Movie Tab II

Thoroughbreds (Cory Finley, 2017) -

A dark little comedy that plays like a millennial take on classic noirs with a tale of two mismatched teenage girls contemplating murder in order to fix a problem that threatens to ruin their lives. Quick, mean, and boasting some great performances from its leads.

Witchfinder General (Michael Reeves, 1968) -

Review found here.

Hellraiser: Bloodline (Joe Chappelle and Kevin Yagher, 1996) -

Review found here.

Housebound (Gerald Johnstone, 2014) -

Review found here.

Hellraiser: Revelations (Victor Garcia, 2011) -

Review found here.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Wiene, 1920) -

Review found here.

Black Christmas (Bob Clark, 1974) -

Review found here.

Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978 -

Review found here.

Halloween II (Rick Rosenthal, 1981) -

Review found here.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (Tommy Lee Wallace, 1982) -

Review found here.

__________________
Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

My backlog is huge (not as huge as my... ego tho). No images cuz too lazy and don't want to get banned. Some flicks have the year, some don't cuz I'm lazy and inconsistent. but I feel really goooooooooood. Loose thoughts.

Blue Gate Crossing -

When I was a teenager I watched solemn films of respectable directors: Bergman, Bresson et al. Now that I am older I watch teen movies. But what kind of teen movies!

Asian teen movies. Why is it that even though I don't find them relatable in the least, I'm still emotionally invested, moved, and have a feeling I'm watching great cinema?

Why do I find myself so emotionally distant from American teen movies?

But maybe I should rather ask: Is Blue Gate Crossing a teen movie? Yes, it's a film about teenagers, and its target group seems to be teenagers, but like any great film, it appeals to all.

The aesthetics of Blue Gate Crossing outmatch anything I've seen in American cinema, from Breakfast Club to Lady Bird.

One of my favourite shots in the film portrays a slow dance of two girls. They rotate in a warm hug. One of them wears a mask of a boy. It's a beautiful emotional moment heightened by adequately
emotional music, but one does not realize the true meaning behind it until later in the film when all amorous entanglements between characters start surfacing.

Sure, the peevish might denounce the film for its characters' childishness, but aren't we all childish when in love?

The kind of film @Swan would love if he actually had a good taste.

Mother -

Shindo is a master writer and filmmaker, and even though the film never reaches the level of Naked Island, it's still a work of extreme quality. As visually striking as it is moving plotwise, Mother excels in skillful writing and brilliant main performance.

No, or the Vain Glory of Command -

Having seen all major works of a filmmaker, you always have to decide whether to try and watch his entire oeuvre, or move on to another director.
During my cinemaphilic adventure I realized that being a completist is always worth it. And it's not just because, in case minor works of a director turn out to be just okay,
it gives you the opportunity to brag about having seen somebody's entire filmography.
But, more importantly, because you can find masterpieces, or perhaps even your new filmmaker's favourites, among his more obscure works. Now, "No, or" isn't exactly a minor Oliveira nor is it
a very obscure film, but compared to his seminal behemoths Doomed Love, Abraham's Valley it's relatively niche and hidden. Or at the very least it was for (from?) me. Until very recently.

Rays of light piercing treetops as a soldier looks up right before the shooting remind the aesthetics Malick would later use in The Thin Red Line, but are more sublte, baroque, almost ethereal.

I think the film's strength lies in the fact it's a highly stylized art film on war that romanticizes everything but war. The ending is shocking, distressing, and overwhemingly sad. No glory.

Three Times -

Three times. Three histories. Three loves. Three reprises. The first story, my favourite, screams In the Mood For Love all over it aesthetically (same cinematographer! No, not Doyle, the other guy!), and is as heart-warming and quietly romantic as they get.
The second story seems to mimick (this time director's own film) Flowers of Shanghai. Now, I haven't seen the film, but judging from the aesthetics and screenshots, the pieces are very much alike. I enjoyed the idea of making a pseudo-silent film (silent and in color? WHAt?!), and
there was a strong sense of aroma, a sort of distinguished beauty in the air. The third and last story is a modern story heavily reminiscent of Millenium Mambo. It's least romantic, most erotic of them all, and also happens to be my least favourite. Still a good little story, but pales in comparison
to the two previous ones.

Song at Midnight -

This is a treat! A Chinese horror film. A reimagination of Phantom in the Opera with heavy Communist undertones! I guess it should've been called Phantom of the Red Opera instead. Chinese cinema of the 30s was quite anachronistic (tbh same goes for Japanese cinema), and often just not great, but there are some exceptions to this, and this film is one of them. Obviously, the main bad guy is a terrible Capitalist, rich pig who exploits women and other people, but if you overlook this you get a very atmospheric and touching tragic tale of love.

Rainclouds over Wushan (1995) -

A very good film that plays with your expectations and manipulates how you interpret the events. It interestingly gives you its premise and asks you to answer its core question constantly giving you leads that paradoxically only make the whole thing more confounding. And when at the end you're almost sure of the answer, you get an ending like this. Holy cow. How can you be sure what is real anymore after you've seen this film?

The Bride With White Hair (1993) -
The Bride with White Hair 2 (1993) -

This was a great disappointment, and I'm not entirely sure if it's the movies' fault, or my own. It's by no means a terrible film, but one that didn't impress me with any single element, and felt like it had absolutely no feeling and nuance to it. Here goes my hope to find something like The Chinese Ghost Story or Green Snake.

A Time to Live, a Time to Die (1985) -

Decided to finish the trilogy at last. I had started with the first entry two years ago, and kind of left it off. I finally got the strength to watch the second one, and it was a very good realistic film. Just like one of my movie buff acquaintances said, Hsiou is more of a realist director, whereas Yang is more sentimental. I prefer the second one, but can't deny Hou's skill, and sincerity in depicting the events he lived through.

Murder, My Sweet (1944) -

Yet another splendid film noir they seemed to spew off in hundreds back in the day. This is definitely different from the 70s Mitchum version, and it's much more ceremonious - you know Hays Code et al, but overall I enjoyed it much more.

Tsuburo No Gara (2004) -

A pretty interesting take on "industrial" Japanese cinema. It substantially differs from classics such as Tetsuo in how balanced, quiet, slow-paced it is. The imaginery is typical for its movement. Snails. Bloody snails, man.

Dust in the Wind (1986) -

The final and probably my favourite installment in the trilogy. Strong filmmaking here - the most sentimental and dreamlike of 'em all, and also quite touching!

Mon cas [My Case] (1986) -

Oliveira's shenanigans are strong with this one! Extremely theatrical, static, declamation-based. It reprises, plays itself again, but this time with a voiceover. And then again, but this time it a Bliblical story. Unconventional filmmaking.

L' anticoncept (1951) -

When Lettrism goes too far. Okay, so it's just a circular white shape on a black screen. And a crazy Frenchman talking nonsense. His jabber is weirdly poetic for how absurd it is, though.

Le printemps [Spring] (1970) -
L' été [Summer] (1968) -
L' automne [Autumn] (1972) -
L' hiver [Winter] (1969) -

Hanoun's Season tetralogy consists of pretty good yet (alas!) forgettable films whose main trading card are splendid visuals.

O dia do desespero [The Day of Despair] (1992) -

A minor Oliveira.

L' annonce faite a Marie [The Annunciation of Marie] (1991) -

Some extremely obscure French film overrated to death by a bunch of Letterboxd posers. Well, it's good. That's it.

Dialogue d'ombres [Dialogue of Shadows] (2013) -

My relationship with Straub-Huillet (now that's a threesome *wink, wink* and to make it even weirder one of them is dead *wink, wink*) is, just like with Żuławski, a love-hate one. Just when I was greatly disappointed with their previous film, this one was really beauitful and evocative.

Les savates du bon Dieu [Workers for the Good Lord] (2000) -

Brisseau seems to be interested in the societal lows. Illiterate young people lost in the world is a reappearing theme in his oeuvre. This is such a weird film mixing the beauty of director's other film Celine with some weird, mainstream quirkiness of what Jarmusch could do.

Men of Novgorod (1942) -

Boris Barnet makes a solid film during war. It's pretty short and tries to pack a lot in this short duration time. It doesn't excel in anything, but doesn't really fail in anything either. Just not among director's best.

The Valiant Ones (1975) -

Far from King Hu's masterworks, but an exquisite film all the same. Hu is for wuxia what Leone is for spaghetti western. I simply love how he builds tension before every fight.

Hamlet (1948) -

Really nice. Olivier gives a respectable performance, and the camerawork as well as the mise en scene (fog, the castle) are all glorious. Now, I'm not an expert on Shakespeare, but where the hell is Fortinbras?! Where are Guildenstern and Rosencrantz?! inb4 they're dead.

Beggars of Life (1928) -

Louise Brooks as a homeless tramp? The outcome isn't as bad as it sounds, and the film is quite sweet. Some scenes (like when the hobos want to rape her) are super creepy, but obviously everybody gets meek when they see two lovebirds in their nest. The bandit even gets a portrait that is kind of... Warm? Symphatetic? Aaah, good ole pre-code.

Vrai faux passeport [True False Passport] (2006) -

Godard plays an expert on cinema (but unlike you, you dufus who is reading this right now, he really is) and shows scenes from various films appending his rating expressed in a boolean scale of "bonus" (which is for good films), or "malus" (which is for not so good films). Fun.

322 (1969) -

From the director of Images of the Old World. What a splendid Czechoslovak New Wave offering. It's playful with its form, and serious, sad with its content, but great all the same in both.

Holiday (1968) -

Nothing like watching a supremely depressing film on a gloomy Sunday when it's raining, and you already feel like hiding in a cave and covering its exit. Not only are they unhappy, and have a problem, but then all is shattered even more. That's just f*cking great. I'm impressed it's not taking place during war. Now that would've been great. This is not a feel good romance film, but it's really, really good nevertheless.

Vahşi Kan [Turkish First Blood] (1983) -

Turksploitation mon amour. Needless to say, much better than the Stallone film!

La gueule ouverte [The Mouth Agape] (1974) -

My first Pialat. As if Holiday wasn't depressing enough, here we have a slow-paced, realistic film about a dying woman and their family trying to cope with this.

De bruit et de fureur [Sound and Fury] (1988) -

Brisseau's earlier film, but one that still shows his style and themes. Quite moving, quite beautiful. Pretty surreal, absurd and funny!

The Night Comes for Us (2018) -

Okay, so it's basically The Raid meets John Wick which equals two hours of non-stop slice'n'dice'em macabre. I was even quite disgusted with its overt depiction of mindless violence at the beginning, but once the fighting chicks and (especially!) neon lighting were introduced I was sold! And then they break their bones, slash their throats, but keep going. Holy cow!

En attendant les barbares [Waiting for the Barbarians] (2017) -

Eugene Green's weakest full-length effort, but still a splendid film (he's my favourite filmmaker still working today, and quite honestly only Sion Sono can compete).

L' innocente [The Innocent] (1976) -

Pretty good, but I wasn't entirely sold. Quite predictable and in-your-face, but maybe I'm missing some hidden meaning.

Regime sans pain (1985) -

Ruiz goes dystopian! Pretty good.

Beduino (2016) -

The best pr0n without actual pr0n I've ever seen. The number of innuendos is high with this one. It's also co(s)mically funny how that guy would choke these girls to death (I know...), and they simply stand in line for this. This is the kind of dark Brazilian humour I want to watch. Oh, and it's pretty experimental, too. Like a bunch of amateur avant-garde wannabes made a film. I kind of dig this as hell. :P

La cinquieme saison [The Fifth Season] (2012) -

A great quirky little post-apocalyptic film. Never saw anything like this. Probably a typical flick for @mark f.

High Noon Ripper (1984) -

The most Satian film Sato never made! This is what I've been looking for for years! Even though I have some problems with this (the plot, twists and ending are meh), it really reminds me of Sato visually, and even atmosphere-wise. Wooh!

Topkapi (1964) -

Real fun! Who thought the director of Rififi and Night and the City would direct a Eurospy-inspired adventure film?! It's just so entertaining, and the heist scene shows that Dassin's still got it!

Choses secretes [Secret Things] (2002) -

Why, Brisseau? WHY?! This was so bad. It's so overtly erotic, lewd, but also cheesy, stupid, pompous, senseless, pointless, annoying, frustrating. Yeebus Crapstus, at least it had some nice moments, like the owl one, but I'm still generous with my rating out of my respect for the director.

Zimna wojna [Cold War] (2018) -

I really dig the visuals. Visually, it again does what Ida did (Nykvist would be proud), and does it soooo good. In all of this, the rest of the film is a little bit of a disappointment.

The House on Trubnaya (1928) -

Boris Barnet F*ck Yeah! The camerawork and montage are so strong in this. Especially in the first half. Also, it contains the best catch-a-goose scene in cinema history.

Cicha noc [Silent Night] (2017) -

A solid Polish film. The message is strong and rather straightforward - f*ck this **** and go abroad.

Children Who Draw (1956) -

An analysis of children's art, that although juvenile and primitive has something beautiful and true about it.

Snowpiercer (2013) -

A highly allegorical (maybe even too straightforwardly so, but who cares) film. A sort of blockbuster done right kind of a film. Not director's best, but still great. Love the grotesque of the film and the cynicism of the ending!

Tokyo Chorus (1931) -

I loved it, but can't remember anything about it. Oh yes, the no job is beneath you flick. gr8.

La piel que habito [The Skin I Live In] (2011) -

Much better than I thought. Really out there, and not as indebted in Eyes Without A Face as I thought. The ending is the most f*cked up feel good.

Body/Ciało (2015) -

A decent Polish flick. Nothing too great, though.

Flic Story (1975) -

Delon and Trintignant are cool, but the film is pretty mundane. I mean, Deray ain't Melville.

Vampire vs. Vampire (1989) -

The weakest in the series, but still pretty entertaining. Nuns.

Flower & Snake II (2005) -

Even better than the first one! Not as good as the original, but still a great flick! Less BDSMy than the first, but just as lewd, and has an amazing Paris, Texas-inspired ending.

Devil’s Vendetta (1991) -

A forgotten classic! The first hour is a very funny comedy. I mean, a fat guy magically turns himself into a soap to peek on ladies taking a shower! The hopping zombie magic duel is hilarious, too. The last 30 minutes means superb action with lasers and what not. Highly recommended!

Pickled Punk (1993) -

An experimental film for punk posers. A film that somebody like @resopamenic will probably hate, but pretend it's the best thing ever, because it's Japanese.

Magic Cop (1990) -

Pretty kewl! Better than Vampire vs. Vampire, but not as good as the original tetralogy! China vs. Japan metaphors are always fun in cinema. Also that girl does the best Maggie Cheung impression.

Sea's Lid (2015) -

A really nice, warm, cuddly indie flick from Japan.

Morocco (1930) -

Not my style, but pretty nice.

(500) Days of Summer (2009) -

Aaah, so that's what normies watch after a break up!
I was too afraid to watch it tbh, but now I did, and the film is funnier than it is sad. WTF.
Of course, it's Hollywoodish af (even if they laugh at themselves and their own films they're still Hollywoodish, say whaa).
Zoey was hot? Bitch, please... *sees a random Asian girl* OH MY GOD YOU'RE A GODDESS, MARRY ME PLS!!!!!1 Wait, you're not the quiet introvert caring type? Nn...nevermind.
I just remembered I left some films on download. Cya. Wait, you're @resopamenic? And you're actually a burly German dude in his late 60s? Well, at least
you dig some good music and flicks. Still better than these normies. Phew. Nn...No. We can be friends, though. H...hey, I'm not an a-hole, it's you reso, you were lying to me!
You said you were from Indonesia! Wait, what? You were on holidays there when you said this? Why, you double-crossing...

Głos pustyni (1932) -

An okayish Polish film. That's it.

Ninja Pussy Cat (2003) -

This film taught me to never get kinky with ninja girls.
They can, so to speak, entrap your member, and don't let go until you die. You can't even perform a cunnilingus, because they might use the honeypot technique (don't ask!).
The flick wasn't just educational, but also fun. Recommended.

Empty Room (2001) -

A really nice, atmospheric and depressive pink film.

Tokyo X Erotica (2001) -

TFW you want to make a Wong Kar Wai tribute, but then you remember you're only a pink film director. Makes up for it with absurdist humor, though!

Bonus: Me during a future job interview (joke stolen from some guy on Letterboxd, don't beat me)

I: One last thing, Sir. We found out you're using a nickname "Mr Minio" on the Internet.
Me: Oh.
I: And we found your posts on pinku eiga movies in Movie Tab II.
Me: Oh no.
I: Good f*cking taste, man. You're hired!
Me: Th...Thanks.

__________________
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.

tldr for my phone screen, kek!

Geez @Mr Minio how do yo know ima also resopknup alt account

Good. I actually confessed my love for you in that wall of text, but thankfully you didn't read it. Phew.
Actually you're resopb00n's alt. But even if you're a man in real life, you will always be my friend, and will always have my respect. :3

I'm pretty impressed you actually watched this very good experimental Bressane movie, it's very unknown, even around here!

Well, among other things, I'm the King of Obscurness, so yeah, it's a given I watch obscure stuff. Actually I found it in some TOP of the decade on some avant-garde cinema circle's website. They also had a Chinese film Night Awake there. I was quite impressed with it as well. It's like nothing I've ever seen before, but it's closest to Takahiko Iimura's "trash cinema" shorts. This is more like "noise cinema", and also a 90 minutes long film at that! Quite an experience.

October Tab


The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro, 2017)
Irrational Man (Woody Allen, 2015)
Wonder (Stephen Chbosky, 2017)
The 13th Warrior (John McTiernan, 1999) [REWATCH]
Dragon Inn (King Hu, 1967)
The Strangers: Prey at Night (Johannes Roberts, 2018)
Number One with a Bullet (Jack Smight, 1987)


Kuroneko (Kaneto Shindo, 1968)
Star Trek Beyond (Justin Lin, 2016)
Proud Mary (Babak Najafi, 2018)
Cover Girl (Charles Vidor, 1944)
Hollywood Shuffle (Robert Townsend, 1987)
The Devil is a Woman (Josef von Sternberg, 1935)


The Lair of the White Worm (Ken Russell, 1988)
Deadpool 2 (David Leitch, 2018)
The Seventh Victim (Mark Robson, 1943)
Universal Soldier (Roland Emmerich, 1992) [REWATCH]
Big Eyes (Tim Burton, 2014)
Track 29 (Nicolas Roeg, 1988)


Madam Satan (Cecil B. DeMille, 1930)
The Unholy Three (Tod Browning, 1925)
Life of the Party (Ben Falcone, 2018)
Pauline at the Beach (Eric Rohmer, 1983)
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, 2015)
Rebel in the Rye (Danny Strong, 2017)


Invaders From Mars (Tobe Hooper, 1986)
Escape Plan 2: Hades (Steven C. Miller, 2018)
The Bye Bye Man (Stacy Title, 2017)
The BFG (Steven Spielberg, 2016)
Three Godfathers (Richard Boleslawski, 1936)
Den of Thieves (Christian Gudegast, 2018)
The Plumber (Peter Weir, 1979)

Monthly Total: 32
Yearly Total: 430


Thoughts on Some of the Films:

I shouldn't judge, having had carnal relations with farm animals in the past, but I was unable to get on board with the love story at the heart of The Shape of Water. Maybe it's because the creature is far more monstrous than human. Maybe it's because I'm grossed out by things that are scaly and slimy. Maybe it's because I was constantly distracted by various hypotheticals, like potential pregnancy (and how would that work? would her vagina spit out a bunch of eggs? or would she just give birth to some merman-looking motherf**ker?). I also think the relatively weak writing provides too much easy ammunition for nitpickers and plot-hole detectors. Pretty much everything else about this adult fairy-tale is fantastic, though. Sally Hawkins is incredible. Michael Shannon proves once again that he's the Michael Jordan of Dastardly Evil Characters. The special-effects are top notch. The cinematography looks amazing. I also like how this is clearly a movie for movie lovers. Every frame carries within it a reverence for cinema's golden past. This wouldn't have been my choice for Best Picture, but I love that it won since it's so atypical of what you expect from the Academy. An enchanting, unforgettable film that I'll likely admire and appreciate even more with repeated viewings. Easily Del Toro's best.

Phoenix and Stone are very good in Irrational Man, but Allen's dialogue feels out-of-touch and I want to punch his intellectual characters in the face. Besides, he's done the Crime and Punishment thing better in other films. The Strangers: Prey at Night has a few striking shots and scenes, such as the 80's-style pool sequence, but overall it's a lackluster home-invasion flick.

Since it's been given the Criterion treatment, I wasn't expecting Dragon Inn to look so much like a Shaw Brothers production, but the aesthetic makes sense after learning that it's by the same director as Come Drink with Me. The film contains plenty of gorgeous shots that look more befitting of a Sergio Leone western than a wuxia. Unfortunately, I had a hard time keeping track of who's who, which kept me from being invested in the emotional/dramatic stakes. I think this is a film that will play better on a second viewing, and I still look forward to the director's more celebrated A Touch of Zen. It also wouldn't surprise me at all if Tarantino took inspiration from Dragon Inn when penning The Hateful Eight.

The ambience in Kuroneko is insane. Creepy bamboo forests, thick ass fog, ghosts who deserve a gold medal in paranormal gymnastics. The opening scene, involving rape and murder, is surprisingly disturbing despite the camera not showing the event. The b&w cinematography is exquisite and accentuates the spooky, ethereal quality of the story. The woman's hair wagging back and forth like a cat's tail was a bit too goofy, though, and the ending just left me confused. Worth watching for the aesthetics alone.

My review for The Lair of the White Worm.

I wasn't a fan of the first Deadpool, finding it more obnoxious than amusing, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the sequel. There's a character death early in the film that seems to leave a bad taste in the mouths of some viewers, but I think that unexpected plot development was a welcome surprise since I was never invested in that particular character anyway. The villain, story and side characters are all an improvement over the first film. I also found much of the meta humor genuinely funny this time instead of annoying. The scene involving the parachuting members of "X-Force" was hilarious. Effective soundtrack, too.

Nicolas Roeg always makes interesting films, even if I don't yet love anything I've seen from him. Track 29 is no exception. There's a lot of bizarre Oedipal sh*t going on here, with Gary Oldman hamming it up as a man-child harassing/assaulting/stalking the woman who may have given him up for adoption as a baby. The characters feel like they wandered off the set of a John Waters film. Christopher Lloyd plays a doctor with an obsession for model trains and a fetish for being spanked. Theresa Russell alternates between baby talk and an awful southern accent. The film seems intentionally grating, and everything, from the campy performances to the psychological probing to the on-the-nose soundtrack, is tiresomely exaggerated. A creative, fascinating, annoying mess.

And speaking of creative misfires, Madam Satan is one of the oddest old films I've seen. The first half is basically an unfunny sex romp. The second half feels like an entirely different film, as the setting shifts to a masquerade ball on a zeppelin where men bid on dames in sexy costumes. A husband blatantly cheats on his wife, and the wife then disguises herself to seduce the husband and win back his affection instead of kicking his ass to the curb. The movie is also part musical, but the sound mixing is so poor that it's like listening to out-of-tune nails scratching on a chalk board. I haven't made it sound too appealing, but the kooky humor and deranged creativity make it worthwhile.

Pauline at the Beach is my introduction to Rohmer. The beautiful tanned bodies in bikinis is what initially piqued my interest, but the excellent dialogue, fully-fleshed characters and the naturalism on display is what kept me invested. There's an effortlessness to the filmmaking and the performances that made me forget that I was even watching a movie. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl keeps telling audiences that it isn't like all those other quirky indie teen movies when it's exactly like all those other movies, but the art-house spoofs interspersed throughout the film are pretty enjoyable. Rebel in the Rye is a by-the-numbers, super cliched biopic about J.D. Salinger. The movie is every bit the phoniness that the man tried so hard to circumvent in his writing.

Seeing Louise Fletcher swallow a frog whole isn't a sight I ever expected to see until I watched Hooper's remake of Invaders from Mars. I liked the movie the most during the first half, when it feels like a kid's version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but once the military enters the plot the whole thing becomes a bit tedious. The Bye Bye Man is hilariously bad. It's good to see that Spielberg isn't above toilet humor, as The BFG features an extended, and genuinely amusing, fart gag. Den of Thieves is too long and involves too much macho posturing, but overall it's an engaging heist film, and that's in spite of starring Gerard Butler and 50 Cent.

__________________

Already searching this Night Awake, any tips? 'can't find anywhere.

Well, it's only available on private trackers. Sadly, I don't have the movie anymore.

Seen in October Pt.2/2



I think John Carpenter might be one of my favourite directors now. After seeing more of his work I’m really starting to appreciate him. Something about the film feels very quaint and small: The totally badass soundtrack is very simple, it takes place mostly in a single building, and the characters don’t have much ammo.



[RE-WATCH]
Very entertaining film. I forgot how funny it is (My mom’s gonna be so mad at me!). I don’t exactly consider a genius piece of satire like everyone on the internet seems to think, but I think the self-aware jokes throughout makes it feel a lot more light-hearted than other teen 90’s horror films.

And of course, the opening 13 minutes and the 40 minute house finale are great.



A simple, quaint film about paranoia and extremism. A very slow film that could probably be told in half an hour, but it’s still an intriguing watch. I loved all the imagery of the forest and the cars driving down midnight roads.



This was, uh, certainly a movie alright! The concept sounds really funny and original (Bruce Lee fighting fictional characters in the afterlife), it just makes no sense whatsoever. The English dubbing was so awful it was hilarious. All the fighting scenes are really fun. I never thought I'd hear the line "The Exorcist? You’ve teamed up with the Godfather to dispose of me!" in a movie until today. Also there's some cute comedy moments that are funny.

It does have some problems though, the plot is totally incomprehensible: I mean what was even going on half the time?! The pacing also is very poor, doesn't do a very good job of keeping you interested.


-
Well that was screwed up, the whole idea of changing skin is just, yuck. I thought the story was pretty cool in the way it was told. It was obviously inspired somewhat by ‘Eyes Without a Face’.



It was just a nice, easygoing comedy. I liked the music, performances, jokes and the overall 30’s feel.


+
Pretty basic found footage film. Labor Roddy’s performance was very good. There were also some very good creepy moments, and the finale was pretty intense. It suffers from a lot of problems that many modern horror/found footage films do: Generic possessed girl, post-production sound effects, demon children, bad effects, over-reliance on jumpscares etc.

(Also I met the director for a Q&A afterwards, she was very nice).


+
Quite the interesting experience. I see a lot of people online criticizing it for having little plot and no character motivations, but I don’t think that was the point of the film. It was one of those films you just kinda let the experience of viewing it wash over you and don’t really care for the plot. It’s a really interesting examination of Trash Culture in the modern western world. James Franco’s performance was great. My only problem is that the morally empty characters really piss me off. This usually wouldn’t be a problem, but the way Harmony Korine structured the film made me feel like he sympathized with them.



I’m still a bit conflicted with this film. It’s use of harsh editing and colours are very effective. It’s opening scene is blunt and it's climax actually kinda scary, and the first half of the film in general was just a great story with great performances. But for some weird reason that I cannot understand, I lost a ton of interest in the film at the half way point (About when the wife leaves for London). I’m still confused about my emotions for that portion of the film.

Widows



After a heist gone wrong that ends up getting all the robbers involved killed, the widows of the robbers are forced to get the money that was robbed within a month by it's owner. Along the way the movie explores race , gender and socio-economic relationships in america through the lens of Chicago.

The director is trying to tackle a lot of things through the movie. He is showing how the race relationships exist in Chicago. He is exploring the lives of middle class and lower class people in USA. He is also dealing with the gender relationships and the place of women in a man's world and how they are underestimated and undervalued. He is showcasing the inherent racism in the system and attitudes of politicians towards minority in their very own constituencies. Oh by the way there is a heist in the movie to get the money the widows need.

So, one of the main things about a movie is focus. A movie has to be focused because there is a human being behind a movie in the form its director and its his/her vision that is being put on screen. Unfocused human's aren't worth listening to. First and foremost a movie that is being marketed as a heist thriller should be a great heist thriller first no matter how many topics the director is trying to deal with through the movie. Otherwise it feels like a dinner with no main course and just appetizers. That's exactly the reason why I was disappointed with this movie. Director Steve McQueen bites way more than he can chew. The whole movie felt like it is holding back the thrill of heist just so it can explore other non-thriller themes. I get that a straight up thriller is very generic. But the director should have found a more effective way to covering all the topics he wanted all while maintaining the narrative momentum needed for a heist thriller. This movie is not a thriller. It is a drama with occasional thrills. Even the twists in the movie as unexpected as they were are not good. Unexpectedness is not an accurate scale for measuring the quality of a twist. Having said that one might ask , how does the movie handle the socio-political and race and gender stuff ?Well, It's half baked. The script didn't feel like a cohesive story that is being enhanced with political undertones but rather as a collection of interesting concepts and themes the director wanted to include in a movie and a story was weaved around it. It often times feels like way too many topics were covered in the movie and somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd act, in a matter of 15 minutes the director covers topics ranging from guns in america, abusive parents, sex, poverty and gang violence. That's too much.

The biggest sin the movie commits is that the heist in the movie is not exciting. I don't need romanticized violence in a movie but that doesn't mean I can't expect a great heist in a movie. Smartness can be exhibited even in terrible circumstances and is a way to exhibit human spirit. Just because characters in the movie are desperate doesn't mean they can't be smart.Even the lead up to the heist is very generic. Having seen Chicago I can say that it is one of those very few cities in the world where with in matter of few miles you can witness huge economic disparity. Huge mansions and buildings are just 2 miles away from poverty stricken neighborhoods and director captures that part perfectly. The movie also depicts inherent racism and sexism in a much more nuanced way than many other movies dealing with those subject matters. It also deals with black on black violence competently. But apart from that nothing else in this movie has any flow. The movie just doubles down on meanness of humans to each other especially to women just to make a point and all this is done with no narrative cohesion.

Spoilers

The twist in the movie involves Liam Neeson aka husband of Viola Davis faking his own death during the robbery to help Colin Farrell by robbing his mayoral political opponent's campaign money and killing his partners during the robbery to be with one of their wife whom he impregnated and there by killing two birds with one shot. So in the end even her husband becomes one of the men that is abusing Viola Davis emotionally adding him to long list of abusive male characters in the movie. This in a way justifies her killing Liam Neeson in the end. The problem with the twist is that its way too silly and unrealistic for the rest of the tone of the movie. In a movie like the dark knight these kinds of twists work because it has a guy in a bat suit at the center of it and the whole tone of the movie is hyper realistic. But this movie starts way too realistic to have this kind of silly and generic twists.

This movie also highlights two of the bigger problems with the critics community today and forcing diversity in Hollywood. One of the main reasons why some top movie stars work only with top well respected and acclaimed legendary directors exclusively for the most part is because apart from delivering a quality movie they also help in building buzz and anticipation for the movies. A Quentin Tarantino movie is highly anticipated even before anyone has seen a single shot of the movie. This does contribute to box office. Even with the critics community its the same. They anticipate and review a movie from a legendary director differently than a movie from other directors. Other directors have to work twice as hard to prove that their movie is worth receiving the acclaim. And also there is this weird brain washing that goes on with in critics community where they feel they are some sort of authority whose duty is it to decide which movies are would-be classics and which movies are not. In their quest to full fill their self created destiny they brain wash themselves into thinking that any movie that promotes diversity in current times and a movie by a director whose last movie is acclaimed and won best picture must be good. So, they tend to overlook all its incredible flaws. I was shocked at the rotten tomatoes score for the movie. Hopefully audience rejects this movie there by putting an end to this mob mentality among critics and awards pundits that just because you like a director like Damien Chazelle and Steve McQueen doesn't mean they always make great movies and audience go to them like sheep.

Walker (1987) –
Another in the Alex Cox checklist. Hectic, zany, gritty & photogenic, comedic, anachronistic, violent commentary. It’s easy to see why this would let down anyone wanting an actual western or biopic, but this is so unique and visionary. Almost every character borders on lunacy and defies rationale. Best consumed with caffeine I think.

Ostrov (2006) –
Fedor Emelianenko’s favorite movie, so I must watch. A weathered old holy man unconventionally addresses the concerns of desperate citizens. It’s slow and spiritual, with a beautiful atmosphere; immersive sound design, powerful music, and a gorgeous drab setting.

Cairo Station (1958) –
A lowly newspaper salesman longs for a disinterested woman. Well, this went in a direction I didn’t expect. Surprisingly unrestrained and engaging.

The Lair of the White Worm (1988) –
A spin on vampires with a lot of bizarre eroticism and some campy humor. Entertaining and out of the norm.

The Glass Key (1942) –
A pretty unlikeable lead in an emblematic noir plot. It has some quick talking 40s camp, but with a better than average screenplay. Some of the one-liners got me: “When I bite a steak I want it to bite back.”

The Sword of Doom (1966) –
An amoral samurai’s path of terror. One of the darker movies I’ve seen from the time, with an ahead of its time soundtrack, great noir-ish cinematography, and elaborately choreographed floppy sword fights.

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Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (Dwight H. Little, 1988) -

Review found here.

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (Dominique Othenin-Girard, 1989) -

Review found here.

Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (Joe Chappelle, 1995) -

Review found here.

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (Steve Miner, 1998) -

Review found here.

Halloween Resurrection (Rick Rosenthal, 2002) -

Review found here.

Halloween (Rob Zombie, 2007) -

Review found here.

Halloween II (Rob Zombie, 2009) -

Review found here.

Halloween (David Gordon Green, 2018) -

Review found here.

Subway (Luc Besson, 1985) -

An early Besson movie that sees Christopher Lambert's wild safecracker hiding from his enemies in a subway station and befriending the eccentric individuals who squat there. Not the worst concept, but I don't have much patience for its execution (even if Lambert and Isabelle Adjani turn in decent work).

Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, 2009) -

It does seem like a conventionally bleak kitchen-sink drama about an inner-city teen fumbling her way through a grim adolescence, but Arnold's got the verité approach and the cast to make it work.

Journey Into Solitude (1972) -



F*ck everything and live the way you want to. Live and let live! As rebellious as aware of the right to own choices and way of living. As fuzzily warm as oozing with melancholy. And of course I fell in love with that girl, but that's nothing new.





Correspondencia Isaki Lacuesta / Naomi Kawase (2009) -



A really beautiful cine-letter conversation between two filmmakers. The first one is a Chris Marker acolyte, a sort of Eric Pauwels' spiritual brother. The second, Naomi Kawase doing her thing - again very sincere, and beautiful.

Light exists because of darkness.
Time creates light.
One light cancels the other.

Killers (2014) -

Mo Brothers go really far with violence in their films. This one is no different. That Japanese killer is really cool, so you feel like rooting for him even though he's a beast - now that's what I call playing with conventions! I was genuinely shocked how explicit it was in depicting the first murder, but just like The Night Comes for Us you get used to the violence quickly. Also, don't break a murderer's heart. Ever. So, summing up, I'm kind of disgusted with it, but I'm still into that (*that's what she said* ).

Like Me (2017) -

Lolita Vibrator Torture meets Good Time while the director scrolls through an infinite Tumblr feed while watching The Shining somewhere in the background (but only noticing Nicholson's unkempt hair). Lovely.

Rent-a-Cat (2012) -

The warmest, cuddliest movie ever. :3 The best anime that actually isn't anime. A really beautiful film that filled the hole in my heart! The best pick-me-up ever if you're sad!

Glasses (2007) -

Another film from the same director (I hadn't even known this before I started watching!), and what a pleasant holiday film! Perfect to "twilight" to.

The Dybbuk (1937) -

A film in Yiddish language! Heavily draws from films of German Expressionism, but is much weaker technically. The simple story is quite interesting, though!

Flower & Snake 3 (2010) -

Pretty meh, and much weaker than the first two installments in the new trilogy. Well, it's not directed by Ishii. Maybe that's the problem. Still, the girl is pretty good-looking, and the plot acceptable albeit unoriginal.

A Gap in the Skin (2005) -

Instead of talking it's better to behave like animals. But apparently it says something about the animalistic nature of man, or something. Żuławski would be proud.

Save the Green Planet! (2003) -

The hero we need, but don't deserve! Dat ending I cri everytim. Nasty alien freaks!!!!111 Ghaaa, @Swan you alien!

Woman of Water (2002) -

Quite an elemental film. Not much conventional story-telling here, but I love the atmosphere.

Perfect Lives (1984) -

An opera for genuine retro-loving vapor-ephemeral-weird-wave posers. Apparently a masterpiece according to Letterboxd posers, but quite honestly these guys are more often wrong than right, and can't hold a candle to RYM posers. Both better than MoFo posers, though. Oh, wait... !!!

The Beasts (1980) -

Think Lost Souls, but not nearly as exploitative or good. The director has much better films, but this definitely wasn't bad!

Tag (2015) -

That somersaulting wild pig during a marathon stole my heart. That rotten Keiji Haino lookalike lout at the end, tho!!! And Sono goes feminism - not bad, but a little bit too on the nose. He also includes schoolgirl panty shots, and gets away with it! And you can't approve of it nor condemn it, because both make you look bad. Damn you, Sono!

Serial Experiments Lain (1998) -

Yes, I know it's a series. Great atmosphere and use of sound. The visuals are very solid, too! The first couple of episodes are the best, though!

Nun Story: Frustration in Black (1980) -

A decent nunsploitation pinku, but probably the weakest from all I've seen so far. The lead is pretty, though.

A Distant Cry From Spring (1980) -
Where Spring Comes Late (1970) -
The Yellow Handkerchief (1977) -
Home From the Sea (1972) -

Started my Yoji Yamada binge, and got punched in the guts right off the bat!

A Distant Cry From Spring is a perfect rehash of Shane embroidered with Yamada's genuine love for his characters, and his incredible skill of moving the viewer without resorting to maudlin sentimentalism. Instead, he slowly develops his characters, and then devices a powerful, climactic scene that makes you realize how close you feel to them. This holds true for all four Yamada films I've seen so far. With pure sincerity and simplicity of Ozu (albeit allowing himself to break away from the rigorous visual style of late Ozu), Yamada writes characters that above all feel human. This is a very important trait, because as far as I love exaggeration and stylization in film, I also crave for films that feel genuine and true, and these films deliver exactly this. Of course, movie elitist malcontents might whine about A Distant Cry From Spring's overtly idyllic story, but these guys only watch Bresson, and pronounce everything else worthless, don't they?

Where Spring Comes Late is perhaps his best I've seen so far. Starring Yamada's long-time muse (and my newest crush) Chieko Baisho (who played in all four of these as well as almost 50 (!!!) other Yamada films), and Ozu's favourite, a Japanese cinema veteran Chishu Ryu, it tells a story of a family's struggle in the form of a road movie. The ending is among the most beautiful, purifying and hopeful ever, so it's hard not to cry. Not out of sadness, but out of happiness, and this goes for all four of these films, too. Yamada seems to agree with Ozu's conservative (but not dogged in the least!) outlook on life, and that's fine, because it doesn't feel forced in the least, it's authentic.

The Yellow Handkerchief's poster is the worst in film history, because it spoils the ending of the film (!!!), but it's also an interesting instance of how a spoiled ending doesn't have to shatter your enjoyment of a film, and how a skillful director can make you forget what you know and still make you feel the suspense, and share the feeling of uncertainty with movie's characters. It's just so wonderful how along their journey, characters learn more and more about each other, and we learn more about them, too. Nothing ground-breaking, or innovative, of course, but something Yamada handles so well!

I think the more touchy viewers might find a certain beat slightly off putting. I mean, it contains a scene of what you could call an attempted rape, or at the very least gray area.
And the ending will probably make all hardline feminists butthurt. Not necessarily troublesome to me, but still quite weird. BUT SAYING THIS MIGHT COME OFF AS ODD COMING FROM A GUY WHO JUST WATCHED A FILM IN WHICH NUNS GET RAPED. What did I... Oh... Of course, there are remakes - both Japanese and American, but I can't possibly imagine how anyone could even get close to the level of Yamada's mastery.

Home From the Sea is the first Yamada that didn't make me cry (which makes it absolutely worthless, tbh /s), but it contains at least two extremely wonderful scenes (Chieko, you joking fiend ;_, again stars Chishu Ryu (who reprises his role of the best grandpa in the world ), and again talks about a simple life of a family. It's wonderful for what it is, for its simplicity and lack of pomp.

Black Board (1986) -
Human (1962) -

Apart from Yamada I decided to watch more Kaneto Shindo, and that too turned out to be a very good decision. Shindo excels as a writer, but he's an exceptionally good director, too.

Black Board is a harsh indictment of Japanese schools, and how they disregard pupil's well-being and safety in fear of losing status. It's about both schools and parents ignoring child's needs. It's about bullying at school, about the weakness of the teachers, and helplessness of the bullied, but also about the dangers of fighting a sword with a sword. It's about victims becoming perpetrators, and about perpetrators becoming victims. It's about irrevocable loss, about seeking the truth, about loneliness. And about sentimental popular songs listened from a radio in an old, abandoned boat. Not bad for one film, eh?

Human is a powerful and gruesome tale on the nature of man. I wasn't particularly fond of the ending. It seemed overtly moralizing. The quote that I first heard at school years ago and that stuck with me really fits the film: "Real hunger is when one man regards another man as something to eat." - Tadeusz Borowski, This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen

Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly (2008) -

I'll never forgive @resopamenic for never recommending me this little gem of a film. It's an equivalent of quirkiness cranked up to eleven. When it introduces one of its characters, it says "He wants to be Japanese" about one of them. We all know in reality it's all about reso!

The Buried Forest (2005) -

Every single frame is jaw-dropping! Interesting eerie, alien atmosphere quite reminiscent of August in the Water, although the film isn't as good.

Disneyland, mon vieux pays natal (2001) -

What would happen if Chris Marker went to Disneyland?

Perceval (1978) -

Turns out Eric Rohmer can make something else than a gay romance film! /s The mise en scene is nothing short of amazing. Perceval is retarded as hell, though.

They Call Her... Cleopatra Wong (1978) -



Very good kitsch! Godfrey Ho would be proud! Needs moar Cleo in nun costume, though. Or Cleo in general.

Elegy From Russia (1992) -

A minor Sokurov, but still very nice.

Ukrainian Rhapsody (1961) -

An underseen Parajanov! So beautiful audiovisually and I really dig that Soviet poetics so typical for films from the time. The Thaw was godsend for cinema!

Café Flesh (1982) -

I never thought I'm gonna say this, but TOO MUCH PORN. I wish this had more atmosphere and a little bit more to the plot, because the idea is interesting.

Whoa, I've actually seen that movie Minio, wtf.

But of course you did. This proves you're an alien! A final test now! Let's see if you can survive high voltage! It's so high no human would survive. If you survive, you're an alien!!!

Wuthering Heights (Andrea Arnold, 2011) -

Arnold applies her rough-yet-strangely-elegant approach to this adaptation of the classic novel that lingers and rustles across character and setting alike, resulting in something that I may or may not like more if I read the book (which I do want to do now) but which creates a favourable impression nonetheless.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Stephan Elliott, 1994) -

A local classic about three drag performers who have to take a trip into the outback that is still fairly enjoyable even as parts of it have noticeably aged in the quarter-century since its release.

Highlander (Russell Mulcahy, 1986) -

This one was a low-key favourite back in high school, but I haven't watched it in years and it just happened to be on TV one night. While I'm usually down for a spot of '80s cheese, it was this viewing that really drove home just how much dead air there really is in this film (like the entire sub-plot with the detectives) in between the lightning bolts and the clumsy-looking swordfights and the hilariously-acted leads.

Juno (Jason Reitman, 2007) -

I haven't seen this in full for maybe a decade and my impression of it was unfavourable (read: made a list of my least favourite movies ever), but I thought I'd try giving it another chance when it showed up on TV and, well, fool me twice etc. Even if you sandpaper away the many layers of aggravating quirk on display, what little is left proves a dull and unlikable story.

Out for Justice (John Flynn, 1991) -

I really need to stop bothering with Steven Seagal movies because they're just so damn meat-headed even by the standards of the day and even the odd amusing moment (he breaks a salami on a guy's head!) isn't enough to make the whole thing worthwhile.

A Silent Voice (Naoko Yamada, 2016) -

This high-school melodrama about a boy who wishes to atone for his bullying of a deaf classmate is a considerable mixed bag because it's at once filled with all sorts of overwrought slice-of-life anime antics and yet it all kind of works, though its moments of resonance are spaced so few and far between than I can't think of it as being any better than just alright.

The Age of Spin: Dave Chappelle Live at The Hollywood Palladium (Stan Lathan, 2017) -

Finally got around to checking out Chappelle's Netflix specials and, well, it's kind of funny. I'm never quite sure how to rate standup specials anyway - there are bits that make me laugh and sizeable stretches where I don't, so I think 2.5 is fair.

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Dave Chappelle Live at Austin City Limits (Stan Lathan, 2017) -

The problem with these specials is that when they're funny, they're funny, but when they get unfunny, they get really unfunny. It's one thing to hear Eddie Murphy do homophobic jokes in Raw because that's the '80s, but come on Dave, you're really doing this kind of material about trans people in the late-2010s? Sucks because there's some good stuff here but everything's just kind of soured after he gets #problematic.

Dave Chappelle: Equanimity (Stan Lathan, 2017) -

Hard to tell if his addressing the controversial jokes from his previous special is an honest attempt to improve matters or a recalcitrant doubling down or some weird combination of the two. Either way, it also sets a weird tone that hangs over the rest of a fairly enjoyable set.

Dave Chappelle: The Bird Revelation (Stan Lathan, 2017) -

Distinct from the other specials in how it sees Chappelle doing an impromptu sit-down set in a small comedy club rather than stand-up on a large stage and the material/production is similarly roughshod, but not without the same level of charm.

Green Book



A prejudiced Italian American bouncer/driver is tasked with driving a brilliant African American piano player across south for a concert tour. The tour takes place during segregation down south and in the months leading up-to Christmas.

I think the north star for diving into reviewing this movie is the director. That's not often the case with movies but it is for this movie. Its directed by Peter Farrelly. That tells us many things. The script would have to be passed on by lot of more established directors for it to land in his hands. These types of scripts usually come with possibility of an outrage. Movies that touch of sensitive topics often times are hot button issues. This movie has 2 leads , one is black and other is white. It is okay if its directed by black filmmaker but when its white the outrage starts. So going into awards season with a movie like this makes the whole landscape full of land mines.There are even problems associated with the director. He is a comedic director trying to make a serious movie. So there is certain amount of trepidation associated with that. Rather than judging by the movie on its own they bring in all their prejudices. It almost feels like they want to punish him on his current movie because he made comedies before. No one can call out critics on that.

As for the movie, It was uncomfortable at times. The movie gets the period feel right. You can feel the 60s. There is a lot of positivity in the movie. You get this warm feeling through out the movie. It is not unflinching. Movies about racism often times have those racist white characters that have an additional set of rules that jump into action if someone is trying to cross those rules. So you are always waiting for that racism aspect or use of n-word. This movie has those but since its dealing with segregation period its much more mellow and subtle. If i wanna look at positives of tackling subtle racism in a movie then this movie does it well. It gets the uncomfortable,sad and disturbing situation of Don Shirley right. But from what I see with the reactions of critics who didn't like the movie , most of them expecting it to be this hard hitting racism movie that ends with a downer where everyone is sad and miserable that racism existed. But the movie is not going for that. It is going for something more different. However I can't call it uncompromising.

As for the oscar bait accusation against the movie I completely disagree. Its a movie that is taking enormous risks. Its slow, smooth and patient. Subtle character reactions and actions make up for the drama in the movie. Nothing unrealistic happens in the movie. The movie is not trying to make racism a shock value tool. Most movies do that. They dramatize racist elements to get a reaction from audience. But not this. Even towards the end the movie deals with a very complicated psychological hurdles people have towards giving up their inherent racism. A scene where a host of a musical performance by Don Shirley try to negotiate a deal with Vigo Mortensen's character where he treats Don Shirley as an animal in a zoo that will dance for money. All these are uncomfortable. In the end the movie deals with racism but more importantly it deals with how do we overcome it. Dwelling on the racism is not going to change anything. If you want to dwell on it then go and watch tons of other movies that do that for you. But this is about how do we move on.

And you don't seem to understand
A shame you seemed an honest man
And all the fears you hold so dear
Will turn to whisper in your ear

I love this anime.

The Congress (Ari Folman, 2013) -

The Waltz with Bashir director creates another vibrantly-animated tale, this time a sci-fi satire where Robin Wright (playing a fictionalised version of herself) signs away her likeness to be used in computer-generated movies and, well, I feel like the less I say about its further developments the better. Needless to say, it is my kind of movie, though not enough so that I loved it.

A Star Is Born (George Cukor, 1954) -

Solid enough old-school musical tale where you can tell within the first few minutes just how the ensuing three hours are going to unfold but you still have a moderate amount of fun with the singing and the dancing and the increasingly-frequent lapses into serious drama.

A Star Is Born (Bradley Cooper, 2018) -

Probably not the best idea to watch this more or less back-to-back with the Cukor version as it may have its own handful of stand-out moments but not enough to elevate the whole thing.

End of Watch (David Ayer, 2012) -

After having seen five of his films, I think I'm just about done with giving David Ayer chances to impress me (though part of me still wants to see Street Kings if only for the Keanu factor). There's something vaguely novel about the pseudo-mockumentary approach that mixes up the visuals a bit but the underlying story really doesn't work for me.

High Sierra (Raoul Walsh, 1941) -

A fine example of outlaw-requiem cinema as Bogart's recently-paroled ex-con is brought in to pull a heist that's complicated not just by his unreliable accomplices but also Lupino's rough-and-tumble dame and his own sense of defeatist nobility. That and it's just a good time anyway.

The Sea Wolf (Michael Curtiz, 1941) -

A slight Jack London adaptation about a ship of lost souls being captained by a sadistic brute and how he is challenged by the latest handful of people to end up under his watch. Watchable, but nothing more.

The Imposter (Bart Layton, 2012) -

A documentary about a French con-man who improbably passed himself off as a missing American teenager to the point of being taken in by said teenager's family. Split between interviews with key players, archive footage, and dramatisations, it's a sporadically interesting tale that does centre around said impostor's actions being motivated by a severe identity crisis but even its tense dramatisations and shocking revelations do not come across as having much in the way of particular depth.

Inherit the Wind (Stanley Kramer, 1960) -

A solid courtroom drama where Spencer Tracy and Fredric March are lawyers who go head-to-head over a school's right to teach evolutionary theory in a small town extensively populated by creationist Christians. The leads are good (as is Gene Kelly showing some surprising range as a reporter) and the film still offers a tautly-written and compelling piece of work that finds room for nuanced characterisation and development while still remaining steadfast in its fundamental messaging.

Manhunt (John Woo, 2017) -

I guess this is about as good as I can expect a John Woo movie to be in 2018 as he filters an archetypal wrong-man plot through his usual heroic bloodshed tropes and comes up with set-pieces that are inventive enough to show he's still got it where it counts but not enough to truly make the whole film good.

They Shall Not Grow Old (Peter Jackson, 2018) -

A World War I documentary that is distinct in how it's built out of archival footage that has been painstakingly colourised and dubbed over in an attempt to create a more vivid representation of what life was like for a soldier back then, but there's still the question as to whether or not such a bold move ultimately works against the film by being vaguely disrespectful in trying to render this documentary footage "realistic".