Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Etsy is not deserving of attention in my view, however, fun fact: it was named after a phrase in 8 ½.

Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23516822

Bronson - (2008) - DVD rewatch

Bronson was one of those movies I was wowed by, and bought the DVD intending to watch it again at my leisure. That leisure expanded to over a decade, but I'm finally there. So, was I as wowed? Not so much. But that's not to say it isn't a good film. It takes Michael Peterson (aka Charles Bronson, aka Charles Ali Ahmed, aka Charles Salvador,) one of Britain's most violent and famous prison inmates, and gives us an insight into who he is, or who he wants to be. The film does this by allowing Bronson to present his own life to us, via a strange kind of vaudeville act. He tells us he felt he was always destined for some kind of greatness - but isn't quite sure in what way. Whatever he wanted to be, the man sure is violent. This violence colours the film like paint colours a canvas.

One of the things I really enjoyed about it was that it's sure not a biopic, and it will not blandly present facts. Instead Bronson's life behind bars is presented in a musical way. What music there was in the background swells to the forefront as blood, faeces, shoe polish - you name it - become war paint, and fists/batons fly. Despite all of this, he is portrayed as a likeable character - though extremely eccentric. Tom Hardy also spends a great deal of the film nude, his johnson swinging around for all to see. I've never seen a name actor spend as much time in front of the camera with full frontal nudity. Bronson and Hardy - neither are what you'd call shy. It's all a bit of performance, from vaudeville to dancing (for that's what the violence often looks like to me ) to painting. Perhaps Bronson simply wants to perform and represent who he is through some kind of artistic expression.

Hardy's performance is great. Darkness and shadows transform to harsh red light to a bright neon insane asylum glow - I enjoyed the lighting. The choreography of his violence. The way he dresses (or lacks any clothing) and the way he paints himself. Towards the end even his drawings come to life. I enjoyed all of that. Bronson becomes his own canvas as an artist - and that canvas comes to life and becomes a living work of art.

Special Features - The director's commentary was horrible. He spends 15 minutes talking about casting Tom Hardy, paying no attention to what is going on. Would be fine, but he keeps digressing and the things he has to tell us aren't interesting or what I'd call the crux of the film. Disappointing. Teaser. Trailer. An interview with that darn director, Nicolas Winding Refn, who has nevertheless made some great, great films after Bronson.

7/10

Great review. Yes Bronson was a fascinating movie. Hardy gave a great performance.

Very interesting film. I liked how it was artistic at times (much like Bronson himself) and gave some insight into the true person.

I like the DVD special features, the interview with Hardy was interesting to see some of his thought process behind it.

The director seems like a very strange guy but he made a cool film so I can’t complain.

9 / 10 for me. No complaints here.

Look at that subtle off-white coloring. The tasteful thickness of it.

At this point, I’m tempted to call all of the above ‘spamming’, as it’s deeply irrelevant.

been huge fan of scarlett johansson for long time and been fan of Natasha Romanoff aka black widow for long time aswell, im glad they chose scarlett johansson as Natasha Romanoff. loved the movie and make sure to watch end credits also if ur a big marvel fan like me

This is my favorite Fincher, actually.

Oh, I thought that we were sharing a moment of psychopathic appreciation. My bad.

I would like that very much. But, alas.

It's very high for me. Probably #3 or #4, after Fight Club.

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Terrific movie. Definitely a classic. Michael York’s best, IMO.

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

Four Flies On Grey Velvet, 1971 (A-)

This isn't the best GIallo I've ever seen, but it's the most Giallo I've ever seen. Everything is overdone in the best way, the kills are goofy as hell, and the killer's story is convoluted as hell, because nothing else would make sense after this whole situation. Good stuff.

At Eternity's Gate (2018)



I caught it two evenings ago on the national TV channel here. It was my second watch of the movie (first seen during the awards season in the early 2019).
Superb cinematography, absolute impression(ism), great colours. Willem Dafoe on top level as always. Notable short appearance of Mads Mikkelsen too.
I can award here one of the two best "twins" ever in cinema: Willem Dafoe = Van Gogh
The other one being Val Kilmer = Jim Morrison

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"Population don't imitate art, population imitate bad television." W.A.
"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." M.T.

The song where he's climbing the mountain is very beautiful. The colors made this film unique, afaik, and the poetry was also beautiful.

Heh, heh. Well, I don't know. But if you run across one, let me know..

I agree with your points and rating. Here is some commentary from a few years ago:

At Eternity's Gate (2018)
Willem Dafoe’s Vincent Van Gogh was the performance of 2018. The film itself was modest in scope, almost boutique in feel, which, added to the fact that there were no social justice or fashionable causes advocated, may have caused the Academy members to pass over this unique and striking performance.

There have been several good screen portrayals of the fascinating painter, making it all the trickier to develop a character about whom so much has been written, and displayed so thoroughly. It’s hard to say whether the director, artist Julian Schnabel, had any input on the characterization. The screenplay was co-written by Schnabel, his girlfriend Louise Kugelberg, and the veteran Jean-Claude Carriere. We would guess that Mr. Carriere did most of the heavy lifting on the treatment.

The sound palette and photography were very important. The music of the wind, rustling wheat fields, and Van Gogh’s firm brush strokes blended with the beautiful scenes captured by cinematographer Benoit Delhomme. To his credit they didn’t attempt to mimic the essence of the paintings with film technique, but rather offered them both as a duet and a nod to Van Gogh’s inspiration.

Likewise they resisted the use of art film techniques to accompany the subject’s well known mental decline. Tatiana Lisovskaya’s score was adequate, but at times the unaccompanied piano portions didn’t seem to want to commit either to dissonance or tonality, instead providing sophomoric chords or intervals that were confusing in their ambiguity. Yet at other times the music perfectly matched the mood.

Oscar Isaac’s portrayal of Paul Gaugin seemed off the mark. The treatment seemed too conservative for such an opinionated and assertive character. On the other hand Mads Mikkelsen gave a powerful and nuanced cameo performance of the priest who ultimately decided to allow Van Gogh to be released from his last asylum stay. All the other character parts were first rate.

In a masterful decision the producers did not dwell on the infamous ear cutting event. In fact it was not even shown, but left only to the imagination. One wonders if Dafoe exhibits more resemblance to Van Gogh from his right side, since in the film they incorrectly chose the left ear for excision, whereas in real life it was the right.

The movie title took its name from one of Van Gogh’s works completed two months before his death, Sorrowing Old Man (At Eternity’s Gate), painted from memory of an earlier pencil drawing. The time frame is the last few years of his life in France, first at Arles, and finally at Auvers-sur-Oise. His death has long been thought to have been a suicide, but more recent evidence has emerged that suggested accidental death. This is the route taken by the film.

He desired "not to see a landscape but only the eternity behind it". This is an excellent study of Van Gogh’s final years, and a memorable portrayal of the afflicted artist by Willem Dafoe that should not be missed.

Doc’s rating: 9/10

1st Re-watch....my recent viewing of In the Heights motivated me to re-visit this groundbreaking musical from Lin-Manuel Miranda. I did something this time when I watched that greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the piece and I can't believe I'm recommending this, but I put on the closed captioning so that I could catch every lyric, which made the piece even more powerful. Miranda is the first composer to offer serious challenge to Stephen Sondheim as Broadway's greatest lyricist. Also love how Miranda doesn't hog the stage and allows his brilliant cast their share of the spotlight, especially the divine Daveed Diggs, who lights up the stage as Lafayette/Jefferson. Diggs stops the show with the second act opener "What'd I Miss." Another brilliant performance that often gets overlooked and deserves a second glance is Jonathan Groff''s dazzling King George III.

I just finished watching Fail Safe (1964) and the first word that comes to mind is WOW! Masterfully directed by Sidney Lumet, the film has a great cast including Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau, Larry Hagman, Fritz Weaver, Frank Overton, and Dan O'Herlihy. A technical malfunction mistakenly sends American planes on a mission to bomb Moscow. The President has limited time to try and either stop the bombing or prevent a possible nuclear war. The film is really dramatic and intense, with edge of your seat suspense and high stakes. The viewer doesn't know how things will go down until they do. The screenplay is pretty much flawless and the performances are all excellent. This is a really intelligent film with something worthwhile to say about the systems of politics and war and ultimately taking responsibility for our own actions. Fail safe is thrilling and chilling and very compelling. I was invested in the characters and the events that were happening. I don't throw around the m word very often, but I'm going to call this a masterpiece and add it to my list of favourite films. This is an essential film.

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“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!” ~ Rocky Balboa

Wow, I love her in Arthur, I think her comedic timing in the film is just great. That was also my introduction to her and I've been a fan ever since.