23rd MoFo Hall of Fame

Schindler's is next for me tomorrow.

"After six long years of murder, victims are being mourned throughout the world, but we survived"

Oskar Schindler's statement, as World War II came to an end, is exactly what those six years were, nothing but murder. Murder of humans that the Nazi's hated, that was viewed God 's Chosen People. Even though Oskar Schindler was part of the Nazi party himself, he could not bring himself to be a murderer. This is the story of how he saved countless Jews from extermination and the impact he made on future generations.

I enjoyed this movie and I feel that Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes did a stunning job as the characters they portrayed. However, Ralph Fiennes as Amon Göth was spot on. I read up on Göth and he was a careless human being. He cared very little for human life. It is a very touching story and the film still lives on today as it did when it first premiered in 1993.

Is Late Spring the movie with @Mr Minio 's dream girl?

The Reflecting Skin


A boy is witness to many bad things in his isolated community, and interprets it in a childlike way.

One thing I think that can make or break this film for many people is that it is quite surreal; Main characters act over-the-top in comparison to most characters in film, most are very unsympathetic, and at the end of the tragedy there is a sense that we have not gained much and still feel the need for something more concrete. While this could certainly affect someone’s view of the film poorly, I felt it was a unique way of presenting the film. We should also remember that this film is from a child’s point of view, so many things are going to be exaggerated or not make sense.

I know there are many tales out there of children trying to make sense of the bad things happening around them, but unlike those films ‘The Reflecting Skin’ is incredibly dour with not much to relieve the viewer. The empty land that the characters live in adds to the surreal quality of the film; It feels the characters live in some dark purgatory where the horizon is merely an illusion, there is no escape, a much more cynical take of the love some people feel for quaint, American communities. The film also reflects a lot on the atrocities of America’s past (Religious fear mongering, homophobic law enforcement, war crimes committed overseas, degeneracy that goes on behind closed doors), even if this is more a secondary theme to the theme of childhood innocence.

The acting is quite great in this film, with Lindsay Duncan performing an innocent but troubled character, and Mortensen doing a great job as the angry guilt-ridden brother. Visually the film is very beautiful, almost comparable to some of Terence Malik’s earlier work. The soundtrack is very unique: It sounds slightly hopeful and adventurous, but also incredibly sad. Also what an effective ending! I would certainly like to check out more stuff that the director has made.

Very good @pahaK, reminds me somewhat of your nom for the 16th Hall of Fame.

(I think I'll experiment in this hall of Fame and not give ratings; I don't want to make my ratings definite as they can change alot before I'm finished this.)

Setsuko Hara, correct!

Story of an unmarried twenty-seven-year-old woman who lives with her widowed father. Her views on marriage and divorce are not the same as the people around her. She has no desire to marry, she thinks that the thought of divorce and remarriage is disgraceful. Her aunt and father would like her to marry but she would rather continue to take care of her father. With a bit of a push and shove, she is engaged to a man.

This film is a mixture of traditional and modern Japanese views, from homes to operas/plays to wedding attire.

I was hoping the film would be a traditional style story as I find those most appealing. My favorite part was the opera/play. The film was a good pick. This is my first viewing so perhaps it one I need to see again.

If things play out as planned, I should have two more reviews tomorrow night.

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A writer reminisces upon a turning point in his childhood where his friends and him went on a hike to find a missing body.

Ironically for a film about childhood, this was one of those films I watched dozens of times as a kid. I know that means I have an extreme bias towards it, but I feel I can say safely it is a genuinely great film. I love Last Action Hero, but I can acknowledge it’s too long and is tonally inconsistent. I love Jingle All The Way, but I can acknowledge the poor acting and generic script. Stand By Me, I feel, has little to no issues after watching it recently.

I know I literally just talked about the nightmare-ish quality of ‘The Reflecting Skin’, but in all seriousness I love stories about rural American communities or the American countryside. I’m not quite sure if I love this type of setting because of this film or vice-versa, but either way works. Watching as an older person the theme of this film starts to hit home a bit too hard: As a kid you have a great friend group that can support you in times of trouble and make you laugh, they feel like family to you. Yet some day for no particular reason, this group separates (usually through no ill-will) and this lifelong bond is lost. Not even meeting one of the people in your old friend group years later at a party can set off the spark again, as they are a totally different person, as are you. The film definitely focuses more on the happy childhood side then the darker adulthood side, but due to the film being told in flashback these sides merge. I guess the best way to describe this film is if those nostalgic childhood adventure films (Goonies, E.T.), reflected on the fact that these people will never experience an event as exciting, or a friend group as rewarding for the rest of their lives.

Of course the score for this film is great: It incorporates notes from the actual ‘Stand By Me’ song to give a sense of nostalgia (I don’t know about you, but I find remixes of songs i’m nostalgic for to be more nostalgic than the original song). Visually the film is incredibly pretty: Lots of amazing scenes showcasing the American wilderness. The script tells the adapted story well: All of the main characters are so fleshed out and so likeable with tons of funny scenes and dialogue that show the fun of childhood. This film probably has the greatest child acting in all of film; These four kids had to carry the film all by themselves, and they do it marvelously.

An absolute classic @Sarge, I would be very, very surprised if anything in this Hall of Fame turns out to be better.

I watched JoJo Rabbit for the 2nd time, and for the 2nd time I didn't like it. I can't figure out why I don't like it so I'm going to watch it again.

Hunger (Steve McQueen, 2008)
Imdb

Date Watched: 08/16/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 23rd MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by MovieGal
Rewatch: No

I went into this movie knowing absolutely nothing about "The Troubles" or the hunger strike that the film is based upon, so I don't think I fully understood what was going on. Even so, I was fully engrossed in the story it was telling and invested in the fates of Bobby Sands and the other IRA prisoners.

Key to this engagement, of course, was the performance of Michael Fassbender - who transformed his usual fit physique into one that was skeletal and disturbing. And yet, even in such a horrific state, he still exuded a certain inner strength that perfectly fit with Bobby's determination to do what he felt was right. The supporting performances were also strong, with Liam Cunningham particularly good as Father Moran.

Hunger also features some interesting choices in terms of direction and story. Although the film ultimately focuses on Sands, the audience isn't even introduced to him until nearly 30 minutes in (about 1/3 of the entire runtime). The film is also pretty sparse in terms of dialogue, with the huge exception of course of the conversation between Sands and Father Moran, in which the camera stayed in one position for 17 uncut minutes and the whole scene takes up nearly another 1/3 of the runtime. But never in that whole 20+ minute scene did it ever feel to me like the film had stagnated and I never got bored with it.

That said, I'm not entirely sure how much my interest in the film was based on its actual merits and how much of it was more of a train-wreck kind of enthrallment - where I both don't want to see the grotesque sight before me and yet cannot look away.

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*peeks in*
*waves*
*exits stage left*

That's some dedication. I certainly wouldn't do that for a movie I didn't like.


I probably won't be watching any more movies for this or anything else for the next week or so. The air conditioner is broken (during a period of record breaking high temps, which is awesome) and needs to be replaced. Still waiting to hear back on when the replacement will happen, but it's looking like probably not until next week and I'm too miserable to give my total attention to a movie right now.

I only watched it once for this so far. I watched it on my own a couple of months back.

Oh, I know. I still wouldn't watch it twice for the HOF though. Actually if the difference was only a couple of months, I might not rewatch it all for the HOF.

I watched it for the first time a couple of months ago, too, but I liked it so I'm kind of looking forward to seeing it again.

Damn that sucks. What's the daytime high temp? We hit 92 which is way too hot as I don't have AC, just a fan...which is going as I type!

Yes, Alain Delon's face is as cold as ice. Unblinking, unfearful. But Le Samourai has a quiet, deathly, sadness to it. A chunk of the film just shows Costello wandering the streets of Paris. Of course, it is because he is being chased, or he is chasing someone. But that doesn't change the feeling of a loner swept up in a sea of millions of people.

Perhaps the detachment from his character that many might feel is really the fact that he has no backstory. From the get-go, we are presented with the crux of the conflict. He is presented as neither good nor evil. A sort of God-like figure, even in the face of death he stays cool and calm.

While on the surface, the saddest part is the very end, to me what sticks out is his final scene with Jane. They never had a great relationship, we sense, but here he almost softens. His eyes sparkle with a certain longing. She offers to help, and he graciously declines. He's a lone wolf.

Then there are the scenes where the camera follows Delon from place to place, almost as calm as he is. For a crime thriller, it's almost a relaxed movie. Or maybe sad. Maybe those are linked. The beautiful score by François de Roubaix certainly helps. It's a mix of "cold" electronic/organ sounds, and beautiful string and piano melodies. It's certainly odd, but also perfectly fitting. This movie is like no other, so why shouldn't it have a score like no other?

The scenes in the nightclub are some of my favorites as well. In the first scene, Valérie looks right at the camera... we're not aware of the importance to the plot she'll become to the movie. But in that scene, she is almost glowing with warmth, a total opposite to Costello who is about to kill a man.

Later on, Costello visits the night club again, to find Valérie once again playing organ. They share a couple glances, until Costello leaves. It's nothing big, and probably unnecessary to the plot. But it so emotionally fuels their conversation later on. We sense finally that a mutual understanding and respect has been found between them. That something will come of this, and that she is not just a suspect. Or maybe the film is just taking a quick break from all the police work and dark thriller elements.

To say it's influential is an understatement. To say it's cool is an understatement. To say it's great is an understatement. Le Samourai is pure, unbridled, cinematic magic. And yes, through all the chilly stares, it has a beautiful, beating, emotional heart.

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It's currently 104 outside. It got to 92 degrees inside the house yesterday. It's 88 degrees inside right now.

The forecast calls for a high of 111 tomorrow. Lowest predicted high for the next week is 99, which is on Thursday.

JFC, @ahwell

You know this thing is meant to be more of a marathon than a sprint, right?

Story of a troubled young boy who belongs to the Nazi regime youth camp, who has a make-believe friend named Adolph, who looks exactly like Adolph Hitler. His mother is secretly anti-Nazi and is hiding a young Jewish girl in their home. Everyone in the film from his mother, to the Jewish girl to his comrades in the Nazi regime youth camp pick on JoJo.

I wasn't even planning on watching this film. I had no desire. My daughter loved it but it looked like a silly comedy and that is what exactly it was. I actually feel bad for Jojo. No one takes him seriously but then again, he doesn't come off with a serious tone.

I have never been a huge fan of Taika Watiti. I even find things a bit too silly with Thor Ragnarok and I didn't even watch 20 minutes with What We Do In The Shadows before turning it off.