24th Hall of Fame

I could use a La Dolce Vita link with subtitles if anybody has one.

I got one.

Thank you

Happy viewing!

I just watched Rudderless. Not my kind of movie but for something that I expected to suck balls it was surprisingly OK. More on a proper review.

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Antwone Fisher

There are plenty of moving moments and lines in this powerful yet glossy drama and directorial debut of Denzel Washington, the standout for me being when Antwone, while recounting a childhood friend's tragic demise, says "he's lucky cause he don't have to fight no more." It resonates because it defines how Antwone lives seemingly every moment of his life whether they're altercations with his fellow naval officers or internal ones with his personal demons. The way Antwone’s psychiatrist Dr. Davenport convinces him to reveal these demons and their accompanying flashbacks definitely struck a chord. They made me think about the pivotal moments in my life and thankfully in a way that is neither tasteless nor invasive. This was likely no small feat for Washington, especially considering the ugliness of Antwone's demons. The actor/director's decision to show the exterior of the basement during Antwone's time with his foster mother's daughter Nadine, for instance, is tasteful without discounting how traumatic the experience was for him. I also appreciated the natural and endearing performances of Derek Luke as Antwone and Joy Bryant as love interest Cheryl as well as the stylistic touches like the dream sequence and first-person perspective while Antwone walks into his mother's apartment. The movie falls short of greatness, however, mostly because of what happens during Antwone's third act search for his birth mother. While I applaud how the movie concludes Dr. Davenport's arc, the change we see in Antwone is a little too pat and complete. I don't mean to discount the real Antwone Fisher's life story, the value of facing your demons or of finding true love, but all these steps only seem like half the battle. Again, this is a strong directorial debut that deserves credit for its strong performances and for handling serious subjects like abuse and childhood trauma in mature and unique ways. I just wish the warm fuzzies I felt at the conclusion were more earned.

Hoping to get some more lists in here soon. If not, I'll finish the 2 films I have left myself and submit mine

Anyways I intended on getting to La Dolce Vita rewatch today anyways.

My list has been done for awhile. I'd submit it as soon as we know if Moviegal's nom is in or out.

It mine as well be out at this point.....

Unless anybody else has heard from her?

I also haven't heard from Suspect about this in awhile so I'm not sure about Rudderless

I just submitted my voting list. Yahoo

I'll keep this short in case suspect doesn't finish (though I think he does, isn't he watching films on the last day for all of these).

Rudderless (2014)

I'm not a fan of tearjerker dramas (sometimes it feels like I'm not a fan of anything). Rudderless doesn't go over the top with its emotions, and I think it works to its advantage. The first act is probably the weakest (partially because it tries to fool the viewer, and that false sense of the tragedy is forced too hard on the audience). After that, the story moves better and leaves some room for the characters.


I agree with most of you that Rudderless has a TV movie feel to it. The story doesn't flow naturally, and too many scenes feel forced; in other words, the film feels too scripted. It's like Quentin's ploy about the bass player. And the bar scenes have a way too enthusiastic audience (looks more like a bad MTV music video - if they'd still show music videos). The music isn't anything special either, but it never annoyed me, so I guess it did its job.

So, not my kind of movie, but I kinda liked the character. Sadly it didn't give them enough freedoms but forced them into too many scenes that only railroaded the story. Oh, and I liked how it basically asked whether art can be separated from the artist (yes, IMO).

I saw him mention a couple of days ago that he had to catch up.

Yeah, he posted today in the Movie Roulette thread, and a couple of days ago said that about "catching up".

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Set some years after World War II, In a Glass Cage follows Angelo (David Sust), a young man that seems to be set on taking revenge on Klaus (Günter Meisner), a former Nazi doctor and pedophile murderer. To do this, Angelo poses as a nurse interested in taking care of Klaus, who is bound to an "iron lung" after a suicide attempt. Despite the reluctance of Klaus' wife (Marisa Paredes), Klaus insists, which leads to Angelo taking control of the house while torturing and tormenting the doctor by reenacting his former crimes.

It is not clear why Klaus insists in hiring Angelo, it might've part blackmail, part intrigue from his part, but it is clear why Angelo wants to be there. After all, it's pretty obvious he's one of Klaus' former victims. The above exchange occurs at a point when Klaus realizes that Angelo is up to no good and that he and his family are actually in danger. However, Rena (Gisela Echevarría), his young and "naïve" daughter, who has taken a liking to Angelo, is more dismissive. After all, he's just changing things up and "fixing the house".

Pulling this curtain here... putting some wire fence there... burning this furniture here... getting rid of the housekeeper... and torturing the Nazi pedophile murderer in the "iron lung". Those are some of the items on Angelo's checklist to "fix the house". Rena, who is a victim of abuse from her mother, welcomes him because she sees it as an opportunity for things to change. But pretty soon she realizes that Angelo's goal is not to "fix" or change things, but to change himself, and as a result, those around him, for better or worse.

In a Glass Cage was controversial due to its themes of pedophilia, torture, and murder. But even though I agree that the content is disturbing, I was surprised to see that there's more under the surface. In a way, it reminded me of Martyrs, which is also a disturbing, tough-to-watch film that ultimately is much more than meets the eye. This film ends up being an interesting exploration of the effects of violence and abuse, and the resulting endless cycle it begets.

The budget does show from time to time, but overall, Villaronga's direction was clean and the performances were quite solid, particularly Sust. This is made more impressive by the fact that this is the first film for both of them. As for the story, I think it has a nice pace as things escalate gradually, and the ending packs a punch.

Grade:

I watched The Secret in Their Eyes this morning and will write a review soonish. I more or less liked it but will need some time to gather my thoughts and form the final opinion.

Assuming moviegal is no longer with us, that leaves me with just one more film to see.

La Dolce Vita



There's a lot going on in this movie, yet it's not to chaotic. The movie is very open to interpretation and there's probably a lot of ways to look at it's meanings, and I can certainly dig that in a film. Marco Mastroianni does a terrific job in the lead role, and there's a very iconic performance from Anita Ekberg. I like how the movie jumps around with Mastroiannis character in different social situations. Often people who know people are never seen connected, but here we get a view of a plethora of people whom he knows. He kind of jumps from being a different person based off of who he's with. I think that's something that is realistic in life. And technically the movie is just pure beauty. The screenshots are awesome, that opening scene with the statue was just excellent filming. This is the movie that brings all of Fellini's strengths to the table, whereas I've often felt his other films are just fragments of film although there are more I still have to seek out. 1960 sure was a damn strong year. This is up there on my favorites list, and is a pretty good bet to show on my foreign list. For whatever reason it speaks to me far more than 8 1/2 ever has.

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The Secret in Their Eyes is all I've got left, and I'm going to watch that next week.

Internet has been going off and out the last few days here, so I haven’t been able to watch anything. I have a review of Rudderless to type out, since I was able to watch it before the issues, so expect that soon.

The Whisperers

Mrs. Ross: Hello? Are you there?

A sad story filmed beautifully with truly amazing acting. Not only by Edith Evans, but by pretty much everyone. Not once did I feel like I was watching a film; (except when I was forever appreciating the cinematography) since everyone and everything felt very, very real. Including my worry and dread for Mrs. Ross. Even more so when she was in the care of the hospital. Those moments of being passed along through the system really struck a chord in me. Emphasizing her loneliness, even more than her walking alone on the streets of Manchester, to those times in her apartment.

While the whole stolen money scenario did seem, at first, out of place, considering where she lived, where crime and graft held more promise than sitting in line at the local welfare office, it was a necessary addition to the meager living of an elderly woman who believes she was, once upon a time, in a more promising way. But then, who amongst us haven't fantasized in some form or fashion?

I thoroughly appreciated that this wasn't a Statement about the elderly, the poor, humanity, the assistance via governmental institutes. . . It was something better.
We visited a Day in the Life of Mrs. Ross. Intimately. Through those amazingly expressive eyes and we experienced everything as she did. Not as we are wont to do by distancing ourselves or being unnecessarily callous because of our internal repulsions/fears of living such a life. Of being old.

The final statement is left blank for us to fill in.
Or, to be left blank all together. Depending on one's disposition.

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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes

~Mr Minio