Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Summer Stock, 1950

Jane (Judy Garland) is struggling to keep her family farm afloat after a few poor seasons. With the farm on the edge of financial ruin, her flighty sister, Abigail (Gloria DeHaven) shows up with an entire theatrical troupe in tow. The actors are also in a precarious financial position, and are counting on a big show to take place in Jane's barn. While Jane initially clashes with the leader of the troupe, Joe (Gene Kelly), they soon develop something of an affinity for each other.

On my little run of Garland films, I've at times complained about movies where there is a distinct split between the song-and-dance stuff and the narrative around those elements. Here there is actually a pretty big distinct split, but it comes in such an abrupt way that it almost feels like two different films. Though this might sound like a critique, I didn't mind it that much.

To sound like a broken record, Garland is really great! I know that this film was made at a time in her life that was really fraught, but it doesn't show in her performance. Kelly is also really good here, and he and Garland have a great chemistry together. There's just that vibe of mutual respect that adds a little jolt to their collaboration.

In terms of the story, I thought that it was really enjoyable. Both lead characters are very sympathetic and I really liked how they mirrored the conflict facing both of them. Each has taken responsibility for something really big, and with no choice but to push forward. I loved that several times through the movie you saw them soften as they realized the weight on the other person. A lot of romantic comedies go to the well of two people who don't like each other slowly coming to crush on each other. But sometimes this leads to too many sequences of them harping on each other or being mean to one another. Instead there is a gentleness here--two nice people finding their way to each other in trying circumstances.

What's weird about the film is the last act. I know that this is partly related to the issues during filming, but the last act gets very choppy. Not bad, just sort of strange in the pacing of it and the proportion of time spent on numbers. The performance itself is really cool (including Garland's famous "Get Happy" number), but there's a distinct feeling of the rest of the film being pushed firmly to the side. Loose ends (like Jane's clingy fiance who doesn't approve of her participation in the show, or Abigail running away with one of the performers) are wrapped up in a really abrupt way.

A charming film, if a bit odd in how it all wraps up.

Mexican extreme film that deserves mention whenever the most depraved movies are discussed. It's effective because it's well made. Surprisingly it ends up having some merit besides being shocking.

5th Shorts Hall of Fame

Nu (2003) -

Storywise, this short is somewhat barebones. The wife probably had the best scenes since she's the one who's affected the most by Jakob and Adam, but overall, it's a fairly straightforward and simple story which doesn't bring much of anything new to the table. Fortunately though, there's enough to the film's style which makes up for this. Given the somewhat unconventional ways certain characters enter the frame of certain shots, how Mikkelsen's character casually walks through the areas surrounding his house as he goes between lovers, and the absence of dialogue, the film feels caught between reality and memory and I always appreciate these kinds of aesthetics which warp reality. This short also does a good job at representing the confusion of loveless marriages as the scenes which stuck with me the most showed Mikkelsen and his wife awkwardly touching each other's faces. These scenes do a great job at capturing their confusion as to how to interact with each other. Finally, the frame narrative was a nice touch. So yeah, nothing too special, but it's still pretty good.

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I got ya. It exceeded my expectations because I expected it to be some kind of horror-thriller and nothing more and I thought it was a good one with real art to it, really transcending some of its influences.

Lucky Boy, 1929

A young man named Georgie (George Jessel) works in a jewelry store, but dreams of being an entertainer. After a botched attempt in his hometown of New York City, he moves out west to pursue his dreams of fame.

This movie is a mix of silent and spoken and my verdict on this mish-mash of styles is NO THANK YOU.

On the positive side, the songs are pleasant enough (if a bit slow for my taste), and the old timey stand-up routine is kind of fascinating if not actually that funny. ("His son's name is Epsom. Now, don't go making fun of Epsom---he's the salt of the Earth!").

The real challenge with this film is that no one seems comfortable with the spoken portions of the film. Everyone talks super slowly, as if they are on half speed. It's actually worse when one or two of the actors with a natural rhythm get in a scene with one of the slow talkers. Jessel has this way of speaking out of the side of his mouth that is just kind of strange.

Apparently at one point this film was thought to be lost. I didn't watch the best print, but I'm not holding the look or the audio quality against it, though it was hard to hear lines of dialogue here and there, including a few punchlines.

The story itself is a little flat. I honestly had a hard time paying attention to it, as I didn't really find the characters or plot that compelling. Jessel may well have been a very talented performer, but I don't think that this film was the best showcase of his talents, nor was the story wrapped around his performances all that interesting.

I wouldn't deter anyone from watching it, but nor would I recommend it except as a curiosity with its talkie/silent mix.

By The poster art can or could be obtained from Fox Searchlight., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1169190

I ♥ Huckabees - (2004)

This certainly won't be everybody's cup of tea - but luckily for me it was mine. See if you respond to it's plot : Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman) hires a pair of "existential detectives" (played by Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) to try and find out what a series of coincidences really mean to his existence. Events unravel when fellow client Tommy Corn (Mark Wahlberg) and rival Brad Stand (Jude Law) are dragged into the affair. There's a lot of 'meaning of existence' stuff, and lots of whimsy - but the film has a keen sense of humour and I found myself laughing a lot during this. Naomi Watts also appears, and is actually funny - along with Isabelle Huppert and Jonah Hill in his first ever screen role. I can really see some people hating this - but it was too funny for me to do likewise.

7/10


By May be found at the following website: IMDb.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42046364

Oculus - (2013)

This is a movie that had me thinking about starting an entire thread about how some horror films show too much, making us familiar with their ghostly apparitions and paranormal activity - thereby taking away it's power to scare us. Towards the end of Oculus, the action starts switching back and forth through time, connecting certain events - which was confusing (perhaps intentionally so) and it also overplayed things - with spirits and events cascading into a headache of movement, sound and imagery. Leading up to it all, this had been an amazingly creepy and haunting film - I really wanted to love this. The absolute ending is great, but that kinetic last act really took away all of it's power to frighten the audience.

6/10


By Dark Sky Films - Dark Sky Films website, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60490832

Level 16 - (2018)

Going at nearly 1000 films a year, I sometimes forget that I've already seen something (if it's forgettable enough) - and such was the case with Level 16 - a fairly average thriller about a host of young girls imprisoned in a 'school' of sorts, raised and drugged until they are old enough for...



So there you go. There's nothing really wrong with it, per se, but it lacks actors with enough presence and charisma to really draw us in. I had no real wish to see this a second time, but I just sat through it anyway, slowly remembering each part as it occurred once again. This is the kind of film that I'll probably forget again in a very short amount of time.

5/10

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Jurassic Worldominion

I saw this on the IMAX screen which helped but yeah this is a terrible movie. To be honest this looks and feels like it was meant to be a video game not a film. You have these seven levels and the story barely connects to each of these plot points because you have to get to the next level. You actually have a couple cut scenes that work as information dumps that feel completely out of place.

I felt like I was watching The Phantom Menace again with this "diverse" cast of actors who come and go. The worst cases are Ramsey and Kayla...Ramsey is in essence a NPC. He solely exists to give exposition and move the plot from one point to the next. He's supposed to be the protege of the bad guy....but the bad guy is such a bad guy that his "help" is still end of the world negligence. Kayla in four scenes has four different personalities and motives she was basically the alternative version of Owen it was just delivered in the most cynical cheap way possible.

Several scenes make absolutely no sense and seem to exist just to get a cool visual or an action set piece. The worst thing is their is no wonder or nostalgia in this film it's just a boring dumb loud action close up of villainous person villainous person exits story (if they are lucky by death) and then we move on to the next piece.

A very fine film spanning several timelines that follows the life of a gay man 'Hans' in post war Germany. The harsh reality that homosexuality was an offence punishable by jail time is really brought home by the director Sebastian Meise who also co wrote this incredibly effective screenplay.

What stands out though are the two central performances by Franz Rogowski (Hans) and Georg Friedrich (Viktor). Even the make up to make them look aged at certain points is tremendous and really aids their acting. The film isn't an easy one to watch as most of it is set in a German jail, therefore it comes with your expected amount of violence and brutality. But the beautiful moments rise so high that this film will live long in the memory. There is one particular scene in the prison courtyard involving Hans and Viktor that is just flawless and surely one of the scenes of the year.

It's a film that explores whether freedom for some is being institutionalized and not on the outside, and while that is a well trodden path in cinema, it's rarely been portrayed as beautiful as this.

8.7/10

i be seeing this movie on friday with my support worker he wants to see it cause hes friend said its really good :/

It's a two and a half hour long toy commercial

I saw it last night. It is a baffling film.

The Allnighter (1987) Directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs and starring Susanna Hoffs, Joan Cusack and Dedee Pfeiffer. This wasn't as interesting or as fun as it should have been. The actors mostly do a fine job and there are a couple good moments, but this feels like it could have been a lot better.

By Studio and or Graphic Artist - Can be obtained from film’s distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67003535

City of Lies - (2018)

Johnny Depp might blame Amber Heard, but it was really movies like Mortdecai that hurt Depp's career - empty and unashamed whimsy-filled indulgences that the entire filmgoing public were sick of. These days I'm seeing him in more serious, reality-based movies like Minamata and this, which stars Depp as real-life police detective Russell Poole who investigated the murder of the Notorious B.I.G. and found a web of corruption in his own L.A. police department. Also starring is a man I often sense is struggling with his own career, Forest Whitaker, as a journalist trying to get to the bottom of what happened. The investigation is a little complex in the number of people involved, but it all boils down to record label Death Row Records putting various officers on their payroll as security, which soon corrupted them - to the extent that they participated in the assassination. Various figures have either served prison terms or were let off entirely for related crimes, and the L.A. police never really wanted to go in the direction they would have needed to go to solve the murder. It's interesting, but needed more J.F.K-style work in post-production to really fascinate us. The editing and score makes a lot of difference.

6/10

Come to Daddy -

This is a pretty good comedic thriller starring Elijah Wood as down and out would-be musician Norval (Elijah Wood). He accepts an out of the blue invitation to visit his estranged father (the great Canadian character actor Stephen McHattie) at his isolated coastal estate. He has no idea what to expect since he hasn't seen him in a long time, and speaking of expectations, it's best to go in with none. In other words, surprise is the name of the game. Granted, there are some good ones, but acts two and three unfortunately don't totally deliver on the promise of the first one. While the early ones are shocking, they have more of a "screenwriting 101" vibe as the movie goes on. For this reason, I believe it's more successful as a comedy, because when it's funny, it's very funny. With this cast, it would be hard for it not to be, especially since McHattie brings the same Hugh Laurie-like irascibility to his role that makes Pontypool so good. Wood is surprisingly adept at comedy as well, especially in a scene with his dad in which he touts his musical abilities. Michael Smiley also shines in a role that brings to mind Peter Stormare at his comedic best and not just because he kind of looks like him. If you need a good laugh, have a morbid sense of humor and you’re fascinated by sins of the father stories, you're bound to have a good time. If you can only take so many contrivances, on the other hand, you may be let down. Oh, and more power to them for taking a chance with this material, but be prepared to sit through a lot of production company logos after you press play.

Kiss of Death - 7.5/10
On IMDB, there are no halves, and I gave it an 8 on there.. From the very beginning, I was into it, and remained interested the entire way. In the last month or two, I haven't been able to find this, and within 10-15 minutes, I'm "done".

My only criticism of noir is that it's kinda self-limiting, and not so unique. "The Long Goodbye" (Altman) makes a good effort, to reach further, to be free, instead of the marketing thing. It's like the movie, "Mikey and Nicky" being advertised as a gangster pic, when it's an artistic dialogue driven gangster comedy/tragedy, but people might have been expecting "The Godfather" (Cassavetes and Falk are excellent - it's on YouTube).

One thing I noticed is that this movie doesn't have a femme fatale, so some might not consider this a real noir, but man, it's really good. Visual editing, sound editing - so much tension. The writing is economic (just like the editing), and really good. Some good entendre. And Richard Widmark is excellent - and it was his first movie. Thank you WPA Federal Theatre (for Orson, Lillian Hellman, Burt Lancaster, etc)

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Interesting.

I strongly disliked this movie. I gave it a generous 5/10 on IMDb because I love Wood and McHattie. Everything about it grated on me and the whole thing had a try-hard vibe.

I guess I'm glad some people respond positively to it because it is, um, different?

I agree about the try-hard vibe, especially in acts two and three. That's sort of what I meant by "screenwriting 101" because a lot of the writing in them comes across as contrived and amateurish. The performances and comedy made up for it for me though, especially Michael Smiley's line about Michael Heseltine. I'd probably give it a 6/6.5 overall, which isn't much higher than your rating.

Glad to know another McHattie fan. I haven't seen him in much (this movie, Pontypool and guest spots on TV shows like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and The Strain), but he's always great.