Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Glad I'm not the only one who was underwhelmed by this movie and series. So many people go crazy it. I think giving it a 6/10 is right on the money.

Terrific film. Frances McDormand is an incredible talent. It was deserving of all its awards success back in 2020. Great use of non-actors/docu-realism alongside drama.

__________________
Looking for a bigger boat | My latest movie lists and reviews | Find me on Letterboxd

The Iron Claw -

This heart wrenching drama is as much about wrestling as it is about grief. Grief was something on the minds of the Von Erich brothers every day since the first one of them that came along, Jack, died tragically at six. Since their father, Fritz, ran the WCCW, wrestling was his family’s bread and butter. To avoid further tragedy, he taught his sons to not only be champions, but also to remain on top. They soon learned that the cost of keeping the machine running at full power was too high.

Of all the ways to feel, grief is the last one I'd choose to experience willingly, so as much as the movie makes Fritz and wife Doris out to be villains, and rightly so, it also succeeds at making you understand where they're coming from. Nuances like this and its aim to humanize the Von Erich family means it thankfully avoids cheap melodrama and thus makes the emotions feel like they're earned. It even manages to do this for a flamboyant character like Ric Flair! That the acting of the brothers is exceptional helps, with Zac Efron as now oldest sibling Kevin doing career-best work. The way he expresses his ambivalence about pleasing his father and the increasingly dire consequences that result is so natural, as is how he shows how much Kevin loved his brothers and spending time with them. Just as affecting is The Bear's Jeremy Allen White and Stanley Simons for how they convey the physical and emotional tolls of keeping the Von Erich name relevant. The period accuracy also deserves praise, especially because of the soundtrack. The "Tom Sawyer" montage in particular is a blast and may be my favorite montage of the year. I also like the insider’s perspective it provides into the professional wrestling business and the opportunities it provides for some of the cast – Efron and White in particular – to exhibit their other talents, especially during the "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" dance at Kevin's wedding.

As much as I enjoyed this and as much credit I give the movie for making the tears seem earned, it's not without its flaws. I do like Holt McCallany, but I wasn't crazy about his delivery as Fritz for how it sounds more like voiceover narration than natural speech, which sticks out like a sore thumb given how natural the communication is between his sons. Also, Lily James' role is as Kevin's wife is a bit two-dimensional. For the ways the movie made me consider the power of grief, how far some will go to fight it and for how well it tells the Von Erich's story, it's worth going out of your way to see regardless of your interest in wrestling. Just be prepared to only want to see light comedies for a while once it’s over.

4th Rewatch....One of my guilty pleasures, this semi-raunchy college comedy still provides plenty of laugh out loud moments, thanks primarily to Breckin Meyer, Seann William Scott, DJ Qulls, and the late Fred Ward.

3rd Rewatch...Though it still bothers me that Streisand is the only one who sings in this film, this rewatch really found me appreciate her work as director, work that won her history's first Golden Globe for Best Director to a woman. I read somewhere that Steven Spielberg said it was the best directorial debut since Citizen Kane. The film is really well directed.

5th Rewatch...another guilty pleasure thanks to an attractive cast and some surprisingly clever writing. I don't know why, but if I catch this movie channel surfing, I will always watch.

1st Rewatch....For my money, Kubrick's masterpiece about the insanity of nuclear war and the presumed insanity of those leaders who had their fingers on the button. Peter Sellers was robbed of the Best Actor Oscar for his triple role performance in this angry and hilarious farce, That scene where the general is trying to call the President collect puts me on the floor. George C. Scott and Sterling Hayden were also robbed of nominations, and the screenplay should have won.

1st Rewatch...this sequel provides some laughs, but eventually falls apart, thanks to what I said in my original review. It's difficult to engage in this film because the issues that it addresses should have been addressed in the first film.

2nd Rewatch...Judd Apatow's first real commercial success does provide some laughs but suffers from severe overlength and a completely unlikeable leading lady.

Three excellent movies.

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

The Bed Sitting Room (1969) If you are a fan of absurd, zany British humour from the 60s, then this should be your cup of tea. I appreciated the creativity and the attempts at zaniness, but they didn't completely pull it off. I didn't find it funny, only slightly amusing at times.

Double Dragon - 4/10

__________________

Saw X
7/10.

This installment in the franchise happens between Saw I and Saw II. The fact that Jigsaw is back made me groan at the beginning, but they actually put a unique and clever spin on it.

__________________
Boldly going.

Well, you're not alone there. Jean Simmons hated the picture, and was in constant tension and turmoil during shooting for a couple of reasons.

Howard Hughes purchased and reigned over RKO for 7 years between 1945 and 1952, during which time he had no hits, and threw the studio into pandemonium due to his erraticism and penny-pinching. Hughes and Simmons were in a lawsuit over a claim that Hughes had Simmons under an exclusive contract. Otto Preminger took the directing job as a personal favor to his friend Hughes. The picture not only had a very short production schedule, but Preminger constantly berated Simmons, which was very upsetting to her. It's amazing that the picture got finished at all.

The only uplifting thing about the trivia behind the film is (1) Mitchum slapping Preminger when the director wanted repeated takes of him hitting Simmons and (2) Simmons cutting her hair short to undercut Hughes long-hair fetish. And the best they could do was put her in a terrible wig for the movie. At the time I'm sure it seemed like a power flex for Hughes and Preminger, but overall it makes them both seem like petty losers.

Andrei Rublev (1966)



If I were asked by an alien to demonstrate the power of human art, in terms of film, this piece would be perhaps the best example humanity has produced so far.

Eddie and the Cruisers (1983)

__________________

[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

By http://www.impawards.com/2023/dream_...ver3_xxlg.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74859202

Dream Scenario - (2023)

Nicolas Cage a chance for an Oscar this year? The competition might be too stiff, but his performance in Dream Scenario is one of the biggest reasons to see this film. That and some wonderfully constructed dream sequences, which you've probably already seen thanks to over-indulgent trailers. I absolutely loved Kristoffer Borgli's 2022 feature Sick of Myself - which is so hard to beat that I don't want to compare that and this. Viral fame is great for our entertainment - seated in the gigantic Colosseum of pop culture and the internet that we are - but for those who are chewed up and spat out it's exactly what Paul Matthews (Cage) goes through here. Briefly loved and then forever hated. Paul Matthews is one of those good natured yet flawed innocents that we often see in fiction - to the power of infinity. Seeing him uplifted and then completely deconstructed and burned to the ground - that's pretty standard these days, albeit sad (and yes, funny.) A cautionary tale about fame and infamy.

7.5/10


By http://www.listal.com/movie/titash-ekti-nadir-naam, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35981388


A River Called Titas - (1973)

Another unconventional film that I wasn't quite prepared for. Shifts in focus, and time, are very severe here in this movie about interconnected families living on the banks of the Titas river. Blood is thicker than water - but water is essential, and when the river dries up so does our tendency to reach out and forge new bonds. Director Ritwik Ghatak was tormented by the partition partition of Bengal of 1947, and here you see him question nearly everything pertaining to the culture and beliefs of the simple characters he sets forth in his film. A constant searching and incessant questioning makes it worth bearing out the unusual rhythms and strange tone which at times borders on hysteria. I was fascinated by A River Called Titas.

8/10


By http://www.impawards.com/intl/france/2021/titane.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68035188

Titane - (2021)

Quite an unusual mix of love, titanium steel and body horror comingles at the cross-street of Alexia's (Agathe Rousselle) life in this high-impact film that'll make you wince over and over again - review on my watchlist thread here.

7/10

__________________