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Beasts of the Southern Wild(2012)

Beasts of the Southern Wild is an expertly made coming of age film about post Katrina life in Louisiana . It tells the story of a community and of a father and daughter in this remote area. Everything about this film is elevated, it doesn't feel like a film made for less for 2 million dollars. You have a large cast that's well used, CGI that looks great, fantastic music (the score is the best part) and great performances from the two leads.


Not to say the film doesn't have it's flaws so much of the story is familiar almost cliche'd. But is a cliche'd story a bad thing when it's well executed. If I have a criticism of the film it would be the third act isn't great.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
The Day of the Jackal

Fred Zinnemann is a director you rarely hear spoken about. Yet, looking at his filmography, it’s one that stand on its own merits and accomplishments. This is a director of such films like High Noon, From Here to Eternity, A Man for all Seasons. And Of course, The Day of the Jackal.

Jackal starts off grabbing you and never really letting go. It doesn’t have much in the way of action, but rather is a slow burning thriller that builds up right until the climax.

The Jackal, An assassin, is hired to kill De Gaulle, and most of the film features him planning it. Somehow, this makes for an interesting approach, with Zinnemann taking some Interesting camera shots and scenes such as one following behind a biker delivering a message and another of the Jackal testing out his new gun. But of the Intrigue is the mysterious nature of The Jackal. We never really learn his true identity.

A detective is hired to catch him, and their game of cat and mouse is fascinating to watch, with The Jackal somehow always staying one step ahead. It isn’t done with intense actions scenes, but rather a sense of foreboding.

The film isn’t without its issues. There’s about 20 minutes that involves a woman The Jackal meets to keep himself hidden, that really doesn’t serve the film well and drags it down somewhat. But once we’re past that, it picks itself back up. And we watch as it slowly winds it’s way to the inevitable showdown between the detective and The Jackal. One worth the wait.
Complete agreement with pretty much everything. One minor exception was that I enjoyed the scenes with the woman. It served, for me, as an additional layer to the cunning/ruthlessness of the Jackal along with his determination to do what needs must.

Also, like you, it does seem like Zimmerman is not often spoken of even with the accomplishments you listed.
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The trick is not minding
Complete agreement with pretty much everything. One minor exception was that I enjoyed the scenes with the woman. It served, for me, as an additional layer to the cunning/ruthlessness of the Jackal along with his determination to do what needs must.

Also, like you, it does seem like Zimmerman is not often spoken of even with the accomplishments you listed.
Yeah, I get that point. But on the other hand, the scene with the man he had met in the Turkish Bath accomplished that determination and ruthlessness much more effectively.
I felt a certain pity for the man, who had clearly liked The Jackal, and added more to their “relationship”, such as shaking a lobster in his direction in a flirty way, while the woman was plain lust, as she knew he was wanted by the police, yet allowed him to enter her home just so she could bang him again.
How each scene is handled is a stark difference.
But that’s a minor quibble in an otherwise excellent film. Sometimes films don’t hold up on a second viewing, but this one actually improved upon it.







Antwone Fisher


I really miss the mid budget drama, it's just such a welcome return to see one of these as it's been so long. Antwone Fisher is Denzel Washington's directorial debut film based on a novel and centers around an angry young man and the psychiatrist that helps him. And while the film is far from perfect it is very well made and engaging.


The story jumps from several points in Antwone's life from his childhood (the powerful scenes) to his teenage years, to the present. It's a very thoughtful film. I admire the attempt to capture the AA experience for a man/boy in the system even if the execution doesn't always work. We get several fairly impactful scenes near the end, Denzel knows drama and he's very good at catching it.


My big issue with the film is Denzel gives the same sort of performance he always gives in this. He's got that cadence in his speech and often times I wish I wouldn't hear it. I think the psychological issues of Luke's character could have been handled better. I don't feel like Fisher is the same character in the liquor store as he is during his fights.



I didn't love it but I would recommend it...don't know where I'm going to place it.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Yeah, I get that point. But on the other hand, the scene with the man he had met in the Turkish Bath accomplished that determination and ruthlessness much more effectively.
I felt a certain pity for the man, who had clearly liked The Jackal, and added more to their “relationship”, such as shaking a lobster in his direction in a flirty way,
while the woman was plain lust, as she knew he was wanted by the police, yet allowed him to enter her home just so she could bang him again.
How each scene is handled is a stark difference.
But that’s a minor quibble in an otherwise excellent film. Sometimes films don’t hold up on a second viewing, but this one actually improved upon it.
Quite valid and excellent observation. I wonder if it may have been a judgment call for the year that it was made in '73 and how the necessity for an American public dictated the woman as well. Or, on a simpler note, it's an added note that even sexual preference has nothing to do with his professional agenda.

This one was also more enjoyable during my second viewing, and I can imagine building on subsequent views.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé




Antwone Fisher


I really miss the mid budget drama, it's just such a welcome return to see one of these as it's been so long. Antwone Fisher is Denzel Washington's directorial debut film based on a novel and centers around an angry young man and the psychiatrist that helps him. And while the film is far from perfect it is very well made and engaging.


The story jumps from several points in Antwone's life from his childhood (the powerful scenes) to his teenage years, to the present. It's a very thoughtful film. I admire the attempt to capture the AA experience for a man/boy in the system even if the execution doesn't always work. We get several fairly impactful scenes near the end, Denzel knows drama and he's very good at catching it.


My big issue with the film is Denzel gives the same sort of performance he always gives in this. He's got that cadence in his speech and often times I wish I wouldn't hear it. I think the psychological issues of Luke's character could have been handled better. I don't feel like Fisher is the same character in the liquor store as he is during his fights.



I didn't love it but I would recommend it...don't know where I'm going to place it.
Denzil is as Denzil does.
He is of that breed that the personality remains constant. Only the occupation, location, and time frame changes.
He's excellent at what he does, but it's still a Different Occupation Same Denzil.
Which is not a critique but an agreement on observation.



The trick is not minding
Quite valid and excellent observation. I wonder if it may have been a judgment call for the year that it was made in '73 and how the necessity for an American public dictated the woman as well. Or, on a simpler note, it's an added note that even sexual preference has nothing to do with his professional agenda.

This one was also more enjoyable during my second viewing, and I can imagine building on subsequent views.
It’s possible. And I agree with his sexual preference. People are used only as far as they can advance his agendas. *
I will say, For a film with such little action, it really had a way of ratcheting the suspense up. It had a been a few years years since I had seen this, but rewatching it was almost like watching it all over again. And I was able to catch what I might have missed the first time.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
It’s possible. And I agree with his sexual preference. People are used only as far as they can advance his agendas. *
I will say, For a film with such little action, it really had a way of ratcheting the suspense up. It had a been a few years years since I had seen this, but rewatching it was almost like watching it all over again. And I was able to catch what I might have missed the first time.
I had mentioned that in my review and I remember @gandalf26 addressing the same thing when he had it as a one-pointer in the All-Time Refresh Countdown, inspiring me to watch it finally, then nominate it here. I found it pretty amazing that a film that focused purely on the practical aspect of planning kept the tension better than one where a constant barrage of action kept the pace moving along.



The trick is not minding
I had mentioned that in my review and I remember @Gandalf addressing the same thing when he had it as a one-pointer in the All-Time Refresh Countdown, inspiring me to watch it finally, then nominate it here. I found it pretty amazing that a film that focused purely on the practical aspect of planning kept the tension better than one where a constant barrage of action kept the pace moving along.
Tension! Yes! That’s a great word for it!
Also, have you seen The American? An excellent film with a similar vibe, although a little more action. It owes a debt to Jackal in my opinion.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Tension! Yes! That’s a great word for it!
Also, have you seen The American? An excellent film with a similar vibe, although a little more action. It owes a debt to Jackal in my opinion.
Yes I have, LOVE that flick! And yeah, a very similar vibe to The Jackal.
Ben Affleck in The Accountant is another one.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
It was very much a surprise watch, at how well it was done. Like The American, there is more action but it addresses the practical side like the other two, so I'd totally recommend it for ya.



We've gone on holiday by mistake
Glad you like The Day of the Jackal @Wyldesyde19. I could talk about that masterpiece all day.

The "tension" really goes up a notch at the end when the Jackal disappears after killing his Turkish Bath friend, and we're left with the entire apparatus of France's security services fumbling around trying to find him on Liberation Day, and despite having a few clues we the audience are left in the dark as to his final moves until he appears at last. Filming a lot of that sequence on the actual Liberation Day itself makes it all feel so much more real.

In regards to the woman taking up too much time perhaps, but it's the one time the Jackal suffers a bit of a mishap having a car accident, I read the book once and I don't think he intended to revisit the woman at her house, it's more of a plan B because he has a car accident. He's so good that he's setting up back up plans along the way.

I enjoyed the American too, what a horrible existence Clooney's assassin has not knowing who to trust or if he has been marked for death and who by.
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