Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2018

#48 - Astérix and Obélix: God Save Britannia (2012) ~ April 7



This was on TV and I kept watching. I love the comics since I was a child, but the films are of a much lesser quality. Still some funny bits in this because it's based on good material.

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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019

#49 - Repulsion (1965) ~ April 7



Masterful, unsettling picture. Polanski knew how to create frightening atmospheres and this might be his best in that department (of what I've seen so far).
I think I may watch some more Polanski films in the next few weeks. He seems to have made so much high quality stuff. Time to fill in some gaps.

I wasn't crazy about Repulsion the first time so I need to try it again.

If you're looking for a good Polanski I'd recommend Cul-De-Sac if you haven't already seen it.

#50 - The Duke of Burgundy (2014) ~ April 8



Beautiful little movie about the sacrifices people have to make when they're in a relationship and how inevitably imperfect love relationships always end up being...
Disguised as a sexy lesbian BDSM film!

One of my favourite directors with such a high quality filmography. Repulsion is the first and best of the 'Apartment trilogy' as well as being possibly my number one horror.


Like Cricket, I also recommend Cul-de-Sac but I highly recommend you Knife in the Water, if you haven't seen it already.

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Too weird to live, and too rare to die.

From Polanski, I've seen these so far:

Repulsion
Rosemary's Baby
Chinatown
Frantic
Bitter Moon
The Pianist
The Ghost Writer
Carnage
Venus in Fur

Probably will get to films like The Tenant, Cul-De-Sac, Knife in the Water and Tess next.

#51 - Pan's Labyrinth (2006) ~ April 14



It was about time that I watched this modern classic. The thematic parallels with Del Toro's more recent The Shape of Water were very clear. I think I enjoyed The Shape of Water a little better, but that's probably because I saw it in such great circumstances (alone in the theater) and because I think Michael Shannon is one of the greatest actors of our time.
Pan's Labyrinth is a great film that very much accentuates Del Toro's strong characteristics as a filmmaker. His flaws as a storyteller are also apparent, but as is the case with The Shape of Water, the great filmmaking makes me forgive them almost completely.

#52 - The Tenant (2006) ~ April 15



This last part of Polanski's unofficial Apartment trilogy is just as great as the other two. It's perhaps a tiny bit wackier than the others, which oddly worked quite well in combination with the unsettling atmosphere. Yet another supremely directed picture by Polanski.
Isabelle Adjani is absolutely gorgeous by the way. I should watch more of her films!

About the two del Toro films.

Pan's Labyrinth was really good. Dark and violent fairy tale of a child escaping the horrors of war. It's my favorite del Toro and the one that mostly manages to avoid his flaws as a storyteller.

The Shape of Water on the other hand was a huge disappointment. So blatantly preachy about all the politically correct values and so calculated to have everything the Academy loves. Yes, cinematography was great but everything else cringeworthy. I hated this film and it annoys me so much that GdT ended up making this instead of The Mountains of Madness.

Well, I thought I was going to get that kind of film going into the theater, but the fantastic cinematic experience made me forget about it.

Ultimately, I think The Shape of Water's story works about equally as well as Pan's Labyrinth's. I'd say the former's villain (Michael Shannon) was even more interesting than the Spanish captain!
I certainly wouldn't say that any of these two films are "calculated, Academy films". They were both rightly recognized because they were truly outstanding.

Glad you enjoyed the film..............and Adjani.

#53 - Yi Yi (2000) ~ April 16



A grand humanist masterpiece of a rare beauty and wisdom.

#54 - Isle of Dogs (2018) ~ April 18



I loved the the fetishist Japanese visual atmosphere of this film. Wes Anderson really knows how to integrate his personal fantasy of what a certain culture is supposed to look like into his films. He's one of the few directors who gets away with that kind of stuff. It's done with so much finesse and humor that it never becomes cringe-worthy.
Yet another lovely entry in Wes Anderson's very impressive filmography.

Where roughly would you have it in his filmography? Can't wait to see it especially since Fantastic Mr. Fox is my favourite of his so far.

Very difficult to tell just right after I've seen it now. I've always thought most of his films were of a very similar quality and this one fits right in.

I probably liked the story of Fantastic Mr. Fox a bit more than the story of Isle of Dogs (I love myself a good mid-life crisis story), but I gravitate more towards the latter's visual style. I think I'll end up ranking it as a mid-tier Wes Anderson film, which is already a high compliment.

I'd ultimately put Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Fantastic Mr. Fox above it, which are my three favorites of his. It's near the top of the list of the other pictures.

#55 - You Were Never Really Here (2017) ~ April 18



Meticulously hypnotic filmmaking by Lynne Ramsay. The smallest details express the largest ideas and emotions in this fantastic film. Phoenix proves once again that he's the very best actor of his generation. So glad I was finally able to watch this.

I'm planning on becoming a Lynne Ramsay completist in the not so distant future!

It's my favourite from last year, Phoenix is incredible and it's just gorgeous and hypnotic like you said. Which others do you have to see? Kinda wish she was more prolific but then maybe she wouldn't be as consistent if so, she's one of my favourite directors.

Movern Callar and Ratcatcher. You once told me the latter is your favorite of hers so I'm looking forward to that one.

Yep, it is. Morvern Callar would be third with You Were Never Really Here in between the two. Not sure how much my Glaswegianness plays into Ratcatcher being my favourite but it's a beautifully ugly film anyway, Sean liked it a lot too. Pretty sure he said something like "It's one of the best films i've seen that i'll never want to see again", which is totally understandable even though i've watched it three times