Borat (Larry Charles, 2006) - The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman, 1957) - The Phantom Carriage ( Victor Sjöström, 1921) - Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (Danny Leiner, 2004) - Summer with Monika (Ingmar Bergman, 1953) - Smiles of a Summer Night (Ingmar Bergman, 1955) - Logan (James Mangold, 2017) - The Magician (Ingmar Bergman, 1958) - Scenes From A Marriage (Ingmar Bergman, 1973) - Chicago (Rob Marshall, 2002) -
You just starting to dig into Bergman or have you seen these before? Summer With Monika was my least favorite of those you watched. I loved Scenes From A Marriage, thtee hours of dialogue driven conflict, right in my wheel house. Really loved Smiles as well. Seventh is great of course, really iconic.
Sweethearts (W.S. Van Dyke II, 1938) Urge (Aaron Kaufman, 2016) + Chasing Secrets aka The Secret Path (Bruce Pittman, 1999) + Deathtrap (Sidney Lumet, 1982) -
Student Christopher Reeve visits the home of wealthy Dyan Cannon and her playwright husband Michael Caine to discuss his new thriller play. Horns (Alexandre Aja, 2014) This Time for Keeps (Charles Riesner, 1942) Romántico (Mark Becker, 2006) A Simple Plan (Sam Raimi, 1998) +
Loser Billy Bob Thornton is one of three men who find a crashed plane with millions of dollars in it in a remote snowy part of Minnesota. The other two are his town lush friend (Brent Briscoe) and his seemingly-upstanding brother (Bill Paxton). Killing Me Softly (Chen Kaige, 2002) Bobby (Emilio Estevez, 2006) + Sunday Punch (David Miller, 1942) Phase IV (Saul Bass, 1974)
Two scientists (Nigel Davenport and Michael Moriarty) conduct experiments in Arizona on a desert ant colony to try to understand their recent deadly activity. Wrong Move (Wim Wenders, 1975) Kiss the Bride (Vanessa Parise, 2002) Runaway Bride (Gary Marshall, 1999) Soapdish (Michael Hoffman, 1991) -
Horny producer Robert Downey Jr. tries to help his up-and-coming soap opera actress (Cathy Moriarity) eliminate the longtime star (Sally Field) from the cast. Outlaws: The Legend of O.B. Taggart (Rupert Hitzig, 1994) UFO in Her Eyes (Xiaolu Guo, 2012) + Locked-in Syndrome (Jean-Jacques Beineix, 1997) + Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson, 2016) +
A collage of scenes from previous documentaries that director Kirsten Johnson had shot is used to connect humanity all over the world.
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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden My IMDb page
Mississippi Burning (Alan Parker, 1988) - + The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete (George Tillman Jr., 2013) - Profondo rosso Deep Red (Dario Argento, 1975) - +
__________________ "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room."
Bitter Victory (Nicholas Ray, 1957) Tomorrow We Move (Chantal Akerman, 2004) Look Back in Anger (Tony Richardson, 1959) Anne of the Thousand Days (Charles Jarrot, 1969)
Henry VIII (Richard Burton) will divorce his wife, break from the Catholic Church and kill many of his lifelong friends to marry Anne Boleyn (Genevieve Bujold), but she must give him a son. Bug (Jeannot Szwarc, 1975) - Tanna (Bentley Dean & Martin Butler, 2016) Speak (Jessica Sharzer, 2004) Out of Time (Carl Franklin, 2003)
Miami detective Eva Mendes helps her estranged husband (Denzel Washington), a small town police chief, extricate himself from a crime he got involved in with his lover (Sanaa Lathan). Doctor Faustus (Richard Burton & Nevill Coghill, 1967) Party Girl (Nicholas Ray, 1958) Pineapple Express (David Gordon Green, 2008) The Unforgiven (John Huston, 1960)
In post-Civil War Texas, the Kiowa attack a frontier home to try to recover a young woman (Audrey Hepburn) they believe to be a full-blood member who was taken by the whites as a baby. Her brother (Burt Lancaster) helps defend the house. A Private Collection (Walerian Borowczyk, 1973) The Substitute 2: School’s Out (Steven Pearl, 1998) Ixcanul aka Volcano (Jayro Bustamante, 2015) I Went Down (Paddy Breathnach, 1997) -
After getting out of jail, crook Peter McDonald gets in trouble with crime boss Tony Doyle who sends him with another crook (Brendan Gleeson) on another job. Frankenstein’s Castle of Freaks (Robert Oliver [Dick Randall], 1974) Serving Sara (Reginald Hudlin, 2002) The Desert Rats (Robert Wise, 1953) - The Flim-Flam Man (Irvin Kershner, 1967) -
Army deserter Michael Sarrazin works a scam on greedy tobacco farmer Slim Pickens with the expert guidance of the infamous Flim-Flam Man (George C. Scott) himself.
This showed up on Netflix and I threw it on just on a whim. I have heard about it but never had a huge interest obviously. I was never really a Metallica fan. Like everyone my age I listened to the Black album quite a bit, and there is some stuff I like on it. Anyway, the point is you don't have to be a huge Metallica fan to respond to this doc. It really is quite a surprising and honest look inside the machinations of this super popular band. Highly recommended, really surprised this didn't make our 100 doc list.
This one was about half a surprise. The way critics were talking about it I thought it could be my kind of horror. Then when my boy @Swan told me this was endorsed by the satanic temple I got a little worried, doesn't seem like that would be my cup of tea. I gave it a go anyway as I am making a conscious effort to try and see the couple most popular horror films every year. I wouldn't say I was delighted by the film, but I will say it is the best horror I have seen it quite some time. Great atmosphere and characters are the reason why. I love how faithful the writing is to the time period and the time period is also perfect to create the creepy atmosphere. Grey skies and candle lighting mixed with the rustic farm and woods. Really this is the closets I have come to being scared watching a movie in a very long time. Very creepy film. So, the ending I think is where a lot of the hoopla surrounding this film is. Definitely a classic horror ending. I would be interested to know how people feel about
Another pleasant surprise this week. I went with a buddy not really expecting much. I have grown tired of the Wolverine character and the last stand alone film was a nightmare for me. This is definitely the R rated Wolverine flick fans have been waiting for. Not perfect by any means but very engaging. Plenty of twists and turns but each one pretty satisfying. Very solid comic film. I have only seen 3 2017 releases so far and 2 of them have been very entertaining. Maybe we will be in for a good tent pole year.
This one was about half a surprise. The way critics were talking about it I thought it could be my kind of horror. Then when my boy @Swan told me this was endorsed by the satanic temple I got a little worried, doesn't seem like that would be my cup of tea. I gave it a go anyway as I am making a conscious effort to try and see the couple most popular horror films every year. I wouldn't say I was delighted by the film, but I will say it is the best horror I have seen it quite some time. Great atmosphere and characters are the reason why. I love how faithful the writing is to the time period and the time period is also perfect to create the creepy atmosphere. Grey skies and candle lighting mixed with the rustic farm and woods. Really this is the closets I have come to being scared watching a movie in a very long time. Very creepy film. So, the ending I think is where a lot of the hoopla surrounding this film is. Definitely a classic horror ending. I would be interested to know how people feel about
The Green Mile (Frank Darabont, 1999) - Oh Boy A Coffee in Berlin (Jan Ole Gerster, 2012) - State of Play (Kevin Macdonald, 2009) - + 11:14 (Greg Marcks, 2003) - Lady and the Tramp (Clyde Geronimi/Wilfred Jackson/Hamilton Luske, 1955) -
The Pit (Lew Lehman, 1981):
The Pit is easily one of the most ridiculous movies ever made. Basically this kid is just crazy and his teddy bear talks to him and there's this pit that he throws people in. It's so bizarre and comical, I had to give it a decent rating.
Death Wish (Michael Winner, 1974): Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger, 1969): Serpico (Sidney Lumet, 1973): Doctor Strange (Scott Derrickson, 2016): George Washington (David Gordon Green, 2000): Playtime (Jacques Tati, 1967): L'Eclisse (Michalangelo Antonioni, 1962): Le Cercle Rouge (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1970): Tales from the Crypt (Freddie Francis, 1972):
Eyewitness (Peter Yates, 1981) + Hard Ticket to Hawaii (Andy Sidaris, 1987) - Haze (Shin'ya Tsukamoto, 2005) The Gazebo (George Marshall, 1959) - TV writer/director Glenn Ford just shot a blackmailer in his home – or did he? Riot (Buzz Kulik, 1969) Staircase (Stanley Donen, 1969) Villain (Michael Tuchner, 1971) The Enemy Below (Dick Powell, 1957) During WWII, the new captain (Robert Mitchum) of an American destroyer gives his Executive Officer Al (David) Hedison some pointers about “playing chess” with German U-Boat commanders (in thi instance, Curt Jurgens). Brooklyn’s Finest (Antoine Fuqua, 2009) Force of Arms (Michael Curtiz, 1951) + The Last Sunset (Robert Aldrich, 1961) Shenandoah (Andrew V. McLaglen, 1965) - During the Civil War, Virginia family patriarch James Stewart, who owns no slaves and is determined to stay out of the war, has to search for his youngest son when he’s captured by the Union Army. The Bounty (No Director Listed, 1962) The Quick and the Dead (Robert Totten, 1963) Nine Months (Chris Columbus, 1995) Moebius (Kim Ki-duk, 2013) The lover (Lee Eun-woo) of his father (Cho Jae-hyun) is attracted to a boy (Seo Young-Joo) who’s already been castrated by his own mother (also Lee Eun-woo). That’s just the first 15 minutes or so! Touring Northern England (James A. FitzPatrick, 1950) Thrashin’ (David Winters, 1986) + Nocturnal Animals (Tom Ford, 2016) + Great Directors (Angela Ismailos, 2010) -
Nothing spectacular but an OK overview of 10 interesting directors.
Thanks for posting Great Directors Mark. I want to see that now for Lynch, Loach, Linklater and Haynes. I'm sure the others are interesting too but i'm not familiar with them.
I know what you've been thinking... "Why is this bastard slacker Mr Minio not posting in this thread anymore?! The bloody layabout! He probably stopped watching movies, the stupid f*ck.". Well, even though the times of watching four movies a day are irreversibly gone, I haven't forgotten the beauty and grandeur of cinema! I can't even remember the last time I posted here, neither can I remember what was the last film I wrote about, so let me just post about some of my recent watches. I'm going to leave out a lot (following the rule that only the best movies are worth mentioning), but the general outcome should be satisfactory for all of you!
Mein liebster Feind [My Best Fiend] (1999) - - one helluva documentary from Werner Herzog on his friendship with the totally mad Klaus Kinski! I've seen some individual pieces of footage from this years ago (mainly Kinski's tantrums), but the whole movie gives a lot of backstory and meaning to this fascinating relationship between two geniuses. At times it looks like Herzog isn't too sane either, i.e. his calmness when Kinski was freaking out made the native tribe more disturbed than Kinski's behaviour.
д'Артаньян и три мушкетёра [d'Artagnan and Three Musketeers] (1978) - - Russians were the masters of TV series in the 70's and 80's! After the sea of Stirlitz jokes soaked USSR (Seventeen Moments of Spring), but before the Russian Sherlock Holmes and Doctor "Vatson" solved the case of a soot-smeared gnome, the world had to behold this gem. The adaptation of Dumas' book in a form of musical! I'm not too crazy about the genre, but here the songs are amazing and are a very strong part of the film. I loved all the actors and I thought that they were perfectly cast. Also, as long as I'm not familiar with the original book, I thought the screenplay was wonderful!!! The theme of brotherhood was as strong as in John Woo films and although the movie was never meant the be taken too seriously and the overall atmosphere is rather light, some moments of sadness, grief, or seriousness were executed splendidly. I would catch myself humming the title tune days after having seen the TV series.
Chasing Amy (1997) - - just when I thought Clerks is the best Kevin Smith can get, I watched this movie. It's amazing how Smith succeeds in making fun of practically EVERYTHING. He makes fun of homosexuals as well as homophobes AT THE SAME TIME and totally slanders both. I liked how some scenes were purposefully over-dramatic, or melancholic. I also found it funnier than Clerks, even though it didn't have as many jokes. It still has some vulgarity to it, but in this case it doesn't matter, since the movies worked for me!
Near Death (1989) - - after having seen about 20 minutes of it, I was literally scared to continue. Not because what I saw was terrifying or hugely depressing, but because I feared the next five and a half hours will be. Well, they are not as bad as I imagined, but this without a doubt is not a gleeful film! It talks about death. Death in its purest form. Just dying. Is there anything after you've died? Yes, there is! There is your family that will get the news and doctors that have to pass the news to the family. There is also a problem when your brain has died, but a machine still keeps your body seemingly alive. How do doctors go about telling this to the family? Direct cinema style was very effective in this particular case, because the viewer is always close to the events, but at the same time is never, for even a second, convinced that anything shown on the screen is fictitious (after all, it's a documentary). The very ending is depressing, too, because the fact you didn't die today doesn't mean you will live forever. Doctor Taylor had some wonderful rhetorics and was full of compassion and grace. The scene when he touches the hands of the woman is particularly touching.
毒女 [Kiss of Death] (1973) - - straight from Shaw Brothers Studio comes this ravishing gem of rape and revenge genre! What a wonderful plot, amazing groovy 70's cinematography full of colours, nice babes, bandit faces of criminals, superb killing scenes and ends like (almost) all Shaw Brothers movies!!! A must-see!!!
Kutya éji dala [The Dog's Night Song] (1983) - - an exercise before watching Gábor Bódy's mangum opus Nárcisz és Psyché! I didn't expect this kind of film! Very new wavish, even though made years after New Waves. It's been on a RYM list entitled "Nuovo Cinema Inferno" and for some reason this description fits this film perfectly, even though I don't even know what it means (if anything). This has a lot of things overlayered on each other. The basic premise is simple. The film seems more complicated than it really is. It's quite experimental. Avant-garde. Some underground punk bands from Hungary for a good measure. Why not?!
白日夢 [Daydream] (1964) - - so kinky! so surreal! True pink film art! Everything starts at the dentist's, but it quickly gets way more twisted! Love the use of sound! F*ck cohesive narration! I'm surreal b*tch!
狂熱の季節 [The Warped Ones] (1960) - - so fierce! So edgy! The Japanese Breathless! The protagonist is one of the biggest ******** in the history of cinema, but also looks badass and cool in every scene! The ending is nothing short of genius.
Glocken aus der Tiefe: Glaube und Aberglaube in Rußland [Bells From the Deep: Faith and Superstition in Russia] (1993) - throat singing, fake Jesus, Herzog's narration. Can a man want more from a documentary movie?
冬冬的假期 [A Summer at Grandpa's] (1984) - - a great film about childhood! I never expected I would have so much fun watching a Hou Hsiao-Hsien film!
Panna a netvor [Beauty and the Beast] (1978) - - Cocteau's surreal vision of 1946 meets De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise!!! I loved beast's psychology in this film. It's the first adaptation that made me really sympathize with the beast. I could feel his suffering. The main theme is absolutely astounding and the "beauty" is a real beauty.
Diva (1981) - - better than Betty! The wacky plot doesn't really matter when you have such a dense atmosphere! I could almost feel orgone oozing off the screen, but the wasn't enough of it to give the movie an even higher rating! Oh, the cinematography freakin' slays!
Das weiße Stadion (1928) - - thought to be partially lost till 2011. Now rediscovered and restored to its former glory! It shows The 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz. Some of the sports were quite different from what we know them now. Also, some of these are no longer practiced! Like horse-race in snow!!! The landscapes look beautiful and the film uses slow motion! Without a doubt a great inspiration for Berg film as well as Leni Riefenstahl's documentaries.
菊次郎の夏 [Kikujiro] (1999) - - I'm curious how I would rate Hana-bi and Sonatine today. This film is quite reminiscent to these two, but gets crazier in its second half (naked bald guy octopuss FTW) and balances the funny and melancholic quite well. Sure, it's very sentimental, but it's meant to be. Also it's not a tear-jerker. It's genuinely moving!
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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.
Mad Love (1935) –
I reviewed this yrs ago, but hardly remembered it. It lands right around the time the Hays’ code started guzzling protein shakes. I’m too lazy to check and see if it was made strictly under code or not, but it certainly doesn’t seem that way. Very sinister for the time.
The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) –
I think this is Karloff’s best performance (and maybe one of the best ever). It also has a great screenplay (with an interesting shifting dichotomy between protagonists and ‘villain’), but… it’s just not very entertaining. It picks up steam towards the end though. The horror label is a tad deceptive too.
Destination Moon (1950) -
Maybe some can find some charm in this, but it’s So. God*amn. Boring. I kinda liked the animated bit near the beginning though, so it’s got that going for it.
The Sorcerers (1967) –
This is about two elders that create a mind control apparatus to vicariously experience the sensations of an apathetic young man. Karloff seemed to morph into Obi Wan with age. I think the apparatus was really a red herring to camouflage his Jedi Mind Tricks.
The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960) –
This might be the only version that concentrates all the makeup effects on Jekyll. It also might be the prettiest Hammer production I've seen, though it’s short on actual horror.
Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) –
After being smitten with the Price version, I was disappointed when I saw this years ago. I loved it following Dr. X this time. The two-tone color thing is so awesome. I wish more movies did it. I also really liked the snappy female reporter, despite being somewhat of a ‘relief’ character. The sporadic comic bits in this work pretty well.
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It picks up steam towards the end though. The horror label is a tad deceptive too.
