Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Strange good movie. Senegalese lead actress new to me. Beautiful woman. Wouldn’t watch it again, but that’s ok.



Very talky like all French movies are, but it turned out to be a good movie about family. Léa Seydoux very good as per usual.

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2nd Rewatch....Considered by a lot of cinephiles to be Woody's masterpiece, I still scratch my head over how this film won the Oscar for Best Picture over Star Wars, The Goodbye Girl, Julia, and The Turning Point. There's some solid writing, but God, this Alvy Singer is probably the most unlikable character Woody has ever played and I just don't see what Annie (Oscar winner Diane Keaton) sees in him because he treats her like dirt. Unfortunately I also think Alvy Singer is probably the closest thing we've ever seen onscreen to the real Woody Allen. I think Woody has made at least half a dozen films better than this one.

Absolute Beginners (1986)



I'm really torn on how to rate this movie. It's almost as cringe-worthy as it is entertaining.

It's quite bizarre with a plot that, while simple at its core, seems to go all over the place before everything is said & done (going from satire about the entertainment industry to race wars and beyond)!

TCM introduced it as more of "an extended music video" than a movie - I'm not sure if I would've picked up on that without hearing the description first, but it is a musical and a visual spectacle (it's very colorful and the set work bears noting).



The nostalgia level is on two points: first the movie was made in 1986 which is quite obvious especially to the MTV generation, but it tells a story that takes place in 1958 (so it's 86's version of 58)! I'm not sure how well it conveys 1958 (outside of some music styles & civil unrest indicative of the time). It seems more like a 1958 amalgam with 1986.

Real life musicians Sade, Ray Davies, and David Bowie appear (with Bowie in a secondary role) and Patsy Kensit (as "Crepe Suzette") is cute to look at.

There are lots of familiar elements from former Rock / Pop musicals and some pretty direct homages to West Side Story!

This is one where you may love it for the colorful presentation, the nostalgia and the music, or may hate it for all the same reasons!

I saw it when it came out. And although it was mostly enjoyable I, like you, believe it to be overrated, even though I've always been a big Woody Allen fan. Diane Keaton's wardrobe did start a new ladies' fashion.

I much prefer Manhattan (1977), and a few others.

By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46566026

Tangerine - (2015)

I don't know which of Sean Baker's movies you'd call his breakout - he seems to have been on a steady progression, but I'd probably say The Florida Project was the really major breakthrough, with Tangerine doing enough to make critics really take notice. This is recognizably Baker and super enjoyable. Both light-hearted and really serious, it takes place in that familiar lowest rung, where social outcasts and the forgotten walk the streets or meet up in donut shops. (Yeah - Baker appears to be obsessed with donuts.) In this it's Christmas Eve, and transgender prostitute Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) gets out of jail after a 28-day stint, meets up with friend and fellow sex worker Alexandra (Mya Taylor), then discovers her pimp "boyfriend", Chester (a deliriously funny James Ransone) has been cheating on her while she's been inside. Added to the mix is a cab driver, Razmik (Karren Karagulian) whose penchant for and friendliness with transgender prostitutes is a big secret from his family, and Dinah (Mickey O'Hagan) - yet another prostitute who is about to feel Sin-Dee Rella's wrath. Everything in this film clicks perfectly, with a flow that soon makes you forget just how grotty life is for these people on Christmas Eve - obviously none of them are expecting the same kind of Christmas you or I do. Without The Florida Project or Red Rocket I wouldn't have sought out Tangerine as urgently as I did - and I'm glad, because it has all of Baker's strengths working nearly as well as they do in those films. Really, really enjoyable movie to watch. Glitter in a gutter.

8/10


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In Search of a Midnight Kiss - (2007)

Some films assuredly capture what a moment really feels like so well, that you feel it as if you're one of the characters in the film. In this it's a somewhat amazing first date that 29-year-old Wilson (Scoot McNairy) and Vivian (Sara Simmonds) go on one New Year's Eve. By amazing I by no means mean smooth and trouble-free - just really memorable. Early on, In Search of a Midnight Kiss really sheds that "independent film" vibe it has and sucks you in - so impressive from a filmmaker, Alex Holdridge, who has won many plaudits but whose career never really took off. It suits it's theatrical black & white photography - so if you have the choice, see that version and not the colour one. It's moving, life-like, funny and has many unexpected moments - all of the characters feel like real people. It lost me a little here and there though - not all of it's twists and turns or unexpected moments are good. There were several instances where I was completely thrown as to what kind of movie this would be - and I can't say I wasn't a little disappointed that my expectations weren't met. But all in all, by the end of the film, I was thinking how nice and measured everything was, and how the film was making me feel. I'm perhaps underrating it, but I hope my words convey my pleasure.

6/10

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Tunes of Glory (1960) - A+

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Tangerine got a lot of buzz when it first came out because it had been shot entirely on iPhones.

I thought that it was pretty great. All of the characters feel incredibly lived-in, and it swings really masterfully between comedy and drama.

The Three Musketeers (1921)

I haven't seen too many silent films but this was one of the better ones. The subtitles are often too quick and you'll need to pause and rewind every once in a while. A long two hours filled with a continually forward driving story and doesn't test your patience like Wings does. The narrative predates cinema so of course plays out like traditional stage fare. Hard to rate these but I will give it an 8.

8/10

Stray Dog (1949)

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Barbie (2023)

Not enough pink.

If Footmen Tire You What Will Horses Do? (1971) Directed by Ron Ormond, this extremist religious and political propaganda is a hilarious and demented delight. Estus W. Pirkle plays himself and preaches about the dangers of impending communism due to America's acceptance of miniskirts, cartoons, dancing and sex education. Interspersed are laugh out loud, over the top depictions of communists torturing and murdering Christians, especially children, with some of the most ridiculous acting and dialogue I have ever seen. Probably one of the most unintentionally funny, so very bad that it is so very good films I have encountered. If Footmen Tire You What Will Horses Do is a terrible movie that manages to be really entertaining and funny in spite of itself, regardless of your religious or political views.

Fish Tank (2009) -

It's not hard to understand Mia's fixation of Connor. Whether you're referring to her conflict with her younger sister, the lack of attention she receives from her mother, or her isolation from other people her age, finding someone to latch on to was important for her. Connor was the exact person to do that and act as the parental figure she needed since he showed her more kindness than her family did. Or, at least, this is your initial impression of him. The more you see of his behavior (giving her money to buy alcohol underage, killing a fish around her, having varous one-night stands with her mother, touching her suggestively when carrying her to bed), the more rough around the edges he seems. Though subtle at first, his questionable behavior culminates in their sex scene and his reaction after the fact which makes the film's emotional core all the more profound. Mia needs love and attention more than anything, but nobody she comes across is able to provide her with such, nor act as an appropriate role model or parental figure. In fact, few scenes have gotten to me as much as her synchronized dancing session with her family at the end. It's the first time in the film the three of them bond together, showing they could've potentially gotten along with each other in the right setting, except it happened too late at that point. While Mia isn't the most likable character, you still feel sympathy for her as her compassion (caring for the safety of a horse) and her ambitions (starting a successful career as a dancer) are made clear and act as counterpoints to her rough-on-the-surface, volatile behavior. Overall, it's a powerful film which I won't be forgetting about anytime soon.

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I keep bailing on Fish Tank, just because watching grooming behaviors in film is really hard for me.

But I urge you to check out Andrea Arnold's Wasp if you get a chance for a character who keeps you on the cutting edge of sympathy and frustration. It's currently available on Criterion and Mubi if you have either of those services.

I've already seen Wasp. It's a powerful short as, while the mother in it clearly cares for her kids, she makes ill-advised decisions in the process and doesn't seem to be in any state to properly manage them on her own.

Trancers, 1984

In the future, a criminal called Whistler (Michael Stefani) uses mental powers to turn people into obedient, zombie-like creatures called Trancers who then obey his every command. Retired cop Jack (Tim Thomerson) is called back into service when Whistler is able to travel back in time to the 1980s to eliminate the ancestors of the current political leadership. Jack follows Whistler, landing in the body of his own ancestor, a man named Phil. With the help of Phil’s girlfriend, Leena (Helen Hunt), Jack hunts Whistler and tries to find and protect his intended victims.

Despite some imaginative elements, what should be a guilty pleasure good time is instead a bit of a slog.



Full review

Dry hair is for squids

Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)


I don't know why I hadn't watched this before, it's been on my watchlist for a long time. I really liked it. Female friendship, period drama lesbians, cannibalism - what's not to like?







Stand By Me (1986)



This one was a rewatch but it must be 25 years since I last saw it. Funny how I remembered some scenes exactly but others not at all. Watched with my 12 year old who wasn't bothered by the language (more than I remembered!) but was concerned by the boys' lack of rail safety.

Your 12-year-old's priorities are EXACTLY correct.

Strange World, 2022

In the land of Avalonia, Searcher (Jake Gyllenhaal) and his father, Jaeger (Dennis Quaid) are on an expedition to learn what is beyond the daunting mountains that surround their land. Jaeger becomes separated from the party, while Searcher returns with a plant he’s discovered that generates electricity. Years later, Searcher is a father to his own teenage son, Ethan (Jabouki Young-White). When the plants that fuels their civilization begin dying, Searcher, his wife Meridian (Gabrielle Union), and Ethan join an expedition to discover what is killing the plants, finding themselves in a strange world full of unusual creatures.

While too much of the action falls into middling contemporary visual tropes, engaging characters and a great late-film plot turn make this a fun watch.



Full review

The Portable Door (2023)



Fun and quirky but the ending is a bit rushed. By the time we've been told what everything is about, the ride is coming to a stop, the automatic restraints are coming up, and we're being asked to exit to the right. Everything resolves too easily, snapping into a convenient happy ending. It was the opposite of the ending of a Cohen Bros movie.



Sam Neil does a great job chewing scenery.