The 27th General Hall of Fame

[ueno_station54]

I was thinking of a Worst Films Hall of Fame where everyone nominates the worst movie they can think of, but I'm not sure that anyone would be interested in that.
but then i'd have to nominate something that's been nominated before and i try to avoid that :(

[SpelingError]

Just for the record, after the Twilight Zone Hall ends, I might take a short break from hosting, but I'll keep that idea in the back of my mind.

[edarsenal]

Just for the record, after the Twilight Zone Hall ends, I might take a short break from hosting, but I'll keep that idea in the back of my mind.
Excellent job Hosting, speling!
Take a well earned rest!!

[cricket]

Raiders of the Lost Ark

https://nofilmschool.com/sites/default/files/styles/facebook/public/raiders_of_the_lost_ark_indiana_jones_intro.jpg?itok=vB7MTrNg

To address the idea that Indy is a character who sleeps with underage women. The early scene in the classroom alludes to nothing and means nothing, other than a student thinking her teacher is dreamy. As far as anything in the script, ignore it, as Spielberg has said that's a different movie.

"The way Allen sees it, it was all very innocent in those early days between Marion and Indy."

"I think I say I was 16. I don't know," Allen said. "That's always what I imagined is she was 16, he was 26. And he was her father's student. And it's left very mysterious."
"We don't even know what it is," Allen continued. "I mean, they could have kissed a few times, and she was just completely bowled over, and he could have just not wanted to get involved with someone so young. And maybe my father would have been furious at him. I mean, what's great about it is we don't know what the circumstances are."

"I don't think of him as a pedophile," Allen said. "That's the direction some of these people are going."

As a viewer these are not things that concern me. Allen the actress was 30 when the movie came out and she basically looks it. Yes, she says I was a child, but I never took that literally as in age. I'm 50 and some people say I'm just a kid. She also later tells Indy, "you still know how to treat a lady", alluding to the fact that he did know how to treat a lady, meaning she was that lady, not a child. I think a person's mind has to work a certain type of way to make these negative assumptions when watching a film like this and I'm glad that mine doesn't.

I was 10 when I first saw Raiders at the cinema in 1981. There was a load of excitement in the theater as if nobody had ever seen anything like it before, and that's because nobody had. It has aged surprising well, but unfortunately I haven't aged as well because I've gone to the dark side. It's no longer my type of film but I still enjoyed it immensely, and it's still the greatest adventure film ever made.

4+

[cricket]

I know nothing of Thunder Road and I like that.

Witness for the Prosecution would have most likely been #1 or #2 on my ballot.

[Miss Vicky]

Never seen Thunder Road and don't think I've heard of it. Hopefully it'll be a better experience than what I've had so far. :laugh:

[Siddon]

I know Jim Cummings is a filmmaker I was looking to get into this year, I really enjoyed The Wolf of Snow Hollow and his latest looked really good.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7cUSsLjdM0

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcarteleraturia.com%2Farchivos_turia%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F04%2F2679542.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Magical Girl, 2014

Luis (Luis Bermejo) goes into something of a downward spiral when he learns that his daughter Alicia's (Lucia Pollan) cancer has returned. Luis becomes fixated on procuring a rare costume dress of an anime that Alicia loves. The problem? Luis is unemployed and the dress is prohibitively expensive. But when Luis has a chance encounter with Barbara (Barbara Lennie), her nice home gives him hope that he has found a way to leverage the money he needs. But Luis does not fully grasp Barbara's situation, nor the way that his attempts to get the money will put him on a collision course with a man from Barbara's past (Jose Sacristan).

I have had this film on my watchlist for ages, suspecting that I would love it and that it would really wreck me emotionally. Well, I was right on both counts, LOL!

I had thought, based on the little I'd read of the film, that this would mostly be a drama. Instead it's more of a drama-thriller, at times bordering on something like horror.

The film, to me, is an exploration of all the ways that we can do damage to each other without even knowing it. Around the middle of the film there is an image of a jigsaw puzzle complete but for a single piece. I think that this image really sums up the emotional heft of the film. All of the characters are SO CLOSE to something that would make them complete---forgiveness, closeness, honesty, intimacy, gratitude---and yet they just miss out on it by a hair. Luis walks out of the house just a moment before hearing a message from his daughter on the radio. Barbara's husband sets an ultimatum about her behavior just at the time she would most need to confide something serious to him.

From a plot point of view, Barbara becomes the central figure and the source of what most feels like horror. Barbara is controlled or the victim of attempted control by literally every man in her life, no exceptions. Her husband monitors whether or not she's taking her medication, something that might seem like caretaking but feels more like he's the warden. A scene where he puts his fingers in her mouth to make sure she swallowed her pill is chilling. Luis, of course, uses Barbara for her money, not knowing or caring what she will have to do to get it. Damien, the man from Barbara's past, uses Barbara's dependency on him against her. And, finally, Barbara must turn to high-class sex work, where she ends up at the mercy of a wealthy sadist.

A lesser film wouldn't have been able to resist putting Barbara's suffering on display. The restraint in leaving all of her "sessions" off-screen but allowing us to see the aftermath is much more powerful and upsetting. The moment when Barbara goes back for the second session and learns that there will be no safe word is horrifying. Even more so when we see the extreme results of what was done to her. Luis begins the film in desperation, but we watch as the pressure on Barbara builds, until her own desperation begins to rival his.

The direction here is also really wonderful, letting the unspeakable and the mundane sit side by side. It is bleak and depressing, but in a way that feels earned and true to its characters and their motivations.

4.5

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/lamour.gif

L'Amour braque (Andrzej Zulawski, 1985)
Imdb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088714/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 01/16/22
Rewatch: No.

Well... that opening bank robbery sequence was mildly amusing, the actress playing Marie was gorgeous, and I liked the overall look of the film. But everything else about this was a chore. It tried way too damn hard to be weird for the sake of being weird and all that pointless weirdness just made the whole thing a painfully tedious, non-sensical waste of time.

1.5

[jiraffejustin]

Quick question about Thunder Road: Would watching the short film version first negatively affect my viewing of the feature?

[ueno_station54]

https://tribecafilm-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/film/photo_1/3984/full_Apocalypse_Now_Still_01_WB_LR_UBG.jpg
Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
So it starts by immediately doing two things that give it instant ueno aesthetic points: Copious cross-dissolves and narration. If the cross-dissolves were more of a stylistic through-line I'd be eating this film up but instead its more like the film tosses me a bone from time-to-time. Anyway, to get to the stuff that matters to everyone else I'll just quickly sum the film up by saying its a great movie that I don't *love* anything about. Like, I'm writing this while the credits are still rolling so who knows but I don't think there's any scene in this film I'm going to vividly remember in a few days from now. Actually, the one thing I did love is the pacing. I'm really into pointless, meandering journey type films and this has that going for it and it was paced to suit that perfectly. That's really the one thing making this good lol. Like, the music (both existing songs and score) are not very good but at least the score is bad in a completely bizarre way so that's at least kind of interesting. Also, and this is probably just a case of pop culture poisoning but the Flight of the Valkyries bit was super corny lol. Another bizarre aspect is the colour grading. Its just all over the place. Some shots are so over saturated it looks like they're on an alien planet. Its so wacky I want to like it but it was usually just distracting. Honestly I don't know if there were any shots in the film I thought looked particularly good. I was hoping the Brando sequence would have had more of a spiritual angle to it, just for the vibes. Umm yeah idk I guess those are my thoughts. Its good, despite me saying only bad things about it. Its good and we're starved for properly paced films these days so this was very appreciated. Oh yeah and someone said the water buffalo scene was "blink and you miss it" I think but that sh*t was close to 30 seconds and had action replay going on lmao. Honestly would have been kinda beast if it wasn't interspliced with the goofiest shots in the film. I know this review makes this sound like its less than a rating_3_5 but I'm rating it rating_3_5. I don't know what I'm doing.

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/63B2j2BP/apocalypse-now.jpg

Apocalypse Now - 1979

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Written by John Milius, Francis Ford Coppola
& Michael Herr

Starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando
Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper & Laurence Fishburne

Sitting back and reflecting on Apocalypse Now, it's easy to discern it's overall message, which was basically that the Vietnam War, and more specifically it's conduct, had the feeling of insanity run amok. When main character Willard (Martin Sheen) finally tracks down Colonel Kurtz, the latter asks him, "Are my methods unsound?" Willard answers back "I don't see any method at all, sir." Great line - and one that could be transposed onto the conflict easily. Willard has been sent to assassinate Kurtz, who has gone rogue and now commands his own private army deep in the jungle - but we're constantly reminded of how Kurtz fits the war perfectly, and that the charges of murder brought against him at a time when many innocents were being murdered with impunity by others with official acceptance makes no sense. But nothing does in the world Francis Ford Coppola has constructed here, just as the war as a whole makes less and less sense the more distance we get from it and the more we look at it. Every scene in Apocalypse Now punctuates that feeling of out of control lunacy.

Coppola's methods produce an early, and very striking scene. In it Martin Sheen reveals his character as a broken man, with his demons devouring him whole. Of course, his naked bloody disintegration was half-real, as most things are in this film. Sheen was pushed to the brink of death, at the center of a storm (at one point, a quite literal one) that turned the making of the movie into a story within itself. Willard now only longs for danger and fear - the only things that make him feel like he's actually still alive. Divorced and suffering, he yearns for his next mission - and though the generals (among them a young Harrison Ford) can definitely sense that he's not right, he's ordered to travel up the Nùng river, deep into Viet Cong territory, to terminate Kurtz. Helping him and his navy escort on the way is Robert Duvall's Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore - his particular insanity is treating the war as his own personal surfing holiday. He destroys an enemy village just to get an opportunity to surf with a young famous surfing compatriot amongst the group - providing the film with many of it's most memorable and famous scenes such as the attack being preceded by "Ride of the Valkyries".

The director may have thought at the time he was sinking in a meaningless quagmire, but he was capturing something visually that was exciting and felt quite genuine. It really doesn't matter if all the helicopters he had at his disposal were in the same frame, and Sheen's insertion into scenes that had already been filmed are seamless. Looking at the film today, it's hard to believe he had such trepidation over what he was constructing - ad-hoc as it was. His greatest fear was for it's ending - as scripted by John Milius, it was artistically uninspiring - a kind of 'action film' ending that added nothing to the film. I felt the ending that we did eventually get let me down a little - but this is almost solely due to a maddening Marlon Brando almost sabotaging everything by arriving on set grossly overweight (it is so very hard to reconcile that with who Colonel Kurtz is meant to be) and happy to just mumble ad-libs when shooting commenced every day. Whatever quality does come from his lips actually come from the script - such as his wry observation that American planes can drop fire and burn people alive, but they can't write swearwords on the planes as the brass deem this to be "obscene".

Milius titled his screenplay "Apocalypse Now" in direct answer to what many kids going to college had written on their backpacks and headbands - "Nirvana Now" or "Enlightenment Now" - a reference that a spiritual awakening was possible at the present moment if people would just experiment with drugs or will it into being. If the people in charge could put in motion (and continue to propel) the madness that was happening in Vietnam - then why not the ultimate madness? The question of why isn't always discussed in the film, but a wonderful illustration takes form as Willard progresses down the river, following the same path as that in Hearts of Darkness, of which much of the film is based. Further and further from civilization, Willard appears to be travelling back in time, and he eventually (in the Redux version) comes upon a group of French colonists who refuse to budge from "their" little patch of jungle. They won't leave - this is their home - but what are the Americans fighting for? "The biggest nothing in history," the head of the French family declares. Colonialism overtaken by a desire to destroy something - even themselves.

Along for the ride on Willard's boat is a young Laurence Fishburne (14 years-old - playing a 17 year-old) who has the irritating nature (to Willard) as that of a child - Tyrone 'Clean' Miller, Sam Bottoms as hippy surfer Lance, Frederic Forrest as 'Chef' and Albert Hall as Chief Phillips. Notable among the rest of the cast is Dennis Hopper, who is a photographer and convert to Colonel Kurtz's wild philosophical ramblings. They're all almost blotted out by a shimmering performance from Martin Sheen, who commands all of our attention (even when he's not onscreen, he narrates.) They're backed by some great music on the soundtrack - as is the film, which is introduced with fire as Jim Morrison sings and the Doors' "The End" plays (the band was horrified their music was used for this) in a famous opening segment. The score was worked on by the director and his father, Carmin Coppola. It seems to me that Francis Ford Coppola should have had faith in his editors and not worried - they were nominated for an Oscar. Lisa Fruchtman would go on and win one for her work on The Right Stuff, Gerald B. Greenberg had won one for The French Connection and Walter Murch waiting that bit longer for his win with The English Patient. What they put together with Apocalypse Now, considering the (seemingly) haphazard nature of what was shot is commendable.

Storied cinematographer Vittorio Storaro would go on to win an Oscar for his 'medal of honor'-worthy work on Apocalypse Now - which was very much deserving. He would go on to win another 2 for Reds and The Last Emperor. Working mostly in Italy these days, he still ventures forth to capture films such as Woody Allen's Café Society. Coppola's shooting schedule was prolonged and prolonged as the film hit problem after problem - and shooting in the jungle in the Philippines was something akin to war itself, so Storaro may still view this as his most challenging experience in filmmaking. The pressure though, fell on the director whose angst may have been fed by the media's interest in the film's overbudget and lengthy shoot - and his nightmares over an artistic and commercial failure. However, while the film was still a work in progress, it won the Palme d'Or (along with The Tin Drum) at Cannes and since it's release has grown in respect and admiration. There is absolutely no sense at all of failure when you watch the film, and it flows in a perfect manner that seems very deliberate and masterful. It's hard to see anything of the chaos and disaster (that included a typhoon which destroyed initial sets) that plagued it's production.

It was fear of failure that led to much of what was shot being cut from the film - and this wasn't a bad thing at all. Although increased confidence in the stature of his film has led Coppola to gradually reintroduce much of this footage, almost all of it adds little new to what the film is saying - except perhaps for the French colonialist section, which enhances some aspects. You won't learn much about the Vietnam war itself by watching Apocalypse Now - it has a more general feel of the war's conduct than it's history - and it does really represent more the adaptation of Hearts of Darkness in a narrative and metaphorical sense. Through the mind of Willard (and his well-scripted narration) we learn what any sensible person would, not only about the war (and war itself) but also the primeval need to be a master of one's own destiny - something war explicitly precludes. Through the film's script we learn everything we need to know about Kurtz well before we meet him - and from the man itself nothing except that he is lost within himself. He now leads a primitive tribe - one preoccupied with death - and has become the very essence of the war, which those conducting the war from above find very ironically "obscene' - just like a swearword painted on the side of a death-dealing jet plane.

I can't say with any precision what we're taught about the dark inner working of man's soul, except that it is indeed so dark you'd have to be mad to want to go there. Once there, reason seems to be in short supply. Much to my relief, Apocalypse Now is a fairly unpretentious yet serious look at young people who must go to that place. It's a film I appreciate more and more as time goes by - and if it weren't for Marlon Brando it would be almost flawless. Vittorio Storaro, Martin Sheen and director Francis Ford Coppola are who I credit for delivering this to us - to a slightly lesser extent scriptwriter John Milius (Coppola rewrote some, Michael Herr the narration and some is taken from Joseph Conrad's Hearts of Darkness.) Underneath it all, the people whose land these jungles and rivers really belong to - and the people who do almost all of the dying in the end, in service to colonialism, adventurism and blood-lust. Their bodies and heads litter the ground that Willard and Kurtz walk upon - and their blood turning these men's hearts, minds and souls the darkest shade of night.

4.5

[CosmicRunaway]

Hopefully anyone who watched Witness for the Prosecution already isn't feeling too annoyed about it.
No worries, it was definitely worth watching anyway. :up:

As for Thunder Road, the title sounds familiar, but I don't know anything about it.

[TheUsualSuspect]

I saw Wolf of Snow Hollow and it got me wanting to see Thunder Road. Good pick.

[cricket]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcarteleraturia.com%2Farchivos_turia%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F04%2F2679542.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Magical Girl, 2014

Luis (Luis Bermejo) goes into something of a downward spiral when he learns that his daughter Alicia's (Lucia Pollan) cancer has returned. Luis becomes fixated on procuring a rare costume dress of an anime that Alicia loves. The problem? Luis is unemployed and the dress is prohibitively expensive. But when Luis has a chance encounter with Barbara (Barbara Lennie), her nice home gives him hope that he has found a way to leverage the money he needs. But Luis does not fully grasp Barbara's situation, nor the way that his attempts to get the money will put him on a collision course with a man from Barbara's past (Jose Sacristan).

I have had this film on my watchlist for ages, suspecting that I would love it and that it would really wreck me emotionally. Well, I was right on both counts, LOL!

I had thought, based on the little I'd read of the film, that this would mostly be a drama. Instead it's more of a drama-thriller, at times bordering on something like horror.

The film, to me, is an exploration of all the ways that we can do damage to each other without even knowing it. Around the middle of the film there is an image of a jigsaw puzzle complete but for a single piece. I think that this image really sums up the emotional heft of the film. All of the characters are SO CLOSE to something that would make them complete---forgiveness, closeness, honesty, intimacy, gratitude---and yet they just miss out on it by a hair. Luis walks out of the house just a moment before hearing a message from his daughter on the radio. Barbara's husband sets an ultimatum about her behavior just at the time she would most need to confide something serious to him.

From a plot point of view, Barbara becomes the central figure and the source of what most feels like horror. Barbara is controlled or the victim of attempted control by literally every man in her life, no exceptions. Her husband monitors whether or not she's taking her medication, something that might seem like caretaking but feels more like he's the warden. A scene where he puts his fingers in her mouth to make sure she swallowed her pill is chilling. Luis, of course, uses Barbara for her money, not knowing or caring what she will have to do to get it. Damien, the man from Barbara's past, uses Barbara's dependency on him against her. And, finally, Barbara must turn to high-class sex work, where she ends up at the mercy of a wealthy sadist.

A lesser film wouldn't have been able to resist putting Barbara's suffering on display. The restraint in leaving all of her "sessions" off-screen but allowing us to see the aftermath is much more powerful and upsetting. The moment when Barbara goes back for the second session and learns that there will be no safe word is horrifying. Even more so when we see the extreme results of what was done to her. Luis begins the film in desperation, but we watch as the pressure on Barbara builds, until her own desperation begins to rival his.

The direction here is also really wonderful, letting the unspeakable and the mundane sit side by side. It is bleak and depressing, but in a way that feels earned and true to its characters and their motivations.

4.5

I had high hopes for your reaction as I know you're a fan of Dogtooth. Not that it's especially similar, but I can see a person who likes one liking the other.

What do you make of the first scene?

[Takoma11]

Quick question about Thunder Road: Would watching the short film version first negatively affect my viewing of the feature?

I believe that the short film is essentially just the first 10 minutes of what the feature film became.

So if you don't mind watching the same scene twice, no harm I think.

[Citizen Rules]

I know nothing of Thunder Road and I like that.

Witness for the Prosecution would have most likely been #1 or #2 on my ballot.I'm pretty sure Witness for the Prosecution would've placed very high on my ballot, last time I seen it I rated it a 4.5+

[Allaby]

Today I watched Baby Face (1933). Directed by Alfred E. Green, the film stars Barbara Stanwyck as a woman who decides to use her sexuality to exploit men and get what she wants. Stanwyck is fantastic here, creating an interesting and complex character. I felt that the film did a good job portraying her in a non-judgemental way. She is a sympathetic, likeable character, but I don't think the film is condoning or glamorising her behaviour. The screenplay is sharply written and the film is considered racy for its time. Baby Face is an enjoyable,well made film. I've now seen 13 Barbara Stanwyck films and this would be my 3rd favourite of her films. Surprisingly, this is the first film I have seen directed by Alfred E. Green, even though he directed 108 films. Good nomination. 4

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fm.media-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FM%2FMV5BYjI2YjBlMDQtYzZjZS00MWQ3LTg5MjMtMDNkMDUzZjE3NmZhL2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXk FqcGdeQXVyMTI3MDk3MzQ%40._V1_.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Baby Face, 1933

Lily Powers (Barbara Stanwyck) runs a bar with her no-good father, enduring endless harassment from the rowdy male clientele. When a friend tells her that she could leverage her beauty and charm---"exploit yourself"--she works up the nerve to leave home for the big city. Once there, she gets a job in a bank where she slowly seduces her way up the ladder.

This was a very interesting look at the price of empowerment in a situation where the person attempting to empower themselves must navigate a system/society that seeks mainly to exploit them.

What I appreciated most about the film was just how well it shows you exactly why Lily chooses to act the way that she does. A single walk through her father's bar shows us men putting their hands on her (which she puts up with through a tight smile), drunken requests to spend a little alone time "down by the quarry (which she also puts up with and declines), and an outright assault (that ends when she hits the assailant with a bottle). Lily's aha moment comes when she is encouraged to see the male lust toward her as an asset that she can leverage.

What the film most shrewdly observes is that Lily is not some predator trapping innocent men in her web. This clearly isn't the first time that these men have followed a female employee into the bathroom or decided that what their wife/fiance doesn't know won't hurt them. This becomes crystal clear when Lily's relationship with an engaged man threatens his future marriage. After some time away and things blowing over a bit, he shows up at her place, believing that he will marry his fiance and simply continue to have Lily on the side. Lily is taking advantage of a system whereby she would be vulnerable to the whims of these men anyway, so why not make something of herself in the process?

The idea of women empowering themselves by becoming the one in charge of their own exploitation is not new, and there's a lot of nuance to it. I have a friend who is a nude dancer who has said that her work has actually made her more impatient with men outside of work, because usually when someone it blatantly looking her up and down or telling her some long boring story, she's getting paid for it. There's something kind of harsh but true about the notion that changing your own behavior to adapt to crappy behavior from the people around you is much easier than getting the people around you to stop being creeps.

I do think that film slightly overstates the idea that with a bit of focus, a woman could have men at her disposal. For example, there's an early scene in which Lily seduces a train guard into letting them stay on the train. Fine, but that sequence could easily have involved him having sex with her--or even raping her--and then throwing her off the train anyway. Likewise with her various bosses in the bank, the film always assumes that their lust for her makes them powerless. The film acknowledges the element of lust, but doesn't seem to want to acknowledge the element of a power differential. In one scene, a superior is caught with Lily in the bank. He's fired and she isn't and . . . yeah, sure.

It's also interesting to see the limits of this theory of empowerment. Lily has a good friend (who is also a servant in her father's house? Or a fellow worker at the bar? Or sort of both?), a Black woman named Chico (Theresa Harris) who accompanies her on her journey. As Lily's schemes work, their lives improve, but Chico is always the maid. In one scene, Chico calls Lily "honey," and Lily corrects her "Less honey," to which Chico replies "Yes, ma'am." Intentionally or not, Chico demonstrates that the existing power structures will allow a person to rise only so far. Would Chico even be allowed in the bank where Lily works?

Overall I really liked this film. It shows the price of lowering yourself to the level of those who make your life difficult. The colder Lily becomes, the more emotional and desperate the men become. When she doesn't fit into their narrative, they lose it.

My one real quibble was that I didn't entirely feel as if the ending was earned. A bit too neat and doesn't feel honest after what came before it.

4

[edarsenal]

http://www.simbasible.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1-14.gif
https://www.clevelandart.org/sites/default/files/styles/banner/public/banners/2017-11-12_BabyFace_B.jpg?itok=XF_y_OjM
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/23/32/21/233221fef412dc31748eb0b9ca563b6b.gif


Baby Face (1933) 4++ Filmed just as the Hayes Code is implanted, this sexually charged film hits hard and heavy. It showcases a 25 yr old Barbara Stanwyck and the Lioness that would become her cinematic persona.

Nick Powers: You little tramp, you!
Lily Powers: Yeah, I'm a tramp, and who's to blame? My Father. A swell start you gave me. Ever since I was fourteen, what's it been? Nothing but men! Dirty rotten men! And you're lower than any of them. I'll hate you as long as I live!

Spending her days as a waitress and sexual outlet in her father's backroom bar, Lily Power (Barbara Stanwyck) knows for a fact that she could do far better than being used by the men that continually chase after her. Until Fate and the advice of a learned elder regular, quoting Neitchze to seize life and to use men for what she wants, she splits with her best friend Chico (Therese Harris) and heads to the big city to do just that.
Using sex and ruthless machinations, she climbs up the corporate ladder. And it is an amazingly cunning climb with them left in her wake once she no longer has any use of them. I was continually wondering how she would make the next rung on the ladder and was genuinely impressed by how she pulled it off.

I also found it impressive that she is never demonized or labeled callously by the makers of this film. It is exceedingly easy to get behind this woman of indomitable will using both her body and her strategic cunning to get what she truly wants, which is everything.

With already a body count of cast-aside lovers, the original ending was her finding her final lover, the very top man of the ladder, dead from suicide. The smoking gun beside him. The only good man and the only one she could love and believe in love.
The censors' instance that he survives and she chooses love over her pursuit of a glamorous life seemed to work in its way. Finding love, glamour, and genuine happiness after a sh#t life did make me breathe easier since when she first discovers him and holds him as his eyes drift shut was a sad sight to see for me.
So I am a bit confused about my preference since I could easily see the more hard ending being far more of an impact.

[Allaby]

I watched One Cut of the Dead (2017). Directed by Shin'ichirô Ueda, this comedy horror film starts off with a film crew shooting a zombie movie and then goes in a surprising direction from there. I had heard good things about this and considered watching it before, but never got around to it. I'm not a big fan of zombie themed movies, but this was different. It's a clever and inventive film, structured in an unusual way. It was an interesting film and I enjoyed it, but I didn't find it funny. Good nomination. 3.5

[edarsenal]

Glad to hear that you both enjoyed Baby Face, Allaby and Takoma11.
My Spoiler touches on the legitimate quibble that Takoma addresses.

[Takoma11]

several victims left in her wake

"Victims" . . . . eh. . . .

I felt bad for Ann, and that was about it.

Stevens decides that money is more important to him, and so he wants to have his cake and eat it too: keep the rich fiance and have Lily on the side. (Yes, he offers to resign and break off the engagement, but he changes his tune on that pretty quickly after his "vacation").

Then there's the older man, who is clearly no stranger to having a "kept woman".

I'd consider them victims more if I felt as if she was the only reason for their behavior. But especially in the case of Ann's father, it seemed like it was business as usual. The men are the ones betraying their fiances/wives/etc, and they don't seem all that torn up about it.

With already a body count of cast-aside lovers, the original ending was her finding her final lover, the very top man of the ladder, dead from suicide. The smoking gun beside him. The only good man and the only one she could love and believe in love.
The censors' instance that he survives and she chooses love over her pursuit of a glamorous life seemed to work in its way. Finding love, glamour, and genuine happiness after a sh#t life did make me breathe easier since when she first discovers him and holds him as his eyes drift shut was a sad sight to see for me.
So I am a bit confused about my preference since I could easily see the more hard ending being far more of an impact.

I wouldn't have minded the ending if I had a sense of genuine love and affection between them. But notice how, when Lily says she wants to get married, he just drops her hand. Later when he says he needs her, he's actually mostly just talking about needing the money/gifts he gave her.

Lily has decided on a worldview based only on the idea that men want her for sex and nothing more. I liked the scene in the taxi where he says he's surprised she's still working in the Paris branch, and she admits she's partly still there to prove something to him. I wish there had been just one or two more scenes like that: scenes where it is clear that he understands what has brought her to this lifestyle but likes her for her. The film and their relationship never quite got over that hill for me, and so for her to risk going back to being destitute just to stand by her man was unconvincing.

[SpelingError]

Apocalypse Now (1979) - 4.5

I watched the Redux version several years ago and, while I loved certain parts of it, it dragged for me in some other scenes and I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. Since I hadn't seen the theatrical version prior to this Hall, I was curious as to how well I would respond to it. I expected for it to be an easier watch than the Redux version, but what I wasn't expecting was for it to trump my own expectations. To get it out of the way, yes, the animal cruelty scenes (the water buffalo being killed and the rough handling of the dog) are hard to watch and indefensible, but other than that, this film is truly excellent and is quite possibly the best representation of a descent into madness I've ever seen. I've seen many critics argue that the journey to Kurtz's compound is a metaphorical descent into madness and that was what stood out the most to me while watching this film. The first stop with Lt. Col. Kilgore shows the first stage of this descent. On the surface, it's a fairly conventional raid scene (albeit one which is technically outstanding), but that Kilgore orders some soldiers to surf during the raid and expresses his gratitude towards a Vietnamese soldier who fought in spite of being seriously wounded adds an undercurrent of surrealism to to that sequence. The second stop where hundreds of soldiers watch a Playboy show at a supply depot shows the next stage of this descent. Many soldiers in that scene yell sexual remarks at the women and try to rush the stage, showing more of their unhinged behavior. The third main stop at a remote U.S. army outpost expands on this descent. Several soldiers seem desperate to get into their boat in an attempt to return home and the other soldiers in the outpost seem to have no idea who their commanding officer is. There doesn't seem to be much order in that outpost and the whole scene maintains a hellish atmosphere. And, of course, Kurtz's compound is the final stage of this descent. I love how his monologues in that scene feel simultaneously avant-garde and narrative-driven at the same time. Though Kurtz appears to be talking about great insights in his speeches, half of what he says doesn't make any sense. Topped with how his face is either partially or entirely obscured in darkness throughout those scenes makes them some of the best movie monologues I've ever seen. Topped with some excellent cinematography and some outstanding soundtrack choices (Ride of the Valkyries and The End), this film is definitely a top 10 war film for me. Thanks to jiraffejustin for nominating this one :up:

Next Up: Baby Face

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tamarproject.org.uk%2Fitsallabouttheriver%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F07%2Fhd_06photo.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Apocalypse Now, 1979

Ben Willard (Martin Sheen) is sent on a mission to assassinate an out-of-control renegade commander named Kurtz (Marlon Brando). Aboard a river boat with a small crew (Laurence Fishburne, Sam Bottoms, Frederic Forrest, and Albert Hall), Willard ventures deeper and deeper into the country and scenes of madness.

I have seen Apocalypse Now several times. Despite liking and respecting it, I find that I don't often have much to say about it. Not because there aren't many things to praise or discuss, but because so much has been written about it---heck, even within this thread---that I often feel like I'm just retreading conversations that have already been had about it.

What I think I love most about the film---in both its structure and as a narrative--is the way that it feels relentless and yet formless. So often, there is no tangible enemy. The characters are confronted with scene after scene of madness, and in turn madness seems like almost the only rational response.

I think it's the sign of a strong film when sequences that have been parodied to death can still have an impact. Duvall's Kilgore, the sequence with the Flight of the Valkyries, the scenes in Kurtz's compound. These all still had an impact, as did the building sense of foreboding.

The actors are all pretty pitch perfect in their roles. I'd forgotten about the way that Sheen's Willard starts in a daze and just slips deeper and deeper into it.

This time through I still had a quibble with the way that the Vietnamese people are essentially used as background scenery. Kurtz taking on a whole group of them as his "children" feels patronizing without a sense of how he's so captured their loyalty. (I mean, we sort of see it's through fear and cunning, but his isn't ever articulated by someone who is actually Vietnamese). The film isn't unsympathetic and we of course see numerous atrocities committed against Vietnamese civilians. But often they feel more like props than real characters.

Definitely a film I'm glad I saw on the big screen (even if it was the slightly bloated Redux version).

4.5

[Allaby]

I just finished rewatching Jaws on blu-ray. Jaws is an inspirational drama about a lovable, misunderstood shark who just wants to make new friends, but is rejected for being different. At least that was my interpretation of it. :) Seriously though, Jaws is a thrilling, entertaining classic, masterfully directed by the great Steven Spielberg. The actors are excellent, especially the guy who played the shark. Can't believe he didn't get an Oscar nomination for best actor! I loved the look of the film and the score is fantastic and memorable. There are lots of fun, exciting moments here. A very worthy nomination. 4.5

[pahaK]

Jaws (1975)

https://media.giphy.com/media/13LAi5jQ80dZ84/giphy.gif

Once more, a Spielberg movie plays like an ad to one of those "how to write a successful story" guides. Every turn, every character, and every shot just cogs in the machine that runs smooth and makes millions. I doubt there's anyone better at turning the formula into an entertaining (and profitable) movie.

I'm not a huge fan of these animals as monsters films. They often require too many leaps of logic that would be easier to accept if the monster was, well, a monster. Jaws has its share of that, but it's not the worst offender. In this case, I'm more annoyed by the characters who are too much one joke caricatures (an island cop afraid of the water, a wannabe Ahab shark-hunter, etc.).

That shark is still the best-looking movie shark I've seen. None of the modern CGI sharks stand a chance against it. A huge plus for it eating a kid, too. Among the best monster animal films, but that's only enough for pretty decent. A bit more nuanced characters and something unexpected happening could have made it really good.

3
(That's a tentative rating, small chance I'll up it by half within a few days)

[CosmicRunaway]

Two Apocalypse Now reviews in a row, followed by two for Jaws. You guys plan this, or what? :lol:

I just watched True Romance, or I guess I should say "rewatched" since I actually had seen it before after all. Have to work early tomorrow though, so I won't be able to write anything tonight.

[Allaby]

Two Apocalypse Now reviews in a row, followed by two for Jaws. You guys plan this, or what? :lol:



Yes, it is an elaborate conspiracy.

[SpelingError]

Two Apocalypse Now reviews in a row, followed by two for Jaws. You guys plan this, or what? :lol:

I love the smell of movie reviews in the morning.

[CosmicRunaway]

I'm not a huge fan of these animals as monsters films. They often require too many leaps of logic that would be easier to accept if the monster was, well, a monster.
I agree with this sentiment. I actually thought about that while watching Jaws this time, since it's quite rare for sharks to attack humans. It didn't detract from the film, but at least Deep Blue Sea messed with their sharks' brain chemistry, giving them more of a reason to be aggressive, rather than just painting sharks as crazy man-eating machines.

[CosmicRunaway]

Yes, it is an elaborate conspiracy.
I knew it! Especially since there were back-to-back Apocalypse Now reviews on the previous page as well!

[ueno_station54]

pretty sure Phoenix and i dropped our Apocalypse Now reviews like seconds apart lmao it was definitely calculated.

[pahaK]

Yes, it is an elaborate conspiracy.

https://c.tenor.com/byMXzM-G69UAAAAM/aliens.gif

[pahaK]

Safety Last! (1923)

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/MeanUglyAustraliankelpie-size_restricted.gif

The shortcomings of a silent film, or my review of Safety Last! The movie is merely a collection of gags and a few drawn-out stunts. The story is almost non-existent, and it's advanced with childish exaggeration. It's so difficult to be funny without words, especially for the length of a movie.

Out of the jokes, I was most amused by the ones that would be considered offensive today. The racial (or racist) stereotypes are always a good source for some laughs (and yes, I find the jokes about Finnish grumpiness and shyness fun as well). I guess the tone, in general, is too child-friendly for me, so those outdated gags feel like something daring in 2022.

Honestly, Safety Last! felt much longer than its short runtime. The pacing was off, and most jokes ran longer than necessary. The climb may have been dangerous, but it's not exciting. There are enough decently funny moments to keep it watchable but not much more.

2

[edarsenal]

"Victims" . . . . eh. . . .

I felt bad for Ann, and that was about it.

Stevens decides that money is more important to him, and so he wants to have his cake and eat it too: keep the rich fiance and have Lily on the side. (Yes, he offers to resign and break off the engagement, but he changes his tune on that pretty quickly after his "vacation").

Then there's the older man, who is clearly no stranger to having a "kept woman".

I'd consider them victims more if I felt as if she was the only reason for their behavior. But especially in the case of Ann's father, it seemed like it was business as usual. The men are the ones betraying their fiances/wives/etc, and they don't seem all that torn up about it.



I wouldn't have minded the ending if I had a sense of genuine love and affection between them. But notice how, when Lily says she wants to get married, he just drops her hand. Later when he says he needs her, he's actually mostly just talking about needing the money/gifts he gave her.

Lily has decided on a worldview based only on the idea that men want her for sex and nothing more. I liked the scene in the taxi where he says he's surprised she's still working in the Paris branch, and she admits she's partly still there to prove something to him. I wish there had been just one or two more scenes like that: scenes where it is clear that he understands what has brought her to this lifestyle but likes her for her. The film and their relationship never quite got over that hill for me, and so for her to risk going back to being destitute just to stand by her man was unconvincing.

"victim" IS an incorrect description. A bit of vigilante perception on my part as I continually cheered her on like this was a revenge/action film and not an accurate description of what is occurring.
Each and every man IS responsible for their actions and said consequences of said actions. She didn't seek them out out of cruelty. It was a pragmatic decision. So I do need to correct that.

I did notice those little moments. I do enjoy those subtleties and how they evolve your perceptions on secondary views.

[Takoma11]

Two Apocalypse Now reviews in a row, followed by two for Jaws. You guys plan this, or what? :lol:.

You're not getting the e-mails?

"victim" IS an incorrect description. A bit of vigilante perception on my part as I continually cheered her on like this was a revenge/action film and not an accurate description of what is occurring.

I just think it's interesting how we perceive situations like that. Like for a minute I was like "Aw, poor Stevens!". Then I was like, wait, he's the one cheating on his fiance. Obviously Lily flirted with him, but she's not the one who is engaged and he literally never does a single thing to discourage her.

[pahaK]

You're not getting the e-mails?

I think his hat interferes with the messages:
https://c.tenor.com/1D5S8Qcl668AAAAM/thumbs-up-conspiracy.gif

[Allaby]

I'm surprised that Safety Last is doing so poorly so far. It's rated an 8.1 on imdb, is on Ebert's great movies list, and is part of the Criterion Collection. I guess it goes to show that you never know how a film is going to do in these halls, regardless of its reputation elsewhere.

[SpelingError]

I'm surprised that Safety Last is doing so poorly so far. It's rated an 8.1 on imdb, is on Ebert's great movies list, and is part of the Criterion Collection. I guess it goes to show that you never know how a film is going to do in these halls, regardless of its reputation elsewhere.

I like the film a lot, personally. I'll have to see how well it will hold up with a rewatch though.

[mark f]

It holds up very well.

[Takoma11]

I'm surprised that Safety Last is doing so poorly so far. It's rated an 8.1 on imdb, is on Ebert's great movies list, and is part of the Criterion Collection. I guess it goes to show that you never know how a film is going to do in these halls, regardless of its reputation elsewhere.

I think that it's a film that is iconic, but to a modern eye not quite as engaging. I gave it essentially a 7/10, not far off it's 8/10 IMDb score. Its main strength is its gags, and there's not so much of a narrative to get sucked into. I think it kind of lives or dies by how much you get into the rhythm of it.

[Allaby]

I think that it's a film that is iconic, but to a modern eye not quite as engaging. I gave it essentially a 7/10, not far off it's 8/10 IMDb score. Its main strength is its gags, and there's not so much of a narrative to get sucked into. I think it kind of lives or dies by how much you get into the rhythm of it.

Yeah, that makes sense.

[Miss Vicky]

I'm surprised that Safety Last is doing so poorly so far. It's rated an 8.1 on imdb, is on Ebert's great movies list, and is part of the Criterion Collection. I guess it goes to show that you never know how a film is going to do in these halls, regardless of its reputation elsewhere.

Silents - and old movies in general - just aren't my cup of tea. The only silent I love is The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. I also quite liked The Kid and The General, but have no idea if they would hold up to rewatches.

Even without the cat thing, I don't think I would've rated Safety Last! higher than 2.5 and that's if I was feeling generous.

[ueno_station54]

I'm surprised that Safety Last is doing so poorly so far. It's rated an 8.1 on imdb, is on Ebert's great movies list, and is part of the Criterion Collection. I guess it goes to show that you never know how a film is going to do in these halls, regardless of its reputation elsewhere.
i've only seen two Lloyd's now but yeah i much preferred The Freshman tbh.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcps-static.rovicorp.com%2F2%2FOpen%2FWarner%2520Brothers%2520Distribution%2FMovies%2FMy%2520Dog%2520Skip %2F_derived_jpg_q90_584x800_m0%2FMyDogSkip_Still2.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

My Dog Skip, 2000

Willie Morris (Frankie Muniz) is small for his age and friendless, living in a small town during WW2. To help with his maturity and his social isolation, his parents (Diane Lane, Kevin Bacon) get Willie a dog, Skip. Skip begins to open up Willie's life to connect with other kids his age, as well click with a girl he likes (Caitlin Wachs).

I have to say, in all honesty, that if this film had come out when I was like 10 or 11, it would probably be a nostalgic favorite. My expectations were pretty low---especially with that cover of the dog staring at the toilet and Muniz giving a "whatcha gonna do?" shrug--but I didn't dislike the film it all, nor was it as cloying as I was expecting.

Strength-wise, I do like Muniz as an actor. I liked him on Malcolm in the Middle, and I think he's capable of both comic timing and some more serious dramatic moments. The film also has a pretty decent supporting cast, including Lane and Bacon as the parents and Luke Wilson as Willie's next door neighbor who ends up going overseas to fight in the war. The dog was charming, and clearly very well-trained so that scenes could play out without a ton of editing cuts.

The downsides are all what you expect in a "family film." Even with the caveat that the film is highly subjective to Willie's experience, there are a lot of plot elements that are touched on a bit too lightly. I was never entirely satisfied with how Willie's father was handled as a character---from his reluctance to let Willie have a dog to finally feeling like he is a young man. This is a father who wants his son to "man up," but he gives him a stuffed animal as a birthday present? It just didn't make sense. Likewise, plots involving the neighbor Dink, the issue of racial segregation in their town, and even the bullying Willie receives feel incomplete.

If you want someone to feel real strong feelings about a plot involving someone who loves an animal, I'm basically your best bet. So I was emotionally invested in the film. And, yeah, thanks to the blessings of the hormonal cycle, I cried many times. (Like, I cried when he took the puppy out of the carrier at the beginning and I was like "Uh, oh," because I knew that heralded much unearned crying to come!). I do think that in many moments---often just some of the montages of Willie and Skip playing together--the film does capture the way that a pet can really bring out a strong side in a child. That having a focus and responsibility can be really great for some kids, especially those who aren't as socially adept.

I can see how this would be a Sandlot-esque favorite for someone who was a kid when it first came out.

3

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.over-blog-kiwi.com%2F0%2F77%2F09%2F38%2F20180526%2Fob_40801b_shura.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Demons, 1971

Gengobei (Katsuo Nakamura) is a samurai who needs money to buy himself back into good standing. While his loyal servant, Hachiemon (Masao Imafuku) manages to raise the money for his master, Gengobei becomes conflicted when he learns that the woman he loves, Koman (Yasuko Sanjo) needs a debt paid before she can marry. Against his much better judgment (and the very vocal protests of Hachiemon!), he pays the money. Soon, though, he learns the whole situation was a scam masterminded by Koman and her husband, Sangoro (Juro Kawa). Out his 100 ryo and his lover, Gengobei sets out on a path of bloody revenge.

Absolutely loved this one.

Whoever said "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" needs to sit down and have a hot sake with Gengobei. As the film goes on---and more and more bodies pile up, some of them innocent---Gengobei just keeps digging himself deeper and deeper. His sense of self-righteousness fuels him past the point where the original crime bears any resemblance to the horror show he rains down on anyone he deems responsible for it.

From a filmmaking point of view, my favorite aspect was definitely the way that the film creates a highly subjective experience, usually from Gengobei's point of view. The tone is set for this in the very first sequence, which turns out to be a dream. From there, scenes play out only to cut back and for us to realize that they are scenarios that Gengobei is playing out in his head. Through these visions we get a glimpse of who Gengobei wants to be, as well as his initial impulses. Most often these sequences are fantasies, such as imagining the bloody outcome of poisoning his scammers, or earlier when he imagines heroically bursting into the room to pay Koman's debts. Other times, a moment will play over and over again. Are these moments that are being seared into Gengobei's memory? Moments that he is having trouble processing? Even when I didn't 100% understand the intention behind some of these shots, I loved the dreamy element that they added to the film. I often will imagine conversations or replay interactions in my head, and it was really cool seeing that mental process portrayed so well on screen.

Much like how I felt about Magical Girl, it's interesting to see the way that something that begins feeling like a drama or thriller morphs into the horror realm. Slowly but surely, the movie just keeps crossing boundaries. This is not just true of the film itself in terms of gore, but also in terms of the characters. It's like everyone's morality just cuts loose, and people who have only showed one kind of deception or aggression will suddenly really cross a line that you didn't see coming.

The only downside for me was that everyone, well, kind of is awful in their own ways. Awful or annoying. Sometimes both. Now, the story is so compelling that this doesn't derail the movie at all. But it was hard not having anyone to really root for. There's a short stretch where it appears that aside from their scamming, Koman and Gengobei might just be this nice young couple who had to do one unscrupulous thing to get out from under some debt. Instead we go from that impression to them offing Koman's brother because they accidentally poisoned him.. I would have almost preferred that they stay in that former mode, because I think it would have added more horror to what was happening. As the film stands, there's kind of a Bay of Blood thing happening. Everyone is so awful that it diminishes your investment in their ultimate fates.

That said, the film has an incredible, unrelenting pace. It's the kind of movie where I thought I was like 20 minutes in and instead it was 50---it just flies by. It all builds to a conclusion that might feel a bit contrived if it weren't for the fact that it's such a perfect gut-punch that all you can do is give the whole thing a slow clap.

It also looks AMAZING, with great use of black and white and the contrast between light and shadow. The use of overhead shots, multiple layers of depth to shots, and the liberal use of dramatic sprays of blood make for a movie that looks great from the first shot to the last.

4.5

[jiraffejustin]

My Dog Skip

spoilers ahead


None of this worked for me. First of all, f*ck this film for trying to coast by on having a dog being cool and then dying as it's only thing. I mean, I guess they try to give some sort of Disney Channel tv movie message in there somewhere, but the only thing that makes you feel anything is the dog dying because most people have experienced something like that and it f*cking sucks, but this whole film was a set up for that to be the punch, and the whole set up sucked and didn't earn what would inevitably be an emotional ending because regardless of how sh*tty the movie is, that's still going to make you feel bad. Slap in some half-hearted race relations sh*t where somehow of course the main character was on the right side of history about for good manipulative measure. The music was overbearing. Kevin Bacon sucked in this. Luke Wilson sucked in this. Harry Connick Jr. especially sucked in this. And it's melodramatic as all get out. That said, the worst thing about this movie is that just doesn't have anything to add. I mainly hated this film because there was nothing interesting to see or hear.

Hopefully the nominator of this of film loves it, because I would hate to think I sat through that for no reason. At least if the person who nominated it loves it, I have done my part in giving their out of the ordinary nomination a fair shake. I know at some point I will nominate something that others won't get or like at all, this was that film for me. This was my Themroc.

[pahaK]

One Cut of the Dead (2017)

https://64.media.tumblr.com/35ee28af126ef297308a5cd6bc373571/90a0089bb8046d1c-a9/s540x810/84fdef09b168821d4f3aed078640e5bbb80672c9.gifv

This was kind of a weird one, in many ways, actually. First, it has the problem that everyone keeps saying how it needs to be seen without knowing anything, but that already means there's a twist, and considering how poopy the start is, the twist is obvious. Then again, if you didn't expect that twist, you'd probably quit the film somewhere during the first 40 minutes.

The second issue, as hinted above, is that the film's structure is very viewer unfriendly. The first part of the film is garbage, but weirdly enough, it's garbage for a reason. Is the payoff worth sacrificing more than a third of the film? In my opinion, no. Especially when the second part isn't too good either.

The third issue is about rating the film. The last part, which is also the shortest, is funny as hell. It requires the earlier segments to work, but I still think there needs to be another way to do this. It's still a rare kind of film that gets better all the time toward the end, but despite this positive aftertaste, I can't fully forgive the first hour or so. Maybe it's a film that grows on me with time as you forget all the bad parts.

2.5

[Torgo]

Baby Face - 4

I've only seen Barbara Stanwyck in this movie and Double Indemnity, but I still think she is one of my favorite actresses. The way she conveys what she is thinking with a single glance is electrifying. This movie, which I enjoyed a lot, is an ideal fit for her talents. Effective at being a feminist and anti-capitalism tale, not to mention one that's hardly an endorsement for Nietzsche, watching Lily's identity and humanity slip away as she seduces her way to the top is heartbreaking. Also, like Lily's glances, I like how these losses manifest in subtle ways from her being nostalgic about her speakeasy roots - which she sadly must pretend to be joking about - to the song that companion Chico always sings. Oh, and how telling is it that it all comes crashing down - literally, in the case of Lily's employer - as soon as Courtland accepts her marriage proposal, which is something she actually wants? I also have to give credit to the ending, which the producers apparently changed from a much darker one, but I still wouldn’t be surprised if it made a few 1933 audience members scratch their heads since it's hardly a "Hollywood" one. I love that with Courtland's life hanging in the balance combined with the likelihood that Lily - and her husband, if he survives - will be doing a lot of time, it's the worst situation they've found themselves in. Then again, it manages to be the best one at the same time. All in all, this is a very satisfying tale about the dangers of sacrificing one’s soul to make it in America that does not surpass the one Orson Welles and company gave us eight years later, but it’s still a worthy companion to it.

[Thief]

Re: One Cut of the Dead, I don't know. I really didn't have any issues with the first 40 minutes, at least not to the point of wanting me to turn it off. I've seen my fair share of cheap and crappy films, so maybe that factors in? Anyway, I never felt like I had to "push through" that part. I just found it funny, and when the last act kicks in, I found it yet even more funny and clever for all the reasons you all know.

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics2/babyface.gif

Baby Face (Alfred E. Green, 1933)
Imdb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023775/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)

Date Watched: 01/17/22
Rewatch: No.

I came into this viewing last night with very low expectations. I don't have a very good history with watching movies from the 30s, I don't have a very good history with watching movies nominated by edarsenal, and so far my experience watching movies in this Hall of Fame has not exactly been good.

But I actually had a good time with this. I don't know how much of that is because of those low expectations but this was good. I might've appreciated more development of some of the supporting characters (we don't really get to know anybody but Lily), but on the other hand the lack of that helped to keep the pace snapping along. I also quite liked the concept of someone turning their s***ty circumstances around and becoming the predator rather than the prey and the way that the movie didn't really vilify her actions.

I don't know if this is something I'll ever want to revisit, but it was an enjoyable one time experience at least.

3.5-

[CosmicRunaway]

Re: One Cut of the Dead, I don't know. I really didn't have any issues with the first 40 minutes, at least not to the point of wanting me to turn it off. I've seen my fair share of cheap and crappy films, so maybe that factors in? Anyway, I never felt like I had to "push through" that part. I just found it funny, and when the last act kicks in, I found it yet even more funny and clever for all the reasons you all know.
Admittedly, the first time I saw the film I did start to get tried of the opening scene. I found it amusing at the start, but felt like it started to drag towards the end. So I totally get why a lot of people find that 40 minutes hard to get through, especially if they don't usually watch low budget horror comedies. But the second time watching it, knowing how the final act plays out, that scene just flew by and was highly entertaining.

[Siddon]

Hopefully the nominator of this of film loves it, because I would hate to think I sat through that for no reason. At least if the person who nominated it loves it, I have done my part in giving their out of the ordinary nomination a fair shake. I know at some point I will nominate something that others won't get or like at all, this was that film for me. This was my Themroc.

I love that so many of you hate this film, after all the pretentious and exploitative films I've had to sit through that a quality family film hurts so many of you tickles me.

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=84513

True Romance (1993)
Directed By: Tony Scott
Starring: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Michael Rapaport

True Romance features a fantastic cast of supporting characters, many of whom only have a single scene or two. These actors rotate in and out of the film at such a steady pace that it's actually quite humorous. Luckily it's a joke that doesn't get old, because as a viewer you're always provided with something new and exciting.

The downside to this rush of great, fleeting characters is that the main performances seem weaker in comparison. Though initially a little grating, Patricia Arquette has her moment latter in the film, but Christian Slater was just okay from start to finish. He didn't bother me too much though, and the only thing I can say I actually disliked was that main theme.

I haven't heard every single piece of music Hans Zimmer has ever composed, but I'm confident in saying that True Romance's theme is the worst he's ever written. To me, it doesn't suit any of the scenes it accompanies. But again, that's a fairly minor critique, and for such a ridiculous film, it does make sense to have an equally odd soundtrack. It was a fun watch regardless.

[CosmicRunaway]

Brad Pitt plays Floyd, one of my favourite characters the first time I saw this film.
Pitt only has a few lines, but he was my favourite. He exists in his own chill bubble, and the contrast between his slow pace and how fast everyone else in the film moves is just perfect.

[jiraffejustin]

I love that so many of you hate this film, after all the pretentious and exploitative films I've had to sit through that a quality family film hurts so many of you tickles me.

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/538/716/7f5.gif

[seanc]

Love Kill Bill, but I wasn’t going to vote for both. Thought one would be higher but this is quite a jump and that surprises me.

Wall-E is another really good Pixar that I saw once, liked, but didn’t vote for.

[ueno_station54]

the only thing I can say I actually disliked was that main theme.
damn that was pretty much the only thing i did like about the film lmao

[cricket]

Love Kill Bill, but I wasn’t going to vote for both. Thought one would be higher but this is quite a jump and that surprises me.

Wall-E is another really good Pixar that I saw once, liked, but didn’t vote for.

Someone been creeping

[Thief]

Love Kill Bill, but I wasn’t going to vote for both. Thought one would be higher but this is quite a jump and that surprises me.

Wall-E is another really good Pixar that I saw once, liked, but didn’t vote for.

Wrong thread, buddy :D

[Torgo]

Siddon's post gives me an idea: what about a Personal Revenge Hall of Fame? We could all be paired with someone who chose a film we didn't like. One person then chooses a movie they know the other person won't like to spite them while the other does the same for the bad review they received.

[seanc]

Ha, wondered what the heck Cricket was talking about. Although I am a creep.

[Thief]

Ha, wondered what the heck Cricket was talking about. Although I am a creep.

So what the hell are you doing here? You don't belong here.

[ueno_station54]

Siddon's post gives me an idea: what about a Personal Revenge Hall of Fame? We could all be paired with someone who chose a film we didn't like. One person then chooses a movie they know the other person won't like to spite them while the other does the same for the bad review they received.
there would finally be a home for all my favourite films that are too inaccessible to consider nominating in regular halls.

[seanc]

So what the hell are you doing here? You don't belong here.

Creeping. Yoda sad I could if I behaved

[rauldc14]

I've decided to join. I'm nominating Happy Gilmore.

[jiraffejustin]

I've decided to join. I'm nominating Happy Gilmore.

I hope youre serious, cause I love happy Gilmore

[ueno_station54]

I've decided to join. I'm nominating Happy Gilmore.
probably goes middle of the pack on my ballot. between the man-children films and the proper films.

[Citizen Rules]

I've decided to join. I'm nominating Happy Gilmore.Probably finish towards the top of my ballot. If you want first place you'll need the comic genius of Will Ferrell:p

[CosmicRunaway]

I remember Happy Gilmore being one of the few Sandler films I didn't hate. Not sure if it would hold up as I haven't seen it in a very long time though.

I do occasionally say "The price is wrong, bitch!" at work when we have to re-tag things haha.

If this isn't a joke, I'm cool with it. :up:

[ueno_station54]

http://pre-code.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/BabyFace15-e1451832946704.png
Baby Face (Alfred E. Green, 1933)
My one sentence review of Baby Face would read "Lily Powers did nothing wrong." but I can't get away with just writing that lol. I guess I'll start with the couple negative points I have: 1) It hasn't much going on visually and, I suppose I've only really seen a select few films from the time, but I've come to expect 30's films to have really slick camerawork and this didn't really give me that (though the visual representation of her working her way up the corporate ladder via the bank windows was a nice touch) and 2) the ending is a bit sudden and the moral feels very shoehorned. Barbara Stanwyck completely carries this whole film on her back. What a queen <3. The whole film is just her being the absolute coolest and we stan. Loved it.
4

[Allaby]

Today I rewatched Raiders of the Lost Ark on blu ray. I had seen it before multiple times, most recently in August of 2020 on the big screen at the local cinema. It still holds up really well. Raiders of the Lost Ark is a thrilling, fun adventure with a fantastic performance by Harrison Ford. It's truly iconic and memorable. There are lots of great moments here. The score is fantastic and the film is a rollicking blast. This is a smart, enjoyable and entertaining blockbuster that takes viewers on a wild and satisfying ride. Great pick! 4.5

[edarsenal]

pretty sure Phoenix and i dropped our Apocalypse Now reviews like seconds apart lmao it was definitely calculated.
Annnnd 3 Baby Face in a row.
spectres of the Twilight Zone HoF seem to be seeping in lol

[edarsenal]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics2/babyface.gif

Baby Face (Alfred E. Green, 1933)
Imdb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023775/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)

Date Watched: 01/17/21
Rewatch: No.

I came into this viewing last night with very low expectations. I don't have a very good history with watching movies from the 30s, I don't have a very good history with watching movies nominated by edarsenal, and so far my experience watching movies in this Hall of Fame has not exactly been good.

But I actually had a good time with this. I don't know how much of that is because of those low expectations but this was good. I might've appreciated more development of some of the supporting characters (we don't really get to know anybody but Lily), but on the other hand the lack of that helped to keep the pace snapping along. I also quite liked the concept of someone turning their s***ty circumstances around and becoming the predator rather than the prey and the way that the movie didn't really vilify her actions.

I don't know if this is something I'll ever want to revisit, but for it was an enjoyable one time experience at least.

3.5-
And THAT is good enough to make me smile.
Yayyyy

[edarsenal]

Love Kill Bill, but I wasn’t going to vote for both. Thought one would be higher but this is quite a jump and that surprises me.

Wall-E is another really good Pixar that I saw once, liked, but didn’t vote for.

Someone been creeping

Wrong thread, buddy :D
Hey, look! Sean did an ed!! lol

[CosmicRunaway]

Annnnd 3 Baby Face in a row.
They weren't posted immediately after each other though; there were posts in between. So it's not part of the ongoing conspiracy. At least, not that we're aware of.

https://c.tenor.com/2oQRs06r1ZgAAAAC/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-charlie.gif

[ueno_station54]

They weren't posted immediately after each other though; there were posts in between. So it's not part of the ongoing conspiracy. At least, not that we're aware of.

https://c.tenor.com/2oQRs06r1ZgAAAAC/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-charlie.gif

that's what they want you to think

[CosmicRunaway]

that's what they want you to think
https://c.tenor.com/B7vSc-79QXAAAAAd/mindblow-mind-explosion.gif

[edarsenal]

https://media3.giphy.com/media/3htAT2no2D2ukVsUE2/giphy.gif

[Miss Vicky]

I've decided to join. I'm nominating Happy Gilmore.

I despise Adam Sandler.

[edarsenal]

I despise Adam Sandler.

F@ck yes.

F@ck him. F@ck his dad for dribbling his genesis into the crippled, half-blind, down-right just stupid farm denizen; he got blindly drunk to birth him.


There will be NO retractions.

[Takoma11]

Siddon's post gives me an idea: what about a Personal Revenge Hall of Fame? We could all be paired with someone who chose a film we didn't like. One person then chooses a movie they know the other person won't like to spite them while the other does the same for the bad review they received.

I'm not interested in watching Cannibal Holocaust, but thanks anyway!

[Miss Vicky]

Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.

[TheUsualSuspect]

Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.


Speedy recovery.

[Allaby]

Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.

Sorry to hear it. :( Hope you get well soon.

[Allaby]

I just watched Cure (1997) for the first time. Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Cure is about a series of violent murders with the only link being an x carved on the victim's neck. The murderer doesn't remember doing the calling and there appears no obvious motive. A detective must try to solve the killings. I thought this was an interesting premise,but for me the execution wasn't great. There are some good moments, but the film is not as compelling or interesting as it should be. I found it slow at times and it felt longer than it was. Performances were alright, but I wasn't that impressed with anyone. This film seems to be very acclaimed and well liked, but it didn't do much for me. I didn't find it as chilling or scary as others did and it wasn't completely satisfying. 3

[ueno_station54]

Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.
Naaauuurr not Vic too! Get well soon :(

[Citizen Rules]

Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.Keep up posted and hope all goes well.

[Takoma11]

Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.

Ugh. I'm sorry, Vicky. I just had two more students go out with it today, and my teammate had to leave school this morning with symptoms and will probably be out the whole week. It does feel like it's everywhere.

I hope your symptoms stay mild and that your recovery is quick and uneventful.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcinemontage.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F08%2FSecret_Roan_Inish_1994_3RGB.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Secret of Roan Inish, 1994

Fiona (Jeni Courtney) is sent to live with her grandparents after the death of her mother. As she comes to know the area, and a nearby island called Roan Inish, Fiona's imagination is captured by the story of her younger brother, Jamie, who disappeared into the sea. This is all bound up in the myth of the selkies, magical creatures that can transform from seals into people. Along with her cousin, Eamon (Richard Sheridan), Fiona works to rehabilitate the abandoned island and get to the bottom of the story of her lost brother.

I've seen this film before, and it's a wonderfully charming little film. I really enjoy movies like this where there aren't "bad guys" or even necessarily overt conflicts. Instead it's about a young person figuring out who she is, making connections with her family, and, yeah, there's some gentle magic in there.

I remember really wanting to see this film when I was younger, but just never managing to rent it from the video store. This definitely would have been a favorite of my elementary aged self. It's the kind of story that you just see yourself in: a visit to relatives, exploring a wild space. It's a film that takes relatable childhood experiences and gives them a little magical boost. Anyone who ever toiled over a backyard treehouse (or, um, groundhouse if you didn't have a big enough tree) will appreciate the "fixing the cabins" montage.

Fiona is a great protagonist. She is full of questions, but out of genuine interest and curiosity. This is not a "movie child", full of sassy comebacks and adult-sounding dialogue. There's a lived in feel to her conversations with her grandparents and cousin.

The film also makes great use of the island and the seals in generating that slightly-magical atmosphere.

My only very slight complaint is that I've always found the selkie myth a little icky. A character steals and hides a selkie's skin, trapping her in human form. The film really hits on the idea over and over that she thinks he's really cute and she really loves him, etc, etc. But there's something inescapably a bit gross about a romance being based on one person taking away the other's autonomy.

All in all a really charming, sweet film that I was more than happy to revisit.

4

[edarsenal]

Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.

take care, darlin, enjoy the time off.

[Thief]

Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.

Sorry to hear that. Get well soon.

[edarsenal]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcinemontage.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F08%2FSecret_Roan_Inish_1994_3RGB.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

The Secret of Roan Inish, 1994

Fiona (Jeni Courtney) is sent to live with her grandparents after the death of her mother. As she comes to know the area, and a nearby island called Roan Inish, Fiona's imagination is captured by the story of her younger brother, Jamie, who disappeared into the sea. This is all bound up in the myth of the selkies, magical creatures that can transform from seals into people. Along with her cousin, Eamon (Richard Sheridan), Fiona works to rehabilitate the abandoned island and get to the bottom of the story of her lost brother.

I've seen this film before, and it's a wonderfully charming little film. I really enjoy movies like this where there aren't "bad guys" or even necessarily overt conflicts. Instead it's about a young person figuring out who she is, making connections with her family, and, yeah, there's some gentle magic in there.

I remember really wanting to see this film when I was younger, but just never managing to rent it from the video store. This definitely would have been a favorite of my elementary aged self. It's the kind of story that you just see yourself in: a visit to relatives, exploring a wild space. It's a film that takes relatable childhood experiences and gives them a little magical boost. Anyone who ever toiled over a backyard treehouse (or, um, groundhouse if you didn't have a big enough tree) will appreciate the "fixing the cabins" montage.

Fiona is a great protagonist. She is full of questions, but out of genuine interest and curiosity. This is not a "movie child", full of sassy comebacks and adult-sounding dialogue. There's a lived in feel to her conversations with her grandparents and cousin.

The film also makes great use of the island and the seals in generating that slightly-magical atmosphere.

My only very slight complaint is that I've always found the selkie myth a little icky. A character steals and hides a selkie's skin, trapping her in human form. The film really hits on the idea over and over that she thinks he's really cute and she really loves him, etc, etc. But there's something inescapably a bit gross about a romance being based on one person taking away the other's autonomy.

All in all a really charming, sweet film that I was more than happy to revisit.

4
This is something that has been continually on my radar any time it comes up so and my anticipation continually grows. Even more so after reading your review.

[SpelingError]

Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.

Sorry to hear that, Vicky. Get well soon.

[Takoma11]

This is something that has been continually on my radar any time it comes up so and my anticipation continually grows. Even more so after reading your review.

It's a bowl of chicken soup kind of movie. It won't get your heart rate up, but it will warm your soul.

So many movies that feature kids expend a ton of energy on external conflicts (bullies, caricatured villainous adults), but this one just softly and patiently takes you through an empowering, magical experience from the point of view of a child.

And I really can't emphasize how nice it is to have a kid-centered movie that walks just the right line without getting cutesy.

[ueno_station54]

https://images.mubicdn.net/images/film/14282/cache-12228-1601460189/image-w1280.jpg
Cure (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 1997)
I hadn't thought about this film in awhile and was wondering why I'd rated so highly the first time around. I'm not crazy about Kurosawa and its a genre I don't really like so it was a blast to rediscover why this movie rules so much. I love the vague, spacious feeling the film has and I don't actually know how it was achieved since the narrative is really straight-forward and they pretty well tell you exactly what's going on immediately. I just love that there is no mystery to the film whatsoever and as a result the pacing is just perfect. The film never feels like it has these beats it needs to get to so it just gets to meander about (<3) and it fits the mood so well. The big selling point is obviously the colour. Everything looks like it had just a little bit of life sucked out of it and the sickly, sour green hue everything has is *chef's kiss*. I wonder it that's meant to tie into the title. Also want to mention how dope those quick cuts are. They're so much faster than you expect that kind of cut and it feels so unhinged paired with the longer, leisurely shots the film is built on. Such a distinct looking and feeling film. I don't think I really have anything negative to say about it, takes all the bad parts out of a bad genre. For an extremely garish comparison its like if you combined Oldboy, Mother and Se7en except it was actually good.
rating_4

[Citizen Rules]

84529
Safety Last! (1923)

I laughed out loud and I rarely do that with most comedies. I had fun watching this and that's saying something, it's saying alot. I've only seen one other Harold Lloyd film, the comedy short Never Weaken. So I was glad to see this nominated.

What I liked most was how different of a persona Harold Lloyd had cut out for himself, compared to the other biggies of the time. Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin are of course legends, but unlike them and their walk through celluloid history...Lloyd is full of enthusiasm and positivity. When the make believe world of the silent film gives Lloyd lemons, he slyly makes lemonade and does it with something close at hand that one would never dream of using for a citrus squeezer. I like that about Lloyd.

I was wowed at the climb up the building I mean damn that was crazy stuff and you'd never see that done today. But what I loved most was the little cleverties that Harold pulls off so effortlessly and with a sly little smile on his face.

Count me as a fan. Thanks Allaby

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fa.ltrbxd.com%2Fresized%2Fsm%2Fupload%2F3p%2Frw%2Fnw%2Fp7%2Fdolores-claiborne-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg%3Fk%3Dfceceb9cc2&f=1&nofb=1

Dolores Claiborne, 1995

Dolores Claiborne (Kathy Bates) is caught standing over the body of her dying employer, the wealthy Vera (Judy Parfitt). Dolores's daughter Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh) returns home when she learns that her mother is being accused of murder. As a smarmy detective (Christopher Plummer) tries to prove that Dolores is guilty, the events bring up another death from the past: the death of Dolores's husband, Joe (David Strathairn).

Another rewatch, and another film I quite enjoy.

On the surface, the film is a story about a woman who, despite being strong-willed and resourceful, finds herself put upon the subservient role that her gender and circumstances demand. But while the film has a lot of overt themes and content related to Dolores being a woman, for me the real heart of the film is the tragedy of what we'll do for those we love, and the fact that we cannot control the way that they love us back. At the same time, we also see the pain that is the pressure of being an object of love.

Everything that Dolores does---from the physically demanding work for Vera to enduring the verbal and physical abuse doled out by Joe--is for the sake of her daughter. She is determined that Selena will not share her fate. Selena will make something of herself, she will get off of the island, she will be happy.

Only that last piece is something that no parent, no matter how loving, can guarantee. And we see in Selena's misery that her mother's desperation, expectations, and even her pride create a weight that Selena cannot at times bear. Every ounce of pride in her mother's face only makes Selena feel the agony of her failures (or perceived failures) all the more.

I absolutely love Kathy Bates in this film. I'm not a fan of the phrase "real woman," but Kathy Bates both looks and feels like a real human being. She is an incredible anchor for the narrative, walking the edge of abrasive and vulnerable in the same breath. Leigh is pretty good as well, but Bates absolutely towers over everyone else in the film. Plummer is sufficiently hatable as the detective who is determined to see Dolores punished, and a very young John C Reilly is on hand as a police officer. Parfitt is at turns hilarious and tragic as the wealthy employer.

I'm always a bit mixed on stories where there are frequent flashbacks, though here I think they mostly work. I do find some of the dialogue to be a bit on the nose. There's a throughline of the line "Sometimes being a bitch is all a woman has to hold onto." Unfortunately, I feel like it's only when Dolores says it---in response to Selena wondering why she so willingly needles others---that it actually feels appropriate. It's meant to show a kind of passing down of wisdom between generations, but I think it's only medium successful. Likewise, some of the dialogue in the final showdown is a bit clunky to my ear, though it still hits some good emotional beats.

One plot element that always bugs me a bit is the idea that Selena would have forgotten so many details about her father's molestation AND her mother finding out. Maybe if she were younger. Maybe if it was a one-time thing. But we are supposed to believe that she has repressed repeated abuse? Being given gifts for her silence? Being confronted by her mother on the ferry? Despite being presented in a very compelling way (that mirror moment on the ferry is *chef's kiss*), it doesn't quite pass muster for me.

Altogether a solid mystery and character study.

4

[Thief]

So glad you liked it, Tak. Looking forward to my rewatch.

[TheUsualSuspect]

Raiders of the Lost Ark

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/awUGN7ZCNq2EUTdpVaHDX23anOZ.jpg

4.5

re-watch

If the new Netflix action-adventure films Red Notice or Disney's Jungle Cruise taught me anything, it's that they don't make films like this anymore. I'd even argue that Brendan Fraser's The Mummy was probably the last great adventure movie of old. Everything that comes out today is a dull saturation with characters in front of a green screen cracking jokes every five minutes. Is there anything wrong with those movies? No, they're fun for sure, but they are engineered products. The Marvel movies for example...are all the same. There is a reason that this film stands above others; look who's involved? Arguably the greatest director of all time behind the camera, legendary Lawrence Kasdan behind the pen.

We don't even see action stunt pieces like this anymore, save for maybe Fury Road. Would they drag a stuntman behind a vehicle like this today? No, they'd probably digitize his character or again, have it filmed on a set in front of a green screen. The authenticity of the film is still fun to this day and why this film has stood the test of time.

An iconic score, memorable performances, horrifying special effects that fuel nightmares towards the climax. Raiders is a film I have no problem revisiting from time to time, it never seems to disappoint.

[PHOENIX74]

Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.

Sorry to hear that - here's hoping that your double+boosted vaccination helps you fight that damned thing into submission with ease.

[Takoma11]

This has been a very 👍 HoF so far.

Though I do wish that a few more films were ones I hadn't seen yet. At this point I've got five rewatches and one new-to-me film (Mad Love).

In the beginning, I'd seen 10/16 of the nominations. Is that similar to you guys?

[pahaK]

In the beginning, I'd seen 10/16 of the nominations. Is that similar to you guys?

I have seen 8 of the nominations before (don't remember much of Dolores Claiborne, though, except that I didn't like it).

[ueno_station54]

This has been a very 👍 HoF so far.

Though I do wish that a few more films were ones I hadn't seen yet. At this point I've got five rewatches and one new-to-me film (Mad Love).

In the beginning, I'd seen 10/16 of the nominations. Is that similar to you guys?
when it started i'd only seen L'amour braque and Cure but it jumped to four when Demons and Thunder Road were added.

[Miss Vicky]

edarsenal

I thought Raul was joining? I don’t see him or his nom listed on the front page.

[pahaK]

edarsenal

I thought Raul was joining? I don’t see him or his nom listed on the front page.

I think he said he'll skip this one.

[Miss Vicky]

I think he said he'll skip this one.

This is the most recent post I saw from him here:

I've decided to join. I'm nominating Happy Gilmore.

[pahaK]

This is the most recent post I saw from him here:

Wasn't that a reply to some of the joke HoF plans? Earlier he wrote this:

I've decided to stick this one out. This will be only the third time I've missed a general. I just think I need a break from scheduled watches and would like to just randomly watch whatever for a while.

I'll be back for the 28th!

[Miss Vicky]

Wasn't that a reply to some of the joke HoF plans? Earlier he wrote this:

It’s not clear if he was being serious or not, but he didn’t quote anyone so it doesn’t look like a reply to that. Guess I’ll wait for clarification from him.

[rauldc14]

I was just messing guys. Hope to see you all in the 28th.

[Thief]

This has been a very 👍 HoF so far.

Though I do wish that a few more films were ones I hadn't seen yet. At this point I've got five rewatches and one new-to-me film (Mad Love).

In the beginning, I'd seen 10/16 of the nominations. Is that similar to you guys?

I've seen 7/16, but there are a couple like True Romance and my own nom that I haven't seen in a good while. True Romance in particular, I don't think I have seen since the 90s.

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/HxshzHZm/dolores-claiborne.jpg

Dolores Claiborne - 1995

Directed by Taylor Hackford

Written by Tony Gilroy
Based on a novel by Stephen King

Starring Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh
& Christopher Plummer

This review contains SPOILERS


Dolores Claiborne (Kathy Bates) and her estranged daughter (darter in this film's New England parlance) Selena St. George (Jennifer Jason Leigh) are reliving their past almost literally in this Stephen King adaptation directed by Taylor Hackford - they don't remember, as much as pass once more through, certain aspects of their lives - reacting with shock as they see and hear the ghosts of situations long gone by. There has been much that has been repressed, or simply too painful to have thought about since the events they confront, now that there has been a reunion of sorts. Dolores stands accused of murdering the woman she has been caring for, and this has brought her daughter back home after 15 long years. At first she doesn't even recognize Selena, assuming that she's being introduced as her legal representation, and the reunion will be a painful one, for Dolores was once also accused of killing Selena's father - something Selena believes is very much the case. These two women will have to face and come to terms with the past in Dolores Claiborne - with pressure and a sense of loathing directed right at her coming from the person investigating - Detective John Mackey (Christopher Plummer) - not to mention vitriol from the townsfolk themselves. It doesn't help things at all that Selena hates her mother, almost with a passion.

This is the kind of film that brings a sense of fluidity to flashbacks, taking a certain still shot and simply changing the lighting and details to a time in the past, taking us directly there - or else having voices from long ago call out in the present day. Kathy Bates aids this effect by sometimes answering back to voices aired years ago as if they're speaking to her in the present. At times her expression tells us that she's almost hallucinating, and that these events have played on her mind in a damaging way. She's been made up to look older, and very much worn down (her skin dry and almost looking as if it's been sandpapered) in her present day incarnation. When we see her in the past she still had a bright glow to her - but cinematography, sets and lighting cast a dark shadow over present events in this film. There's a greyness and pall, especially when we're near or at the house our two characters will reside in - the house where they once lived together as a family. The past is brightly lit with amber tones and colours - there was still hope back then - a hope snuffed out by Selena's father and the husband of Dolores, Joe St. George. Joe is played by David Strathairn, who is often a villain, but rarely so vile. He veers a little towards caricature, but was obviously directed to.

We can forgive Strathairn more if we consider he also has to play drunk most of the time. His reaction, when he's accused of molesting his 13 year-old daughter is to call her "a tease", which seems counterproductive at best, sickeningly deranged at worst. He brings about the first real jolt in the film when, during a nice-feeling moment of bonding and giggling with his wife he takes a heavy log and belts Dolores in the kidneys with it - hard. Selena only ever saw the after-effects of this, which leaves Joe with a bloodied head after Dolores breaks some crockery over it and has her looming over her husband with an axe. These are the not-so-treasured memories that come back during this more present crisis - and provide some fiery drama for Hackford's audience. Described as a "self-consciously feminist" film, our heroine is at times taken aback, saddened and dispirited - but also takes action. When she discovers that Joe is abusing their daughter she decides to leave immediately - and then when she discovers the Joe has stolen her savings, she takes the advice of her employer, Vera Donovan (Judy Parfitt), and prepares to do away with him. How else can she save Selena?

Judy Parfitt provided me with some agonizing moments playing her present day and tormented aged character. She despairs over the degradations, pain and hopelessness of advanced old age and touched me deeply - especially when, in a moment, she takes solace and delight in her ceramic musical pig. Vera and Dolores love each other but keep up the pretense of being a "bitch" to each other - "Sometimes being a bitch is all a woman has to hold on to..." - it's a line we'll hear more than once in the film, and one that feels quintessentially Stephen King. It makes you stop for a moment and ask yourself "What?" - then you'll debate with yourself whether it actually makes sense. I guess it does, and I guess it's true as well. After losing her husband and daughter, being a bitch has definitely left Dolores with a sense of pride - and it would be especially deflating to see her cowering inside her house when townspeople come to throw rocks and Molotov cocktails her way - instead Bates lets fly with anger and fury. We're definitely behind this woman, all the way. Selena is another matter however. Barely held together with medication - puffing a cigarette a minute and drinking like a sailor, she's a little whirlwind of denial who won't think twice about saying something cruel to her mother. She won't even believe that her father used to abuse her.

Family drama is something Taylor Hackford had a steady hand in directing during this era of his career after Everybody's All-American in 1988 and Bound by Honor in 1993 - albeit family drama with a distinct edge to it. His An Officer and a Gentleman days were well behind him, but he'd never slummed it - and Dolores Claiborne was his most interesting film since his massive 1982 hit. His previous two films were in a very much male-dominated domain, so it's heartening to see someone in his profession jump in with both feet as far as a female-driven story is concerned. I'm not quite sure how to take the fact that this story was originally written in novel form by a man, adapted by another man - Tony Gilroy - and eventually directed by a man. It certainly doesn't have the feel of something misappropriated or wrong-headed, and has definite feminist credentials. Screenwriter Tony Gilroy would go on to write another Hackford film - The Devil's Advocate, not to mention most of the Bourne films, Armageddon and Michael Clayton (which he also directed, and for which he was nominated for two Oscars.) It's a very masculine resume, from which Dolores Claiborne really stands out.

Behind the camera, taking in the hilly and beautiful seaside of Nova Scotia (standing in for Maine) is yet another professional you wouldn't at first associate with a film like Dolores Claiborne - Gabriel Beristain is a name much more associated with Marvel universe films, either as director of photography (Black Widow) or other technical capacities. He'd recently worked with Hackford on Bound by Honor, and had done action, comedy with Eddie Murphy, music videos for Aerosmith and various other very visual projects before this. Danny Elfman, a very big name film composer provides a score for this project which sounds like something you'd normally associate with a film about a haunted house, which is an interesting take and considering that perhaps this film does take place in a haunted house seems to fit. It does recede so far into the background at times that it's barely noticeable - but that's not a bad thing either. Elfman was coming from a decade where he'd provided the score to many big comedies and films such as Batman and Dick Tracy - he completes a cadre of filmmakers from which you really wouldn't expect a film such as Dolores Claiborne to come from.

Extra points always go to films when interesting members of the cast drift our way, such as John C. Reilly, who is underutilized a little as a sane counterpoint and deputy to Plummer's detective, and I enjoyed seeing Eric Bogosian again who I thought was brilliant in Oliver Stone's Talk Radio. But this is really a two woman show - Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Leigh doing the best they can with what they have. Stephen King's work can be a little hokey at times, but this is one of his works that is more grounded in reality than others, and they usually provide the best material for those willing to adapt them into screenplays. I remember the actual murder scene in the book being a little more exciting, and having more to do with the eclipse covering what she's trying to do - in this the eclipse just happens at around the same time (in fact, a few moments after the deed is done) - I just felt that there could have been more suspense surrounding the success or failure of her plan depending on a few things that could go wrong. As it is, her plan is to just run and jump - which works, but with a film anything is possible. I was into it, and it was exciting and dramatic - but I felt I really could have been on the edge of my seat if the filmmakers had of wanted to put me there.

Overall, Dolores Claiborne is a good film, with some scenes that had a definite impact on me, and an easy film for me to put into that "good" category. It succeeded in getting me to feel an emotional connection for and with it's characters, and it's 132 minute running time - at first a cause for concern - was not a negative factor. Not once did I check to see how much time was left - a critical factor. It's scenes of horror were especially effective - in fact, Roger Ebert was one of the few people to definitively call the movie a "horror film" - something others have either overlooked or disagree with. I'm as yet unsure where that line is, or even who is responsible for drawing it. Any scenes that involve molesting children, or with old people in torment, shake me up a little. Dolores Claiborne is also a film where once again everybody gets to question themselves on what they themselves believe is justifiable homicide, and where they stand on assisted dying. I know I sure wanted that son of a bitch to die, and I wanted to give Vera a better ending than the one she got. It's not a perfect film, but it gets a lot right, so there's credit due to this particular King adaptation.

3.5

[ueno_station54]

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/571e7cc14c2f859b347c0167/1622999279139-6WZK6TSHBFTBBZ2BMKPC/still+-+Thunder+Road.jpg?format=1000w
Thunder Road (Jim Cummings, 2018)
First and foremost, f*ck this movie for making feel for a cop. Very evil thing to do.

Anyway, this is a rewatch but the points in my life when I've now watched it is interesting to me. Watched it for the first time immediately before I ended up having a multi-year long existential crisis and now this second watch coming almost immediately after said crisis. It could have been any movie but its kinda funny that this happened to be the first "I'm losing control of my life, I don't know what I'm doing anymore" kind of movie I've seen since putting myself back together. Long way of saying that this f*cked me up this time around but I'm also stoked that I can feel emotions properly now (superficially emotional stuff like My Dog Skip still doesn't work on me tho, sorry). And sorry for the TMI but this was such a good litmus test for my growth as a person, thank you for nominating this Takoma <3

I guess I should talk about the movie itself to some extent instead of yammering about myself like a bitch. So that first scene is brilliant, eh? I guess that scene is just the original short Cummings did in 2016? I don't know if he had envisioned it as feature the whole time and shot the first scene to try to get the rest funded or if that was initially a standalone thing. I think it works as both so who cares because it expresses the emotions the film wants to explore so unmistakably. I don't think most films that deal with feelings of being overwhelmed handle it in such a grounded manner. Like, yeah Cummings is over-the-top at times but he gives you everything you need without resorting to like, the camera shaking with a distorted lens while he's curled up in a corner somewhere. Not that that can't be cool and good but it'd be dishonest to the tone of this film. tldr: Cummings gets the feelings across with just the performance. That's definitely the selling point, communicating these specific feelings and the rest of the film is pretty low-key to make sure that's the focus. It's also got a nice balance of humour and feels in a way that doesn't feel forced. Keeps it from being too heavy, keeps it more realistic too. Yeah it's a great film. Its funny that I'm giving it the same rating as the first time I saw it when it had so much more impact on me the second time around. First watch was "yeah this is kinda funny, kinda sad, quite enjoyable, I guess its rating_4??" but now its an enthusiastic rating_4.

[jiraffejustin]

Good job, Takoma. ueno put the brick down and gave a cop a hug because of you.

[cricket]

I watched One Cut of the Dead. Not sure how I feel so I'm going to watch it again. I'll be curious to go back and look at the write-ups after I post.

[ueno_station54]

Good job, Takoma. ueno put the brick down and gave a cop a hug because of you.
c'mon you don't have to twist the knife i still feel guilty about it.

[jiraffejustin]

c'mon you don't have to twist the knife i still feel guilty about it.

Don't worry, you can still torch his car with that unlit Molotov cocktail in your backpack

[jiraffejustin]

So the entire short film is in the feature or was it re-shot?

[Thief]

So the entire short film is in the feature or was it re-shot?

Haven't seen the short nor the feature yet, but found this...

https://vimeo.com/174957219

12 minutes.

[ueno_station54]

looks like they re-shot it.

[SpelingError]

I just realized that nobody reviewed my nomination yet. I wonder who's going to be first.

[pahaK]

I just realized that nobody reviewed my nomination yet. I wonder who's going to be first.

I assume it'll be one of the last I watch. Seen it semi-recently but not recently enough to skip it with a clear conscience. It's also not my kind of film and actually, the one I'm least thrilled to watch out of all noms (note, this doesn't mean I expect it to be the worst - my original rating was 2.5/5 I'd remember).

[cricket]

I just realized that nobody reviewed my nomination yet. I wonder who's going to be first.

I was planning on watching it tomorrow night

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=84555

Demons / 修羅 (1971)
Directed by: Toshio Matsumoto
Starring: Katsuo Nakamura, Yasuko Sanjo, Masao Imafuku

Demons has a fantastic visual style. It's an interesting mixture of restraint and bold decisions that manage to compliment each other very well. The stark contract between pitch black shadows and bright light is very reminiscent of German Expressionism, drawing focus and creating striking imagery.

The film itself is filled with desire and despair. Fantasized outcomes, and the promise of revenge are weighed down by an oppressive atmosphere and a tragic chain of events. Seemingly simple matters become increasingly complex, as separate elements of the story begin weaving together as the finale draws near.

Kabuki theatre was an obvious inspiration for Demons, both visually and stylistically, with the actors' performances similarly exaggerated. Nakamura does a particularly fine job, but the entire cast was great. Everything about the film is engaging, and it was a highly enjoyable viewing experience.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi1.wp.com%2Fwww.lheuredelasortie.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F02%2Fvlcsnap-2010-06-16-15h58m21s198.png%3Ffit%3D800%252C450%26ssl%3D1&f=1&nofb=1

Cure, 1997

Kenichi Takabe (Koji Yakusho) is a detective investigating a series of murders with eerie similarities. Though the crimes are all committed by people they easily find and catch, none of them seems able to explain the reason for the killing, nor do they seem to have any connection with each other. That is until a common thread does emerge, an amnesiac young man named Mamiya (Masato Hagiwara) who came into contact with the perpetrators before they committed their crimes.

This is another rewatch for me, and a film I definitely enjoyed the second time around.

There is such a potent, unrelenting sense of unease in this film. The whole thing has a jaundiced color palette, as if the life has already been sucked out of everyone we meet. When there is a spot of brightness---such as the startling red of a dress at the dry cleaner's---it feels more like a warning than a relief from the muted tones. Then there is the way that the film is show, often at a distance from the characters. Close ups are used almost entirely to give us the perspective of a character in a certain moment.

The settings themselves feel unabashedly drawn from the vast well of horror imagery. Mental hospitals with long, dark hallways. Cells made of stone lit with yellow lights. Abandoned buildings where the wind howls through broken windows.

The mystery itself is intriguing. What power, exactly, does Mamiya have over the people he encounters? Through the film we see suggestions that this is a world brimming with anger, such as a man in a shop raving to himself. Is Mamiya simply tapping into some of that rage, or has he found a way to make people do something that is not actually in their hearts? In a later scene, a psychiatrist who realizes he has been "touched" by Mamiya chooses to handcuff himself to a pipe, finally turning his homicidal impulses on himself rather than kill someone else. Was he being taken over, or did he merely realize he had some urge to harm/kill inside?.

Hagiwara's performance as Mamiya is enjoyably frustrating. Perpetually evasive, one is never sure if he is playing a game or sincere. Does he understand the effect he has on others? Is his memory loss genuine? Or is it all an act? Either way, it is horrifying.

The first time I watched this film, I really struggled to pay attention to it. Or maybe that's not quite the right way to put it, but I didn't feel like I was in tune with its rhythms. I'd find that I'd spaced out on some dialogue or didn't quite get who a certain character was. It was the same thing this time around, but I think that it's just how I interact with the way the film is shot and edited, which has a kind of dreamy, unanchored feeling to it.

Great stuff, and even knowing how all the twists and turns would pan out I still really loved watching it all play out. Fantastic ending as well.

4.5

[pahaK]

Mad Love (1985)

https://64.media.tumblr.com/5939db7f3e06a264912c5e12c5b200a9/05ef8e8801c2dbd5-e3/s500x750/c766b190c1710cd063f22106cbfa0d0bed3b2171.gifv

To my surprise, this was on Netflix here in Finland, so no issues finding a good quality copy. This is my second film by Zulawski, the first is Possession which I like. There are similarities between the two films, especially the acting, but this one is more energetic, wild, and chaotic. It's also infuriatingly peppy, preposterous, and a prime example of what I despise in modern art, or "art."

Zulawski knows how to make a good-looking film. Sadly, the writing is modernism in a nutshell; non-sensical dialogue, absurd characters, theatrical over-done insanity, and artsy incoherence. Honestly, I can't even say if this tries too hard to be art, or is it a parody of that. It's amusing at times in a similar manner as watching a drunkard stumble while yelling some nonsense, but I don't think that's enough to make it a good movie.

I can't say I hated Mad Love, though. Once I got the hang of its absurdity, it had its moments. I may not have enjoyed it the way Zulawski intended, but at least I had some chuckles out of the film. Sophie Marceau is also such a beauty.

2.5

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=84558
Mad Love (1985)

I could almost love this one, it has a lot going for it. The visuals are stunning and I don't mean just the pretty things like the red safe room, the alps and the courtesan. I mean the way it's filmed. Even the cobble stone streets and cement causeways and that decrypted old room where they eventually are held up...all are a visual smorgasbord.

I actually liked the oh-so-tragic-ness of the characters as they lament their unfulfilled love and choices in life. I even liked the metaphorical dialogue. I can't say I understood all the seagull talk but it sounded way deep.

But what didn't work for me was the comedy, no wonder the French thought Jerry Lewis was a comic god. The guys in the film act as silly as Jerry Lewis with all the bird sounds and flaying around.

I did like that the gang violence was more stylized and theatrical in nature and not hardcore or gritty. In fact I like the tie-in to the theater and acting as a parable for the characters plight.

Pretty interesting movie.

[Miss Vicky]

84562

The Secret of Roan Inish (John Sayles, 1995)
Imdb (“https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111112/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0")

Date Watched: 01/19/22
Rewatch: No.

I don’t have much to say about this. I don’t like folklore/fantasy stuff and live action family movies only work for me if they’re movies I grew up with. I don’t hate this, the scenery’s pretty and the seals are cute, but I wasn’t at all invested in its characters or its story.

2-

P.S. I think Siddon is going to LOVE Jamie’s scenes. :D

[ueno_station54]

https://d2dzp1iimffyb3.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/edit-martin-brody-jaws.jpg
Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
I think Spielberg might just be above my pay grade because I don't understand this one either. I don't know how to engage with films that have no energy or feeling or texture to them. Only neutral feelings outside of getting pretty bored while the dudes are yapping on the boat in that one really long scene and thinking the handful of lowlight shots looked good. Like, I'm already out of things to remark on. I don't know which one I'm ranking above which yet but I at least had some feelings about Indy. Just 2hrs. left in the cold with nothing to sink my teeth into.
rating_2_5

[StuSmallz]

https://d2dzp1iimffyb3.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/edit-martin-brody-jaws.jpg
Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
I think Spielberg might just be above my pay grade because I don't understand this one either. I don't know how to engage with films that have no energy or feeling or texture to them. Only neutral feelings outside of getting pretty bored while the dudes are yapping on the boat in that one really long sceneHey now, I'm not as big a fan of it as I'm "supposed to be" either, but even I felt that was a great scene.



:p

[Torgo]

L'Amour Braque - 3

Since I haven’t read The Idiot, anything by authors mentioned in the movie like Kafka, the play that’s staged in it, The Seagull, or seen any other movies by Andrzej Zulawski, I felt so out of the loop from frame one that I might as well have left the subtitles off. As a result, I can only share my thoughts on what I think happens.

The love triangle between Maria, Leon and Micky is fascinating for how it depicts the mind of an abuse victim. Does Maria really love Micky, or is being abused what she's used to? As for her dalliance with Leon, does she really just want to know what it's like to be in control? I would fail a test on the gang war if one existed, but I sort of see the same abuser and victim dynamic in the love triangle playing out in it, and both plots may be representative of the Cold War-addled world at the time. The repeated mentions of the many other wars happening in the world, for instance, led me to this conclusion, not to mention reminded me of the general atmosphere of the Watchmen graphic novel. Then again, are we really supposed to understand the details of the gang war? Is Leon, like Yojimbo, the outsider whose reactions to this and the greater nonsense happening in the real world meant to reflect our own attitudes towards them? My favorite scene in the movie is the one where Maria and Leon take refuge in the mountains for how it provides relief from all this chaos. It seems to verify my assumption because as soon as Micky discovers their hideout, that chaotic vibe returns immediately.

Again, I went into this movie as coldly possible, so maybe I'm the idiot (pardon the bad joke) for trying to make sense of all of this. Maybe Zulawski is a Dadaist and/or this is an attempt at a feature-length movie in the spirit of Un Chien Andalou? Whatever the case may be, there are enough things I like in the movie for me to give it a slight recommendation. The cinematography is appropriately all over the place and it reminds me of the camerawork in Sam Raimi's best works. The look and feel with its slightly surreal color scheme and use of actual locations is also right up my alley, the standout being the Venin screening room, which might as well have inspired the vaporwave aesthetic. With that said, my typical feeling while watching this is how I'd likely feel while trying to assemble IKEA's most complex piece of furniture without the instructions. I’m at least oddly comforted by the facts that I still have room to grow as a movie lover and that I’m not going to completely understand everything I watch.

[ueno_station54]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYjZjNTkyMzQtYzM5OC00NDdmLWE4YmMtMjc1ZDVmNjJhZWRhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI3MDk3MzQ@._V1_.jpg
Shura (Toshio Matsumoto, 1971)
I'll always think of Matsumoto as a short film director even though (spoilers) I've quite enjoyed all the features I've seen from him (this and he did one of my all time faves which I will certainly be nominating for a Hall at some point) and from what I've seen of his work he's an extremely versatile filmmaker. The two features I've seen aren't even remotely similar and all his shorts seem to be trying something new. He's an artist I really respect.

Now, I'm no expert on period pieces like this but this isn't necessarily the most original film you'll ever see but its a strong take on an established style. The lighting obviously takes center stage here and I wish I was more knowledgeable about lighting so I could express why its so good (not like I can express anything else well either) but its very high contrast and creates an unshakable mood to the film. Everything feels so bleak and inescapable. The camerawork isn't too too flashy but it does some creative stuff that doesn't distract from the film while still being like woah!. You have the slick trucking shots you expect from the style, which are great, but you also get a few of these shots that pan off into the darkness and slide a sneaky cut in there as it pans back to a different shot and those moments always really feel like a moment, y'know? Despite the longish runtime, I found this really flew by. I don't know if there's anything here that like super blew me away but its just so solid throughout and feels so in control of itself without feeling constrained or forced. Holds up on this second viewing.
rating_4

[edarsenal]

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DeficientGlumAustraliansilkyterrier-size_restricted.gif
http://history.sffs.org/i/films/1994/Secret_Of_Roan_Inish_The.jpg


The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)

A lovely Irish folk tale done true as the day is long.

Little Fiona, having lost her mother and her grieving father, unable to look after her, is sent to her grandparents by the sea. She learns of Roan Inish (Seal Island) and the magical connection between her family, who once lived there, and the selkies. Of her missing younger brother who drifted out to sea in a cradle made by, as the story goes, an ancestor who is said to be a selkie herself.

A picturesque, calming, heart-warming story told with love for the subject matter and accompanied accordingly by folk music.
Simply told, there are no over-the-top theatrics or moments of outrageous spectacles. Like the lapping of the sea, the bobbing of the seals, its sublime magic is interwoven with those living hand in hand with the sea.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages2.minutemediacdn.com%2Fimage%2Fupload%2Fc_fill%2Cg_auto%2Ch_1248%2Cw_2220%2Fv 1555388445%2Fshape%2Fmentalfloss%2Ftrue_primary.jpg%3Fitok%3DDbrxeo-c&f=1&nofb=1

True Romance, 1993

Clarence (Christian Slater) meets call girl Alabama (Patricia Arquette) and the two quickly hit it off. When Clarence goes to retrieve Alabama's things from her pimp, he accidentally ends up with a suitcase full of drugs. A lot of drugs. Making their way to Los Angeles to sell the drugs and get a fresh start, Clarence and Alabama don't realize that they've gotten themselves tangled up with the mob.

I saw this film years ago, and my vague memory was not loving it a ton. This time around my reaction was kind of the same.

The best element of the movie is the cast. This thing is so chock-full of recognizable faces it's ridiculous. Even more so when you realize that some of them are there for like a minute and a half of screen time. And a lot of these actors are people I love seeing pop up in a film, like Conchata Ferrell or Saul Rubinek.

Largely, though, this is a film that doesn't work for me, and that's largely down to how I feel about the main characters. Specifically, they are the worst.

I know that a movie doesn't have to be full of likeable characters to be great, but the film clearly wants us to root for Clarence and Alabama, but I just couldn't get there. Clarence is such a tool. He is careless and thoughtless and full of bravado in a way that just leaves me feeling frustrated and annoyed. He gets a lot of people hurt or killed, some of them innocent. And Alabama, seeing this all as "romantic" and shrugging her way through all the death and destruction equally rubs me the wrong way.

I understand that many people like Tarantino as a writer, but every word he puts on the page sounds so utterly contrived to my ear. Now, some of the actors manage to really harness the cadence of it or sell it through sheer presence. Walken's delivery of "You got me in a vendetta kind of mood" is amazing. But everything that lands is followed by something that just kills the moments. The "vendetta" line is great. So why is it followed by "Go tell all the angels in heaven . . . blah blah blah"? Excess doesn't work when there's no variation--no stillness or relief from it. The only time that the film reached an enjoyable level of excess for me was in the absurdly bloody final shootout.

What really makes this film hard for me is that all of the characters seem to be operating on the same frequency. There's no normalcy. And the weird result of that is that the film feels one-note and monotone. There's also a weird fetishization of "cool stuff", most glaringly the fact that everyone in this reality is obsessed with Elvis, to the point that his friend shows up wearing an Elvis shirt. There's a sense of straining for iconic moments and that feeling of effort is exhausting.

I think that I liked the film a bit more this time around. I think that this time I was able to enjoy certain sections separate from the movie around them. But overall my main feeling was resenting having to root for these two selfish goobers while spicy marimba music told me how fun and in love they were.

3

[Miss Vicky]

84602

Thunder Road (Jim Cummings, 2018)
Imdb (“ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7738450/?ref_=vp_back")

Date Watched: 01/20/22
Rewatch: No.

This didn’t work for me. This movie really tried too hard with its attempts at awkward comedy. Rather than making me laugh, it just made me uncomfortable and the result of that was that I found Jim to be a very off-putting character and frankly had no desire to root for him. He struck me as an incompetent buffoon - as an officer and as a father- and I just felt nothing for him. If Cummings had dropped his awkward shtick and just made a straight drama, or even toned it down, I might’ve connected on some level but such was not the case.

2

[pahaK]

If Cummings had dropped his awkward shtick and just made a straight drama, or even toned it down, I might’ve connected on some level but such was not the case.

Pretty much how I felt about The Wolf of Snow Hollow (I guess you could exchange drama with horror for that one), so I'm assuming this is more of the same.

[SpelingError]

Baby Face (1933) - 4

I found this to be a compelling film as the likability of Stanwyck's character resonated with me the most. Watching the earlier scenes in the bar, it wasn't hard to see why Lily rebelled against the men she encountered at the bank. Her father forced her to sleep with her customers for many years and her daily routine in the bar involved men putting their hands on her to ask for requests and other men asking to sleep with her. Due to that, the early scenes of her seducing the men in her workplace to move higher up (I like how her ascent is represented by the camera moving up different floors in the bank from outside) are liberating to watch. As this goes on though, the impact she has on the other men keeps growing more and more severe. First, she gets a worker fired, she then complicates a relationship with another man and his wife, and she finally causes a major tragedy (one she doesn't seem bothered by). Watching her humanity slip away as she keeps getting carried away with her original goal is tragic, especially given how much I cared for her at the start of the film. I also found it interesting how Chico, her best friend in the bar, didn't advance in rank with her and remained as a maid all throughout the film. That was a nice touch of social commentary which showed how minority races will have an especially hard time of getting a high paying job in that environment. Looking at some of the reviews, I noticed there were some mixed reactions to the ending. Some people really liked it, while others felt it didn't work. On one hand, I felt like the remorse Lily eventually showed was earned and a compelling culmination to her arc, but on the other hand, I think the film wrapped itself up into too neat of a bow (this is an issue I've noticed a few times for movies with unlikable protagonists) and, given some of the things Lily caused in the film, her outcome at the end didn't feel earned. This is a minor issue though. Ending aside, I really enjoyed this film.

Next Up: Cure

[cricket]

One Cut of the Dead

https://www.filmous.com/static/photos/233810/6_midi.jpg

Spoilerish

I think just about anything said about this movie would be spoilerish. I had to watch it twice which seems to be becoming a habit for me with Cosmic noms. I had it on my watchlist already, I think just because it's horror and has high ratings, because I knew absolutely nothing about it going in.

The first time I watched it I think I was caught too off gaurd to enjoy it. During the first 36 minutes I was thinking, is this all it's going to be? After the 36 minutes I was thinking, wtf, is this some crappy anthology horror? Of course it all made sense after a while, but the state I was in had me thinking, couldn't they still have made the first 36 minutes more compelling anyway? So I watched it again, and this time I enjoyed the first 36 minutes.

The whole movie within a movie thing is hardly an original concept when it comes to horror movies. This movie just does it better. Actually this isn't even a horror movie, just horror themed I guess I'd say. I don't even know if I'd call it a horror comedy. I'm not sure what to call it, I just know it was a lot of fun. The cast is extremely likable, and in the end I felt like I had watched a feel good movie. That's the last thing I expected. Great nom!

3.5+

[cricket]

I had planned on watching Midnight Cowboy tonight but I will have to wait until the weekend.

[Takoma11]

84602

Thunder Road (Jim Cummings, 2018)
Imdb (“ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7738450/?ref_=vp_back")

Date Watched: 01/20/21
Rewatch: No.

This didn’t work for me. This movie really tried too hard with its attempts at awkward comedy. Rather than making me laugh, it just made me uncomfortable and the result of that was that I found Jim to be a very off-putting character and frankly had no desire to root for him. He struck me as an incompetent buffoon - as an officer and as a father- and I just felt nothing for him. If Cummings had dropped his awkward shtick and just made a straight drama, or even toned it down, I might’ve connected on some level but such was not the case.

2

Honestly, the relief of nominating this film for me was that I know it's kind of a love-it/hate-it kind of style, so I don't have to be sad about the low scores because (hopefully) a few people will really dig it.

[SpelingError]

Honestly, the relief of nominating this film for me was that I know it's kind of a love-it/hate-it kind of style, so I don't have to be sad about the low scores because (hopefully) a few people will really dig it.

That's what I did in the last main HoF with The Celebration, in fact. I wasn't expecting for it to win, but I was curious to see how well everyone would respond to it.

[ueno_station54]

Honestly, the relief of nominating this film for me was that I know it's kind of a love-it/hate-it kind of style, so I don't have to be sad about the low scores because (hopefully) a few people will really dig it.
even the things i think are safe picks end up in this category lmao.

[edarsenal]

The Love it/Hate it films can be an intriguing gamble. They definitely bring out a lot of discussions.

[Siddon]

The Love it/Hate it films can be an intriguing gamble. They definitely bring out a lot of discussions.


https://c.tenor.com/vGKwFYLntFoAAAAC/geez-thats.gif

[pahaK]

The Love it/Hate it films can be an intriguing gamble. They definitely bring out a lot of discussions.

https://c.tenor.com/CzPDL28BmnkAAAAC/why-does-that-sounds-familiar-jevon-mcferrin.gif

[Siddon]

BTW is Raul in the hall or not?

[SpelingError]

BTW is Raul in the hall or not?

No, he isn't.

[CosmicRunaway]

I had to watch it twice which seems to be becoming a habit for me with Cosmic noms.
I'm not sure if I said this the last time you watched a nomination multiple times during a HoF, but I really appreciate your commitment. You don't have to rewatch anything you're on the fence about, but you always seem determined to figure out how you feel about each film, and that's really impressive. :up:

Actually this isn't even a horror movie, just horror themed I guess I'd say. I don't even know if I'd call it a horror comedy.
I've been thinking about this, and I think I'm just going to call it a comedy. That's the one genre that remains consistent throughout the entire film.

The cast is extremely likable, and in the end I felt like I had watched a feel good movie. That's the last thing I expected. Great nom!
Glad you liked it in the end! And yeah, that feeling like you had watched a "feel good" movie is exactly why I nominated it (in addition to fans of filmmaking possibly enjoying the last act). It's actually a very wholesome and sweet film.

[TheUsualSuspect]

Jaws

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/s2xcqSFfT6F7ZXHxowjxfG0yisT.jpg

4.5

re-watch

Every February, Cineplex in Canada will play old movies for a week or two. I did a double feature of The Matrix and Jaws a few years ago. Great day.

What can be said about a film that everybody and their mother has talked about? Not much really. Iconic music that people will hum when in the water or slowly creeping up on others. Iconic scenes of people being attacked in the water or nails scratching on a chalk board. The troubles of the production helped with the tension of not seeing the shark. Spielberg gives the characters room to breathe and actually BE legitimate people and not just cardboard cut outs for the blockbuster machine. Jaws is simply...a classic.

I love the locked off shot on the boat with the mayor. We get important information, characters are framed perfectly, the shot never moves, but we get movement in the shot. Beautifully composed.

I was able to go on the Jaws ride in Florida multiple times before they shut it down to make room for Harry Potter.

[rauldc14]

Jaws

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/s2xcqSFfT6F7ZXHxowjxfG0yisT.jpg

4.5

re-watch

Every February, Cineplex in Canada will play old movies for a week or two. I did a double feature of The Matrix and Jaws, Great day.

What can be said about a film that everybody and their mother has talked about? Not much really. Iconic music that people will hum when in the water or slowly creeping up on others. Iconic scenes of people being attacked in the water or nails scratching on a chalk board. The troubles of the production helped with the tension of not seeing the shark. Spielberg gives the characters room to breathe and actually BE legitimate people and not just cardboard cut outs for the blockbuster machine. Jaws is simply...a classic.

I love the locked off shot on the boat with the mayor. We get important information, characters are framed perfectly, the shot never moves, but we get movement in the shot. Beautifully composed.

I was able to go on the Jaws ride in Florida multiple times before they shut it down to make room for Harry Potter.

Impressive February watch in January!

[TheUsualSuspect]

Impressive February watch in January!

Sorry, that was a few years ago. Seeing Jaws in the theatres was a great day.

Theatres are closed here due to covid. So I'm trying to stay away from those Scream spoilers as much as possible until they open again.

[CosmicRunaway]

Every February, Cineplex in Canada will play old movies for a week or two.
Speaking of which, I miss those Flashback Film Fests. :heart::popcorn:
The tickets were cheap, sometimes we had trivia, and the theatres were full of people who loved the films being screened.

I've probably told this story before, but my favourite experience was when my friends and I went to a screening of Jurassic Park, but the audio wasn't working, so everyone just starting making all the sounds themselves. It was so much fun that it was kind of disappointing when they fixed the issue haha.

[edarsenal]

Those are always fun!

There is the occasional Midnight Show during the Summer in a local theater that specializes in independent films as well as a truly OLD time theater WITH balcony seating and a pipe organ they play before the show and during intermission on the west side that runs old films and every once in a while a Three Stooges Marathon of some six shorts or so.
Back in the nineties in downtown Detroit one of the theaters for bands would do a special Monday Night at the Movies with drinks and people sneaking smokes.

[CosmicRunaway]

Just watched another nomination I wasn't sure if I had already seen or not, and it turns out I had. This time it was Dolores Claiborne.

At this point I'm starting to think the number of films I've forgotten about watching might outnumber the ones I actually do remember haha.

[ueno_station54]

Just watched another nomination I wasn't sure if I had already seen or not, and it turns out I had. This time it was Dolores Claiborne.
i also just watched this... how suspicious.

[cricket]

At this point I'm starting to think the number of films I've forgotten about watching might outnumber the ones I actually do remember haha.

That's how I was with women. Back in the day.

[CosmicRunaway]

i also just watched this... how suspicious.
If we post our reviews at the same time, I'm getting the tinfoil hat out. :p

[ueno_station54]

https://entertainment.time.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/10/dolores-claiborne-1995-kathy-bates-30819297-1500-996.jpg?w=720&h=480&crop=1
Dolores Claiborne (Taylor Hackford, 1995)
Well, I figured this wasn't going to be for me and it certainly wasn't. I have a hard time with films that rely on you caring about a reveal that's coming up because I just never do. I do not care what Dolores did or didn't do nor would I in any movie. Set up, pay off storytelling is soo passe. I don't want to rag on it too hard because it never had a chance with me and there's a couple little touches I did enjoy like some (some) of the colour grading. Some of the scenes have so little life in them and it looks pretty dope and the eclipse was cool I just so wish there was a way to make that the last scene instead of having another 20 minutes following it. It's unfortunately got more going against it than just my inherit bias as its just too dramatic to take seriously and it kind of feels like a TV movie as a result and the score is just awful, soo cartoony for no good reason. Elfman would not have been my first pick for this type of film that's for sure. Uhhh, yeah, its a no from me dog.
rating_2

[ueno_station54]

If we post our reviews at the same time, I'm getting the tinfoil hat out. :p
looks like we're safe. you put effort into your reviews, i word vomit for a few minutes as soon as the film is over :)

[CosmicRunaway]

looks like we're safe. you put effort into your reviews, i word vomit for a few minutes as soon as the film is over :)
Well, I also went to bed not long after that last post so I wasn't writing anything anyway. :lol:

You know, there's actually something quite refreshing and honest about what you call your "word vomit". It's your immediate, gut reaction to a film, which is just as valid as an opinion expressed in any other format. It's how you really feel, typically without much restraint, and that's nice to see.

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=84647

Dolores Claiborne (1995)
Directed By: Taylor Hackford
Starring: Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judy Parfitt

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Dolores Claiborne is that colour palette. The modern day scenes feature predominantly cool colours, with constantly overcast skies that make those shades of blue and grey even more dreary. However the flashback scenes are much warmer, with a wide range of colours and a nostalgic red hue. The two palettes are very distinct, save for a few dramatic shots that symbolically blend the tones of the past and present.

In comparison to Stephen King's other works, the story is far more down to earth than one would typically expect. There's nothing supernatural here, as the horror is instead grounded in the realities of domestic violence and other appalling abuses. The film is more of a melodrama than it is anything else, but it's elevated by its composition, as well as the performances of its lead characters.

At the start, I found the main characters quite off-putting, and was thrown-off by what sounded to me like wholly inconsistent accents. However as the film progressed, I found the performances to be far more compelling, and Kathy Bates in particular seemed to just get better and better. Despite having seen Dolores Claiborne before, with memories of the film rushing back to me as the past does to the characters in the film, I actually became quite invested in the characters and how their stories played out.

[CosmicRunaway]

(I can't believe I haven't seen Misery yet)
If you liked Bates in Dolores Claiborne, definitely give Misery a watch when you get the chance. :up:

[cricket]

I can't even remember what Dolores Claiborne was about but I know I liked it quite a bit.

[ueno_station54]

https://www.bookforum.com/uploads/upload.000/id24395/featured00_landscape.jpg
Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger, 1969)
As a particularly dumb bitch who just wants cinematic key-jangling over any kind of story I'd have to pay attention to or impressive technical feats this film is much more in my wheel house then I assumed it would be. The editing here is literally perfect. Like, obviously during the flashbacks and montage sequences but even in the more grounded sequences the cuts are timed exactly right (but yeah those flashbacks and montages are pretty much exactly what I want out of film). I guess I should also note the shots used to make up the edit as well, just a great looking film all around, lots of cool angles and whatnot, we love that. It's a great, great, great film but I'm not sure why I don't like it more. There's a minor disconnect somewhere but I'm not sure what caused it. Maybe the film is counting on me being more invested in the friendship on display idk. Yeah, still great lol.
4

[SpelingError]

https://www.bookforum.com/uploads/upload.000/id24395/featured00_landscape.jpg
Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger, 1969)
As a particularly dumb bitch who just wants cinematic key-jangling over any kind of story I'd have to pay attention to or impressive technical feats this film is much more in my wheel house then I assumed it would be. The editing here is literally perfect. Like, obviously during the flashbacks and montage sequences but even in the more grounded sequences the cuts are timed exactly right (but yeah those flashbacks and montages are pretty much exactly what I want out of film). I guess I should also note the shots used to make up the edit as well, just a great looking film all around, lots of cool angles and whatnot, we love that. It's a great, great, great film but I'm not sure why I don't like it more. There's a minor disconnect somewhere but I'm not sure what caused it. Maybe the film is counting on me being more invested in the friendship on display idk. Yeah, still great lol.
4

Yay, ueno really liked my nom!

sighs in relief

[ueno_station54]

Yay, ueno really liked my nom!

sighs in relief
nauuur what is this reputation i have :(

[Siddon]

https://www.ruthlessreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/sheen-1.png

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Apocalypse Now tells the story of an assassin sent deep into the jungle to kill a renegade and crazed officer. Visually Coppola's film is amazing the things he does with lighting and blocking is incredible. The script on the other hand is indicative of what happens when a writer has just to many drugs.

While it isn't entirely Coppola's fault the first generation of Vietnam films just tended to go over the top or missing the mark. Willard just never felt like a fully realized person, it doesn't help that Martin Sheen is such a tiny man he doesn't exactly strike an opposing figure or a realistic idea of what a bad ass killer should look like. You'll notice that they often play with perspective with Sheen having other people sitting down or at different locations to mitigate the embarrassment of his height.

A number of scenes are just spectacularly shot, first time I saw this on VHS which was a terrible format, watching it again on bluray all the small details pop out. My big problem when I first watched the film was that the violence was so OTT and not given any context it just bored me and put me to sleep. And yes the film does drag on but at the very least a better print helps enhance the story.

My criticism of the film still stands and my biggest issue. This doesn't feel like a story but rather a collection of great scenes loosely tied together by a barely there plot. An impressive achievement in construction that fails as a narrative, great practical effects told without a quality editor's eye.

[Citizen Rules]

84654
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)

A bold choice for an HoF nom...With most noms these days being dark, disturbing with stories of crime or violence it takes some guts to nominate a mostly unknown family G rated movie with a small child as the main character.

I thoroughly enjoyed this Irish folk lore movie. I thought it was unique. I loved the feel of the story telling through the monologues of the grandfather, the cousin and the fisherman. I was equally impressed with the setting and the quaint cottage sets and the smooth relaxing pacing of the movie. It's a film I could watch again. Count me as a fan.

Thanks Tongo for taking a chance on this film.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcriterion-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcarousel-files%2F3983ba445706e8e649764952ed7fe12a.jpeg&f=1&nofb=1

Midnight Cowboy, 1969

Joe Buck (Jon Voight) leaves his small town life to go to New York City, where he hopes to become successful as a prostitute serving the women of the city. Discovering that it's not quite that easy, Joe falls in with "Ratso" Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), a chronically ill small-time grifter with dreams of a life in Miami. As the film goes on, the rough reality of city life wears on both men, even as their friendship strengthens.

This is another rewatch for me, and I think that the film went up a bit on this second viewing.

This film is a heartbreaker, with Joe's tragic backstory unfolding through a series of disjoint and bizarre flashbacks. The more we learn about Joe's past trauma---involving the assault/sexual assault on his girlfriend and probably a sexual assault that he endured as well---the more his adopted persona and desperation make sense. Joe has created an image for himself crafted from his ultimate notion of masculinity---the John Wayne-style cowboy. When he first swans into the diner where he works, bragging that he's going to the city to make money from sleeping with women, it feels like a lot of alpha male bluster. And it sort of is. But the more we get to know Joe, the more we see that this is an act that he has created to cope with a certain degree of shame and self-loathing.

Joe is searching for himself. And unfortunately for him, the New York City he lands in is not the land of possibilities of the past. Instead it is a decaying, often cruel landscape. We frequently see buildings being demolished or condemned apartments being crowbarred open by city employees. Ratso, a man who has adapted himself to this harsh environment, is at once Joe's savior and an emblem of the futility of trying to find success. Hoffman's sweating, agitated performance as Ratso is really excellent. In Ratso, Joe finds a different variation on the self-loathing he has tried to escape. But Ratso refuses to costume himself or fake it 'til he makes it. Joe's naivete and enthusiasm invigorates him for a short while, but the oppressive reality of his situation cannot be denied.

The film also touches on the very fraught issue of how, for men, sexual assault and sexuality, and self-hatred can become a very potent and deadly mixture. Throughout the film, Joe's sexuality is frequently questioned. Ratso tells him that his cartoonish cowboy look is the kind of camp thing that only appeals to gay men. A hurt Joe defensively tries to explain that he likes the way he looks, and likes the way that he feels in those clothes. I don't think that Joe is meant to be gay, but I do think that his experience of helplessness and having been assaulted has maybe made him afraid that he is. Joe has two encounters with gay men who want his services, and the difference between them is striking. I thought it was interesting that it was the second man---the one who openly expressed self-hatred--who most evoked Joe's rage. We frequently see that Joe is much more soft-hearted than the coldly masculine front he tries to put on. And the only moments of real rage/aggression come when his sexuality is questioned.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/stills/132477-757b751b77f8775776574925289a46d0/Film_925_MIdnightCowboy_original.jpg

The emotional heart of the film is the friendship--and I would go as far as to say love--between Ratso and Joe. Probably my favorite moment in the film is when Joe tries to help Ratso clean himself up before the two go into a party. As Joe uses his shirt to wipe Ratso's face, Ratso just leans his head into Joe's torso, even lifting his arm to hold him by the hip. For two characters who have shown a lot of knee-jerk homophobia, it's a breakthrough moment of physical intimacy, and in a film that's theoretically about sex and sexuality, probably the most powerful moment of intimacy that we see. The men become invested in each others' wellbeing. In a different film, this united front would see them through to better things. But the world around them is a little too rotten, a little too unkind. And what kindness they get---like a woman who hires Joe and then later is willing to help him find more clients---comes too little too late.

The whole look and feel of this film is really great. Glad I got a chance to revisit it!

4.5

[SpelingError]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcriterion-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcarousel-files%2F3983ba445706e8e649764952ed7fe12a.jpeg&f=1&nofb=1

Midnight Cowboy, 1969

Joe Buck (Jon Voight) leaves his small town life to go to New York City, where he hopes to become successful as a prostitute serving the women of the city. Discovering that it's not quite that easy, Joe falls in with "Ratso" Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), a chronically ill small-time grifter with dreams of a life in Miami. As the film goes on, the rough reality of city life wears on both men, even as their friendship strengthens.

This is another rewatch for me, and I think that the film went up a bit on this second viewing.

This film is a heartbreaker, with Joe's tragic backstory unfolding through a series of disjoint and bizarre flashbacks. The more we learn about Joe's past trauma---involving the assault/sexual assault on his girlfriend and probably a sexual assault that he endured as well---the more his adopted persona and desperation make sense. Joe has created an image for himself crafted from his ultimate notion of masculinity---the John Wayne-style cowboy. When he first swans into the diner where he works, bragging that he's going to the city to make money from sleeping with women, it feels like a lot of alpha male bluster. And it sort of is. But the more we get to know Joe, the more we see that this is an act that he has created to cope with a certain degree of shame and self-loathing.

Joe is searching for himself. And unfortunately for him, the New York City he lands in is not the land of possibilities of the past. Instead it is a decaying, often cruel landscape. We frequently see buildings being demolished or condemned apartments being crowbarred open by city employees. Ratso, a man who has adapted himself to this harsh environment, is at once Joe's savior and an emblem of the futility of trying to find success. Hoffman's sweating, agitated performance as Ratso is really excellent. In Ratso, Joe finds a different variation on the self-loathing he has tried to escape. But Ratso refuses to costume himself or fake it 'til he makes it. Joe's naivete and enthusiasm invigorates him for a short while, but the oppressive reality of his situation cannot be denied.

The film also touches on the very fraught issue of how, for men, sexual assault and sexuality, and self-hatred can become a very potent and deadly mixture. Throughout the film, Joe's sexuality is frequently questioned. Ratso tells him that his cartoonish cowboy look is the kind of camp thing that only appeals to gay men. A hurt Joe defensively tries to explain that he likes the way he looks, and likes the way that he feels in those clothes. I don't think that Joe is meant to be gay, but I do think that his experience of helplessness and having been assaulted has maybe made him afraid that he is. Joe has two encounters with gay men who want his services, and the difference between them is striking. I thought it was interesting that it was the second man---the one who openly expressed self-hatred--who most evoked Joe's rage. We frequently see that Joe is much more soft-hearted than the coldly masculine front he tries to put on. And the only moments of real rage/aggression come when his sexuality is questioned.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/stills/132477-757b751b77f8775776574925289a46d0/Film_925_MIdnightCowboy_original.jpg

The emotional heart of the film is the friendship--and I would go as far as to say love--between Ratso and Joe. Probably mt favorite moment in the film is when Joe tries to help Ratso clean himself up before the two go into a party. As Joe uses his shirt to wipe Ratso's face, Ratso just leans his head into Joe's torso, even lifting his arm to hold him by the hip. For two characters who have shown a lot of knee-jerk homophobia, it's a breakthrough moment of physical intimacy, and in a film that's theoretically about sex and sexuality, probably the most powerful moment of intimacy that we see. The men become invested in each others' wellbeing. In a different film, this united front would see them through to better things. But the world around them is a little too rotten, a little too unkind. And what kindness they get---like a woman who hires Joe and then later is willing to help him find more clients---comes too little too late.

The whole look and feel of this film is really great. Glad I got a chance to revisit it!

4.5

That's an excellent breakdown of the film. I wasn't sure how well you would respond to it, but glad you loved it!

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.titlovi.com%2Fimg%2F0183%2F183633-tt0088714.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

L'Amour Braque, 1985

A crew of criminals led by Micky (Tcheky Karyo) pulls off a bank robbery and then makes their way to Paris to try to help Micky reclaim his lover, Mary (Sophie Marceau), who has been "claimed" by another man. On their way, they meet Leon (Francis Huster), a strange gentleman who ends up following them through their exploits. But when Leon meets Mary, he falls instantly in love and what follows is a sprawling love triangle (love square? love pentagon?) between the various parties.

I didn't . .. one-hundred percent follow exactly what was happening in this film. And I think that's okay. It's the kind of movie that seems to trade more in imagery, energy, and mood than a straightforward narrative.

I enjoyed Marceau as the object of affection. To begin with, I appreciated that her character had her own backstory---one involving her mother and tragically intersecting with a rumored snuff film---beyond just being the focus of the desire of the two male leads. She also holds her own the best in terms of the emotional and energetic range of the film. She is equally compelling in both the over-the-top moments and the moments of stillness.

In terms of the way that the film is shot, there is an unrestrained energy to it that is equal parts involving and exhausting. Lots of camera movement, changing angles, bright colors, and so on.

Where I struggled a bit was mostly in terms of those high energy moments.This is a film that is full of yelling, screaming, crying, flame throwers, gunfire, barking, and neon silk suits. But I personally do not do well with manic energy. Maybe it's because I work with 11 year old children and at times have to wrangle an out of control room full of 25 of them. Or maybe it's just my own personality. But loud is not something I tolerate well in large doses.

This film was definitely an experience. Glad I watched it, for sure, still sorting through how I felt about it.

3.5+

[Takoma11]

That's an excellent breakdown of the film. I wasn't sure how well you would respond to it, but glad you loved it!

To be honest, I think I'd forgotten a lot of the nuances. When I first saw it on the list, I was like "Oh, okay." But it's a lot weirder and emotional and empathetic than I'd remembered.

[ueno_station54]

alrighty, i'm officially wrapping up this hall with my final review. shoutout to covid for making this possible, couldn't have done it without you <3 now i can spend the rest of my time off bingeing Pretty Little Liars!

https://www.highonfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/4.png
Magical Girl (Carlos Vermut, 2014)
...and its my shortest review because this film has nothing going on lol. Ok so this is a style of film I do not go for. The festival-circuit euro-drama with a dark edge that's shot as cold and clinically as possible has never and will never be my jam. That's bad enough on its own but you can do things with it. Unfortunately, this really doesn't. It's just so plain and straightforward and by the end pretty goofy as well. Like, I'm not gonna bury it completely because its not annoying or anything but idk these films are just the peak of whatever.
rating_2_5

[CosmicRunaway]

I might have to pull a Cricket, and rewatch the film I just saw. Thunder Road is the culprit for me.

[Takoma11]

it doesn't help that Martin Sheen is such a tiny man he doesn't exactly strike an opposing figure or a realistic idea of what a bad ass killer should look like.

I actually think that him not being some muscle-bound super soldier makes him more effective in the role. As an assassin he's not there to overpower his enemy--he's there to outsmart and outmaneuver him.

Him seeming less aggressive makes some of his moments land even more powerfully, like executing the injured woman on the boat.

[edarsenal]

https://images.static-bluray.com/reviews/4366_4.jpg


Midnight Cowboy

Ratso Rizzo: The two basic items necessary to sustain life, are sunshine and coconut milk. Didya know that? That's a fact! In Florida, they got a terrific amount of coconut trees there. In fact, I think they even got 'em in the, eh, gas stations over there.

When I first saw this in the Second Personal Rec HoF I knew nearly nothing of it except the famous improv: "I'm WALKIN here!" so I spent a lot of my viewing time a little surprised at all that was going on. Via disturbing flashbacks and Joe Buck's (Jon Voight) daydreaming of how things were and how he perceived them to be. A rather tricky technique to pull off, the Director, John Schlesinger, does a very commendable job of sliding in and out without confusing us as to what is what.
On my revisit, I was no longer the awkward guest of the unknown but as a more accustomed denizen of the preconceptions of Joe Buck and the realities of Hoffman's Ratso.

It continues to register as what, on the surface, appears as nothing more than a kind of porn of an uncomfortable nature; every sex scene is committed with some form of degradation or the like, Midnight Cowboy has something more going on beyond the filthy existence of 42nd Street. That something lies in the incredible talent of its two leading men, especially Dustin Hoffman, who holds nothing back in his performance of a greasy cripple, and the friendship that develops between the two of them.
Though much like the remainder of the film, it is not something definitive; like everything else, it just sorta hits you and slips away before you can genuinely react or fully comprehend how you feel and why.
A feeling that continued in my second watch, but instead of that period of acclimation needed when I first watched this, it was, rather, the kind of familiarity of a shabby old coat and the dirty, unkempt history that lingers in its fibers. The initial repulsion wafts away, replaced with the surreal relaxation of it draped over your frame and your state of mind.

It is a stark film of deteriorating dreams to the harshness of reality, the road that traverses them, and the vague possibilities of what may lie beyond.

[TheUsualSuspect]

alrighty, i'm officially wrapping up this hall with my final review. shoutout to covid for making this possible, couldn't have done it without you <3 now i can spend the rest of my time off bingeing Pretty Little Liars!



Terrible ending....be warned.

[ueno_station54]

Terrible ending....be warned.
yeah its in the mystery genre, its impossible to have an ending that doesn't result in an eyeroll.

[cricket]

alrighty, i'm officially wrapping up this hall with my final review. shoutout to covid for making this possible, couldn't have done it without you <3 now i can spend the rest of my time off bingeing Pretty Little Liars!

https://www.highonfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/4.png
Magical Girl (Carlos Vermut, 2014)
...and its my shortest review because this film has nothing going on lol. Ok so this is a style of film I do not go for. The festival-circuit euro-drama with a dark edge that's shot as cold and clinically as possible has never and will never be my jam. That's bad enough on its own but you can do things with it. Unfortunately, this really doesn't. It's just so plain and straightforward and by the end pretty goofy as well. Like, I'm not gonna bury it completely because its not annoying or anything but idk these films are just the peak of whatever.
rating_2_5

I see Dogtooth and Dancer in the Dark that way.

[ueno_station54]

I see Dogtooth and Dancer in the Dark that way.
Dogtooth is a comedy which works fine for that look and Dancer in the Dark has that like 50 cameras or whatever gimmick that makes it not completely boring.

[cricket]

Dogtooth is a comedy which works fine for that look and Dancer in the Dark has that like 50 cameras or whatever gimmick that makes it not completely boring.

They're good movies, I like them. I think a viewer with a certain taste who likes 1, has a good chance of liking the other 2. Just thought it was an interesting criticism, nothing wrong with it.

[Siddon]

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Safety Last (1923)

I don't know about this one Allaby, I'm actually doing Buster Keaton for my star on the film challenge. So looking at Harold Lloyd I know for certain I couldn't watch 9 more of these films. Lloyd has some talent but man this one was rough.

So the 30 year old Lloyd is trying to trick his girlfriend that he has a great job and can support him. In reality he's just a shophand who cuts fabric but she doesn't know that. And boy do we get shenanigans...many shenanigans. For every five jokes I think I laughed at half a one...not a great score for a comedy. I was more shocked and displeased by the cat scene and racist scenes.

Lloyd's physical acts where impressive...but his comedic skills weren't on Chaplin's level. I don't know if he's as good as Keaton I plan on watching four of his films in the coming weeks.

My biggest issue with the film was the pacing, it's 70 minutes long and it feels like the last half hour is just one big overlong stunt. Lloyd is good but it could have been half as long and I wouldn't have been bored. I know this is a classic but it really didn't do anything for me.

[Okay]

I see Dogtooth and Dancer in the Dark that way.

I don't think Dancer in the Dark, or rather any Von Trier film, matches that description whatsoever.

[cricket]

I don't think Dancer in the Dark, or rather any Von Trier film, matches that description whatsoever.

Festival circuit Euro drama? Dark edge? Shot cold and clinically? You don't see any similarities like that?

As far as ueno saying she sees Dogtooth as a comedy, ok, but I also see Magical Girl that way.

[ueno_station54]

Festival circuit Euro drama? Dark edge? Shot cold and clinically? You don't see any similarities like that?

As far as ueno saying she sees Dogtooth as a comedy, ok, but I also see Magical Girl that way.
Dancer in the Dark predates this particular "wave" of films i was referring to and it being shot on a potato (and mostly handheld) means it doesn't fall into the textural monotony of 2010s filmmaking. Dogtooth may have kicked off this visual style (if not it was something around this time, at least this is when I started to notice it) but i think the deadpan camera adds to the absurdity of what's happening considerably. i just found Magical Girl too plain to get away with that.

[cricket]

Dancer in the Dark predates this particular "wave" of films i was referring to and it being shot on a potato (and mostly handheld) means it doesn't fall into the textural monotony of 2010s filmmaking. Dogtooth may have kicked off this visual style (if not it was something around this time, at least this is when I started to notice it) but i think the deadpan camera adds to the absurdity of what's happening considerably. i just found Magical Girl too plain to get away with that.

That's fair. I just think these are movies that appeal to a similar audience in a general way.

[ueno_station54]

That's fair. I just think these are movies that appeal to a similar audience in a general way.
cool

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=84675

Thunder Road (2018)
Directed By: Jim Cummings
Starring: Jim Cummings, Nican Robinson, Kendal Farr

I have never been so unsure of how I feel about a film before. It definitely warrants a revisit later on, but I'm going to try and work through my thoughts now anyway. There are small moments of Thunder Road that are incredibly well done. Occasional lines of dialogue or actions surprised me with how clever they were, but the problem is that they are lost and drowning in a sea of nearly non-stop rambling. I shouldn't be thrown off guard when I'm amused by something in a comedy, but that was often the case here.

Jim Cummings starts talking at the beginning of the film and practically never closes his mouth after. I'm not sure how much of what he says was scripted, but it often feels ad-libbed, and is very hit-or-miss. Your enjoyment of the film will likely hinge on how compelling you find Cummings' performance. I'm very much on the fence, because there are times when his character is very sympathetic, but I practically never found his awkward humour funny.

However the film is very successful at showing how big an impact stress and grief can have on someone's mental health. I didn't notice whether or not anyone mentioned Jim having any pre-existing conditions, but since he was a decorated officer I assume his behavioural issues are recent developments. He clearly has a good heart, but is struggling with impulse control. He always immediately apologizes whenever he does something wrong, so he obviously knows better; he just can't stop himself from doing it. Life is beating him down every chance it gets, and he's clearly hitting his limit.

On the other hand, the incident outside the police department makes it seem like Jim feels that he's the only person who is struggling. He expects to get exactly what we wants if he does everything he's supposed to, and for me that sense of entitlement derailed a lot of the sympathy that had slowly been building for his character. But for some reason once his partner Nate visits him at home, I was on his side again and continued to feel for his plight for the rest of the film. I guess my opinion of Jim rising and falling, then rising again is rather suitable in the end, as it matches the character's own unstable mental state.

[CosmicRunaway]

Even after all that reflecting, I still can't tell whether or not I like the film lol.

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics2/onecut.gif

One Cut of the Dead (Shin'ichirô Ueda, 2017)
Imdb (“https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7914416/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0")

Date Watched: 01/23/22
Rewatch: No.

I really enjoyed the opening 40-whatever minutes where this played out like some of the more familiar horror comedies I've seen - with cartoonish levels of blood and gore. It even managed to get some laughs out of me which is more than can be said about most American comedies, nevermind foreign ones. The movie-about-crazy-people-making-a-movie concept of it also gave me Tropic Thunder vibes and I liked that a lot... when I still thought that was the direction One Cut of the Dead was going. But, that wasn't the direction it was headed and the remainder of the movie was just kind of bland and okay. Watchable, but not particularly memorable. Unfortunately, that bland part accounts for more than half the film and it dragged down my overall enjoyment quite a bit.

3

[SpelingError]

Cure (1997) - 3.5

I was meaning to watch this film a couple years ago, but I never got around to it and eventually forgot about it for whatever reason. I'm glad I was finally able to watch it though as, even though it didn't blow me away or anything, I'm cool with rewatching it down the road.

This is the kind of film I think I'd appreciate more with another viewing. While I enjoyed the first half or so well enough, I wasn't entirely on board with the film until the second half when Mamiya began talking to Takabe. The various conversations between the two of them and the effect they had on Takabe's mental health were all top notch and make for some of the scariest moments in the film. The first half, by comparison, didn't interest me quite as much.

That portion of the film isn't without its strengths though. For one, this film hit one of my sweet spots for crime films as, though it appears to solve the central mystery fairly early (there isn't a big reveal as you gradually figure out who's causing the killings as you watch the film), other vital questions are left open which require further probing. Even if you're able to figure out who the killer is, you aren't told why the killings are happening. For example, where does Mamiya's hypnotist powers come from? Is he reenacting the murders of a hypnotist in the 1800s? Also, is Mamiya's supposed ignorance of what he's doing genuine? Or is his memory loss just an act, meaning he's fully aware of what he's doing? These questions linger throughout the film (the ending complicates these questions even more) and provide an unrelenting feeling of unease to it. While its ambiguity may frustrate some viewers, I found that the questions which were left open resonated with me quite a bit.

I also loved the look of the film. That the film maintains such a dull and cold color pallet throughout (greys, browns, and greens, mainly) gives it a unique look, as if all life has been sucked out of the film, resulting in a thoroughly bleak environment. The few scenes where some vibrant colors, like red, appear onscreen seem to indicate danger. I also enjoyed some of the settings (mental hospitals and abandoned buildings) as they added to the film's slow, uneasy atmosphere and served as great horror set pieces.

The film is a lot slower and meandering than I expected it would be and that might have played a part in why I didn't like the film as much as I could've, but I feel that it would fare better with another viewing now that I know what to expect from it. Overall, I thought the film was quite interesting and I'm glad I finally got around to it.

Next Up: Dolores Claiborne

[Torgo]

Safety Last! - 4

To quote Courage the Cowardly Dog, "the things I do for love." Harold Lloyd's "The Boy" might as well have said this at some point in this classic silent comedy I'm glad I finally watched. There's another quote worth bringing up while discussing this movie: "work sucks." I laughed hardest whenever Harold tried to evade the store's dictatorial management and while he dealt with its overly demanding customers. If you've worked in customer service and haven't had someone not only keep you an hour after closing, but also not buy anything, you're lucky. Harold Lloyd is an immensely charismatic actor and his face and mannerisms are ideal for silent film acting, and as misguided as his plans may be, that he does everything to impress his bride-to-be makes him all the more adorable. The highlight of his scheme has to be when he risks starvation to buy her a silver chain, the heartache of which gets stronger as each item disappears from what would have been his lunch. The main highlight, however, is the iconic climb. It's still hard to believe that Harold and the stunt team were climbing a façade instead of an actual building. Oh, and just how did they get all of those pigeons to swarm on his head? While I wouldn't rank this among the very best silent comedies I've seen, I still found it very funny and charming, not to mention a nice way to start the week. Now, if only we could all get away with clocking in at an earlier time in this digital, cloud-based era.

[Torgo]

nauuur what is this reputation i have :(Like it or not, I think of you as our Simon(e) Cowell.
I think I've only disliked two movies in the few Hall of Fames I've done, so I'm more of a Paula Abdul, FWIW.

[ueno_station54]

Like it or not, I think of you as our Simon(e) Cowell.
I think I've only dislike two movies in the few Hall of Fames I've done, so I'm more of a Paula Abdul, FWIW.
eww. guess its time to start lying in reviews <3

[Torgo]

eww. guess its time to start lying in reviews <3Haha, that is a compliment, believe it or not.

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdecadesofhorror.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F06%2FJaws.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Jaws, 1975

Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) finds his small-town, beachside turf threatened when a large shark begins viciously dispatching the locals. After some initial, tragic politics that see more deaths than necessary, Brody teams up with local fisherman Quint (Robert Shaw) and shark expert Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) to catch and kill the beast.

This is one of those movies I've seen a ton of times. As I have mentioned before, my little sister and her best friend had a Friday night tradition of ordering a medium cheese pizza and watching Jaws. Like, almost every Friday. For several years.

Weirdly, that means that it's a movie I feel kind of "talked out" on, having discussed it many times.

The film operates in two parts. The first part is sort of a drama/horror as Brody must battle against the pressure of the local officials, particularly the mayor, who do not want to admit that there's a shark out there. Then they will admit it, but don't want to close the beaches. It's a compelling first half because we all know what is going to happen, and Brody himself knows what is going to happen. The film wonderfully captures the slow-motion horror of watching someone else make a mistake that you know will end up hurting someone, but not being able to do much about it. The encounter between the grieving Mrs. Kitner and Brody after the death of her son Alex hammers this home via a resounding slap. (Which hurts all the more since it should have been aimed at the mayor or the waffling medical examiner).

There's a patience to Jaws that you see throughout the whole film, but especially in this first half. Between the screaming and geysers of bloody ocean water, we get quiet domestic moments, like Brody and his wife hosting Hooper for dinner. These calm moments acknowledge something that is sometimes missed in horror films: it's not all death all the time. And it can be easy to be in denial or minimize something when you have the moment to let your guard down. Even once the three men are aboard Quint's boat and floating on the water at night, there is time for conversation and banter so that the magnitude and fear are able to sit just under the surface.

The second half of the film morphs into more of an adventure mode. After a relatively crowded first half, now it's just these three dudes and one persistent shark. This half of the film is also paced very well, and is chock full of memorable moments, including the infamous "You're gonna need a bigger boat" and Quint's monologue about his experience on the Indianapolis. At regular intervals, the film lets us (and the characters) know that they have underestimated this creature---its strength and its cunning. "He won't be able to dive, not with three barrels" Quint asserts . . . right before the shark dives under the water taking all three barrels with it.

Great flick, and I really have very few complaints about it.

4.5

[Allaby]

I just finished watching Magical Girl (2014) for the first time. Sorry to say, this didn't really work for me. I felt the film dragged on and on and on and it was quite boring for large parts of it. I wasn't impressed with the performances, as most of them fall flat. Lucía Pollán as Alicia was the best performance, in my opinion, and she was not in the film enough for my liking. The story started off reasonably well, but by the end of it I was not satisfied. There were a couple interesting moments along the way, but it felt like they were too few and far between to make it a worthwhile or rewarding experience. A lot of people seem to like this film though, but for me Magical Girl is not a sufficiently compelling or entertaining film. :( 2.5

[CosmicRunaway]

Weird coincidence that The Secret of Roan Inish heavily features seals, because it was just last week (or the week before?) where I saw an news article about how the Tories are urging the government to help promote and develop new markets for the seal industry. They want the seal hunt back in full swing because they eat too much fish.

[Torgo]

That is depressing. How could they? They're so adorable!

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

[Chypmunk]

Is that a seal or just a massive igloo with windows and a door though?

[Torgo]

Is that a seal or just a massive igloo with windows and a door though?The secret seal hideout from all the hunters isn't as secret as we were led to believe.

[Allaby]

I rewatched Thunder Road (2018) today. Written, directed by and starring the fantastic Jim Cummings, Thunder Road is a comedy/drama about a police office facing a personal crisis after his mother dies and his wife files for divorce. I loved this film the first time I saw it and I think I may love it even more this time. Jim Cummings is excellent here, creating a character who is flawed yet likeable, funny yet sad, awkward yet relatable. The rest of the cast are great too, especially Kendal Farr. I thought the screenplay is well written and the film has some really heartfelt, moving scenes, as well as some laugh out loud moments too. I've seen 3 of Cummings' films and this one remains my favourite of his work. 4.5

[TheUsualSuspect]

True Romance

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/AqlPzcILRi0IW0JodKp7pMMNEFt.jpg

4.5

Rewatch

Yup, still a great film in my opinion.

Written together with Natural Born Killers, this was meant to be one big film, but Tarantino broke them up and sold them separately. He has an audio commentary on this film and hates what Stone did with NBK.

Written in typical Tarantino format, the story was originally told out of chronological order. Scott reversed this and put it chronologically to streamline the story. I think it works better this way.

This is a film that I feel I can re-watch anytime despite the pretty graphic and violent nature at points, specifically when Gandolfini brutally attacks Patricia Arquette. You see glimpses of the rage that man can bring before he ever stepped into the role of Tony Soprano.

This has to be one of if not the film that has perfect "small" roles. Oldman, Walken, Hopper, Pitt, Gandolfini all do great things with little screen time. Of course it ends with a stand-off and guns blazin' but I don't care. This movie rocks.

I miss 90's movies.

[CosmicRunaway]

I can't imagine the events of True Romance making sense if the story wasn't told chronologically.

[Allaby]

I just rewatched True Romance (1993) Directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino, the film has a fantastic ensemble cast, including Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Michael Rapaport, Bronson Pinchot, Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini and Samuel L. Jackson. I think this is Slater's best performance and the rest of the cast deliver memorable and interesting performances too. The screenplay is sharp and clever and the film moves along at a brisk pace. There is some good action and the film builds to a satisfying climax. For me, this is Tony Scott's best film. True Romance is an entertaining and wild ride. 4

[jiraffejustin]

I may have gotten the ol' covid, so depending on what my test says, I may go on a rampage through this hall of fame a la ueno

[Miss Vicky]

I may have gotten the ol' covid, so depending on what my test says, I may go on a rampage through this hall of fame a la ueno

I hope your case is as mild as mine has been. Take care of yourself.

[Thief]

I may have gotten the ol' covid, so depending on what my test says, I may go on a rampage through this hall of fame a la ueno

Hope it doesn't hit you that hard. Get well soon.

[ueno_station54]

I may have gotten the ol' covid, so depending on what my test says, I may go on a rampage through this hall of fame a la ueno
welcome to the club <3
hoping your symptoms are mild and your days off paid

[Citizen Rules]

Geez is like 3 or 4 people in this HoF who had/have covid? That stuff is spreading! Best wishes JJ & happy movie watching:D

[Allaby]

I rewatched Midnight Cowboy on Criterion blu ray. Brillaintly directed by John Schlesinger, the film stars Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman. Hoffman is fantastic here and Voight is great too. The film tells the story of the characters in a really memorable way, with a lot of flavour and a distinctive look and feel. The screenplay is very well written and clever. This is really a love story about two unlikely friends and the impact they have on each other's lives. Midnight Cowboy is a special film and was considered quite daring for its time. There are some fantastic and iconic moments in the film that stay with the viewer. This is a really interesting and rewarding film. Midnight Cowboy is currently ranked as my 143rd favourite film and I enjoyed revisting it. A worthy nomination. 4.5

[Takoma11]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fjanksreviews.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F04%2Fthunder-road-review2.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Thunder Road, 2018

Jim Arnaud (Jim Cummings) is reeling from the loss of his mother and an impending divorce from his wife, Ros (Jocelyn DeBoer), with whom he shares custody of their daughter, Crystal (Kendal Farr). As Jim tries to put on a "everything is fine" attitude, the emotional pressure builds and builds and starts to come out in destructive and unpredictable ways.

My sister and I have been trying to set up a time to watch The Beta Test together, and she refers to it almost every time as "What's the name of that new movie? You know, from that guy who makes you laugh but also really uncomfortable?"

I really, really love this movie, and for many reasons.

What I like most about it is the way that it shows a man whose behavior and mannerisms are incredibly erratic. We have caught him as he's approaching rock bottom. But what we can infer about him is that at some point---most points---he has behaved in a way that has earned him loyalty and love from a range of people. He is a highly decorated officer, he has a good relationship with his sister, and he has an incredibly loyal friend in the form of his partner, Nate (Nican Robinson).

Jim is a character who clearly wants to do the right thing and wants to be a good father, but he just can't help getting in his own way. He is fixated on the way that he is perceived by others, and the pressure that he puts on himself is simply too much.

I also give this film like a whole half star for the sequence in which Jim attends a parent-teacher conference with his daughter's weary teacher (Macon Blair!!!). If you've ever wondered what parent-teacher conferences are like . . . . look no further. I watched this film with my sister and her husband, both of whom are teachers, and we were all howling with laughter. "Oh my god. Yes. Correct," was my brother-in-law's verdict.

I realize that enjoying this film really comes down to whether you are able to vibe with the very specific brand of borderline-cringe comedy that Cummings is laying down. (And just to be VERY clear, I absolutely do not mean that in a "Oh, you just don't get it" way at all---I just mean I think it's the kind of comedy that is very much a matter of taste). From the more outlandish funeral sequence or his breakdown outside the police station, to the disastrous conversation he has with the judge overseeing his custody dispute, you either peek through your hands in sympathy or you probably think "Why would I ever root for this goober?".

For me, it really works. Jim so clearly struggles with self-esteem. And he is such a try-hard. He reacts to any negative feedback with desperate attempts to get back into the good graces of anyone he might have offended. His all-in approach is clearly sincere, in its own way, but he has reached a point where it no longer does him any favors.

And finally, I think that the film manages some genuinely moving moments. Jim encountering a mentally ill suspect in a way that ends in tragedy, his conversation with his sister, or especially the film's final ten or so minutes. It might be punctuated by some pretty outlandish sequences, but I think that the film is able to find moments of stillness and gravitas that keeps the characters and their world feeling grounded.

This is a movie that makes me feel a lot of things. It makes me laugh. I knew that some people would find it kind of dumb, but I'm glad there are some people who are enjoying it. I think it's a special little film.

4.5

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=84742
Thunder Road (2018)

'Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.'

It takes guts to nominate a comedy film in an HoF. There are some who don't like comedy and most everyone's idea of what's funny is different from the next person.

Me, I like comedy and I really liked this film...but I didn't think it was funny. To me it was a first person drama with perhaps a few lighter moments included in, as of course life often has humorous moments at the strangest times.

I did feel great empathy for Officer Jim (Jim Cummins). He suffered so much and wanted to do so good but often didn't have the words to say what he felt. He was described as being dyslexia but it seemed he had some other mental condition as well. I don't know much mental health well enough to label what condition he had, but I've run into people like him on the internet. Anyway I'm getting side tracked here, but that's a good thing because this movie made me feel and made me think.

I expected to not like this movie, never even heard of it. I don't generally like new movies but I do like new indie films and this really felt like a one person vision indie film.

Maybe there would be a few things I'd change but the important thing is I dug it...This will finish towards the top of my ballot. Of course there's a lot of heavy hitter films in this HoF. So I'll just say:

Thanks Takoma, neat nom.

[Takoma11]

Thanks Takoma, neat nom.

Yay! I'm glad you liked it.

[jiraffejustin]

Take home test came back positive. Gonna be in touch with the nurse at work and probably take a test through them to verify. Right now I feel about like I have a common cold. I do feel kinda tired, a little bit of a cough, but no problems breathing or anything. Should be able to at least knock a couple hof flicks out in the next couple days until I figure out how long I'm actually going to be out of work.

[Allaby]

Take home test came back positive. Gonna be in touch with the nurse at work and probably take a test through them to verify. Right now I feel about like I have a common cold. I do feel kinda tired, a little bit of a cough, but no problems breathing or anything. Should be able to at least knock a couple hof flicks out in the next couple days until I figure out how long I'm actually going to be out of work.

Get well soon.

[SpelingError]

Take home test came back positive. Gonna be in touch with the nurse at work and probably take a test through them to verify. Right now I feel about like I have a common cold. I do feel kinda tired, a little bit of a cough, but no problems breathing or anything. Should be able to at least knock a couple hof flicks out in the next couple days until I figure out how long I'm actually going to be out of work.

Get well soon :up:

[SpelingError]

Geez is like 3 or 4 people in this HoF who had/have covid? That stuff is spreading! Best wishes JJ & happy movie watching:D

COVID is spreading virtually through this Hall. We better disband it before more people catch it.

[ueno_station54]

remember to mask up and wash your hands before and after typing a review <3

[SpelingError]

Also, there's too many of us posting in this thread each day. We need to social distance more.

[Allaby]

I watched Demons (aka. Shura, 1971) today for the first time. Directed by Toshio Matsumoto, this Japanese film is very well regarded and highly rated on sites like imdb and Letterboxd. For me, this was just alright. There are some cool and effective moments here, but I didn't find the story to be as compelling or interesting as it could have been. The film feels too long to me. I don't think it needed to be 2 hours and 14 minutes. There were some things that I liked though. Cinematography is excellent. I also liked the style of some of the performances. Demons isn't a bad film at all, but I don't think it is as great as its reputation would suggest. 3

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=84766

The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
Directed By: John Sayles
Starring: Jeni Courtney, Mick Lally, Eileen Colgan

I'm honestly struggling to find something to say about The Secret of Roan Inish. It's a quaint film with such a heavy reliance on oral storytelling that it's almost like your own grandparents reading you a bedtime fairytale. “Show, don't tell” is a concept seemingly foreign to Sayles, which is part of the film's charm, but also its greatest weakness.

The Secret of Roan Inish made me feel a lot of things, however they were only tangentially related to the film itself. The island I live on was predominantly settled by Irish fisherman, and the struggle of tradition versus modernity faced by the characters in the film is a mirror image of what has and is still happening here today. Many people belonging to the older generation are desperately trying to hold onto the only life they've ever known.

The problem is that the people living in these outport communities are placing a strain on the government's resources, because providing essential services to such remote areas is incredibly expensive. They can't survive on their own, especially in the winter, but won't take any incentives to relocate to nearby towns. And that's where my opinion and the film's moral differ greatly. Roan Inish would herald these people for staying true to their roots, but I think they're stubborn, and stuck in a past mindset that's no longer sustainable.

[CosmicRunaway]

^ Only the first paragraph is really about the film, so you can stop reading after that :lol:

[CosmicRunaway]

Also I blame the film for getting Saltwater Joys (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LZmQj5rRULU) stuck in my head (due to thematic similarities). Besides the fact that I've never liked the song, we all had to learn how to play it back in grade school music classes. Yes, I'm still bitter about it haha.

[Allaby]

So I just watched My Dog Skip (2000) for the first time. Directed by Jay Russell, the film stars Frankie Muniz as a boy who gets a dog for his birthday. The film is predictable and generic and relies on a lot of cliches and cheap emotional manipulation instead of quality story telling or good acting. Muniz is not very likeable here and that is a big problem. The film doesn't work if we can't connect or at least like him somewhat. Most of the adult actors are wasted and their characters are underdeveloped. Skip is by far the best character here and the best acting comes from the dogs. The screenplay is mediocre and the direction fairly poor. There were a couple cute, humorous scenes. Overall, there is not a lot to like here and I don't think this film is hall of fame worthy. I can enjoy a good family film centred around children, but I genuinely did not believe My Dog Skip is a good film. 2

[Torgo]

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The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
Directed By: John Sayles
Starring: Jeni Courtney, Mick Lally, Eileen Colgan

I'm honestly struggling to find something to say about The Secret of Roan Inish. It's a quaint film with such a heavy reliance on oral storytelling that it's almost like your own grandparents reading you a bedtime fairytale. “Show, don't tell” is a concept seemingly foreign to Sayles, which is part of the film's charm, but also its greatest weakness.

The Secret of Roan Inish made me feel a lot of things, however they were only tangentially related to the film itself. The island I live on was predominantly settled by Irish fisherman, and the struggle of tradition versus modernity faced by the characters in the film is a mirror image of what has and is still happening here today. Many people belonging to the older generation are desperately trying to hold onto the only life they've ever known.

The problem is that the people living in these outport communities are placing a strain on the government's resources, because providing essential services to such remote areas is incredibly expensive. They can't survive on their own, especially in the winter, but won't take any incentives to relocate to nearby towns. And that's where my opinion and the film's moral differ greatly. Roan Inish would herald these people for staying true to their roots, but I think they're stubborn, and stuck in a past mindset that's no longer sustainable.


The "tells more than shows" criticism seems to be common to this movie. I don't mind that much since I love scenes where someone is simply telling a story. This a potential spoiler for my Jaws review, but some of my favorite scenes of all time are the one with Robert Shaw in that movie, Billy Bob Thornton in Sling Blade, Harry Dean Stanton in Paris, Texas, etc. If the actor/actress doing it is convincing, gives a memorable performance, etc. which I think Mick Lally, John Lynch, etc. do in this movie, it's as fulfilling to me as a scene where the visuals do most of the talking.

That is interesting about the economic crisis. My takeaway from the scene where Fiona's grandparents are being evicted is that it's yet another instance of the Irish having something taken away from them without having any say in it or power to stop it from happening, whether it's the islanders' culture, their homes on Roan Inish, Jamie, etc.

[Citizen Rules]

^ Only the first paragraph is really about the film, so you can stop reading after that :lol:Welcome to the: Citizen method of writing reviews. I write a little about the movie and a lot about something else:p...and I like it that way!

[edarsenal]

Sometimes those are the most fun

[edarsenal]

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/AnxiousPhonyArcticfox-max-1mb.gif
https://i.gifer.com/5KX7.gif


Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
and what happens when you don't have a legitimate Travel Agent :D

I have and continue to be a HUGE fan of this film since seeing it multiple times at the movie theater when I was a Junior in High School and throughout my life. So I was pretty thrilled to sit through it once more.

A fast-paced, action-driven, high-adventure, popcorn-devouring enjoyment of the finest kind with countless Iconic moments and repeatable quotes, Indiana Jones is a modernized homage to the old-time episodic action fare such as Allan Quartermain and others.

The plot is well known for most everyone, and for those who haven't seen it, sit back and enjoy the fun ride as the Adventure lets loose and never stops.

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/ZKzjhNXF/jaws.jpg

Jaws - 1975

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Written by Carl Gottlieb
Based on a novel by Peter Benchley

Starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw
& Richard Dreyfuss


Jaws was an early film for me - my parents would take me to the drive-in as a small child, and we'd see the latest films. This planted film-loving seeds in my forming mind - our trips to the drive-in were important - more important than anything else. We ate, my parents worked and my small body and mind grew just so every week or so we could go to the drive-in, which was what it was all about at the time. The drive-in was a particularly important part of Australian culture. In the late 1970s Jaws 2 was released and so I was introduced to the shark via a double feature - Jaws and Jaws 2 - which to me, combined, was just one long movie. For a small child, to be out at night is a real adventure - but to be out at night, and experience the atmosphere of a drive-in, and vicariously live an exciting life through the characters on that gigantic screen was something else. Passing the box office, posters of the film showing would be on display to just grease the wheels of anticipation and imagination. I always remember that specifically - passing the box office. The posters. Jaws. The fear. The blood. The disfigured head, and the threat that at any moment limbs and life might be torn apart again as we watched in rapt attention. As time has moved on, some things have changed and some stayed the same.

Firstly, Jaws 2 diminished and receded as I grew older - it was something that at first was not discernable. I thought both films looked and felt the same - and although they somewhat look similar, the gulf between them is a gaping chasm. Sequels as a whole are mostly distasteful, but sometimes work- especially if an original film is produced with some forethought as to a continuing story. With Jaws it doesn't work so well. Secondly, something about the original Jaws as a whole has only grown more important and impressive as time has gone by. I don't understand why I never get sick of watching it - something inside of me tells me that anything watched a certain amount of times must become tiresome, predictable and therefore mundane. Jaws has never become any of those things. Understanding why isn't as easy as putting it all down to an affection for my boyhood memories - I continually get hooked in by the film itself, not any memories that may arise surrounding it. I always get drawn in by the story - a series of images and sounds edited together to produce an adventure and human conflict amidst survival in an environment that isn't ours. Politics, greed, family, machismo mixed with fear, death, humour and that shark. Always that shark.

The whole affair opens, fittingly enough, with that famous score from John Williams. The underwater photography feels clouded and silty - entangled in an underwater forest of weeds - but at first we see nothing but the Universal logo and the first of the credits, and we hear nothing but what sounds like the distant pings and whale-like warbles of this alien kingdom. By the time we can see clearly, that score has already ramped up, instantly recognizable to most - so much so that I can't even guess what it sounds like to someone hearing it for the first time. An ostinato of bass notes, representing the mindless relentlessness of the underwater predator. This score won Williams his first solo Oscar, and is so much more than just the "Jaws theme" as it excels in directing our emotions throughout the whole film, perhaps more successfully than any other score composed in film history. What follows sets a frightening scene - the death of Chrissie, who flirtatiously runs into the water undressing, followed by a drunk suitor. She's dragged, dunked and savaged by an unseen force as she cries in terror. If you're focused, it's unforgettable, and her cries set the tone - the terror of a wrenching, violent death expressed clearly and painfully.

There's never a sense of a dull repose to make your attention wander in Jaws when the screaming and death stop. The morning after, when the previous events slowly come to light we're introduced to the first of our main characters - Amity Island's new chief of police, Martin Brody, played by Roy Scheider - who is our everyman - our entry point that we can relate to. Brody is new to the island, hates the water and is a husband and father of two male children. Scheider plays Brody as a somewhat weary working cop who isn't a tough masculine hero looking for action, but a family man. He escaped New York for a more peaceful kind of life - and also because he thinks he can make a difference in Amity. Chrissie's death is immediately assumed to be from a shark attack - and when Brody spells this out in his report, the slamming key-strikes of the typewriter accentuates this in capital letters - the dry procedural carrying a whiff of the reality of the terrible event. Brody meets Mayor Vaughn, played with cynical persuasion by Murray Hamilton - who dissuades him from closing the beaches, something Brody has already put in motion. The economic interests of the political class versus the risk to health and safety of the public is something that has obvious parallels to our present, and is something that would have been picked apart in our present climate. More deaths will follow, accompanied by the usual wishing-thinking from those with much to lose.

Director Steven Spielberg, editor Verna Fields and cinematographer Bill Butler begin their virtuoso work in a scene where Brody is sat watching the ocean while swimmers enjoy a sunny day - completely oblivious to the danger. Every time someone passes, blocking our view, the shot switches to either the ocean Brody is looking at or to Brody himself - and when the unthinkable happens and a young boy is taken by the Shark (occurring before us in realistic and bloody fashion) Butler performs a reverse zoom on Brody, perhaps one of the most famous reverse zooms in film history. Verna Fields, who worked tirelessly editing Jaws together with Spielberg in a pool house at her home, ended up winning an Oscar for her contribution to the film. She'd worked with Spielberg before, on The Sugarland Express and George Lucas on American Graffiti - she had close ties with them both. Her success ended up getting her promoted to Vice-President for Feature Production at Universal - but unfortunately she would die of cancer only 6 years later. Bill Butler's work went unrecognized by the Academy, without even a nomination. The award that year was won by John Alcott for his work on Barry Lyndon. Butler would utilize new methods for when shooting became particularly difficult on the ocean, with handheld cameras sealed in water-tight boxes.

After the two deaths, we're introduced to our other two main characters, Quint - played by Robert Shaw with a rough eccentricity typical of a sharker or whaler, and Matt Hooper - played with a lighter touch. Shaw's performance is magnificent, and he's another person that really deserved an Oscar nomination. His monologue about being one of the survivors of the USS Indianapolis was a standout moment that is well remembered, and was worded by the actor in his own way. It will be all three characters, Brody, Hooper and Quint, that will bring the film home in it's second half - facing the shark alone out off the coast of Amity, and fighting an epic battle with reels, hooks, spears, barrels, guns, poison and anything else that comes to hand. The filmmakers had great fortune inasmuch as the mechanical shark constructed for the film constantly broke down, forcing them to reveal less of it during the film's first half than they wanted. Holding back like that really increased the impact of finally seeing it when we do - and it at least feels real, unlike what we would get treated to today - A CGI shark that we'd see much too much of, diluting the effect we'd get from it in later scenes. Williams' rousing score adds to the genuine excitement and thrill of it all, as the situation on the boat gets more and more desperate.

Jaws would go on to become a cultural phenomenon. The novel it's based on was written by Peter Benchley and was published in 1974 - producers David Brown and Richard D. Zanuck quickly optioned it - so fast that they didn't stop to consider just how hard it would be to put together a film with a killer shark in it. They threw the challenge to a young Steven Spielberg, who had just had modest success in directing The Sugarland Express. Spielberg saw it as something akin to his first full-length feature, Duel, which featured Dennis Weaver facing off against a large mysterious truck on the road - and he went as far as to add the same dinosaur roar to the soundtrack at the same moment of primal defeat/victory he had in Duel, just after the climax. Jaws was however, a terribly difficult production - shooting off the coast of Martha's Vineyard posed logistical problems even without having to contend with a malfunctioning mechanical shark. Boats would drift, yachts would constantly intrude on shots and many of the cast and grew sick and became exhausted. The production is still not a happy memory for Spielberg, and it's surprising that such a shoot produced such a brilliant film.

Watching Jaws, I'm struck how much of it's quality comes from it's story (which Carl Gottlieb helped to adapt) and it's score - but it was no doubt not hurt by having an excellent young director, great cinematographer and editor. I also love it's structure - with it's thriller elements during the time on the land, and action and adventure on the sea. It's a bright, frightening ride - albeit somewhat less frightening for those who have seen it multiple times. Even without that aspect, the film is good enough to keep people coming back to it - and good enough to endure for what is closing in on 50 years. We haven't had a 'Jaws' culturally for a while now - nothing that really electrified everyone and had people flocking to see it. I only ever felt the aftershocks of it's initial release - and in the years since most blockbuster movies have been let-downs, virtually none of them really feeling like they're good films. When I see Quint's boat taking those three mismatched men out to sea through a window, while hearing John Williams capture the moment perfectly, and as we zoom inwards through shark jaws on display at Quint's operational base, it always strikes me that we never get anything like that in films anymore. Whether it be by accident or accomplished intention, everything in Jaws works, and works well together. Every scene is tight, every line delivered assured and every minute so very sharp.

5

[Torgo]

Raiders of the Lost Ark - 5

Even though I've seen this dozens of times, I had no qualms with watching it one more time. There's something about the movie that makes it endlessly rewatchable. Each scene is sort of like a song that you also don't mind listening to over and over again. From John William's score to the set pieces to the quotable lines, there's something memorable in each one and Spielberg films them in a way that gets the adrenaline flowing, makes you laugh, etc. every time. For instance, every time Indiana swings across the chasm in the opening scene, I gasp even though I know he's going to make it. What's more, the movie rewards repeat viewings because there are touches you may not notice and/or appreciate what went into them the first time. The wind blowing menacingly as the translator reads the headpiece and why there are snakes in Tanis are two of them for me, as is the monkey giving a "Sieg Heil." Just how did they get the little fella to do that?

Anyway, this is not just a classic for having well-crafted thrills, chills, and laughs. What it does with its theme of toying with powers beyond our understanding and that are not meant for us still resonates. Whether it's the wind, that eerie motif or of course the horrifying finale, I can't think of another movie that better depicts, as Indiana puts it, the "power of God or something." Moreover, the movie deftly applies this theme to world powers toying with technology like nuclear weapons. As that last shot puts it so succinctly, where does it end? In short, this remains an action/adventure classic, and even though I just finished watching it, I can't wait to see it again.

Oh, I totally forgot to praise the acting! I don't think Paul Freeman gets enough credit for how devious and loathsome he makes Belloq. Also, how many actors could maintain their composure after swallowing a fly?

[jiraffejustin]

Thunder Road

Some possible spoilers ahead

Knowing what this film is about and knowing that the event in my life that has had the biggest impact on me was the loss of my mother, I was kind of expecting this film to break my heart. That didn't happen, so now I am left trying to reconcile that with still thinking the film was a net positive. I could say that I may have preferred this film if it decided to go through route of straight drama, but that'd be a different film. Instead it went for quirky comedy, with an oddball, tragic lead. This has been done before, and effectively. I immediately think of Observe and Report, which I love. There is no "get-to-know-you" easing in process with this film, we dive straight into the most difficult time of this man's life, where the pressure of life and whatever his mental illness is are meeting head on. I'm not sold on the acting all the time, as sometimes it seems like Cummings was shown good acting subtleties and tried to copy them, which would hurt the authenticity of the performance. However, that might be a minor gripe, because there are times where it completely comes together and feels real and organic, such as the scene where he is being fired. I also think the crying is hard to do right on camera, because real crying makes people cringe and uncomfortable and even laugh at its absurdity at times, so when you know it's fake, it can make all the easier to consider ridiculous and over-the-top. I've only cried like that maybe two or three times in my life, but at least kinda gave me context for these kind of performances. I'd say that Cummings does it well enough. I'm not sure what it is, but something is missing from this film though. As I think the intended result of the film would have broken my heart a little more and I would have felt more strongly for this character as a person. I never quite reached that level, but maybe that is because I never full bought in to him as a real person. There are plenty of moments that I did recognize as truth to life, which I respect. I also respect the ambition of this film. I respect what it was going for. I respect it for being something different. I'll need to see more of Jim Cummings' works to get a better grasp on him, I could see my respect for him growing, but I could also see myself growing weary of him and thinking of him as being a bit self-indulgent. We'll see. As far as the comedy goes, some of worked for me, some of didn't. I don't think it ever detracted from the film if we accept that the film had to be a comedy, as none of the jokes were bad.

[edarsenal]

https://i.postimg.cc/ZKzjhNXF/jaws.jpg

Jaws - 1975

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Written by Carl Gottlieb
Based on a novel by Peter Benchley

Starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw
& Richard Dreyfuss


Jaws was an early film for me - my parents would take me to the drive-in as a small child, and we'd see the latest films. This planted film-loving seeds in my forming mind - our trips to the drive-in were important - more important than anything else. We ate, my parents worked and my small body and mind grew just so every week or so we could go to the drive-in, which was what it was all about at the time. The drive-in was a particularly important part of Australian culture. In the late 1970s Jaws 2 was released and so I was introduced to the shark via a double feature - Jaws and Jaws 2 - which to me, combined, was just one long movie. For a small child, to be out at night is a real adventure - but to be out at night, and experience the atmosphere of a drive-in, and vicariously live an exciting life through the characters on that gigantic screen was something else. Passing the box office, posters of the film showing would be on display to just grease the wheels of anticipation and imagination. I always remember that specifically - passing the box office. The posters. Jaws. The fear. The blood. The disfigured head, and the threat that at any moment limbs and life might be torn apart again as we watched in rapt attention. As time has moved on, some things have changed and some stayed the same.

Firstly, Jaws 2 diminished and receded as I grew older - it was something that at first was not discernable. I thought both films looked and felt the same - and although they somewhat look similar, the gulf between them is a gaping chasm. Sequels as a whole are mostly distasteful, but sometimes work- especially if an original film is produced with some forethought as to a continuing story. With Jaws it doesn't work so well. Secondly, something about the original Jaws as a whole has only grown more important and impressive as time has gone by. I don't understand why I never get sick of watching it - something inside of me tells me that anything watched a certain amount of times must become tiresome, predictable and therefore mundane. Jaws has never become any of those things. Understanding why isn't as easy as putting it all down to an affection for my boyhood memories - I continually get hooked in by the film itself, not any memories that may arise surrounding it. I always get drawn in by the story - a series of images and sounds edited together to produce an adventure and human conflict amidst survival in an environment that isn't ours. Politics, greed, family, machismo mixed with fear, death, humour and that shark. Always that shark.

The whole affair opens, fittingly enough, with that famous score from John Williams. The underwater photography feels clouded and silty - entangled in an underwater forest of weeds - but at first we see nothing but the Universal logo and the first of the credits, and we hear nothing but what sounds like the distant pings and whale-like warbles of this alien kingdom. By the time we can see clearly, that score has already ramped up, instantly recognizable to most - so much so that I can't even guess what it sounds like to someone hearing it for the first time. An ostinato of bass notes, representing the mindless relentlessness of the underwater predator. This score won Williams his first solo Oscar, and is so much more than just the "Jaws theme" as it excels in directing our emotions throughout the whole film, perhaps more successfully than any other score composed in film history. What follows sets a frightening scene - the death of Chrissie, who flirtatiously runs into the water undressing, followed by a drunk suitor. She's dragged, dunked and savaged by an unseen force as she cries in terror. If you're focused, it's unforgettable, and her cries set the tone - the terror of a wrenching, violent death expressed clearly and painfully.

There's never a sense of a dull repose to make your attention wander in Jaws when the screaming and death stop. The morning after, when the previous events slowly come to light we're introduced to the first of our main characters - Amity Island's new chief of police, Martin Brody, played by Roy Scheider - who is our everyman - our entry point that we can relate to. Brody is new to the island, hates the water and is a husband and father of two male children. Scheider plays Brody as a somewhat weary working cop who isn't a tough masculine hero looking for action, but a family man. He escaped New York for a more peaceful kind of life - and also because he thinks he can make a difference in Amity. Chrissie's death is immediately assumed to be from a shark attack - and when Brody spells this out in his report, the slamming key-strikes of the typewriter accentuates this in capital letters - the dry procedural carrying a whiff of the reality of the terrible event. Brody meets Mayor Vaughn, played with cynical persuasion by Murray Hamilton - who dissuades him from closing the beaches, something Brody has already put in motion. The economic interests of the political class versus the risk to health and safety of the public is something that has obvious parallels to our present, and is something that would have been picked apart in our present climate. More deaths will follow, accompanied by the usual wishing-thinking from those with much to lose.

Director Steven Spielberg, editor Verna Fields and cinematographer Bill Butler begin their virtuoso work in a scene where Brody is sat watching the ocean while swimmers enjoy a sunny day - completely oblivious to the danger. Every time someone passes, blocking our view, the shot switches to either the ocean Brody is looking at or to Brody himself - and when the unthinkable happens and a young boy is taken by the Shark (occurring before us in realistic and bloody fashion) Butler performs a reverse zoom on Brody, perhaps one of the most famous reverse zooms in film history. Verna Fields, who worked tirelessly editing Jaws together with Spielberg in a pool house at her home, ended up winning an Oscar for her contribution to the film. She'd worked with Spielberg before, on The Sugarland Express and George Lucas on American Graffiti - she had close ties with them both. Her success ended up getting her promoted to Vice-President for Feature Production at Universal - but unfortunately she would die of cancer only 6 years later. Bill Butler's work went unrecognized by the Academy, without even a nomination. The award that year was won by John Alcott for his work on Barry Lyndon. Butler would utilize new methods for when shooting became particularly difficult on the ocean, with handheld cameras sealed in water-tight boxes.

After the two deaths, we're introduced to our other two main characters, Quint - played by Robert Shaw with a rough eccentricity typical of a sharker or whaler, and Matt Hooper - played with a lighter touch. Shaw's performance is magnificent, and he's another person that really deserved an Oscar nomination. His monologue about being one of the survivors of the USS Indianapolis was a standout moment that is well remembered, and was worded by the actor in his own way. It will be all three characters, Brody, Hooper and Quint, that will bring the film home in it's second half - facing the shark alone out off the coast of Amity, and fighting an epic battle with reels, hooks, spears, barrels, guns, poison and anything else that comes to hand. The filmmakers had great fortune inasmuch as the mechanical shark constructed for the film constantly broke down, forcing them to reveal less of it during the film's first half than they wanted. Holding back like that really increased the impact of finally seeing it when we do - and it at least feels real, unlike what we would get treated to today - A CGI shark that we'd see much too much of, diluting the effect we'd get from it in later scenes. Williams' rousing score adds to the genuine excitement and thrill of it all, as the situation on the boat gets more and more desperate.

Jaws would go on to become a cultural phenomenon. The novel it's based on was written by Peter Benchley and was published in 1974 - producers David Brown and Richard D. Zanuck quickly optioned it - so fast that they didn't stop to consider just how hard it would be to put together a film with a killer shark in it. They threw the challenge to a young Steven Spielberg, who had just had modest success in directing The Sugarland Express. Spielberg saw it as something akin to his first full-length feature, Duel, which featured Dennis Weaver facing off against a large mysterious truck on the road - and he went as far as to add the same dinosaur roar to the soundtrack at the same moment of primal defeat/victory he had in Duel, just after the climax. Jaws was however, a terribly difficult production - shooting off the coast of Martha's Vineyard posed logistical problems even without having to contend with a malfunctioning mechanical shark. Boats would drift, yachts would constantly intrude on shots and many of the cast and grew sick and became exhausted. The production is still not a happy memory for Spielberg, and it's surprising that such a shoot produced such a brilliant film.

Watching Jaws, I'm struck how much of it's quality comes from it's story (which Carl Gottlieb helped to adapt) and it's score - but it was no doubt not hurt by having an excellent young director, great cinematographer and editor. I also love it's structure - with it's thriller elements during the time on the land, and action and adventure on the sea. It's a bright, frightening ride - albeit somewhat less frightening for those who have seen it multiple times. Even without that aspect, the film is good enough to keep people coming back to it - and good enough to endure for what is closing in on 50 years. We haven't had a 'Jaws' culturally for a while now - nothing that really electrified everyone and had people flocking to see it. I only ever felt the aftershocks of it's initial release - and in the years since most blockbuster movies have been let-downs, virtually none of them really feeling like they're good films. When I see Quint's boat taking those three mismatched men out to sea through a window, while hearing John Williams capture the moment perfectly, and as we zoom inwards through shark jaws on display at Quint's operational base, it always strikes me that we never get anything like that in films anymore. Whether it be by accident or accomplished intention, everything in Jaws works, and works well together. Every scene is tight, every line delivered assured and every minute so very sharp.

5

Those beautiful, beautiful halcyon days!!!

And a d@mn fine review to boot!

[edarsenal]

Raiders of the Lost Ark - 5

Even though I've seen this dozens of times, I had no qualms with watching it one more time. There's something about the movie that makes it endlessly rewatchable. Each scene is sort of like a song that you also don't mind listening to over and over again. From John William's score to the set pieces to the quotable lines, there's something memorable in each one and Spielberg films them in a way that gets the adrenaline flowing, makes you laugh, etc. every time. For instance, every time Indiana swings across the chasm in the opening scene, I gasp even though I know he's going to make it. What's more, the movie rewards repeat viewings because there are touches you may not notice and/or appreciate what went into them the first time. The wind blowing menacingly as the translator reads the headpiece and why there are snakes in Tanis are two of them for me, as is the monkey giving a "Sieg Heil." Just how did they get the little fella to do that?

Anyway, this is not just a classic for having well-crafted thrills, chills, and laughs. What it does with its theme of toying with powers beyond our understanding and that are not meant for us still resonates. Whether it's the wind, that eerie motif or of course the horrifying finale, I can't think of another movie that better depicts, as Indiana puts it, the "power of God or something." Moreover, the movie deftly applies this theme to world powers toying with technology like nuclear weapons. As that last shot puts it so succinctly, where does it end? In short, this remains an action/adventure classic, and even though I just finished watching it, I can't wait to see it again.

Oh, I totally forgot to praise the acting! I don't think Paul Freeman gets enough credit for how devious and loathsome he makes Belloq. Also, how many actors could maintain their composure after swallowing a fly?

I totally agree. The drinking scene with him and Karen Allen's Marion is so seldom talked about but such an excellent, wonderfully layered bit.

[Citizen Rules]

84796
One Cut of the Dead (2017)


I surprised myself by really liking this film! And I thought for sure it wouldn't be my thing...now all I can say it POM!


Spoilers...I knew going into this that it was a comedy about a film crew making a zombie film and that they are then attacked by real zombies, which sounded kinda stupid to me to be honest.

But this film is so creative and so fun that I laughed out loud and had a good time watching it! I kind of figured that the real zombies would end up being actors but I never imaged the third act would be the behind the scenes filming of the one cut, live 30 minute tv film. What a neat idea. I loved how we seen the broadcast production first, then in the last act we see the how & why things happened, that was clever.

Oh, I loved the blood on the camera lens in the first segment that then gets wiped off after a few seconds later...and now I know why that happened.

I liked the middle segment too where we see all the actors auditioning and the film crew getting ready and they are all kind of quirky or have a bunch of conditions that must be met.

'Can zombies use an axe? They don't have free will so can they use an axe? How many types of zombies are there?':p


HA! I loved the last part when they start filming live and it makes sense why the director goes so ballistic on the actors who drove him crazy during the auditions, who can blame him?

This was a really neat nomination, good choice Cosmic.

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics2/apocalypsenow.gif
Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
IMDb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078788/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)

Date Watched: 01/26/22
Rewatch: No.

Ever since I joined my first Hall of Fame in 2014, I've dreaded the day that I might be expected to watch this movie. Everything I knew about it told me that I wasn't going to like it. I don't like war movies. War to me is little more than a showcase of how horrible humanity can be and it's not something I care to watch.

The idea of watching 2.5 hours of such a showcase - with footage of the real life ritualistic slaughter of an animal - was not appealing in any way. And now that I've endured that 2.5 hour showcase of horrors, I've got mixed feelings. On the one hand, I get why this film is so revered. It's thick with atmosphere and tension. It has a great soundtrack. It captures perfectly the descent into madness and the way that the reality of war can strip away people's humanity and empathy. I get it, and if that's your thing then I totally understand the love for it. But it's not my thing. Slow paced movies are not really my thing. Heavy narration is not really my thing. War and the ceaseless explosions and gunfire of it all is not really my thing. Watching an animal being hacked to death for real is definitely not my thing. And, while I don't regret watching this now that it's done, I will never watch it again even if it is nominated for another HOF.

2.5

[rauldc14]

For those keeping track this is Miss Vicky's sixth movie given a 5/10 or lower in the Hall.

[Miss Vicky]

For those keeping track this is Miss Vicky's sixth movie given a 5/10 or lower in the Hall.

I'm intentionally saving rewatches of the films I know I like for last and getting first time watches out of the way at the beginning. There will be positive reviews coming, I promise. And who knows, maybe I'll get another surprise like Baby Face along the way.

I usually save my own nomination for last as sort of a reward for finishing, but this time I think I may save Raiders for last and then reward myself with rewatches of The Last Crusade and Temple of Doom.

On an unrelated note, anyone have a good link for Cure? I don't have the Criterion Channel.

[Takoma11]

For those keeping track this is Miss Vicky's sixth movie given a 5/10 or lower in the Hall.

As someone whose film got one of those 5/10 ratings, my main reaction is "I still have a chance at the middle of her list!"

[Citizen Rules]

...On an unrelated note, anyone have a good link for Cure? I don't have the Criterion Channel.Sent.

[TheUsualSuspect]

My Dog Skip

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/A3TafOveMdmc1mzjCrmMBNa3oQ2.jpg

2.5

re-watch

All dog movies are manipulative in one way or another. Their whole point is to get you to fall in love with the dog just so it can die at the end. Or maybe do a fake-out death, then have a happy reunion. When I was a kid, I watched Homeward Bound, Benji, Turner and Hooch, Beethoven, Far From Home, even The Fox and The Hound. All these movies follow a formula that I don't really want to watch anymore. I love animals, but I don't need to see them in peril...I'd rather see something along the lines of Cujo or Man's Best Friend.

So My Dog Skip was one of those movies and on a re-watch I feel roughly the same about it. Which is meh. Frankie Muniz is a bad actor that managed to be in a great sitcom. He does nothing believable here and it really pained me to sit through his performance.

I don't dislike this movie, it's just a pain-by-numbers film.

The movie wants people to remember their first pets. We had a bunch of fish as a kid and eventually we got a dog. A Sherperd/Lab/Terrier mix named Coco. Loved that damn dog. Miss you.

[Torgo]

My Dog Skip

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/A3TafOveMdmc1mzjCrmMBNa3oQ2.jpg

2.5

re-watch

All dog movies are manipulative in one way or another. Their whole point is to get you to fall in love with the dog just so it can die at the end. Or maybe do a fake-out death, then have a happy reunion. When I was a kid, I watched Homeward Bound, Benji, Turner and Hooch, Beethoven, Far From Home, even The Fox and The Hound. All these movies follow a formula that I don't really want to watch anymore. I love animals, but I don't need to see them in peril...I'd rather see something along the lines of Cujo or Man's Best Friend.

So My Dog Skip was one of those movies and on a re-watch I feel roughly the same about it. Which is meh. Frankie Muniz is a bad actor that managed to be in a great sitcom. He does nothing believable here and it really pained me to sit through his performance.

I don't dislike this movie, it's just a pain-by-numbers film.

The movie wants people to remember their first pets. We had a bunch of fish as a kid and eventually we got a dog. A Sherperd/Lab/Terrier mix named Coco. Loved that damn dog. Miss you.LOL, that is likely a typo, but I'm going to have to steal that.
That would also be a good heavy metal band name.

[TheUsualSuspect]

LOL, that is likely a typo, but I'm going to have to steal that.
That would also be a good heavy metal band name.

I'll keep it. :p

[Citizen Rules]

Pain-by-numbers...I'm stealing that too:D

[SpelingError]

Dolores Claiborne (1995) - 4

This film ranks amongst the better Stephen King adaptations I've seen. Normally, I'm not a big fan of horror/thrillers with a flashback structure as I find this can rob the film of narrative momentum, but I found that the flashbacks were woven into this film quite well as, instead of cutting away from crucial tension-building moments, they added more insight to the mystery of the characters. Speaking of which, the characters were quite compelling. The film makes it clear that Dolores' rough outer exterior comes from the many years of abuse she received from her husband. The line "sometimes, being a bitch is all a woman has to hang onto", in spite of the diminishing returns I felt over it being used more than once, sums up Dolores' emotional damage really well. Your perception of Dolores changes as you watch the film and, though I can't elaborate too much on this without spoiling key parts of the film, I thoroughly enjoyed that dynamic. I also found Selena compelling as her perception of her mother was complicated by her prior troubled history with her and her skepticism over her innocence. In reality though, they both need each other more than ever. Also, Bates, Leigh, and Plummer do a great job in this film and, aside from the occasional bit of weak dialogue here and there, they play their parts well. I also enjoyed some of the technical choices, like the changing color schemes. In the "present day" portions of the film, it looks like all life has been drained from the film, while the more vibrant flashbacks act as a contrast from this bleakness (the color grading in the solar eclipse scene is especially impressive, as others have noted). Overall, I enjoyed this film quite a bit and I'm happy to have another King adaptation under my belt.

Next Up: Jaws

[Thief]

Glad you liked it!

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/tCGRR0hM/one-cut-of-the-dead.jpg

One Cut of the Dead (Kamera o Tomeru na!) - 2017

Directed by Shin'ichirō Ueda

Written by Shin'ichirō Ueda
Based on a play by Ryoichi Wada

Starring Takayuki Hamatsu, Yuzuki Akiyama
& Harumi Shuhama


If anyone is reading this who has yet to see One Cut of the Dead and doesn't know much about it, I really suggest you stop reading now unless you want to spoil it. I come into most films I have an interest in seeing as blind as I possibly can, and I'm pretty much the worst person in the world for sensing and spotting what's coming around the corner. Anyone who has seen One Cut of the Dead will already know where I'm heading with this. Needless to say, I was thrown by the first 30 minutes of this film which I had taken completely at face value. I had a treasure trove of puzzling complaints, inconsistencies and general criticism which had to be reset completely when we hit the film's second act. Not only that, but within every little complaint lay an enjoyable surprise just waiting to be hatched in the film's third act. I felt very fortunate not to have this film ruined already by reading too much about it - and is vindication to myself for saving all of my reading for after I see a film.

I won't needlessly say any more about the film's plot, but I will say that One Cut of the Dead's cast of rank amateurs did a job far beyond what I would have expected. Main character Higurashi is played by Takayuki Hamatsu, who I had pegged as the most experienced of this group - but no, this is his very first on-screen performance. For the rest of the cast the story is virtually the same (I loved Higurashi's wife - the "method actress" - the most out of the whole group - and actress Harumi Shuhama deserves to be singled out for praise.) Director Shin'ichirō Ueda is a hard person to know much about at this point in time, other than the fact that he's been experimenting since 2011 - and hopefully the pandemic has been what has prevented him from capitalizing on One Cut of the Dead's growing success. It would be a shame to see him squander the opportunities this might bring. This was his screenplay, although he has been forced to share that credit with Ryoichi Wada when it came to light that his inspiration for this came from the stage play Ghost in the Box. I have no idea how this could have once been a stage play - and I still credit Ueda for adapting it. There's an inventive humour to it that grabbed me in just the right way.

Remakes are on their way. One Cut of the Dead, which had small beginnings, is hitting critical mass and fairly soon the French remake, Final Cut, will lead to a U.S. version - but for those of us who have seen One Cut of the Dead it simply won't be the same - and part of this film's low budget can-do effort is very much part of it's charm, not to mention having that fresh feel of something new springing into life. I feared a retread of Shaun of the Dead going into this, but this film was another beast entirely. Produced on a budget of $25,000, this film's profits had me reaching for my copy of The Top 10 of Film which makes this film's claim to be the most profitable in history both correct and incorrect. The Blair Witch Project earned back just over 7,000 times it's budget of around $35,000, while One Cut of the Dead has earned 1,220 times it's budget in takings - but if you factor in that Blair Witch had an advertising blitz that cost producers roughly a quarter of a million dollars, then One Cut does indeed reign supreme as the most profitable film made. It opened on two screens and nothing at all was spent on advertising.

There are a lot of little touches I really liked, such as the change in shooting style once one handheld camera operator takes over from another (the second having less experience and a very fond penchant for zooms.) It's also a film you absolutely have to watch twice. I don't think anyone who really enjoyed this could resist the temptation to see that first half hour again. I did notice that the older cast members really outshone the younger ones, especially when it came down to comedic performances. There are no grand sets - most of the film's location ended up being an abandoned water filtration plant in Japan - this film relies on it's ideas and performances to make it's mark. The horror is cartoonish - however that's part of the overall appeal. Lastly, and not least, the most applause must go towards that non-stop 37 minute shot, which is indeed one take and something I enjoyed very much. There's not a great deal of analysis that can be performed on such an outing, but for the sheer amount of fun, and for being so completely fooled and having everything turn around in such a humerous and memorable way, I give this film a thumbs up.

4

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics2/cure.gif
Cure (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 1997)
IMDb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123948/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 01/27/22
Rewatch: No.

There's definitely a lot to like about this mystery thriller - it's thick with atmosphere and tension, the story takes some unexpected turns, and it certainly doesn't all tie itself up neatly in the end. If I'd been in a more patient frame of mind - instead of being restless after like ten days of being cooped up thanks to Covid - I might actually have really liked it. But I was feeling restless and this real slow burn of a movie put quite a strain on my attention span, so much so that I ended up watching it in bits and pieces over the course of the day.

Even struggling as I was, it's pretty apparent that there's some real good stuff here and maybe one day, when viewing conditions are better, I might give it another go. But if nothing else, it does stand to rank above most of the other films I've watched for this Hall of Fame so far.

3+

[CosmicRunaway]

Phoenix, I'm glad you were able to go into One Cut blind and really enjoy the whole experience. You expressed exactly how I feel about the film much better than I could myself. :up: