Rate The Last Movie You Saw

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Legend of Hell (2012)

This was my first Olaf Ittenbach movie, and boy, do I wish it was also my last. He seems like a combination of Uwe Boll and Andreas Schnaas, a description that doesn't hold much promise. I guess I have to give him credit for being ambitious, though, as the movie's odd mixture of Italian barbarian film, Lucio Fulci, and Terrence Malick were so high above his abilities. Most of the practical effects are decent, but that's the only technical aspect of the film that doesn't suck. Mind-numbingly bad piece of cinematic turd.
Dard Divorce and No Reason are both much better, not that that's saying a lot.



The Untold Story (1993)

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This was one of the best Cat III movies I've seen. It's pretty sick, with the sickest part being that it's based on a true story. They added in an additional sick element that was rumored about said story. It's unbelievable to me that they made a movie like this based on such a tragic event. It also works as a dark comedy, is well made, and has a great lead performance. On YouTube with subtitles.



I understand. Incidentally, I just saved Jabberwocky on Amazon for a later watch.
I just felt so much that the movie dragged. And it never really engaged me on any level: characters, visuals, mood, etc.

I would be interested to hear from someone who really likes it. I really wanted to like it, and I don't even feel as though my standards were that high.



Registered User
Blade Runner 2049



Blade Runner is probably my favorite movie, and somehow I haven't seen this one until now. The most obvious thing I must get out of the way is how gorgeous this thing is. Most sci-fi movies are a boring mess of dumb metal **** and blue light, whereas this movie has some really awesome sets that give each locale a very different feel.

Just like the original (specifically the Final Cut, because that one is clearly the best version), this film can be pretty slow burning at times. There isn't too much crazy action, but I think that's a good thing, since it makes the moments where it does happen that much more meaningful.

To me the most compelling part of both films is the philosophical implications, and this doesn't disappoint. I have my own reservations about sharing and discussing movie interpretations, but you can certainly analyze this one for a while. There's some pretty obvious symbolism in here, and it's abundant with the same sorts of themes the first one presents, while also having some more subtle details that make me want to watch this one some more.

There are a couple of parts in this movie that aren't as gripping as the rest, as well as some non-sensical plot elements, but overall this is a very worthy sequel to a movie that shouldn't of had one in the first place.

Ryan Gosling really does have a knack for playing badass social retards, doesn't he?

Please tell me, who played Rutger Hauer's part? He had some big shoes to fill.



Victim of The Night
I still like The Dark Crystal.....warts and all.
Whaddya mean?
The Dark Crystal, given that the viewer understands what the film is, is a delightful picture.



Victim of The Night
I gotta be honest, though I have been a huge fan of Blade Runner since it's incept date in 1981, I found this unnecessary sequel to be a dreary, great-looking bore.



The trick is not minding
Whaddya mean?
The Dark Crystal, given that the viewer understands what the film is, is a delightful picture.
Oh, don’t get me wrong, it’s a wonderful film, but it had issues with its pace.



Please tell me, who played Rutger Hauer's part? He had some big shoes to fill.

Technically nobody.
Though both Ryan Gosling's as well as Dave Baustista's characters could be deemed similar (if I am stretching) to Hauer's character. Especially Baustista. And he was great in his small part.

@Weasel I hope you watched the three shorts, before watching the sequel.



I think of B&BL as a joy and a highly influential picture. I'm not sure I even cared what they were saying.
That's exactly what I meant by style over substance. Even though I found it lacking in other aspects, the visuals were strong enough to make the flaws less flagrantly annoying (in my humble view).
Admittedly, Italian Giallo is not a genre I've seen much of - I guess either you get the overall aesthetic or you don't - but I'll try to explore more when I can.



is thouroughly embarrassed of this old username.
Ok back again for Bond watch.

GoldenEye (Martin Campbell, 1995)
Omfg I hate the 90's so much. Every character is so unbelievably annoying because in the 90's everyone gets to be the snarky one. Like, I expect a handful of lousy quips from Bond throughout a film but no, I can't deal with every line from every character being a dumbass quip. Also, the music sucks. Also, Brosnan sucks. Nothing even remotely interesting happens until well over an hour in. There's some solid stunts but they're all shot bad and the fight scene at the end is good despite being only mid-shots and Izabella Scorupco has a really cute outfit I'm jealous of and those are the only positives the film has. Otherwise in the bin with this.


Tomorrow Never Dies (Roger Spottiswoode, 1997)
Alright so the real star of the show here is the lighting, or I guess rather how it's captured (I don't have the technical know-how to specify why it looks so good unfortunately), as every outdoor or shot-on-location scene is gorgeous with a lot of grit and texture to it but never at the expense of clarity. Scenes with obvious studio lighting are a bit hit-or-miss for me; at their best they still look top notch and at their worst they just have an (intentional) pop 90's look that I'm not much a fan of. Despite every aspect of the film getting overshadowed by the lighting, most the other elements are still solid enough. Our villain is a pretty interesting concept but still feels like a natural fit for a Bond film which caries the film through some of the more by-the-numbers plot developments and theirs some neat moments in terms of action set pieces, though nothing at all mind-blowing which is a bit sad considering Michelle Yeoh is in the cast. In the end that's really what holds the film back, lots of good stuff but very little great stuff.


Current Bond rankings:

01. From Russia with Love
02. Thunderball
03. The Spy Who Loved Me
04. Diamonds are Forever
05. Moonraker
06. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
07. Licence to Kill
08. Tomorrow Never Dies
09. Dr. No
10. The Man with the Golden Gun
11. Octopussy
12. A View to a Kill
13. For Your Eyes Only
14. Live and Let Die
15. You Only Live Twice
16. The Living Daylights
17. Goldfinger
18. GoldenEye
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and for the other things I've watched:

Wax: Or the Discovery of Television Among the Bees (David Blair, 1991) (rewatch)
Probably one of the all-time greats. The vibe is just unmatched and there's just no other film like it. It's like San Soleil meets Xavier: Renegade Angel or something.


Pieces of a Woman (Kornel Mondruczo, 2020)
Starts off promising but just turns into generic melodrama. Inconsistent performances, some really cheesy writing and a completely baffling score.


The First Movie on the Internet: Volumes A,B,C,D (David Blair, 2020)
The long-awaited, 7-hour prologue to the follow-up to Wax and its even more dense and mind-bending than its predecessor. Watching this feels like someone's massaging your brain like a bowl of spaghetti at a school haunted house (or whatever the trope is). It doesn't quite have the feel of the first film (being a dirt-cheap indie project from 2020) but its every bit as imaginative and fulfilling as I could have hoped for.





Pretty good animated movie about a soldier trying to figure out why he can't remember anything that happened during his time serving in the Israeli military. He visits fellow soldiers who retell their accounts of what happened in turn helping him fill in the missing pieces. A very different kind of war film and the animation style had me hooked from the first scene.



Belladonna of Sadness (1973)

A bit like Yellow Submarine but better and leaning more towards a bad trip. It's too psychedelic for my tastes, there are too many flashing lights, and too many static images zoomed and panned instead of real animation. I loved the music, though, and there are quite a few beautiful scenes. I kinda respect the unapologetic vision but didn't really enjoy it that much. Still worth a watch.
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Nine to Five (1980)

This is fun, not great, but Dolly Parton demonstrates why she is so beloved, and Dabney Coleman's a-hole boss mercifully learns nothing along the way. Rightfully, this is about a 7/10, but it's tempting to give it a 10/10 just for prompting this response from Ronald Reagan. What an absolute clownshow that dingbat was.





The Man Who Laughs (1928)
Directed by Paul Leni
Starring: Mary Philbin, Conrad Veidt, Brandon Hurst, Olga Baclanova

Have been wanting to see this for ages. Did not disappoint. Way more in it than I was expecting. Not being familiar with Victor Hugo's original story before, I found a lot of it to be very moving and engaging. Many beautiful sentiments and interesting characters throughout. And a lot of the fine and imaginative art generally unique to those silent pictures, particularly related to German expressionism, with a lot of subsequent influence. A true classic film.

10/10



Belladonna of Sadness (1973)

A bit like Yellow Submarine but better and leaning more towards a bad trip. It's too psychedelic for my tastes, there are too many flashing lights, and too many static images zoomed and panned instead of real animation. I loved the music, though, and there are quite a few beautiful scenes. I kinda respect the unapologetic vision but didn't really enjoy it that much. Still worth a watch.
I rated it a tad higher, but overall I agree. Still, I think is a must-see for any cinephile.

Here is my review on Letterboxd, FWIW.
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All About My Mother- 10/10

What a masterful movie, it might be Almodovar's Magnum Opus.



THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS
(1966, Pontecorvo)
A film from the Criterion Collection whose number includes the #2 (#249)



"It's hard to start a revolution. Even harder to continue it. And hardest of all to win it. But, it's only afterwards, when we have won, that the true difficulties begin."

The documentary-style gives the film a gritty and realistic vibe. Without leaning heavily into any side, it helps to get a better understanding of how this war unfolded. There are no good guys or bad guys; just people fighting for their place and what they think is right. The portrayals of urban and guerrilla warfare, torture, and the extents to which each side would go to "win" is well handled.

On the other hand, this approach limits the emotional connection we can have with any character. Not that it was the goal of the film or that it *needed* it, but I felt it could've been good to have someone more tangible to hold onto. La Pointe is an enigmatic and probably interesting character, but we never get to really explore his way of thinking, or of any character actually. He's more of a blank slate than an open book.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot



The Borderlands (2013)
aka Final Prayer

Pretty dull and amateurish found footage horror that at least has some nice ideas. Not a fan of the genre, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. The acting was objectively bad, though.

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Peopletoys (1974)
aka Devil Times Five, The Horrible House on the Hill

Way too slow for a film like this. There's some unintentional camp, but otherwise, it's a positively nihilistic film. It's kinda silly how these psycho kids manage to kill multiple adults. It's definitely not on par with Who Can Kill a Child? or The Children, but it's not complete trash either.