Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Tools    







Are Husbands Necessary?, 1942

George (Ray Milland) and Liz (Betty Field) are a married couple navigating the stressful process of adopting a baby as George tries to move up the ladder at his banking job. But when George starts hanging around with an old flame, Myra (Patricia Morison), things get especially frantic.

I've decided that maybe none of us need to write reviews when there exist such gems as the review for this film from the time of its release, written by Bosley Crowther. I mean, who needs to say more than For here again, out of the pages of Isabel Rorick's "Mr. and Mrs. Cugat," is the same bird-brained "little woman" who has been seen countless times before — Maisie, Mrs. North, Gracie Allen, all the way back to Dulcy—the cheery little wife who debonairely hangs herself on the family budget, meddles with disastrous consequences in her long-suffering husband's career, frets herself into a dizzy when he starts playing around with an old flame but, by some miraculous fortune, pulls everything to rights in the end. . . a lady who lets her bills drag on from month to month is an anachronism. So is this farce.?

Anyway, the gist of the quoted review pretty much sums up how I felt about the film. Both halves of the couple are pretty hard to take. She's flighty and a total screw-up, while his character is that irritating kind of patient that makes him seem condescending rather than kind. They actually both manage to mess things up, then scramble to make amends, then mess things up again. It's also really weird that George doesn't consider how his wife might feel sitting around watching him flirt with an old girlfriend while their friends all remark on how good a couple they were.

I did like a few isolated sequences. While the "wifey doesn't understand money" sequence is insulting, Field is at least very funny as she explains her system for sorting out their bills. Also, kudos to whoever provided her with a belt that says LIZ, because that was the biggest laugh I got out of the movie. Milland has natural charisma, but it largely doesn't shine past the flat writing. Morison is nice enough, but somewhat stranded in a thankless role.

The ridiculous title is the best thing about it.




On second thought, I retract the above post.
At least I still get to be correct. The only victory that matters to me.



At least I still get to be correct. The only victory that matters to me.
Sorry, AvP rules apply here. Whoever wins, you lose.



Sorry, AvP rules apply here. Whoever wins, you lose.
But I won… and I’m not you.

Am I?



Victim of The Night


Are Husbands Necessary?, 1942

George (Ray Milland) and Liz (Betty Field) are a married couple navigating the stressful process of adopting a baby as George tries to move up the ladder at his banking job. But when George starts hanging around with an old flame, Myra (Patricia Morison), things get especially frantic.

I've decided that maybe none of us need to write reviews when there exist such gems as the review for this film from the time of its release, written by Bosley Crowther. I mean, who needs to say more than For here again, out of the pages of Isabel Rorick's "Mr. and Mrs. Cugat," is the same bird-brained "little woman" who has been seen countless times before — Maisie, Mrs. North, Gracie Allen, all the way back to Dulcy—the cheery little wife who debonairely hangs herself on the family budget, meddles with disastrous consequences in her long-suffering husband's career, frets herself into a dizzy when he starts playing around with an old flame but, by some miraculous fortune, pulls everything to rights in the end. . . a lady who lets her bills drag on from month to month is an anachronism. So is this farce.?

Anyway, the gist of the quoted review pretty much sums up how I felt about the film. Both halves of the couple are pretty hard to take. She's flighty and a total screw-up, while his character is that irritating kind of patient that makes him seem condescending rather than kind. They actually both manage to mess things up, then scramble to make amends, then mess things up again. It's also really weird that George doesn't consider how his wife might feel sitting around watching him flirt with an old girlfriend while their friends all remark on how good a couple they were.

I did like a few isolated sequences. While the "wifey doesn't understand money" sequence is insulting, Field is at least very funny as she explains her system for sorting out their bills. Also, kudos to whoever provided her with a belt that says LIZ, because that was the biggest laugh I got out of the movie. Milland has natural charisma, but it largely doesn't shine past the flat writing. Morison is nice enough, but somewhat stranded in a thankless role.

The ridiculous title is the best thing about it.

I vigorously reject any disparagement of Maisie. Maisie was the shit. She was always the one who made everything right.




The Rental
(2021)

Dave Franco's directorial debut and wasn't bad at all. Had some great kills, imo.



Going on with my piecemeal viewing recap from the past two weeks, here are some rewatches I’ve worked through in that time:

Finding Nemo (2003) — For the longest time, my favorite Pixar movie (supplanted in recent years by Inside Out). Although the limits of the animation can be seen in the margins, everything in it holds up really well.


Encanto (2021) x3 — it gets regular play because my kid loves it so much (the fact that it’s hands down one of last year’s best movies certainly doesn’t hurt anything.


Moana (2016) x2 — Another favorite in regular rotation around here.


Zootopia (2016) — My kids been more into animals lately, so this one coming around again doesn’t surprise me.


Toy Story (1995) — My partner doesn’t like my take on the franchise-spanning narrative of the series (the child of a single mother outgrowing the traditional symbols of masculinity that informed his father’s generation — e.g., a cowboy and an astronaut — as he comes of age in his own right), but we both can at least agree that character work at the heart of the movie is unimpeachably excellent and that the animation mostly holds up since everything’s already supposed to inhuman and plasticky.


Nobody (2021) — A rougher, more grounded John Wick that’s a Hell of a lot of fun in its own right. Great cast, great finale and a lot smarter than it needed to be.


From Russia with Love (1963) — As I recall, one of the better classic Bonds (although I’ve been working toward a full franchise rewatch for a while now).


The Hills Have Eyes (2006) — Basically an American New French Extremity film (given the director tapped for the project, it’s a perfect marriage of filmmaker with film project). Gruesome, intense and really outshines the so-so original.


The Last Unicorn (1982) — Way darker in spots than it ever had to be (which I appreciated a lot) and has an absolutely stacked cast. Plus there’s that America theme song and Rankin & Bass animation.


Logan Lucky (2017) — Honestly, it’s a better heist film than Ocean’s Eleven (let alone the awful sequels), with just as stacked a cast and a much more fun premise.


Only Lovers Left Alive (2014) — My introduction to Jarmusch was the scattershot The Dead Don’t Die, but this one is way more my speed: a dark mood piece that I could really vibe too.


Night of the Comet (1984) — A really fun, campy zombie movie with a light 80’s feel to it. Not much more too it than that, not that it needs to be.


The Mummy (1999) — Basically the platonic ideal of an action-adventure movie: great cast, great effects, great set pieces, rock-solid script.


The Shining (1980) — A lot of missed opportunities, even if the movie’s still great overall. Kubrick seems weirdly ill-suited to the material in practice even if he otherwise appears perfect for it on paper (same as Zack Snyder with his DC movies or Michael Bay with Transformers). The script really could have used another thorough pass, the runtime a judicious trim and I’m unsure if the kid was bad or if Kubrick is just bad with kids (he had great chemistry with all of the adult actors, so I’m more inclined to think the latter). It does hit a bit harder post-pandemic.


Kick-Ass (2010) — Pretty fun, although it’s only kind of okay.


Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) — Now that’s some Reagan Era bullshit.


Rambo III (1988) — The action’s not even very good this time around.


Blade Trinity (2004) — I just watched this one too, but my spouse really wanted to finish watching the trilogy. It’s just as awful as it was the last time, too.



I forgot the opening line.

By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56187636

Talk to Her - (2002)

This particularly satisfied me, for it not only catered to my need for something a little disturbing and unusual, but did it in a way where I could admire filmmaking skill, and themes that resonate beyond Spanish culture. It had the works, including a great cast (does Javier Cámara always look that creepy?) who I wouldn't have minded watching all day. There's so much of Pedro Almodóvar's work that I haven't seen yet, but everything I have seen has had a distinct impact on me and been memorable. Talk to Her really clicked with what excites me about film, despite this one eventually becoming something unsettling and sickly - everything outside of that awful act by a deluded man had an awful beauty. But like those terrible bullfighting contests, part of that beauty is absolutely terrible.

9/10


By Netflix - Netflix, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65593982

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom - (2020)

I was compelled to see this because I really wanted to see how it could possibly have costumes and hair-styling that's better than what I saw in Emma - and while I still don't think it does, I've been meaning to see this for a while anyway. For the most part it was awfully good, but there was something about the very last thing that happens in it that rubbed me the wrong way. Like it didn't fit into what I'd been watching up till that moment. I came to this a big fan of Fences, and so I'm not all that surprised I found myself enjoying it so much - although I've seen nothing of August Wilson's work on stage. It's basically a group of musicians arguing backstage for 94 minutes - occasionally interrupted by the terrifying Ma Rainey (Viola Davis - who is great) - but that would be selling it way short, for it packs so much drama into a tight confine, much like most plays do. It's something I really like, but that final moment just took me out of what felt like such a natural, believable atmosphere. I admit, it added meaning - especially when you see what happens to the songs of Levee Green (played by Chadwick Boseman - who was nominated for an Oscar along with Davis) - but it was fantastical that he'd do what he did - what I believe he wanted to do to somebody else. Overall though, this was a really great film.

7.5/10
__________________
Remember - everything has an ending except hope, and sausages - they have two.
We miss you Takoma

Latest Review : Le Circle Rouge (1970)



[quote=Obi-Wan_Mifune;2309339]Going on with my piecemeal viewing recap from the past two weeks, here are some rewatches I’ve worked through in that time:


Nobody (2021) — A rougher, more grounded John Wick that’s a Hell of a lot of fun in its own right. Great cast, great finale and a lot smarter than it needed to be.







Nice to see see some love for this movie...I thought it was fantastic, gave it the same rating/



A Quiet Place II (2020)




I liked the first one more. It wasn't extremely original but at least it had a hook. This one is more about the action which has been done before, but it was still fun to watch. The sound was wild going from very loud effects to dialogue I struggled to hear.



WR: Mysteries of the Organism
So late at night on Sunday, I saw the most unique documentary I have ever seen:

This movie had multiple themes such as sex, death, and communism. All three of
these ideas made me both comfortable and uncomfortable while watching this one.
The parts that stuck in my head included the woman who promoted free love and
later dated a Russian skater who chops her head off, the Jackie Curtis character who ate the ice cream with her partner(really confused what gender she was when watching it,
since she walked like a woman and talked like a man. Like Lola from that Kinks song), and also that unconventionally dressed man from the Fugs who believed you must "Kill for Peace" while holding a gun and rubbing it.

So again, I was disgusted and entertained by this movie at the same time. I felt
disgusted probably because of the pro-communist ideas(justified since Serbia is
European), and the song/hymn about it. I also hated the "Kill For Peace" song,
because it was not a nice song. Well I guess that is what nations think when they go at
war. I also felt discomforted by the avant-garde music playing when the sex scenes
were happening. However, I liked that too. I was about to turn the movie off at the
hour mark due my frustrations with these weird scenes, but then I realized that it
was hypocrisy, since I enjoyed The Holy Mountain when I saw it. After the last
20 minutes, it went from my least-favorite movie to a really good movie, since all of the
plots were wrapped up(I also liked the song that concluded the movie).

So, would I want to watch this one again? Probably so, it is less than 90 minutes and
was a thrill of a ride. Did I expect it to be the most disgusting move? No! This movie will
probably look like a cake walk compared to if I ever saw Salo, The 120 Days of
Sodom
. I must have felt the same way about this movie as I did with the Czech movie
Daisies, a movie that I was weirded out by, but later came to say I really liked
them after I was done finishing them. I could almost think of myself saying, "What the hell
was that," after I was done watching this South Eastern European amusement park ride of a film.





White Vertigo, 1956

This documentary covers the action at the 1956 winter Olympics in Italy.

Despite having lost interest in the Olympics in the last few years, I have enjoyed several documentaries of the older games. That said, this one didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Something that several Olympics documentaries do that I just don't care for is spending a lot of time on the opening and closing ceremonies. I'm not all that into pomp and circumstance, and I start to get antsy when I'm 20 minutes into a sporting documentary and I've yet to see any sports.

The actual coverage of the competition is okay, but the format chosen for the film---cutting back and forth between two different sports---takes a lot of tension out of the proceedings. Then there's the stylistic choice to announce the results as we are watching the events. As a skier prepares to go down the hill, the narrator will say, "And here's Smith, about to place 6th."

I was very charmed by the footage of the figure skating. It's also interesting to see the relatively older age of the competitors. There are some enjoyable (if a bit goofy) sequences showing the athletes lounging around their cabin-like accommodations in their matching outfits.

Nothing awful, nothing special. A handful of unfortunate old-timey racist/sexist remarks.




I forgot the opening line.

Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37805438

The Innocents - (1961)

Around and around in my head it went last night. "Were the apparitions real? Or was it all in her mind? Were they real? Or all in her mind? Real or in her mind?" The Innocents very deliberately creates room for doubt, and this doubt creates a lot of tension, for Deborah Kerr's Miss Giddens becomes obsessed and hysterical to the point of overshadowing what were two little creepy kids that were either really, really naughty or possessed by the spirits of the dead. One thing I know is that I'd never go work at a place where the 'Time Since Last Workplace Death' counter rarely gets to double figures. The kids are eerie and strange, but so is Miss Giddens compared to the rest of the adults in this, with a spectacularly rosy demeanor which is so brittle you have to wonder what kind of repression and skeletons are hiding in her attic. After the film I turned the lights off and kept hearing strange noises in the dark...kudos to Jack Clayton, and especially Truman Capote.

8/10



I forgot the opening line.
Then there's the stylistic choice to announce the results as we are watching the events. As a skier prepares to go down the hill, the narrator will say, "And here's Smith, about to place 6th."
Hehe. That's why television stations should never hire sports commentators who are also psychic.



Victim of The Night
Only Lovers Left Alive (2014) — My introduction to Jarmusch was the scattershot The Dead Don’t Die, but this one is way more my speed: a dark mood piece that I could really vibe too.


Night of the Comet (1984) — A really fun, campy zombie movie with a light 80’s feel to it. Not much more too it than that, not that it needs to be.
I actually enjoyed tDDD, though I admit its flaws, but OLLA is a movie that really stuck with me (and my friends, for that matter).

Night Of The Comet has been a low-key favorite movie of mine since I saw it in theaters and I don't care what anyone says, I think the movie has a heart and a brain and is also fun and I don't know what the hell more you want.



Night Of The Comet has been a low-key favorite movie of mine since I saw it in theaters and I don't care what anyone says, I think the movie has a heart and a brain and is also fun and I don't know what the hell more you want.
It also stars the great Kelli Maroney.


A rare movie that checks all the boxes.



I watched Black Bear, which I never heard anyone mention outside of Aubrey Plaza briefly promoting it on her social media. But it’s got a 90% on Rotty Ts so I gave it a shot. It’s a nifty little mindtrip of a movie that I’m not sure I fully understand but enjoy speculating on. Excellent performances too. And I wouldn’t have known about it if I wasn’t cyber-stalking my celebrity crush.