found the film to be dynamic in that it presented so many facets of the relationship between the amnesic Pierre and the orphan girl Cybele. Was their love pure and about two wounded souls trying to heal their fractured worlds?...Was their love misunderstood? Or had Pierre & Cybele built a fantasy world for themselves that was doomed to crumble around them? I don't know...and that's why I love the film as it didn't spoonfeed me the answers. Instead it allowed me to contemplate what was unfolding on the screen. I respect that.

The film did make me uncomfortable at times especially in the last scene where Pierre & Cybele share Christmas together. It's touching in that it's her first real Christmas and Pierre wants to make it special. It's also uncomfortable as they sip champagne and seem like they're lovers. But is the evil actually in our own minds? Pierre never touches Cybele in an inappropriate way, he never kisses her on the lips, there's nothing physical between them implied.

As a side note I was intrigued by the spiritual mystic references through out the film and the idea that Pierre & Cybele were going to escape this world for a pool of water beyond their painful existences.

rating_5

[Citizen Rules]

The beauty of 12 Angry Men and The Guilty is that all the action happens in an enclosed area, and there's still a lot to absorb.I like films that take place in one confined area, like submarine films. I don't know why I just do.

[Allaby]

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Sundays and Cybèle
(Serge Bourguignon 1962)

Such a beautifully filmed movie and such a moving and yet sometimes uncomfortable story. And I loved the film for that!

So many Hollywood films tell you what to think & feel...and in doing so dumb down the narrative so that there's no room left for our own interpretation...Sundays and Cybele presents the narrative as it is and allows us to make of it what we will.

I found the film to be dynamic in that it presented so many facets of the relationship between the amnesic Pierre and the orphan girl Cybele. Was their love pure and about two wounded souls trying to heal their fractured worlds?...Was their love misunderstood? Or had Pierre & Cybele built a fantasy world for themselves that was doomed to crumble around them? I don't know...and that's why I love the film as it didn't spoonfeed me the answers. Instead it allowed me to contemplate what was unfolding on the screen. I respect that.

The film did make me uncomfortable at times especially in the last scene where Pierre & Cybele share Christmas together. It's touching in that it's her first real Christmas and Pierre wants to make it special. It's also uncomfortable as they sip champagne and seem like they're lovers. But is the evil actually in our own minds? Pierre never touches Cybele in an inappropriate way, he never kisses her on the lips, there's nothing physical between them implied.

As a side note I was intrigued by the spiritual mystic references through out the film and the idea that Pierre & Cybele were going to escape this world for a pool of water beyond their painful existences.

rating_5





I love Sundays and Cybele, one of my all time favourite films.

[Citizen Rules]

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American Movie (Chris Smith 1999)


Totally enjoyable documentary!...and that's thanks to the extremely interesting subjects...especially the tall guy on the left, Mark Borchardt who's the would-be film maker and focus of the story. If this was a Documentary HoF then American Movie might very well be my #1 choice...It's so good that I feel like watching it again!

Now objectively I don't know how to stack up a fun doc against classic cinema? I can't even say this is superb film making, because what drives the story is the completely off-the-wall people who's lives we look at.

So when I finished watching it I was thinking it was perfect but one thing: We never learn what happens to Mark Borchardt the would-be film maker? Did he complete his film Northwestern? Did he ever make any movies that were seen outside of his small community? What's he doing today? The doc didn't tell us any of that, I wish it would've told us that as an epilogue. I guess I'll have to go read on my own. Still I loved this

rating_4_5

[Citizen Rules]

I love Sundays and Cybele, one of my all time favourite films.I could've guessed that;) Sundays and Cybele is one of my all time favorite HoF finds...Thanks for nominating it!

[beelzebubble]

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American Movie (Chris Smith 1999)


Totally enjoyable documentary!...and that's thanks to the extremely interesting subjects...especially the tall guy on the left, Mark Borchardt who's the would-be film maker and focus of the story. If this was a Documentary HoF then American Movie might very well be my #1 choice...It's so good that I feel like watching it again!

Now objectively I don't know how to stack up a fun doc against classic cinema? I can't even say this is superb film making, because what drives the story is the completely off-the-wall people who's lives we look at.

So when I finished watching it I was thinking it was perfect but one thing: We never learn what happens to Mark Borchardt the would-be film maker? Did he complete his film Northwestern? Did he ever make any movies that were seen outside of his small community? What's he doing today? The doc didn't tell us any of that, I wish it would've told us that as an epilogue. I guess I'll have to go read on my own. Still I loved this

rating_4_5
Yes, this was such a fun movie!

[Citizen Rules]

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Les Misérables
(Richard Boleslawski 1935)


For some reason I thought this was a foreign language film. Nope it's English lanuage...though it is based of course on a classic French novel written in the mid 19th century by Victor Hugo.

Les Misérables hooked me right from the start and I was involved in the story all the way through the film. I've of course heard of Les Miserables, not that I can pronounce it, but I do know that this has been made into films many times. But I didn't know the story, so this truly was a first watch for me.

Fredrick March and Charles Laughton talk about stellar acting! March is both noble and theatrical, he reminds me of John Barrymore but more accessible for the audience. I like March every time I see him on the screen. Charles Laughton is always a highlight of any movie he's in. Here he's downright threatening and on par with his Captain Bligh in Mutiny of the Bounty which was made the same year as Les Miserables.

There's some amazing sets and the cinematography is real advanced especially for the time period. Who says film was static and stuffy back in the 1930s...not me! The scenes in the sewer tunnels were exceptional both in their lighting and framing. Was that the real Parisian sewers or a set? They look that good that it's hard to tell if it was on stage or in a sewer!

4

[Citizen Rules]

Yes, this was such a fun movie!Yup it was a blast. I worked with a guy who I swear was his clone, he looked like him, came from a small town and had the same personality.

[crumbsroom]

Both Sundays and Cybeles and American Movie are personal favorites. Both perfect in their own ways

[Citizen Rules]

Both Sundays and Cybeles and American Movie are personal favorites. Both perfect in their own ways Yup I'd agree that they are both perfect in their own ways. I have Allaby to thank for Sundays and Cybeles and Thief to thank for American Movie.

[KeyserCorleone]

I like films that take place in one confined area, like submarine films. I don't know why I just do.

The artistic claustrophobia, maybe? It really does help.

[SpelingError]

Thief to thank for American Movie.

Actually, that was my nomination.

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=78063

The Long Goodbye (Robert Altman, 1973)

"We've got a script but we don't follow it closely." Robert Altman


The Long Goodbye, a fun watch at times thanks to Elliot Gould's 'I don't care' attitude that he in-vibes into the often portrayed Philip Marlowe. But it's the 'let's party' Robert Altman's directorial style that takes a would be noir and turns it into a big budget version of a student film.

One can't call Elliot Gould's performance as acting in the traditional sense. Though there's no denying he has enough anti-establishment air about him to make his wise cracking lines be the highlight of the film.

Perhaps if Altman wasn't so relaxed about his movie making duties as a director he wouldn't have allowed so many improvised scenes. Those improvisations sometimes work to the film's advantage. But other times like the third scene where veteran actor Sterling Hayden plays a drunk, by actually being drunk and stoned, we get a sloppy performance where a stupor Sterling constantly forgets his cues and blows his lines. It would be wrong to blame Mr Hayden for that mess, the credit albeit a dour one goes to the director who likes to shoot film stock but has a hard time buckling down in the editing room and keeping to a vision.

That lack of directorial vision shows up in the wild tonal shifts that plaque the production. The acting ranges from ecliptic but suitable (Gould) to downright horrible. Much of the time the movie felt like an old TV episode of Starsky and Hutch complete with cool detectives, a cool car and zany over the top bad guys all set in a cartoon caper.

And what's with the women in this so called noir? All the younger woman act like brainless manikins. The would-be femme fatale (Nina van Pallandt) can't act and is played as a helpless character who can't find her way out of a paper bag. And do I really need to mention Bambi and her 3 friends who live across from Marlowe and are as clueless as the movie's plot is?

Like I said a fun watch, but I wish the film's director had staid more focused.

rating_3_5

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=78214 The Truth 'La Vérité' (1960)
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot


It's criminal I tell ya! Just totally insane and all together unfathomable that I've never seen a Brigitte Bardot film before... Sure I've heard her name ever since I was a kid in school. Everyone knows the name Brigitte Bardot, so why haven't I seen her in anything until now.

I gotta say she could act up a storm, at least in this film. I totally believed the emotions that she was pouring out of her and onto film. I was clearly on her side from the get-go even though she did seem troubled with a capital T. But you know what, that troubled character was very believable and grounded in reality. She was both self destructive and needy at the same time with an underlying resentment of her sister and mom. Believable stuff for sure.

Gawd! I hate that guy in the screenshot above. Sami Frey was the actor who played a very well done, ******* of a person! Sometime during the movie a subtitle came on that described Gilbert (Sami Frey) perfectly...

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=78216


That made me think of the movie Whiplash and Andrew the guy who wanted to be the jazz drummer and was willing to screw over his girlfriend all for his own selfish purposes. I can't stand self absorbed, smug people like that and for some reason most people root for Andrew in Whiplash but he's the same type of ******* as Gilbert is. Funny how one film can make a person hate a character and in another film that same type of character is lifted up and people admire him for his dedication to music, even though in the process he hurts people.

rating_3_5

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=78627
Chimes at Midnight (1965)
Director: Orson Welles
Original title: Campanadas a medianoche

'When King Henry IV ascends to the throne, his heir, the Prince of Wales, is befriended by Sir John Falstaff, an old, overweight, fun-loving habitual liar. Through Falstaff's eyes we see the reign of King Henry IV and the rise of Henry V.' Based on several of William Shakespeare's plays.


Orson Welles was a bonafide genius. He often referred to himself as having, "started at the top and worked his way down." At the top, refers to Citizen Kane, and Orson had an unheard of full editorial control over his 1st movie. Studios did not just grant youngsters like 26 year old Orson full control over a major studio film...but then again Orson Welles was no ordinary 26 year old!

Welles had started his career as a stage director doing plays based on Shakespeare but with a modern twist. So it's not surprising Welles chose a work of Shakespeare as the basis for his last feature length, non documentary film.

I hadn't seen Chimes at Midnight before...OMG this was epic! It had a sweeping vastness to the exterior long shots and the interiors made the castle seem vast and cavernous. And the film was drenched in Orson's unique cinema style...Like those low angled shots that made the characters look larger than life itself. I was awed at the scenes with the rows of those long spears. In one magnificent scene the clouds flew by like centuries peeling away layer by layer. How did Orson do that? I don't know, but that's why there's never been another like Orson Welles.

3.5

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=78483
The Green Years (Paulo Rocha 1963)
Original title: Os Verdes Anos


I'm impressed. This is my first Portuguese new wave film and there's much that I appreciated. Some might say there's little insight into the characters and their motives, but to me that screenshot says it all.

Dialogue and character deposition aren't necessary when the look in the character's eyes can explain more than words ever could...That screenshot perfectly encapsulates the emotional conflict of the couple.

The director intentionally keeps his distance from the story, as this is not a first hand telling, but a second hand telling by the uncle. Thus the lives of the young couple are seen as an impression through the eyes of the jaded uncle. I think that's brilliant film making.

There's been a lot said about some of the editing. Yes, it's a bit jarring at times. But that isn't a negative for me. I image shooting in the city presented special problems for the director with people walking into the frame ruining shots.

The cinematography: the way the camera moves, the way the director composes his scenes, the spacial distances and the angle of view...all magnificent. So many personable shots out of a window...and tracking shots that give movement to the story. Very nice.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=78484

A couple people mentioned the copy of the movie they watched had poor video quality. I understand how that can effect one's enjoyment of a film, it does effect me. Luckily I found a fully restored version that looked as good as new...and that quality made me appreciate the city-scape-cinematography. Much of the appeal of this film is the creative use of Lisbon. In a way the city itself is a character.

The one drawback for me is the ending, which felt tacked on so that the story could wrap up and the audience would have something to talk about afterwards. I'd preferred if the ending was earned by the movie's story and not just done for added 'flair'.

rating_3_5

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=77757
Whiplash
(Damien Chazelle 2014)



I tried watching Whiplash when it first came out, I shut it off after 30 minutes. Previously I wrote this:

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=1539858#post1539858)
Whiplash lost me when the music teacher picked up and hurled a heavy metal chair at the student. I know the director wanted to show the teacher's intensity, but that scene broke the illusion of believability. No way could I believe that in today's sue-happy society would a teacher with such near-psychotic behavior be allowed to continue to work... and I sure didn't want to spend two hours listening to someone yelling & bulling. That's the problem with many new Hollywood films, they have to be bigger, louder, ballsier than the last picture.

So...I just watched the entire movie and yeah it was entertaining but akin to eating a big bag of pepperoni sticks for dinner. Sure it gives a big punch and hits the right emotional spots. But like eating a bunch of junk food, it sure in the hell wasn't good...

Miles Teller...what a bad actor, at least in this one movie. His one note method of acting never varied. It didn't matter if he was knuckling under to his instructor or 'fake acting' being shy as he asked the movie theater girl out for a date. Nothing about his acting rose above the level of mediocre.

J.K. Simmons ...he actually kicked ass as an actor and was the best casting choice in the film. But the crappy dialogue that he's forced to say by director/writer Damien Chazelle is just pure bunk, bombastic. You know J.K. Simmons could've been more intimidating just by brow beating someone with a steely glance and a snide remark. He sure didn't need the homophobia hate language, that was a cheap writer's trick to get the audience to hate the instructor's guts. That hate was not earned by the movie, it was shoveled in our face by a lame script. And yes the chair throwing incident was ridiculous. Instead: the metal folding chair should've been thrown at the ground with force. Less is more!

Melissa Benoist 'The girl'...yup that's her role in the film, to be a girl. We get one contrived meeting scene between her and the music student, that has him shyly asking her for a date. I've seen the same scene done better in corny 1980s teen films. Then there's a brief pizza eating scene, then he breaks up with her. Why bother to do a movie relationship if the script can't earn what it wants to achieve. What the film wants to do is get us to the one crucial spot where he dumps his girlfriend so he can then study music full time...thus pounding into the audience's heads that he really, really wants to be a jazz drummer. That break-up scene wasn't earned. There needed to be a couple more brief scenes establishing that 'the girl' was falling for jazz boy and that jazz boy was increasingly become obsessed with his career.

The abusive teacher....OK now that I've seen the entire film, I do know they address that the teacher was abusive. BUT that one brief scene with the lawyer (or whoever she was) trying to convince the drummer student to tell the authorities about the teacher's abuse, rang hollow...Once again the director/writer treats the scene like an afterthought. The demise of the abusive music teacher and the repercussions from that, should've been the entire third act.

Whiplash tricks the viewer into thinking they've seen something amazing when all we really did was go on a fast & loud ride.

rating_2

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=77575
Themroc (1973)
Director Claude Faraldo

Themroc is a French absurdist social commentary film.

I watched the whole thing and was that a chore! I liked the film at first as it was like a silent era comedy film about a working class man who sure coughed a lot and liked looking at pretty girls in mini skirts...He reminded me of Benny Hill at this point of the film. I'm not sure who the younger girl was in his apartment who kept exposing her breast to him...gosh I hope that wasn't his sister! But after watching the weirdness of the movie, I'm guessing it was.

I liked the social commentary from 1973...It doesn't matter that this is set in France, there was this baby boomer/hippie movement back then that endorsed well just about anything and were definitely anti-establishment. Themroc is very anti-establishment and for that reason I found it's sociological time machine look back to the early 70s interesting.

The film wrapped up with our man (don't know what his name was, Themroc maybe?) tearing apart his apartment with a sledgehammer and throwing the trappings of modern life to the sidewalk below. Clearly another statement on rejecting commercialism & capitalism. The falling debris was interesting to watch, but only for awhile, that scene went on too long. I kept thinking the guy was going to fall out of that gaping hole in his third story apartment. I hope the actor had a rope tied onto his waist as it looked dangerous. The cops come of course and well you just have to see the 'pig' roast and orgy scene for yourself...But I never thought endless closeups of people's faces as they had orgasms could be so boring.

2

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=78419
About Elly (2009)
Dir: Asghar Farhadi


This kinda felt like an Iranian version of Friends...at least in the beginning. Then after 30 really long minutes with nothing happening we get what felt like a contrived situation with the kid in the water and a long rescue that was suppose be thrilling, it wasn't. Then the movie turns into a 2 hour long version of a TV reality show, where a group of people crammed into one dingy, little house create drama by overreacting to the situation and accusing & yelling at each other...Then I became conscious that all I was seeing of Iran was this one little house and one small section of the beach...all shot with a hand held camera. It felt like a student film.

The actors were decent and Elly was pretty...and it was an easy movie to watch. Nothing to object to...but the story's drama should've been endemic to the social situation of Elly trying to escape a controlling fiance and as a woman not having the same rights as a man.

2

[Gideon58]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=77757
Whiplash
(Damien Chazelle 2014)



I tried watching Whiplash when it first came out, I shut it off after 30 minutes. Previously I wrote this:

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=1539858#post1539858)
Whiplash lost me when the music teacher picked up and hurled a heavy metal chair at the student. I know the director wanted to show the teacher's intensity, but that scene broke the illusion of believability. No way could I believe that in today's sue-happy society would a teacher with such near-psychotic behavior be allowed to continue to work... and I sure didn't want to spend two hours listening to someone yelling & bulling. That's the problem with many new Hollywood films, they have to be bigger, louder, ballsier than the last picture.

So...I just watched the entire movie and yeah it was entertaining but akin to eating a big bag of pepperoni sticks for dinner. Sure it gives a big punch and hits the right emotional spots. But like eating a bunch of junk food, it sure in the hell wasn't good...

Miles Teller...what a bad actor, at least in this one movie. His one note method of acting never varied. It didn't matter if he was knuckling under to his instructor or 'fake acting' being shy as he asked the movie theater girl out for a date. Nothing about his acting rose above the level of mediocre.

J.K. Simmons ...he actually kicked ass as an actor and was the best casting choice in the film. But the crappy dialogue that he's forced to say by director/writer Damien Chazelle is just pure bunk, bombastic. You know J.K. Simmons could've been more intimidating just by brow beating someone with a steely glance and a snide remark. He sure didn't need the homophobia hate language, that was a cheap writer's trick to get the audience to hate the instructor's guts. That hate was not earned by the movie, it was shoveled in our face by a lame script. And yes the chair throwing incident was ridiculous. Instead: the metal folding chair should've been thrown at the ground with force. Less is more!

Melissa Benoist 'The girl'...yup that's her role in the film, to be a girl. We get one contrived meeting scene between her and the music student, that has him shyly asking her for a date. I've seen the same scene done better in corny 1980s teen films. Then there's a brief pizza eating scene, then he breaks up with her. Why bother to do a movie relationship if the script can't earn what it wants to achieve. What the film wants to do is get us to the one crucial spot where he dumps his girlfriend so he can then study music full time...thus pounding into the audience's heads that he really, really wants to be a jazz drummer. That break-up scene wasn't earned. There needed to be a couple more brief scenes establishing that 'the girl' was falling for jazz boy and that jazz boy was increasingly become obsessed with his career.

The abusive teacher....OK now that I've seen the entire film, I do know they address that the teacher was abusive. BUT that one brief scene with the lawyer (or whoever she was) trying to convince the drummer student to tell the authorities about the teacher's abuse, rang hollow...Once again the director/writer treats the scene like an afterthought. The demise of the abusive music teacher and the repercussions from that, should've been the entire third act.

Whiplash tricks the viewer into thinking they've seen something amazing when all we really did was go on a fast & loud ride.

rating_2
So glad to see that someone sees in Whiplash what I did.

[Citizen Rules]

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w533_and_h300_bestv2/t3bXP5pUnckfoJ8WonlvAGovCun.jpg
Ship of Fools (Stanley Kramer 1965)


This was the nom I was most looking forward to watching...I'd seen it some 15 years ago but remembered nothing about it. I knew it had an all star cast and was directed by one of the great 20th century directors Stanley Kramer (The Defiant Ones, On the Beach, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Inherit the Wind, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner). Kramer directed one of my all time top films, his tour de force Judgement at Nuremberg. So I expected big things from Ship of Fools especially as it features three of my favorite actors: Lee Marvin, Jose Ferrer and Vivian Leigh.

I hate to say this but I was underwhelmed and found the movie middle of the road. I think the problem stems from Abby Mann's screenplay of Katherine Anne Porter's novel Ship of Fools. When a screenplay is adapted from a lengthy and complex multi-character novel the screenwriter has literally two choices: They can include the bulk of the characters by skeletonizing the characters down to just a few core characteristics thus removing most of their story arcs and nuances, so as to save on film runtime...Or the screenwriter can cut mercilessly until the side characters are removed from the movie's screenplay allowing the main characters to be more fully explored in the shorter time that movies offer. Ship of Fools does the former and retains all the characters albeit in very reduced story form.

It's that lack of character exploration that disappointment me the most. Consider the rich uncle who has left all of his money to his young poor nephew with one catch, the nephew doesn't get the money until the uncle has died. But we learn nothing of their relationship other than that single fact. Then there's Vivian Leigh, we're directly told by another character she's an aging coquette who's looking for a kind of love she'll never find. But how about letting the character's actions divulge this to us instead of having the film directly tells us through a monologue...That's what happens when a novel has the characters skeletonized down to mere whispers of their former selves. It would've been better to cut the secondary story of the Spanish labors who board the ship in Cuba. Their story could be interesting but not in the short time the movie has when one considers all the numerous characters that the movie includes.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.9GK7KMQ-IgZnRhkA1MS-sgAAAA%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=07133920f2cfcb3931ad26be7037d2f881f4d4ec686fb6047c683b67063aefac&ipo=images


Pros: There are some real strengths in Ship of Fools. Simone Signoret and Oskar Werner who were both Oscar nominated for best actor/actress for their work on this film. Their acting and their scenes together are worth the 'price of admission'. The way they are written says much without telling us their whole story, we 'get them' through their emotions and actions, that elevates the movie and was greatly appreciated by me.

The scenes with the Jewish man (Heinz Rühmann) and the dwarf who also narrates the film (Michael Dunn) were among my favorites. Those two character added needed humanity and warmth. They felt alive, they felt real as opposed to some of the other characters who seemed like contrived archetypes. I did like Jose Ferrer's likable but loudmouth bigot. The funny thing is he doesn't even know he's a bigot and that is a bit of clever writing.

Strangely both Vivan Leigh who I adore and Lee Marvin who's just plain cool both disappointed me in this film. I don't blame the actors as I know they have the chops, I blame the script.

Despite the overly long runtime and the unevenness of the movie I am very glad to have watched this and find myself wanting to explore more of Stanley Kramer's filmography.

rating_3_5

[Robert the List]

348 pages!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh my god!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[emiratesdraw]

hi