ScarletLion's Movie Log

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'The Man who wasn't there' (2001)



One of the few Coen bros movies I've not seen until now. And it is typically brilliant, mysterious, character driven off the wall fare. The way it is shot is absolutely gorgeous. The black and whites are striking as the use of artificial light cuts through creating memorable lines, shadows and apparitions. It is a lovely film to look at.

The plot is a Neo-Noir inspired mystery with a few other zany elements involved. B Thornton carries it through with aplomb. He's just such a watchable actor, his screen presence and mannerisms are mesmerizing.

The movie leaves a few questions unanswered and the ending is ambiguous, so I think many viewers would probably be annoyed. But that's part of the point. To piece the jigsaw together yourself however you see fit.

In my opinion, while on death row, BBT is probably making half the story up in a Kaiser soze style - he more or less admits it too, as he writes an article for a magazine (and gets paid by the word). So a second viewing might enable the viewer to ascertain which bits we think were made up and which bits were not.

Very enjoyable viewing. 8/10



That's one of the few Coens i haven't seen. Should watch it soon since i've heard such varied opinions on it, i've heard it called their most underrated as well as one of their worst.



That's one of the few Coens i haven't seen. Should watch it soon since i've heard such varied opinions on it, i've heard it called their most underrated as well as one of their worst.
I'd appreciate your view on it. I'd certainly put it up there with their best



'Half Nelson' (2006)


A fine character drama about addiction and finding your place in the world with 2 stand out performances from Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps. The troubles of the lead character are very well played out. Recommended.7.5/10



'Sorcerer'(1977)


Filmed in locations including Paris, Mexico, Israel and Mexico, William Friedkin's underrated classic is an epic journey in more than one sense. Certain shots and segments reminded me of Apocalypse Now and Papillon. Roy Scheider is terrific as the gaunt lead on the run from the mob.

The first half of the film sets up the backstory of the main characters and why they've landed in such strife. The second half provides us with the futile nature of their attempt to get out of it. The film is a thriller in essence but is far more cerebral than a simple caper in the jungle. Well worth tracking a copy of this down, if only to see the trucks filmed moving across perilous roads and dilapidated rope bridges.

7.5/10



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'Sorcerer'(1977)


Filmed in locations including Paris, Mexico, Israel and Mexico, William Friedkin's underrated classic is an epic journey in more than one sense. Certain shots and segments reminded me of Apocalypse Now and Papillon. Roy Scheider is terrific as the gaunt lead on the run from the mob.

The first half of the film sets up the backstory of the main characters and why they've landed in such strife. The second half provides us with the futile nature of their attempt to get out of it. The film is a thriller in essence but is far more cerebral than a simple caper in the jungle. Well worth tracking a copy of this down, if only to see the trucks filmed moving across perilous roads and dilapidated rope bridges.

7.5/10

Watched this recently and gave it full marks.
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Too weird to live, and too rare to die.



'Loving' (2016)


I was hoping 2016 was going to be the year to launch Jeff Nichols into the stratosphere. With an exciting sci-fi (Midnight Special) and 'Loving', a drama based on true events of Mildred and Richard Loving. But it didn't quite turn out. Midnight Special I found interesting but derivative, and Loving, although a massively important and touching story just didn't quite have the script it needed to have. It's not that Loving isn't interesting or beautiful to watch or engaging or have 2 exceptional lead performances. It's all those things, and you care for the characters involved in a big way. But it didn't go the extra mile in the "drama" quota. We more or less know the story from history the way the movie was marketed. We know how it ends. We know how stories like this had to happen for society to change. So what we need to get from A to B is a journey. But that journey just didn't have enough elements to it for this film to get an 8 out of 10. Whether it's because Nichols admirably stuck to true life events too much, I do not know.

Nichols will remain one of the best Directors around though. He's too good not to. This one just wasn't him at the top of his game.

6/10



'A Hijacking' (2012)



Danish thriller 'A Hijacking' presents us with a neat conundrum that forces us to look at who really has the most stress in their working lives, who bears the scars of horrible industrial situations like this and what the right way of dealing with them really is. There's also a strong anti corporate message.

The film is incredibly realistic in it's depiction of a hostage / hijack situation both from the point of view of the negotiators and the hostages, and at times almost felt like a documentary style film.

The film opens with the CEO of the shipping company taking a few minutes to negotiate a multi million dollar deal. The next hour and half shows him take considerably longer to negotiate another multi million dollar deal that involves the lives of the 7 screw members aboard the ship. I enjoyed this comparison and how it made us contrast the 2 situations and the effects of the families involved. It's this human and emotional element that makes it evolve from a straight up action thriller to a more nuanced drama. This is what made this movie far better than the likes of 'Captain Phillips' which was released round about the same time.

At the end of the film I almost felt like I'd watched a war movie. It evoked the same sort of emotions. Mostly of relief and sadness.

I'd give this an 8/10. It's well worth 1 hour and 43 minutes of your time.



'Perfect Strangers' (2016)


Perfect Strangers is a smart little Italian film that deals with morals, secrets, the intrusion of technology, guilt and conscience. It has many flaws, but a neat payoff.

It's basically a play set around a dinner table, and the first half of the film has so much dialogue and so many camera angle changes that I could feel my eyes getting heavy as I struggled to cope with the pace of the script. It levelled out in the second half though with a few dilemmas for the characters. The friends sat around the table agree to leave each others phones out so anybody can read them - with varying consequences.

It's not groundbreaking, and not even brilliant, but what it did is made me eager to see what happened to the characters in the end that we've learned about over the course of the film. This is due mainly to the witty, intelligent script.

Recommended 7.5/10



'A Hijacking' (2012)
Cue @Swan with "Hildur Ingveldardóttir Guðnadóttir!!!!!!"



Cue @Swan with "Hildur Ingveldardóttir Guðnadóttir!!!!!!"
I know. I still need to watch it, dammit.



'Krisha' (2015)


Well that wasn't an easy watch. I went in to this blind. Didn't even know what it was about. I just saw it recommended elsewhere. It's a really frank, candid, unsettling bit of character drama directed brilliantly by a first time filmmaker. It's actually pretty astonishing what Trey Edward Shults has done in this film.On a budget of practically nothing I expect.

The film follows an estranged Aunt making the trip back to the rest of her family for Thanksgiving. But things go wrong. Badly wrong, in ways which develop the context of the movie, the characters and the dynamics of the whole setting. It's more like a short play that delves deep into the workings of a 'semi-dysfunctional' family trying desperately to be as functional as possible.

Krisha Fairchild is absolutely barnstorming in the lead role. She nails it and it's one of the most memorable performances I've seen in the last couple of years. One scene in particular where Krisha meets an old family member is as heartbreaking as it is brutally brilliant, realistic and compelling.

I found elements of Todd Solondz and even PT Anderson in some of the early camerawork. But it actually stands on it's own as a very impressive piece of work. Film school is clearly working in some part of the world. It's inspiring, particularly the use of subtle camerawork and aspect ratios to convey the different states of mind of the lead protagonist. There is also alot of dialogue that seems improvised as conversations overlap and audio gets louder and quieter. This, along with the very minimal score just adds to the realism if anything. Watching the credits roll is when you realize that the cast is made up of rather unexpected group. I won't spoil it for others but it must give hope to loads of wannabe film-makers to watch something like this.

I'll be watching Shults' career with interest, for sure.




Glad you liked it man . Krisha Fairchild was indeed amazing, my fave performance from last year and i think the director will have a bright future. Here's his next film that will be released June 9th - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Comes_at_Night

Starting to think i work for the guy, i'm the only person i've seen anywhere pimping this film

Agreed on Half Nelson too. The film wasn't completely amazing or anything but Gosling was great.



'The Club' (2015)


'The club' is a dark, dreary and disturbing tale about excommunicated Priests sent to a small town for their heinous crimes. The colour palette used by Pablo Larrain rarely shifts from foggy greys and dark greens which helps create an atmosphere of bleakness and doom. And that is also reflected in the story. It's an incredibly difficult subject matter to make engaging and while the film was quite good at getting the more sordid details across, there just wasn't enough of a narrative to distract me from the depravity of it all. Worth watching but not a huge hit. 6/10



I won't dance. Don't ask me...
[quote=ScarletLion;1640811]'Irreversible' (2002)

Well that was a tough watch. There's not many movies I've watched where I've had to look away from the screen but I did during this.

I really regret I've watch this movie. After seeing it, I had about for a week the scen of rape in front of my eyes. I couldn't thinking about nothing else. To be honest since today I feel anxiety, when I'm going underground passageway. I haven't seen such a violent scene never before and never after.

One of those movies that I won't be in a hurry to watch again soon...
Me either



I won't dance. Don't ask me...
'Paterson' (2016)

I'v not seen many Jim Jarmusch's films. Dead Man was ok but here's always something ethereal and dream like about them. Paterson is the same in that it meanders along with repetitive scenes, dialogue and features. I enjoyed the overall premise, and the notion that anyone can be a poet or an artist if they have it in them.Some of the characters were almost Lynchian and some of the shots were like a Terrence Mallick movie.

I felt a little frustrated though that it took 2 hours to get to this. Maybe it was because I expected the themes (Twins, black and white, waterfalls) to link up in some way. I guess that's for us to work out. Maybe it means that there is a ying to your yang if you look hard enough or that there is a perfect version of you in there somewhere if you let it out. All in all, I wasn't 100% sure what the deeper meaning of it all meant. Maybe that's my error though.

A nice dreamy movie but I'm not sure it hit the high notes 6.5/10
I love Jarmush. Patterson isn't like one of his films. But it have such a charming mood, like fairy tales. I was superrelaxing, sitting in dark cinema, in cosy chair and "feed" eyes with simply pictures and "ears" with everyday talks. By the way, I like eavesdrop on people in buses or trams