Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2018

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I loved Speed so much when i was a kid. Last time i watched it i got pretty bored but that was probably due to how much i watched it when i was younger, agreed it's very well made, extremely exciting.



REWATCH #6 - Gone Girl (2014) ~ March 17



Such a great film. Still as good and interesting as the first time I saw it. Cool, sexy, creepy, masterful.



#40 - Black Narcissus (1947) ~ March 18



Another beautiful film by Powell. The film's tensive rhythm and brilliant use of color is terrifyingly effective. Gorgeous cinema!



#41 - Daughter of the Nile (1987) ~ March 20



Man, this was beautiful. This was my first Hsiao-Hsien Hou picture and I immediately understand his reputation as one of the greatest filmmakers still alive.
I watched the film two times in a row, because I felt that I wasn't completely following the plot from the very start and didn't immediately understand who was supposed to be who (I was probably not paying enough attention). While already loving the first watch, the second watch truly showed me how brilliant and precise Hou's cinema really is. The film is filled with clever foreshadowings and beautiful visual poetry about the characters' lives and situations. Gorgeous experience!

I already watched my first film directed by that other Taiwanese giant, Edward Yang, last year (The Terrorizers, which I absolutely loved) and I'm now planning on at least watching two more films by both Yang and Hou throughout 2018 (if I can get my hands on good quality versions). I think they'll both work really well for me.



#42 - I Am Not Your Negro (2016) ~ March 26



James Baldwin was an exceptional writer. He words the black perspective very eloquently and his writings greatly elevate this documentary about the American struggle with racism.



Added Daughter of the Nile and The Saddest Music in the World to my watchlist. You remind me a bit of Swan in the sense that when you find a movie you love, your enthusiasm for it immediately makes me want to rush out and watch it.

I re-watched Speed a few months ago and was surprised at how well it has held up. The story in Black Narcissus never quite grabbed me, but like all Powell films I've seen, the visuals are off the charts. Every screenshot looks like a painting.

Like you, I also want to check out more from Bava. Black Sabbath was just okay for me, but I'm not usually a big fan of anthology films. Did you have a favorite segment? The only one that has stuck with me is "The Telephone."

Ride the High Country was solid, but not particularly memorable. (I started watching it one night only to realize halfway through that I'd seen it before.) I think you've already seen the best Peckinpah has to offer, although I could see you really digging The Ballad of Cable Hogue, which I think Mark and Holden both really like, if I remember correctly. Its comedic tone threw me off, but I think I'd like it a lot more with a second viewing.

Catching up with your thread is always a pleasure!
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Like you, I also want to check out more from Bava. Black Sabbath was just okay for me, but I'm not usually a big fan of anthology films. Did you have a favorite segment? The only one that has stuck with me is "The Telephone."
'The Telephone' is indeed the best segment. I get what you're saying about anthology films, by the way, but they can be quite relaxing to watch at times. They allow the viewer to go into each segment with a completely fresh and empty mind.

Ride the High Country was solid, but not particularly memorable. (I started watching it one night only to realize halfway through that I'd seen it before.) I think you've already seen the best Peckinpah has to offer, although I could see you really digging The Ballad of Cable Hogue, which I think Mark and Holden both really like, if I remember correctly. Its comedic tone threw me off, but I think I'd like it a lot more with a second viewing.
I have The Ballad of Cable Hogue ready to watch. Will probably get to it in one of the next few weeks.

Thanks for your highly appreciated reactions, Captain!



#43 - Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) ~ March 31



This was on TV and I kept watching it with my dad. The film doesn't seem to bring that much new to the legendary story. Because of time constrictions it also obviously had to rush through some essential parts.
Overall, I wasn't too impressed with this modern biblical epic.



#44 - Annihilation (2018) ~ March 31



This was a pretty great sci-fi film. Lots of themes are being touched, but it's all in a very focused and exceptionally well executed manner. Not everything that's being told is new or original, but there's something unique about this film that will probably keep haunting me for some time. The final act is quite an achievement. There's a hypnotic moment when a certain kind of music starts to play that worked surprisingly well for me.

Loved Natalie Portman in this as well.



Keep your station clean - OR I WILL KILL YOU
The final act of Annihilation terrified me, the whole idea of the unknown being explored was tremendously well executed, I was tripping so hard when I saw it, and even to this day the visuals haunt me



#45 - The Holy Mountain (1973) ~ April 2



Surreal, absurd, bold and hilarious picture by Alejandro Jodorowsky. Jodorowsky is obviously a man who wanted to push the boundaries of filmmaking and I'd say he succeeded. Magical piece of cinema.



#46 - Last Flag Flying (2017) ~ April 3



One of Linklater's most touching films. Linklater is the perfect director for this story as he's one of those rare directors who knows how to portray brotherhood in an honest and truthful manner.
I was in the right mood for this kind of film and it worked really well for me.

P.S. You don't need to have seen The Last Detail to enjoy this, but it would probably make for a great double bill. Watching this film made me want to revisit it. I definitely will someday.



#47 - An Unmarried Woman (1978) ~ April 4



In the same league as other great New Hollywood pictures about women and relationships such as Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and Annie Hall. Thoroughly enjoyed this!



#45 - The Holy Mountain (1973) ~ April 2



Surreal, absurd, bold and hilarious picture by Alejandro Jodorowsky. Jodorowsky is obviously a man who wanted to push the boundaries of filmmaking and I'd say he succeeded. Magical piece of cinema.
Jodorowsky is a horrible person (maybe the worst that is regularly celebrated) but your screenshot's relation with the Looney Tunes logo is so great!



When I wanted to do the rape scene, I explained to [Mara Lorenzio] that I was going to hit her and rape her. There was no emotional relationship between us, because I had put a clause in all the women's contracts stating that they would not make love with the director. We had never talked to each other. I knew nothing about her. We went to the desert with two other people: the photographer and a technician. No one else. I said, 'I'm not going to rehearse. There will be only one take because it will be impossible to repeat. Roll the cameras only when I signal you to.' Then I told her, 'Pain does not hurt. Hit me.' And she hit me. I said, 'Harder.' And she started to hit me very hard, hard enough to break a rib... I ached for a week. After she had hit me long enough and hard enough to tire her, I said, 'Now it's my turn. Roll the cameras.' And I really... I really... I really raped her. And she screamed."
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...page&q&f=false
http://nightmarealleys.blogspot.co.u...ection-is.html