Rate The Last Movie You Saw

never heard of this one- cool concept

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I've never seen this one, so will have to catch it. Reportedly it was Lloyd's last silent, and had some great sports cameos.

My favorite Lloyd? Safety Last, with the iconic hanging off the skyscraper clock sequence.

In the '60s they had a silent film movie theater in Hollywood on Fairfax Ave. At a single showing one could see a couple of shorts, a feature, sometimes a cartoon or a newsreel. All for 75 cents!! I used to see what was playing, then study up on the films from Joe Franklin's book on the great silent films, then go see them. At the time it was the only way one could see the original speed with the proper camera (20-24 fps). The theater only sat about 100 people, but there were usually only a few people there. What a thrill it was though.

The concept is really cool and in certain moments it pays off well. But overall it somehow underwhelmed me.

By "Copyright 1947 by Twentieth Century–Fox Film Corp." - Scan via Heritage Auctions. Cropped from the original image., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/inde...curid=87232987

Miracle on 34th Street - (1947)

One to tick off the list - I found Miracle on 34th Street pleasant enough, perhaps because I was in a good mood and was more able to lend myself to cheery and humorous playfulness. Was it wrong for me to watch this in June? What the hell - I'm sure nobody is going to call the Christmas police and rat on me. Natalie Wood as a child (is there a documentary about her mysterious death? I'd love to see one) and funny little digs at Christmas consumerism and overall commercialism are things I like to see, along with that famous 'sacks of mail' scene that's a part of popular culture and shows up in so many places. Edmund Gwenn deserved his Oscar. I've now seen 2/5 nominations for Best Picture from '48 - the other being the winner, Gentleman's Agreement which I watched not so long ago. I wonder what the kids of today make of Miracle on 34th Street - when I was a kid, I simply refused really old movies like they were broccoli. I might have liked this though.

7.5/10


By Impawards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13337965

I'm Not There - (2007)

I'm not enough of a fan of Bob Dylan to understand all of I'm Not There - and much like the differing facets of the man himself explored here, my reaction to the film changes from thinking it's clever, to not understanding, to thinking it's pretentious, to understanding it and then enjoying the performances and the way all of the different segments gel in much the same way those in Cloud Atlas do. I can't comment much more on it - and I'm not sure I can evenly confidently rate it. Did Dylan obfuscate himself to create a sense of mystery and mystique about him? Is there an ordinary person underneath all of that, just like you or I? I must listen to more of his music and learn a lot more about him. In the meantime I'm leaving I'm Not There for some future reappraisal - my opinions about it presently very mixed.

?/10

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Intrusion, 2021

Meera (Freida Pinto) and her husband Henry (Logan Marshall-Green) have just moved into a new home in a small town when things go amazingly off the rails. The couple are the victim of a break-in, and then later experience a frightening home invasion that ends in the death of one of the invaders. Plagued by strange sounds in the house, Meera tries to understand the reason behind the intrusions and what is happening in her new home.

Are you cleaning the house and you need a movie where it doesn’t matter if you run the vacuum for 5 minutes and miss a bunch of dialogue? This is the film for you.



Full review

The Killer (2022) -

This slick, stylish and very bloody Korean action flick begins with a retired hitman, Ui-Gang, being tasked with watching a friend's teenage daughter for a few weeks. It ends with him trying to single-handedly take down a trafficking ring. If the phrase "retired hitman" made you glaze over due to the John Wick franchise and all its derivatives, I don't blame you. Trust me, though, when I say this was a pleasant surprise.

This is one of the best-looking entries in this sub-genre I've seen in a while, thanks to camerawork that makes Seoul resemble a city from the future and that makes every action scene seem like a work of art, especially one in a hallway that may be the best one in a hallway since Oldboy. As for our "hero," Jang Hyuk has the same appeals as Takeshi Kitano when he plays roles like this for how good he is at being stoic and for making the moments where he shows emotion freak you out a little (but in a good way). On that note, if this sub-genre taking itself too seriously lately has kept you away from it, you need not worry. It has no shame in name-dropping The Man From Nowhere, for instance. I also give the movie credit for its thoughtful take on human trafficking instead of just using it as a plot device. Again, you shouldn't expect anything novel from this, but you should expect your interest to be rekindled in movies like it, especially if bloat is another reason why you have avoided it (it's a lean 95 minutes long).

Excellent movie though some scenes are very hard to watch. A student in France in the Sixties is determined to obtain an abortion. This is her journey.

Lead actress who is Romanian is excellent. Weird to see the legendary Sandrine Bonnaire in a tiny rôle as her mother. I didn’t even recognize her.

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

Was in my top 3 of last year. Phenomenal film. Performance of 2022.

We like a lot of the same movies.

Wow, that's a disturbing film. Bizarre Czech new wave from 1969. A cremator sets out to save the world by 'sending people to a life they will enjoy more. It's listed as a comedy in some places. It's not a comedy.

There are close ups and quick edits that give off a sort of claustrophobic feel as the main character slowly gets drawn into sympathizing with the Nazis who are invading the Czech border. It's a critique of the Euro-political landscape during World War II, with themes of extermination, murder and Jewish persecution. There are horror elements and it must surely have been a huge influence on the cinema of Michael Haneke, especially 'The White Ribbon'.

8/10

The Manitou, 1978

Harry (Tony Curtis) works as a psychic in San Francisco, and is old friends with Karen (Susan Strasberg). Karen becomes nervous when she has a strange growth on her neck, and perplexing medical examinations seem to indicate that the growth is a fetus. But the rate of growth of the lump is very fast, and soon some very strange supernatural events take place, including Karen speaking odd phrases in an unknown language. As Harry does more research, he comes to believe that Karen is in the grip of a strong, evil power.

Years of being obsessed with this film’s IMDb summary (MILD SPOILERS!! “A psychic's girlfriend finds out that a lump on her back is a growing reincarnation of a 400-year-old demonic Native American spirit”), I was nervous that the actual movie would not live up to that insane, jam-packed sentence. Fortunately, the film is very enjoyably weird and also just the right dose of sincere.



Full review

The Accountant, 2016

Christian (Ben Affleck) is a brilliant accountant who uses his small accounting firm as a front for laundering money for criminal clients. Christian is on the autism spectrum, and also has a strange background of being trained in various martial arts and other violent techniques by his father. Christian is hired to investigate accounting irregularities at a large company, assisted by a young in-house accountant named Dana (Anna Kendrick) who first noticed something amiss. But it soon becomes apparent that there’s more than just garden-variety embezzlement at play. Christian will have to call on all of his skills to contend with a ruthless killer (Jon Bernthal) in the mix.

As far as action thrillers go, this is a passable entry that could have use some serious trimming in the editing room.



Full review

The Amazing Spider-Man follows Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) as he tries to juggle his newfound spider-powers with his regular life as a high school teenager. This is complicated by the mysterious disappearance of his father years before, who was employed by Oscorp to develop a regenerative serum along with Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans). Caught in the crossfire of his life are his Uncle Ben and Aunt May (Martin Sheen and Sally Field) as well as his love interest, Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone).

Where the film ends up shining is when it manages to lean into the characters of Peter and Gwen, and their interactions together. Even if at times it feels like a bit of a stretch to see them as high schoolers, Garfield and Stone have an undeniable chemistry and they are both great in their roles. Most of the cast is solid as well and they would work better, if only their characters were given the space to grow instead of using them as moving pieces for the potential sequels.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

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Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15652123

The Great Gatsby - (1974)

I liked this adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's famous novel much more than most, although I was struck by the bizarre fact that every male character in it is sweating profusely throughout the film - something I've never seen before, and I really need some kind of explanation as to why Jack Clayton did this. I think of Elizabeth Holmes when I think of Gatsby - made stupendously rich in an underhanded kind of way, with this idea of having to be the most wealthy and successful person in the world to truly be able to feel any love due towards him is deserved and valid. Of course, Gatsby had a good reason, but many people today don't feel whole unless they're successful and well off. Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Bruce Dern, Sam Waterston and Karen Black make up a superb cast, and I really don't understand why this adaptation in particular was derided by the critics at the time. It's far, far better than Baz Luhrmann's 2013 version which was all visual pizzazz and little substance - typical for one of his gaudy behemoths. I just wish they'd cut down on the ridiculous sweating throughout.

8/10

i like that

I may need to rewatch this one, and I think I gave it the same rating as you. I remember liking it a lot as I watched it, but then having a weird feeling afterwards trying to figure out what really made it stand out (and nothing came to mind haha).

I think it's just . . . competent. The whole accountant/assassin mix is interesting enough to keep you on board.

But I honestly can't imagine watching it again. I can imagine putting it on in the background while I dust the baseboards, pausing with dustrag in hand to look up when he saves the old couple or whatever.

I really liked The Accountant. It's okay to simply like a movie. And if someone should press you for a reason it's okay to just shrug.

I liked it as a new movie. But I have a feeling that on a rewatch, those interminable flashback sequences would really grate on me.

Never So Few (1959)

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