Rate The Last Movie You Saw

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Rewatch:
Andrei Rublev (1966) -


Boriska chapter always give me goosebumps. the way andrei keeps observing the wit of the anxious young artist from distance, that led the turning point of his existential question.
What an allegory of artist and their vision in collaborative art amid the absurdity of their motherland turnmoils.




Woodsman (2004). Never saw a movie like this before. Kevin Bacon risked a great deal taking this role portraying a child molester. The stars did their jobs well in that they depicted flawed people interacting with other flawed people. But I find the subject matter (deviant behavior) is incredibly revolting.



Nine Queens (2000) 7.5/10 Fun heist movie, well done. However, the audio is Spanish with English subtitles. This surprised me as the DVD cover was all written in English. Similar to the movie The Sting, the switcheroos and double crossings made my head spin.



Terror in a Texas Town (1958)

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Short and sweet, I watched this because it's on the current westerns list. I thought it had a very noirish feel to it and it features excellent performances from Sterling Hayden and Nedrick Young. I'm pretty sure it's the first western I've seen that features a whale harpoon as a weapon. There's a perfect copy on YouTube.





I can't rate this one. It may sound sci-fi but it's not. Okay, a few astronauts travel from Earth to another Earth Like planet where the inhabitants stopped evolving in the 12 or 13th century. They're stuck in the dark ages. The movie follows Don Rumata and he is the astronaut considered a God. He is there to help them move forward, get out of their middle ages rut but he can't alter their history or politics... at all. This all revealed in the first 5 minutes in voice over. The next 2 hours and 55 minutes is...haven't got a clue. This is without a doubt the strangest movie I've ever seen. It doesn't have a traditional (or any) plot to follow. The camera just kind of wanders around this dreary, muddy town where the folks are constantly breaking the fourth wall (sometimes just looks and sometimes talking to us) which just adds to the overall weirdness. Most of the shots are close ups yet there is a ton of stuff going on in each frame. Things dropping in frame, stuff happening off the shoulders of the guy in close up, etc. There's dialogue that gets spoken out of the blue that doesn't make any sense. Maybe lost in translation? Apparently there is some kind of war against intellectuals so if you show any signs of wanting to be educated you ain't long for this world. It's a 3 hour, Russian, b&w movie and I have no idea what it's about but it can't be bad or I would have drug up long before it finished yet I don't think I liked it either. The only thing I know for certain is the filmmaking/technical aspects of this are pretty amazing.



Last Stop on the Night Train (1975)


Not really a Giallo i think but this is a pretty decent film. Exploitation more but a bit deeper and quite unnerving. The storyline beats the acting but there are genuine shocks and the atmosphere is kept taught. Liked this and may have to look at others in the genre.




Knives Out

10/10

I love the intricate plotline, the dialogue is superb and the story itself is unique and interesting. I know a few critics bashed it for being "predictable" but I did'nt think it was.
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Δύο άτομα. Μια μάχη. Κανένας συμβιβασμός.



Parasite (2019)



Good enjoyable tale and well plotted. Oscar-worthy? What is?





Ad Astra (2019)

Having heard some negativity about this film, it was pleasantly surprising how absorbing this production was. The first half especially was impressive in its freshness and intrigue. The film periodically borrowed from 2001: A Space Odyssey, but then most space films have.

The story went a little off the rails in the second half, although it's tricky to pinpoint why. Each individual scene worked very well as produced, but the overall premise of the picture seemed too far-fetched for the stated time setting of "the near future". Having astronauts able to ply the far reaches of Neptune and the limits of our solar system wouldn't seem achievable until centuries into the future.

The performances were first rate, and it occurred to me while observing Brad Pitt's portrayal that he is a much better actor to whom I'd previously given credit. His character is reserved, subtle and nuanced, and always feels genuine. Tommy Lee Jones too is first rate in a performance that is more introspective than his usual roles. He has comparatively little screen time, but he makes the most of it.

The picture's special effects and cinematography are top of the line, which one might expect in this type of production. And once the premise is accepted, most of the action is impressive: the Moon chase sequences, the attacks within a biomedical research station, and the rings of Neptune are all memorable.

The PG-13 rating was appreciated. The film avoided the unnecessary trappings of R-rated triteness. This may be a "space opera", but it is solidly earth bound (in contrast to Star Wars and the like). So the draw of Earth as being home are never ignored, and is able to set up a gratifying ending.

This is my favorite of director/writer James Gray's pictures. Had I realized his previous film was The Lost City of Z, it would have caused me even more reluctance to see Ad Astra. But I'm a sucker for happy endings, and it appears as though Gray has the same predilection. We'll be looking forward to his next picture.

Doc's rating 7/10



21 Bridges (2019)



A bit obvious but a good little story of police corruption.




The Art Of Self Defense

Well I thought that was rather surprisingly brilliant and very clever, in equal measure hilarious and bloody dark, wasn't sure how much was going to like at the end simply because I was finding it was a bit cold with the humour and the darkness and just didn't know where it was heading or saying but it was nicely done with an injection of heart at the end and a kind of summary that I greatly appreciated... some parts remind me of The Lobster.. not sure Ive liked something so much with Jesse Eisenberg, he was great in this, perfect for the role.. Imogen Poots was good too

I realise now that her being a woman will prevent her from ever becoming a man

+
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Do you know what a roller pigeon is, Barney? They climb high and fast, then roll over and fall just as fast toward the earth. There are shallow rollers and deep rollers. You can’t breed two deep rollers, or their young will roll all the way down, hit, and die. Officer Starling is a deep roller, Barney. We should hope one of her parents was not.



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.

The Staggering Girl (Luca Guadagnino, 2019)
6/10
Jerry Lewis: The Man Behind the Clown (Gregory Monro, 2016)
+ 6.5/10
Victor Crowley (Adam Green, 2017)
5/10
To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (Michael Fimognari, 2020)
+ 6/10

The romance of Noah Centineo and Lana Condor continues, just a tad less entertaining.
Charlie's Angels (Elizabeth Banks, 2019)
5.5/10
Exposure (Austin Snell, 2018)
4/10
The Party's Just Beginning (Karen Gillan, 2018)
+ 5/10
Queen & Slim (Melina Matsoukas, 2019)
6.5/10

The "Black Bonnie & Clyde" (Jodie Turner-Smith & Daniel Kaluuya) take a brief rest.
Jumanji: The Next Level (Jake Kasdan, 2019)
- 6.5/10
Where We Go from Here (Anthony Meindl, 2019)
6/10
Where's My Roy Cohn? (Matt Tyrnauer, 2019)
7/10
The Mole People (Virgil Vogel, 1956)
+ 4.5/10

Although the Mole People are slaves, they just want to get along.
Naz & Maalik (Jay Dockendorf, 2015)
5.5/10
The Medusa Touch (Jack Gold, 1978)
6/10
Stray (Joe Sill, 2019)
5/10
Gargoyles (B.W.L. Norton, 1972)
5.5/10

Gargoyle Bernie Casey wants Jennifer Salt to lay some eggs.
Everyone's Hero (3 Directors, 2006)
6/10
Murder à la Mod (Brian De Palma, 1968)
+ 5/10
Phantom of the Paradise (Brian De Palma, 1974)
6.5/10
Dolittle (Stephen Gaghan, 2020)
5.5/10

Dr. Dolittle (Robert Downey, Jr.) needs to communicate with a certain octopus.
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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
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A Star Is Born (1954) 8/10 Judy Garland and James Mason deliver wonderful performances making this movie very enjoyable. On a side note, it was cool to recognize shooting locations from around the Warner Brothers property.



Heartbreakers: 8/10