The Resident Bitch's Movie Log - Volume 2

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Legends of the Fall (Edward Zwick, 1994)
Imdb

Date Watched: 04/18/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns
Rewatch: Yes.


Legends of the Fall is a slow burn that sort of meanders through much of its plot while trying to woo you with picturesque landscapes and swells of dramatic music. It wants to lull the viewer in with the promise of a sweet romance, only to then present a story of tragedy, betrayal, and innocent lives ruined and lost.

And for the most part it succeeds in its goal. I just wish the pace was a little faster. Romance, tragedy, and Brad Pitt's good looks can only hold my attention so long and I started to get a bit bored somewhere in the middle of it. Fortunately my interest was piqued again for the finale and I ultimately came away with positive experience - though I don't know if that'll be enough to get it on my ballot.

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Becoming Bulletproof (Michael Barnett, 2014)
Imdb

Date Watched: 04/19/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns
Rewatch: No


I don't normally go for documentaries, but after seeing this on @mark f's list of recommendations I decided to give it a try. It's a really sweet little film about a group of people who come together once a year to make a movie. (And the year that this documentary was filmed, the movie they made was a western.)

But the thing that sets this group apart from other amateur filmmakers is that many of them have disabilities - some even depend on others to feed them, bathe them, and dress them. But all involved pull their weight in the movie making process and emphasis is placed on what each person can do rather than on their limitations.

And with a subject like this, of course, it is a movie with a message: Don't write people off. Everybody has talents and abilities. But it never feels preachy. At no point did I feel like I was being taught a lesson. I just got lost in getting to know this little group of friends who at times made me laugh and at other times made me cry. And at only 80 minutes long, I never had time to get bored.




Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
That sounds quite an intersting film, maybe one I'll try to track down. Actually reminded me of another documentary I watched several years back but I can't remember the name of it and it's been driving me crazy.all day





Das finstere Tal (The Dark Valley) (Andreas Prochaska, 2014)
Imdb

Date Watched: 04/22/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns, recommended by @mark f
Rewatch: No


I was really impressed by this atmospheric tale of deceit and revenge. It's beautifully shot, has a good soundtrack and is very well acted (though I probably would've been even more impressed had I watched it in its original German, but I'm poor and lazy and the version available for free from Amazon Prime is the English dub).

Most appealing for me though was the violence. It takes awhile to get to the revenge aspect of the story but when it does there's quite a lot of blood and some of the baddies die in pretty satisfying ways (Nails! Ouch! ). In that respect it's not on par with Tarantino or anything, but it was still pretty damn fun.

When all this Covid crap is done with, I'll have to see if my library's got a copy of it so I can give it a proper watch in German. But even with the crappy dubbing, this will surely earn a spot on my ballot.




Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Huh. I'm not sure I knew German western films were even a thing lol Oh and I remembered the film that Becoming Bulletproof sparked a memory of; it was called The Peddler. Was about a DIY filmmaker who went around small villages and towns in Argentina and shot films starring local residents then had a screening for the town/village before moving on to the next town





The Tracker (Rolf de Heer, 2002)
Imdb

Date Watched: 04/24/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns, recommended by @mark f
Rewatch: No


With its breathtaking shots of the Australian frontier and story of a clash between whites and natives - and also racism and justice - The Tracker in many ways mirrors many American films of the genre. It features a trio of nameless white men - The Fanatic, The Follower, and The Veteran - who, with their native tracker, set out to hunt down a native man accused of murdering a white woman. It is at once sad, sickening, and very darkly funny with a message about equality and understanding that at times teetered on the edge of heavy-handedness but never quite crossed it for me.

What's odd about the movie though Its more violent images are replaced by crude paintings depicting the action. I don't know if this was a true artistic choice or if it had something to do with budgetary constraints but either way I found it pretty effective.

Where the film suffers though is in the mixed bag that is its four central characters. The Veteran serves no purpose that I can see and I found him pretty dull. The Fanatic - with his constant cruelty - comes off as caricature rather than character. Dude might as well have had a handlebar mustache for him to twirl ominously. The Follower has a nice arc but still feels a little underdeveloped. It really is only The Tracker himself that feels real and he pretty much single-handedly carries the film on his gaunt shoulders.

But even with as much weight as I generally give to character development and acting performances, the weakness of the white men does little to drag down the overall experience. I still have quite a few more Westerns that I want to cram in before the deadline so it's unlikely that I'll revisit this soon, but this is definitely a movie I'd like to watch again.

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Mark's recommendations are really hitting the . . . mark with you (cue groan or eye roll). Never heard of Becoming Bulletproof or The Tracker but both sound worthwhile. The Dark Valley has been on my watchlist for a few years now. I'll make a point to watch it soon. Never had any interest in Legends of the Fall, as the movie just seems like an excuse for women to fawn over Brad Pitt for two hours. I liked The Mask of Zorro as a kid, but don't have any desire to revisit it. I hated Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. A little surprised that you liked Bone Tomahawk. A lot of people do, but I was very underwhelmed with it and found the filmmaking somewhat amateurish. Also thought it dragged ass for most of its runtime. I had high expectations, though, given the rare mix of my favorite genres and the presence of cannibals and my homie Sid Haig.

I watched The Hateful Eight last week for the first time since seeing it in theaters. That's highly unusual for me with a QT flick, as normally I can't get enough of his movies and re-watch them ad nauseam. I guess the hatefulness of the characters and the confined location sap much of the fun for me. After this re-watch I'd still rank it toward the bottom of QT's filmography, but it was better than I remembered, and I already rated it four stars. I'd forgotten some of the twists and turns along the way. And I'd forgotten how funny it is in spots. Despite being close to three hours, it didn't have as many lulls as I remembered either. It's still an exhausting watch for multiple reasons, so it'll likely be a few more years before I visit it again, but it's a great movie.

Also wanted to tell you that I watched one of your all-time faves a few days ago: Bubba Ho-Tep. I enjoyed it a lot. Very entertaining. Very funny. Very creative. I expected a so-bad-it's-good type film, but it's a good film, period. I think the premise is sorta brilliant in a braindead way. It's also easily the best performance I've seen from Bruce Campbell. I loved all the inner monologues about his penis problems, but he also imbues his character with actual pathos, which surprised me. I've seen some complaints online about the movie's pace, but I thought it was the perfect complement to the setting and the elderly characters. I love the ambiguity of whether or not the characters are who they say they are. (I personally believe them just because I want to believe them.) If I had to find something to nitpick, I'd complain about the size of the cast, as it felt like the nursing home was all but empty of patients or staff. I felt a bit cheated that I didn't get to witness a bunch of people having their souls sucked from their anuses, but we can't have everything in this world.
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Huh. I'm not sure I knew German western films were even a thing lol Oh and I remembered the film that Becoming Bulletproof sparked a memory of; it was called The Peddler. Was about a DIY filmmaker who went around small villages and towns in Argentina and shot films starring local residents then had a screening for the town/village before moving on to the next town
Is Miss Vicky's leash so tight that you're unable to post in any thread besides this one?



Never had any interest in Legends of the Fall, as the movie just seems like an excuse for women to fawn over Brad Pitt for two hours.
I can't really argue with that assessment.

I liked The Mask of Zorro as a kid, but don't have any desire to revisit it.
It's pretty stupid, but also fun. And Antonio's hot.

A little surprised that you liked Bone Tomahawk. A lot of people do, but I was very underwhelmed with it and found the filmmaking somewhat amateurish. Also thought it dragged ass for most of its runtime. I had high expectations, though, given the rare mix of my favorite genres and the presence of cannibals and my homie Sid Haig.
I was surprised that I liked it too. Though with the way things are going with the recs from Mark it may very well get booted from my ballot to make room.

I watched The Hateful Eight last week for the first time since seeing it in theaters.
That was true for me as well. I'd vaguely remembered liking it but the length and the single-location story kept me from revisiting it. Really glad I did though. I was laughing my ass off, especially at the whole bit about Samuel L. Jackson's big black dingus.

Also wanted to tell you that I watched one of your all-time faves a few days ago: Bubba Ho-Tep. I enjoyed it a lot.
That's great! And I agree with everything you said about it. The premise is so stupid that it's genius and Campbell nails the performance. It's the movie that made me love him.



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Is Miss Vicky's leash so tight that you're unable to post in any thread besides this one?
I'm just a very well trained boy





Slow West (John Maclean, 2015)
Imdb

Date Watched: 04/25/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns, recommended by @mark f
Rewatch: No


I'm a sucker for films about redemption. I like complicated characters that do bad things but still find it within them to do some good as well so this tale of a bounty hunter taking advantage of the naivete of a teenaged boy in order to locate a fugitive was right up my alley. It also has the advantage - despite its name - of keeping a decent pace and clocking in at under 90 minutes so that's always a plus for me.

That said though, I found myself more engaged with the story than with its characters. The performances were all solid but Michael Fassbender has never been one to really capture my attention like some other actors can. As the bounty hunter Silas he's no different here but there was still plenty to like and this was very much a worthwhile watch.

+





Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch, 1995)
Imdb

Date Watched: 04/25/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns
Rewatch: Yes.


This is the tale of a stupid f***ing white man named William Blake, who is slowly dying from a gunshot wound to the chest, and a native called Nobody who is determined to help Blake cross into the spirit world.

It is amusing, confusing, surreal, tragic, and hilarious all while maintaining a heavy dose of atmosphere and feeling simultaneously ridiculously over the top and refreshingly authentic. It's clear that Jarmusch went to great lengths to give this gritty acid-trip of a movie a strong sense of realness and his attention to detail with the costuming and the representation of the language and culture of the native peoples is really impressive.

The performances are also all very strong. This bizarre role is tailor-made for Johnny Depp and he shines in it. Also great is Gary Farmer who brings warmth and humor to his role as Nobody. But the smaller roles, too, are quite impressive, with Iggy Pop stealing his scenes as a cross-dressing trapper who tells a rather unique version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

This was my third or fourth time watching this movie and I could never quite seem to decide if I liked it or not. It's so strange and original that I've long not known what to think of it, but after tonight's viewing I can confidently say that I enjoy it. It's really f***ing weird, but it's also really f***ing good.






Seraphim Falls (David Von Ancken, 2006)
Imdb

Date Watched: 04/26/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns, recommended by @mark f
Rewatch: No


Not a lot to say about this one. This is the first of the mark f recommendations to be a miss for me, though it's not a big miss.

Much of the film is a pretty solid manhunt/revenge kind of a tale and though I never connected with either the pursuer or the pursued, it had enough violence and tension to keep me interested.

Unfortunately it all fell apart with the ending, which was confusing, unsatisfying, and dragged on for far too long. I couldn't tell if the indian and the woman peddling the cure-all were real or just hallucinations brought on by exposure and thirst. They both appeared out of nowhere and did little if anything to serve the story. But by that point I'd kind of stopped caring anyway.

Mildly disappointing after that streak of good experiences, but not terrible.

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