The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame IV

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I watched Missing (1982) today. Directed by Costa-Gavras, this drama stars
Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek, and John Shea. It's based on the true story of an American who goes missing during the Chilean coup d'état in September 1973 and his father and wife's search for him. The film won the Palme d'Or,as well as winning an Oscar, two Bafta awards and being nominated for 5 Golden Globes. I bought the dvd years ago because I had never watched it. The screenplay is well written and tells the story in an effective way. Performances are good, especially by Lemmon. The film is fairly interesting and doesn't drag. That being said, it isn't the type of film I think I would rewatch, but I'm glad I finally saw it. My rating is a
.



[center]
[b]The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola 1974)
Trivia!

A friend of my parents worked on this film (sound design or editing, I think?) and so this was the first DVD my family ever owned. We actually got this DVD as a gift from him before we owned a DVD player.



Caravaggio



This is on the British films list, which certainly wouldn't have been my first guess based on the title. I guess you could call it a biopic on the famous Italian painter Michaelangelo Caravaggio, no not that Michaelangelo, a different one. Well I had no idea because I know nothing about the history of art. My ignorance may have prevented more confusion than I already had. So historical movies are up against it with me anyway, but the kiss of death was that this movie is filmed like a play and is set entirely indoors. I thought it was mostly unappealing visually. I feel like I learned more about the guy's sexual tendencies than his artistry. That would normally be fine but it didn't quite work. It was cool seeing very early performances from Dexter Fletcher, Tilda Swinton, and Sean Bean, and the acting is generally strong. It's not a bad film and it's different, but it's not for me. The 90 minute runtime was a blessing.






Memories of Murder (2003)

Detective Park Doo-Man: Chief, I may know nothing else, but my eyes can read people. That's how I survive as a detective, and why people say I have shaman's eyes.

And if you can't read em, beat em. Memories takes place in the 80's. It's about a serial rapist/murderer on the loose in a small Korean village and the police who are investigating it. A couple of the local detectives on the case have a way of solving crimes that are less than...they get confessions. Bad cop, worse cop thing. Did they get the right guy? Well, they got a confession. For this case, however, they are accompanied by a detective from Seoul who is much more interested in getting the right guy than simply closing the case. Whereas the local detectives are prone to emotional outbursts and acting on impulse the Seoul detective takes everything in and is more patient and thoughtful. Kind of similar to how Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt were in Se7en. It's not as amped up in Memories as it is in Se7en but it's similar.

This is my fourth Bong Joon Ho film and I have to say it's my favorite so far. The story is just a little more up my alley than some of his other films. Sure it's about a serial rapist/murderer but it's really about the detectives and how this case changes them. There's a fair amount of very interesting detective work done and it also has a bit of that gallows humor, which I can appreciate. One interrogation in particular had me chuckling pretty good even though it's not a funny situation at all. Ho's films, even when I'm not a fan, always look great and this is no different. He has an eye for making the most mundane things looks good.

The ending is fantastic and once I found out it was based on a true story it made it even better. The scene at the train tracks was executed to perfection. Solid movie.



Memories of Murder is a great film, but even then, it's probably my #3 Bong film. The man hasn't missed as far as I'm concerned.
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Trivia!

A friend of my parents worked on this film [The Conversation] (sound design or editing, I think?) and so this was the first DVD my family ever owned. We actually got this DVD as a gift from him before we owned a DVD player.
That's cool, did he work on a lot of other films too or just this one?



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I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
I liked Caravaggio and I think it's the most accessible Jarman film I've seen, but it is definitely a bit of an acquired taste.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Have not seen Missing or even heard of Mustang. I'd be curious to see Caravaggio, especially for Swinton. And I have Memories of Murder on my watchlist. LOVE Bong Joon Ho so really looking forward to seeing it.

Watched The Searchers yesterday. Directed by #1 number of films on my Western Countdown List (John Ford) and starring my #1 Actor for films on my voting list (John Wayne) this was pretty much guaranteed an instant favorite and it is.
I am curious, did whoever nominated this for me knew it was a shoo-in or was it a happy accident when they chose it?
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Memories of Murder,does not sound like my type of movie.
I actually think you'd like it.

I am curious, did whoever nominated this for me knew it was a shoo-in or was it a happy accident when they chose it?
I was thinking about picking it for you until it got taken. I wasn't sure how much you'd like it. As popular as it seems to be, it also seems to be somewhat divisive.



I have not seen The Searchers, but everything I've read/heard is great. I have it on my short list.



Memories of Murder,does not sound like my type of movie.
Have you seen any other Bong film?



movies can be okay...


The Lives of Others, 2006
I watched The Lives of Others a little while ago and enjoyed it quite a bit too. What a great screenplay it had and very meticulous as well. I really dug how realistic it was, especially on the technical levels. The color palette of the film also aided at that. Loved the characters and their struggles, Christa in particular who's a very flawed person whose inner turmoil came with a lot of interesting themes that I rarely see put on screen. To me, the more flawed a character is, the more realistic and interesting they become, which is why she was my absolute favorite in the movie.



I didn't really have any specific complaints about this one. Initially I had a mixed response to the final 10 or so minutes, which serve as an epilogue to the rest of the film and involve some jumps in time. At first I found myself grumbling that I wished they ended the film in the "present" of the film. But as I've thought about it, I do think that the last 10 minutes provide closure and completeness to some of the major themes of the film and the character arcs.

I think that there was a very predictable way that this film could have gone, which would be the spy falling in love with the person they were watching. I do think that Wiesler develops a platonic love or affection for Dreyman, and by removing any overt notions of romance or lust, it becomes clear that what Wiesler is responding to in Dreyman is his ideals and his bravery.
I personally didn't enjoy the epilogues and still don't. They're probably my biggest gripe with the film. I found them to be too explanatory, and they also were kind of ruining some aspects that I would've loved had they've been kept untouched. Even though there are some great scenes that we got out of Dreyman figuring it all out, such as the part where he finds Wiesler but chooses to keep his distance and watch him from afar which was definitely a nice role reversal, there's also the last scene of the film. But, I still don't think that nearly justifies such a development.

First of all, I need to explain the way I interpreted Wiesler's character and his actions. I personally don't necessarily buy into him becoming infatuated with Dreyman as much as I think he's fallen in love with the love between Drey and Christa. He has never seen a love with such force, purity, and intensity before. It's something he's never had, and probably never will. He's jealous of it of course, but at the same time he wants to preserve and protect it by all means necessary. I find that way more compelling than just him becoming in love with the writer because of his ideals, personality, and art. I still find the latter to be very true, but there's also his love for Christa and her nature, as well as a love for their relationship, and we see that on numerous occasions like in his conversation with Christa in the café, or even his last words to her before her death assuring her that Drey doesn't know about the truth, protecting her, protecting him, and more importantly protecting their magical sacred love. And that is why I don't like where the story headed in those last 15 minutes. I would've much rathered Wiesler's efforts not be in vain, and have the irony of it all only be known to the audience.
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"A film has to be a dialogue, not a monologue — a dialogue to provoke in the viewer his own thoughts, his own feelings. And if a film is a dialogue, then it’s a good film; if it’s not a dialogue, it’s a bad film."
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movies can be okay...


It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)

Narrator: And as the Sun continues to set, he finally comes to realize the dumb irony in how he had been waiting for this moment his entire life.

neiba: You are forbidden to dislike It's Such a Beautiful Day!

This is the story of Bill. A guy with some undiagnosed mental issues just trying to navigate life. I don't know what to say about this one. The animation isn't exactly mind blowing unless stick figures and still pictures are mind blowing and there really isn't any acting to speak of. The entire story is narrated except for a few lines from some nurses, Dr.'s and Bill's roomate in the hospital. And yet...

There is so much I loved about this that I don't even know where to start. The animation is perfect for the story. The narrator, something about his voice and delivery is perfect for the story. The story itself is great. Everythings about this movie is simple to the max except for Bill. I feel like I know him after hanging around with him for a very fast hour (it's a short movie). There is so much emotion packed into this hour of stick figures it really is remarkable. You feel kind of sorry for Bill but you never get the impression that he wants you to. Everything is told very matter of fact. This is just how life is. There's a lot of very serious stuff going on here but it uses humor very effectively to balance it out. I don't know. This is so unique. The only thing I can think of comparing it to would be a combo of Mary and Max (tone) and La Jetee (style). I've seen a lot of really good movies on all your recommendations and this is one of the best. Already watched it twice. Highly recommend!
I would love to re-watch this at some point because even though I liked it a lot upon first viewing, it managed to continuously grow on me in memory. I think I wrote something about it here somewhere back when I first watched it. Here it is:

It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012) by Don Hertzfeldt

Fear of death, and the harsh reality that time is slipping through our fingers, are a few subjects that "It's Such a Beautiful Day" seems to tackle, and are the main ones that resonated with me personally. Every time our main character Bill, sees something that indicates the passage of time (such as him continuously seeing a shoe filled with leaves), he grows sadder and sadder. His "condition" is unexplainable says the doctor, and that's because as long as he lives, his fright of his end remains alive.

The film isn't all distressing, there are hilarious moments scattered around as well, such as the flashbacks to the life of Bill's grandma. The simplistic animation aided the comedy and the drama pretty neutrally. This refreshing style can also become just as detailed as the narration. Furthermore, I interpret the ending as a showcase of death's positive qualities, and how a continuous life is what's ultimately depressing.

I don't have anything bad to say about the movie, other than the fact that I didn't like it as much as everybody else did. I became disinterested a few times, and I guess I didn't feel everything the film tried to provoke out of me. Honestly, I don't know what the film could've done to get a better reaction out of me.

⭐⭐⭐1/2
I became a huge fan of Don Hertzfeldt since then. A lot of his shorts are some of my favorites ever, such as Billy's Balloon and Lily and Jim. Since you've liked this of his, I would absolutely recommend you check out anything he's ever done, the man's a genius.



movies can be okay...
You have a hell of a memory. The longer I wait to write even a minor review, the worse it is and less I have to say about it. Like for example I haven't written up Long Goodbye but watched it and probably now won't have much to say
What I do is record all my thoughts and feelings in an audio on my phone after watching a film, and I've been doing this for over a year now. It comes in handy whenever I want to defend, praise, or criticize a film in a conversation later on, when normally I couldn't have because I more often than not wouldn't have remembered the specific details that I liked or disliked.

I've seen Psycho and Apocalypse Now for a while now, but I'm waiting to re-watch Psycho before doing my write-up, and I'm probably gonna write something for Apocalypse tonight, hence my sudden activity haha.



movies can be okay...
I just finished watching I Daniel Blake (2016). Directed by Ken Loach, the film stars Dave Johns as a carpenter who after a heart attack has to fight to try and get employment and support allowance. Going in to the film, I wasn't sure if I would like it. I had only seen one film from the director before (Kes) and hated it. I was concerned the film sounded like it would be too much of a downer and would be hard to enjoy. I am very pleased to report that I loved this film! Dave Johns is fantastic and brings a lot of depth and humanity to the role. I think he should have been nominated for an Oscar for his performance. Hayley Squires is also very good as a single mom that Blake befriends. I also really liked young Briana Shann's performance as one of her kids. I thought the screenplay was very well written and done in an honest, believable way that avoided clichés. I Daniel Blake is a compelling and interesting film that tackles an important subject matter in a way that is heartfelt, compassionate and still manages to be an entertaining film. Good call whoever nominated this for me. I am glad I saw it. This one rates a high
.
The ending was so good too



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When Harry Met Sally



Here's a movie that kills 2 AFI lists with one stone. It's a pretty good romantic comedy, but I don't think it necessarily elevates itself above the other highly thought after classics. Pretty nice chemistry between Ryan and Billy Crystal. The story itself just feels ok to me, not a whole lot of strong substance to it though. There were a few laughs here and there but I suppose I had hoped that it would be funnier. The restaurant scene was pretty funny though especially when the old lady said I'll have what she's having. The cutscenes with couples talking was a bit of a nuisance and took away from the focus of the overall film for me, even when we saw the pair have their own cutscene at the end I really didn't care for it. Overall though a decent watch.

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movies can be okay...
Sexy Beast



Thematically both as a heist film and a black comedy this movie didn't really do a whole lot for me. I did have to have a chuckle at that beginning Boulder scene though, I thought that was pretty funny. Seems like Kingsley is pretty highly praised for this but I didn't really care for his character, who seemed more focused on dropping as many F bombs as humanly possible. I got nothing against it, I love Scorsese movies after all but it all just seemed a bit overboard and really ruined the dialogue and flow of the film for me. The underwater scene was pretty cool. Overall, just really not my kind of film, surprised it was nominated for me.

Another one I would love to re-watch. Enjoyed this a lot back when I first watched it, and I still re-watch clips of it here and there on Youtube. It's insanely funny, very well written and performed. Great editing and overall style. It reminded me of In Bruges actually, especially with the contrast between Ben Kingsley's character and Ralph Fiennes' in that movie. This is also a fantastic directorial debut, so one can also add this to that list. Just from the little he's done, and the little I've seen from him, I love Glazer and the unconventional material he goes after. Hope he continues making features.