ScarletLion's Movie Log

There can't have been many more beautiful looking films of 2013. It's just sumptuous. Fully self indulgent. A critique of Rome and the high society lifestyle of those that live there. It's also a poignant look into lost love, vanity, memories, experiences and age. The tone is comedic at times but it's never off kilter. The films of greats like Fellini come to mind when watching this (not that I've seen many of them), and amongst the hedonism, there are messages of finding beauty in art and grabbing happiness at any opportunity possible.

There are times when it felt like an Almodovar movie, and times when I didn't want it to end such was the beauty of the whole thing. There are a few flaws - I wasn't that fussed on a few of the CGI moments. But overall it was a great movie experience.

7.8/10

Thanks for highlighting this. I haven't seen it, but I've been introduced to Sorrentino via The Young Pope and I'm pretty enamored with his flair, so I'll give his other stuff (like this) a look.

Even just looking at that image, and reading a quick synopsis/seeing a few images, shows he's obviously got a few themes/touches he likes to use in all his work. Odd, but interesting.

Hope you like it as much as I did. I've not seen much of his to be fair - I'm put off 'Youth' by the ageing cast. 'Loro' is supposed to be a continuation of this film I think.

Youth is well worth a watch imo, I gave it the same rating as The Great Beauty. Only Sorrentino I've seen thus far that I've been underwhelmed by is This Must Be The Place.

IT'S me that's at fault here - I have an irrational dislike to Michael Caine. I think he's terrible.

Can you elaborate on this?

EDIT: posted this before seeing the Michael Caine comment. Still confused/curious, but I guess that partially explains it.

Yes basically Caine. I'm aware that I'm probably missing out on several good movies by putting them at the back of the list, but it's just one of those things.

Well, he's certainly no Olivier - I can't argue with that

Cheers fella.

A low key rather odd film about a murderer who has to start life again. It's almost like the director Shôhei Imamura is challenging the viewer to empathise with a murderer. The themes of humanness, guilt and the male-female dynamic are obvious and the film is quite beautiful at times (reminiscent of Kurosawa or Ozu), but there are some violent scenes and the music is more fitting of an american 1960s crime film.

7/10




Nobuhiko Ôbayashi' 1977 film about a young girl who has lost her mother and travels to her Auntie's house (which is haunted) is one of the most insane I've ever seen. It borrows so many cinematic techniques that it's almost like a journey through film. There are segments of silent cinema, scenes reminiscent of early 1920s horror, there are cuts and fades and screen wipes seen in sci-fi, there are the colours of giallo, animation and on and on and on. There will no doubt be those that say the narrative is too messy, but it doesn't matter - the colours assault your senses and I just found myself smiling through it all. It is a completely unique experience and has to go down as brilliant film-making.

8/10

Might revive this thread with some mini reviews and gifs.

I'm in.

This is a very good film, and pretty astonishing that Alonso Ruizpalacios, created this debut feature in his mid thirties, as it seems like a film of an assured, experienced director. It tells the tale of Tomas, who is naughty so sent to live with his brother. It's then essentially a road movie about growing up, love, identity, crime and Mexican politics. It has:

-the wit of early Jim Jarmusch
-The quirkiness of a French new wave film
-The mystery of Searching for Sugarman
-the lust of a Cuaron film like Y Tu Mama Tambien (and Roma seems to have taken inspiration from it too.)

Very impressive debut.

This is a brilliantly directed thriller by Götz Spielmann. It's the story of a bored, downtrodden man on the fringes of Austrian society who has grand plans to rob a small bank and run away with his sort of hooker girlfriend. But things don't go to plan. It feels like it's just going to be a run of the mill neo-noir then develops into a totally mucked up film which a review would just spoil. Very Haneke in parts and Baran Bo Odar in others.

8.7/10

'Happening' (2022)



Anamaria Vartolomei might have given us the performance of the year in this adaptation of Annie Ernaux's novel about her experience with abortion when it was still illegal in France in the 1960s. It's an astonishing turn. A film that is disturbing and brilliantly directed by Audrey Diwan who is another of the crop of extremely talented French female directors giving us absolutely blinding films at the moment.