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They Shall Not Grow Old (Peter Jackson, 2018) -


A World War I documentary that is distinct in how it's built out of archival footage that has been painstakingly colourised and dubbed over in an attempt to create a more vivid representation of what life was like for a soldier back then, but there's still the question as to whether or not such a bold move ultimately works against the film by being vaguely disrespectful in trying to render this documentary footage "realistic".
I don't consider this disrespectful at all. If anything, it shows how much respect these people are given that a team of people did what they did. I think there is an obvious disconnect with people when they see something old, black and white and grainy. This at least gives them some idea of what life was like. Such an odd thing to say. I get that they digitally put in a lot, but I don't see how it takes away from the 'realism'.

This is from someone who hasn't seen it yet though.
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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews



I'm ditching my thread. Hello Movie Tab!

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

You know, I really liked this. I wasn't expecting to but I really did. I think Newt is a fantastic protagonist and character and in many ways I loved how this delved into the mythology. I know it has some problems there, and I don't think the film is without flaws - the main one is not partial to this entry but the whole franchise (though most notable here perhaps), and that is the fact that Rowling seems to be able to make up a spell for any situation. There is no restraint with the magic, and I think if there was it would make the storytelling much more impactful. But for my low expectations, I was pleasantly captivated by this movie.

Creed II (2018)

Stuff like this is pure fuel for me right now. Nowhere near as good as the first Coogler-directed entry, but it still has some fantastic stuff. The training montage. Creed punching the floor. "What's your name?!" "Creed!!!!" this stuff really gets me pumped, and with these two first Creed films I've really come to connect with all these characters (Rocky, who I always loved, is further explored in these entries). The direction is surprisingly good and doesn't pale in comparison to Coogler as much as I expected, though it still does a little bit.

Instant Family (2018)

It's a fairly mediocre film really, but I was able to invest in the more heartfelt stuff. Better directing would have helped immensely.

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Stunning flick, always loved this. Gut-wrenching. I love that the narration comes not from Eastwood or Swank, but the bystander, the observer - Morgan Freeman. For something that starts so seemingly muted, it takes a powerful turn near the end, as anyone who has seen it would know.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)

Hot Rod is one of my favorite comedies, and I had been looking forward to this since it came out. While there was no way I would like it as much as that film, I still liked it a lot. Some greatly clever silliness and possibly the most celebrity cameos of any film ever.

The Karate Kid (1984)

It's a classic 80's film, and another good "fuel" type of thing. The scene that pays off the "wax on, wax off" stuff is the best scene in the film, only challenged by that freaking crane kick at the end!

Wrong Turn (2003)

Saw this a few times growing up - I remember my sister and her friend watching it and me asking them how the hell the filmmakers did one of the special effects sequences. They tried probably for ten minutes to explain it to me, but I couldn't understand. Rewatching it proved to be a treat. It a pretty tame movie-going experience but has enough tension and for me, nostalgia, to be enjoyable, especially when you are watching it with your horror pal.

Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007)

Pretty awesome flick due to it's quirk, weird premise and freakin' Henry Rollins. Perhaps not as competently-made as the first, which isn't even that stunningly-made in the first place, but it makes up for it with some batsh*t insanity. Seems to be a bit of a tonal shift as it heads to it's second half, but overall it works. Mostly because of freakin' Henry Rollins! What a bad motherf*cker.

As Above, So Below (2014)

This one really surprised me. I loved the twists and turns and ideas, especially the ending. I thought a lot of that stuff was clever and am really surprised how abysmal the reviews are. I did hate the forced attempts at infusing heart and character development, none of which worked even a little bit. But that aside, this is a damn cool movie.

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

This is a great one that I rewatched partly due to my sci-fi blockbuster loving friend having never seen it, and partly due to my growing appreciation for Emily Blunt.

Day of the Dead (1985)

I remember seeing this around age 12 and then posting a review on Netflix bragging about how I watched it while eating pepperoni pizza. Anyway, I always liked it a lot but never as much as I did yesterday. To me now, this is a bonafide masterpiece and on par with the first two Romero zombie flicks. Hands down. It has the best gore and effects, and my favorite zombie of all-time - Bub.

Iverson (2014)

Not much to say about this one. It was pretty good but never elevated itself. Some weird tonal jumps and the ending kind of rushes through his career. But the first1/3 is pretty engaging.



Welcome to the human race...
Van Helsing (Stephen Sommers, 2004) -


Sommers follows up the success of his Mummy remake with this similarly-styled Universal monster mash that involves Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolf Man (plus Hugh Jackman as the eponymous vampire hunter at the centre of it all). Unfortunately, the whole thing proves a tiresome eyesore that barely manages to have anything of worth happen throughout this supernatural swashbuckler.

Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (Nick Broomfield, 1993) -


With Kurt and Courtney, Broomfield struck me as more than a little annoying when it came to being a documentarian but his ambush-like approach seems a little better suited to his work chronicling the trials of the eponymous murderer and those that surround her during this difficult time (and are all too liable to exploit her notoriety). The result is a decent true-crime doc that manages to depict Wuornos as a complicated individual.

The Longest Yard (Robert Aldrich, 1974) -


It probably doesn't help that I already saw the Adam Sandler remake that severely broadened the original's humour, but it doesn't help that that film effectively did a scene-for-scene remake to the point where this one plays like a dull and uninspired remake of itself. Fortunately, it still proves a semi-watchable Burt Reynolds vehicle that is still (technically) superior to the Sandler version.

Hellraiser: Inferno (Scott Derrickson, 2000) -


Another passable Hellraiser sequel, this time about a corrupt detective who becomes a little too involved with a murder investigation that obviously crosses over with everyone's favourite nail-riddled demon. It's an interesting enough angle through which to filter the usual depictions of torture (and especially remarkable in how it emphasises psychological horror as the detective starts to lose his grip on reality), but too often it comes across as a middling police procedural.

Robin Hood (Otto Bathurst, 2018) -


The altruistic bandit of legend gets reworked as a thoroughly generic 2010s blockbuster hero in a film befitting that description (right down to the aggressive orange-and-teal colour-correction and overly optimistic sequel hook) in a way that is ever-so-slightly entertaining to watch as it shambles its way through clumsy (albeit semi-respectable) attempts at socio-political commentary and an origin story filled with some extremely passable setpieces.

Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (Nick Broomfield and Joan Churchill, 2003) -


A decidedly necessary companion piece to Selling... that picks up over a decade later (amusingly enough, with Broomfield being subpoenad for Wuornos' latest trial where Selling... becomes a key piece of evidence and turns his often-obtrusive search for truth back on himself) and (as you can probably guess) brings this extremely layered story of the notorious serial killer to its inevitable conclusion.

Samurai Saga (Hiroshi Inagaki, 1959) -


The quick logline would be "Cyrano de Bergerac but with samurai" as Toshiro Mifune plays a big-nosed warrior poet who ends up siding with an inarticulate rival to romance a fair princess. A bit too simple for my liking, but still has tangibly good moments scattered throughout (mainly because of Mifune himself).

Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present (Matthew Akers, 2011) -


A documentary following the legendary performance artist as she sets up her latest exhibition, the centrepiece of which involves sitting motionless day after day in the middle of the gallery as patrons take turns trying to meet her gaze (also delving into her own history of elaborate and masochistic performances in the process). Assuming you've got the patience to put up with what may be all the biggest performance art clichés rolled into a single package, it's a compelling watch.

Charlie's Country (Rolf de Heer, 2013) -


Low-key drama about an indigenous elder (the legendary David Gulpilil) trying to eke out a living on the outskirts of a rural town that has effectively dispossessed him and his people. Uncomplicated by design with its matter-of-fact approach to following Charlie that's definitely carried by Gulpilil's largely-internalised performance.

The Wailing (Na Hong-jin, 2016) -


The kind of horror that's maybe not a high-wire act of tension (especially when considering its sizeable runtime) but one that still gets under your skin with its tale of demonic possession slowly infecting the citizens of a small mountain village and how they struggle to defend against it (especially when it gets into morally ambiguous territory as the protagonist's desperation gives way to stark brutality).
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I really just want you all angry and confused the whole time.
Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0



Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
Magasiskola [The Falcons] (1970) -


From the director of Dead Landscape! An indictment of Communism hidden in a simple story about falconers living in a Great Hungarian Plain. Falcons are majestic creatures, but they're held captive and trained to do exactly what's expected from them. A newcomer is quite eager to become a falconer himself, but quickly becomes disillusioned with falconry, which has its climax in a beautiful scene of him catching a wild falcon. Pretty photography of the steppes, wild life, landscapes...

黒い河 [Black River] (1956) -


Nakadai's vilest role I've seen! He plays an absolutely despicable son of a bitch who rapes, beats, abuses women, and does some legal trickery to deprive the poor of accommodation! It's a strong film by Masaki Kobayashi whose next effort will be his magnum opus The Human Condition - a film that talks about people during war; Black River talks about Japan after war - a poor, dilapidated country inhabited by damaged people. A great film, but hardly an uplifting one!

A Foreign Affair (1948) -


A minor Wilder, but such an entertaining film! I'm not too big on Dietrich, but she's good. So is Jean Arthur who's quite cute in this nerdy kind of way. I'm starting to really appreciatethe impeccable writing of these old, classic Hollywood films, too. Didn't find it particularly laugh out loud funny, but surely appreciated the witticisms. I guess I'll have to watch more Wilder flicks! Even his lesser films are soooo enjoyable!

Córki dancingu [The Lure] (2015) -


A decent Polish film with some solid visuals and popping music. A horror musical! The dichotomy between the prevalent hate for this film in Poland, and the unexpected love in the West (released in Criterion Collection - WTF?!) is intriguing. Those siren tails really reminded me of snake tails in Green Snake, but surely two wan Slavs can't compete with Maggie and Joey - two absolutely stunning Chinese beauties. I wish the film was even crazier and more out there! I want a scene of those sirens and that aquarius slaughtering everybody to some pumping music, and then having a wild threesome while bathing in blood and guts! I... I mean... we want to be edgy, right? So let's be! In all seriousness, though, it's good such films are being made in Poland!

戒厳令 [Coup d'etat] (1973) -


Every time I watch a Yoshida I'm first convinced I'm watching the best-looking film ever, only to be reminded that I'd indeed seen a more visually stunning film, and it was also directed by Yoshida! I didn't find this one too interesting plotwise, but the cinematography is sooooooooooooo good.

অশনি সংকেত [Distant Thunder] (1973) -


Quite a touching, down-to-earth Ray film on the Great Bengal famine of 1943. It might be a little bit rough around the edges, but it surely makes up for it with the story and Ray's humanism!

A Dança dos Paroxismos (1929) -


A Portuguese take on French Impressionist Cinema - a direct tribute to Marcel L'Herbier! The camera is absolutely free in this, and it's a pleasure to see such unchained, experimental cinematography! The story is so poetic and fairy tale-ish, too.

Flicka och hyacinter [Girl with Hyacinths] (1950) -


Swedish Citizen Kane! Just as cold and objective as the Welles film, but the final twist is so much better and more subversive than the Rosebud one!

恐怖雞 [The Intruder] (1997) -


A solid CAT III offering that felt more like one of those bloody Korean thrillers than an actual Category III film. Produced by Johnnie To, which resulted in a little bit too polished and mainstream a look. You see, I prefer my CATs rough and dirty! Still, the story is engaging and not devoid of scuzz. I only wish it had more sleaze!

Mirage (1965) -


Absolutely delightful! Loved the mystery of it and C̶a̶r̶y̶ ̶G̶r̶a̶n̶t̶ Gregory Peck (thanks, @mark f) character's struggle to find out who he is. Even the supporting characters are quite vivid and have some punch to them. They all have their own motivations. For example, the thugs want to get G̶r̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶ Peck not only because they've been paid to, but also because they want to retaliate for him beating them up earlier. The first two thirds of the film are absolutely perfect, so when the solution starts to slowly unfold, one can be nothing but disappointed. Not that there is anything particularly wrong with the denouement, but it only induced a "Oh, okay." reaction from me. Still, a really great film, and for what it's worth, I prefer it to most Hitchcock.

The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933) -


A dubious soap opera romance, but the cinematography is ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS, and it successfully overshadows the shallowness of the story. I found the final bits of the film quite problematic, because:
WARNING: "The Bitter Tea of General Yen" spoilers below
1. He basically kidnapped her just to make her his (because he got bored with the Chinese girl) - just like the corny tagline says, in the end he lost, but at least he conquered the woman. That's all she was to him. A conquest.
2. She... well, she basically had erotic dreams about him back when she only knew him for not giving a flying damn if he ran over a boy, or not, because "in China human life has the least worth", or something, right when they're shooting people behind the window! But yeah, he was handsome, so sure. I don't mind her falling in love with him only on the basis of his good looks, but I do mind her actually begging for it (with the good ole Christian preaching reluctance just for show) just when you can clearly see he's not exactly a prince charming to put it lightly - and all of that even if you consider she wasn't aware of his ruse.



And yet the ending suggests a powerful love, and a great tear-worthy romance of the century.It's quite cool the characters are not perfect, but it's still bothersome how it was portrayed.

I know they couldn't have cast an Asian actor as the lead, but it doesn't change the fact Asther looks really silly in yellow face - not to mention the ridiculous eyebrows! And the Fu Manchu reference during the dream scene was most unexpected and quite amusing if farsical! Kudos they at least cast a Japanese (albeit very Chinese-looking) lady instead of another yellow face!
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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.



Weird is relative.
^ I'm wondering that too. I've seen it as well and gave it the same rating as Minio. Definitely good effort, just felt like the producers lost an opportunity there by not delving more into the interesting concept, and kind of flaked out with the "love story."
Haven't viewed Green Snake yet although it's been on my watchlist.



Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
Why do Poles hate The Lure?
To be exact, about half of my 67 Polish cinema buff "friends" liked the film to some degree. Also, most mainstream Polish viewers were more or less disappointed with the film (it scored the average of a really low 5,1/10 from 26k voters on the biggest Polish film-rating site).

There might be a plenty of reasons for this:

1. The differences between the Polish and American (international?) trailers. The Polish trailer is false advertising:

It doesn't even show or tell the girls are human-feeding mermaids, and that this is a highly stylized horror film. Quite honestly, it looks like a trailer for yet another awful Polish romantic comedy, so it apparently drew such crowd, that as a result was disappointed.
Here's the International trailer for comparison:
[removed]
Much darker! Watch both, and tell me which one is a better representation of the film.

2. Highly stylized art films that tell the story through symbolism etc. are oftentimes hated by the general Polish audience. Only God Forgives, Neon Demon, The Tree of Life. Mandy... to name a few.

3. The Poles are not used to this kind of films (honestly I've never seen a Polish film of this kind before!). Also, some more conservative (and older, I guess) people found the film disgusting.

Bonus:

Some examples of comments (translated by me):

"Yet another Polish film that tries to be (like an) American (film). It will make you disgusted with fish!"
"Good direction wasted on idiotic screenplay. Pretty but empty!"
"Just sick!"
"Just when I thought Suicide Squad had no screenplay."
"Lack of reason and human dignity."
"Disgusting."
"Absolutely terrible as far as screenwriting goes. The characters are merely shallow silhouettes with no psychological depth to them. Not to mention the terrible songs! I've seen another film about a mermaid who met a prince and they really loved each other. Unlike in The Lure, she didn't become a whore for whom the only thing she wants and knows is sex. She gets humped by a random fag who then marries another, which leaves the mermaid with no other options. No moral. A film of its times."



Welcome to the human race...
Yes, I suppose in hindsight it was silly to ask why the glam-punk musical about human-eating mermaids wouldn't have a particularly wide appeal, false advertising or not (you weren't kidding about the Polish trailer).

Also, lol at the comment that complains about the movie having no morals while dropping the f-slur.



A system of cells interlinked
Molly's Game

Sorkin, 2017





A crime flick primarily driven by snappy dialogue sequences, Molly's Game tells the story of Molly Bloom, a post-injury Olympic skier that starts running back room poker games in LA, and later in New York City. Chastain is excellent, as is Elba, even if the narrative is a bit scattershot at times.


The Florida Project

Baker, 2017





Seen mostly through the perspective of a six year old girl living in Florida just outside Walt Disney World, this film paints a colorful portrait of the day-to-day life of several kids and their derelict parents, all of who live in a brightly painted hotel called The Magic Castle. Unlike the nearby Magic Kingdom, this castle is populated with tattooed skanks and down-on-their luck single parents trying to make their weekly rent payments. Willem Defoe shows up in a supporting role as the hotel manager/reluctant playground monitor, but the film is primarily focused on one child, her playmates, and her mother, all played by unknowns. Despite its over-saturated color palette, the film is stark and realistic, and is equal parts uplifting, depressing, heartbreaking, and infuriating. The director preserves the main character's innocence for as long as he can, but as the film progresses, and the mother's conduct deteriorates, we know that something has got to give.
__________________
“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” ― Thomas Sowell



Welcome to the human race...
Creed II (Steven Caple Jr., 2018) -


Overall a step down from the soft-reboot original, but it finds interesting ways to compensate - most notably by taking the most cartoonish of the classic Rocky villains and doing such an astounding job of humanising him that it makes you wish he and his son got their own movie - and also do a passable job of maintaining the action standard set by its predecessor.

Widows (Steve McQueen, 2018) -


A solid heist film with a twist - that of a gang of thieves dying during a job and their widows effectively being forced to learn how to carry out their next job to pay off a vindictive gangster - that dabbles in various strata of political drama as it does so but never loses sight of its thriller elements in the process, resulting in a markedly above-average potboiler experience.

Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (Michael Rapaport, 2011) -


A simple but effective documentary about the influential hip-hop group that traces their history from formation to success to in-fighting to reconciliation and all points in between. Definitely a little rough to watch the film's continued focus on Phife Dawg's health problems and the associated drama in the wake of his passing.

The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, 2012) -


A superficially absurd exercise - tracking down participants in Indonesian death squads and convincing them to produce their own cinematic re-enactments of the war crimes they committed - proves a troubling window into the psychology of not just the individuals who all too willingly participated in brutal genocide but the system that enabled them then and continues to do so now.

The Look of Silence (Joshua Oppenheimer, 2014) -


A companion piece to The Act of Killing that takes a different approach in how it allows one man to talk face-to-face with various executioners and participants in the military coup so as to confront them with the weight of their actions (or inaction). While decidedly more conventional an approach than the theatrics of Act (though the "optometrist" angle still can't help but feel like a cinematic device no matter how true it might be), it's still served well by examining the psychological fallout on victim and perpetrator and loved one alike.

Barbara (Christian Petzold, 2012) -


I quite liked Petzold's Phoenix and Transit so while this film's treading of similar narrative ground - that of a hospital nurse planning to escape her exile in East Germany - does come across as a little rough compared to his later films, it still proves a solid watch.

Lean On Pete (Andrew Haigh, 2017) -


I do think it's worth questioning just what makes this tale of a teenage ranch-hand becoming emotionally attached to a slow-moving racehorse significantly lesser than other similarly meandering films about life on the skids (an easy point of comparison would be this year's considerably superior The Rider). Maybe it's just that it does a little too well at emphasising its troubled protagonist's alienation from other people by barely giving the audience anything to get attached to in the meantime, resulting in a repetitive structure as he wanders from place to place faster than we can find a reason to care what just happened at each place.

Murder at 1600 (Dwight H. Little, 1997) -


This could be the poster child for dull '90s thrillers with its tale of Wesley Snipes and Diane Lane investigating a murder at the White House. While the former makes it somewhat watchable, he can only do so much to carry such a plodding excuse for a thriller.

Cam (Daniel Goldhaber, 2018) -


Blumhouse does techno-paranoia with this tale of a camgirl whose quest for online fame and fortune is compromised when her account is stolen by a mysterious doppelganger. It's definitely unsettling well before dropping its doppelganger angle a full 30 minutes into its 90-minute runtime and does a decent job of maintaining its unease as it not only probes Internet-based fears but also by commenting on the stigmatisation of sex workers in the process.

Love, Simon (Greg Berlanti, 2018) -


I guess this is a nice and inoffensive little variation on the Hollywood teen rom-com with its tale of a closeted teen whose anonymous online exchanges with an unknown student end up causing unwanted complications.



A system of cells interlinked
I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore

Blair, 2017





Quite a few belly laughs and a couple of surprise turns make this is super fun watch. Highly recommended.


Spring Breakers

Korine, 2012





I almost rated this
, as it does pull off some decent stylistic flourishes, and Franco is fun to watch, but ultimately, this is just a bunch of beaver shots attached to a group of idiots doing idiotic things. Reminded me of Natural Born Killers a couple of times, and I dislike that film.



Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever (2009)

I had a lot more fun with this the first time I saw it. It's not without some charm and boasts a great cameo by the legendary Mark Borchardt. But Ti West can do better, and it definitely pales in comparison to the wonderful first film.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Ended up seeing this twice. What's not to love about it? The filmmakers clearly had fun playing with the superhero genre and blockbuster cinema in general, both challenging conventions while also embracing the format. The overall style is so breathtaking it could have been a case of style over substance. Fortunately, the script is just as good, with six different versions of Spider-Man that are all distinct, colorful characters all their own. To me, that's a good achievement.

The Favourite (2018)

Here's what I wrote about the film on Letterboxd when I saw it a week ago:

"One of the most fascinating films about power dynamics I've seen in a very long time. I was unsure about it during the first 20-30 minutes, but then my interest began to ramp up until, by the end of it, I was wondering if this was my new favorite film of 2018. I'll have to sit with it a while to decide that, as I will have to regarding it's place in Lanthimos's current filmography. But it's hard to deny that it features some of his best work to date."

Turns out I am still thinking about it and still hold it to high (if not even higher) esteem. That's important to me even more than the initial experience.

Roma (2018)

Some great craft here that is in some ways distinctly Cauron, although he's also pulling from the likes of Ozu and Fellini, at least in my eyes. Ultimately it hinges on Cleo, who is an absolutely wonderful character, someone who is a genuinely good person even if she doesn't know it.

Demons (1985)

What I wrote in Nostro's Top 100 Horror thread:

"Shout-out to Demons, which I revisited the other day. Turns out it's way more amazing than I remember. Plays *a little bit* like an Evil Dead flick set in a theater instead of a cabin, and instead of a chainsaw it's a katana. And it touts one of the best horror themes ever. Overall, it's a masterpiece."

The Mule (2018)

When I saw 15:17 to Paris earlier this year, I was left wondering what happened to Clint as a filmmaker. It remains my least favorite film of 2018 (and that’s unlikely to change) - a truly perplexing experience for me to see someone I always viewed as wonderfully competent in the director’s chair delivering a film so unbelievably incompetent. While some of that bleeds over into The Mule, it proved to be a much more rewarding experience, even if it doesn’t match the level of his best work.

Regardless of all that, and if my speculation is correct, then I kind of love that Mr. Eastwood is just kind of doing whatever the hell he wants at this point. Perhaps he is sacrificing technical ability that he has proven to have in the past for a certain level of unhinged creative experimentation. Or perhaps I am being too optimistic.

Whatever the case, at least the guy can still act. His performance here carries the film through to it’s end, with enough charisma and depth to make the overall film work much better than it might have otherwise.



A system of cells interlinked
Bad Times at the El Royale

Goddard, 2018





When I saw that the guy who directed Cabin in the Woods was at the helm here, I was excited to see this. Alas, it's not much more than a Tarantino clone with several cardboard cutout characters and some ham-fisted social commentary. A couple of the characters, played by Jeff Bridges and Cynthia Erivo were well done, and their performances are probably the best aspects of the film. Jon Hamm, Chris Hemsworth and Dakota Johnson were wasted, for the most part. I just couldn't shake the been-there-done-that vibe I got from this flick. Bad times, indeed.



The Mule (2018)

When I saw 15:17 to Paris earlier this year, I was left wondering what happened to Clint as a filmmaker. It remains my least favorite film of 2018 (and that’s unlikely to change) - a truly perplexing experience for me to see someone I always viewed as wonderfully competent in the director’s chair delivering a film so unbelievably incompetent. While some of that bleeds over into The Mule, it proved to be a much more rewarding experience, even if it doesn’t match the level of his best work.

Regardless of all that, and if my speculation is correct, then I kind of love that Mr. Eastwood is just kind of doing whatever the hell he wants at this point. Perhaps he is sacrificing technical ability that he has proven to have in the past for a certain level of unhinged creative experimentation. Or perhaps I am being too optimistic.

Whatever the case, at least the guy can still act. His performance here carries the film through to it’s end, with enough charisma and depth to make the overall film work much better than it might have otherwise.
Fine, enjoyable flick. Saw The Mule yesterday with my Dad, looked to be Morpheus, Bradley Cooper, Andy Garcia, and Clint mainly having a good ole time together.




Fine, enjoyable flick. Saw The Mule yesterday with my Dad, looked to be Morpheus, Bradley Cooper, Andy Garcia, and Clint mainly having a good ole time together.

Yeah, I will usually appreciate a film more if I can sense the filmmakers are at least having a fun time making it. That was the case here.

Unless I'm misinterpreting the situation I get the feeling that Eastwood, in his late age, is letting go of any sense of prestige and just having fun. I admire that greatly, even if the results aren't as great as they could be.

I weirdly had both low and high expectations going in - low because of his other 2018 film, high because it looked good and I like Clint. Fortunately, the experience steered closer to meeting the high expectations than the low expectations.



Welcome to the human race...
It's been...interesting to see the takes that say he's getting "experimental" and inviting comparisons to the likes of Bresson and Kiastorami by casting the soldiers as themselves in The 15:17 to Paris (thus making them stand out against the rather stodgy utilitarianism that tends to characterise his films). But yeah, I've seen about 20 of his movies and I'd say that he's generally that good as a filmmaker. For every Unforgiven or Outlaw Josey Wales there's a Firefox or Heartbreak Ridge. That being said, we'll see what I end up making of The Mule if/when I get around to watching it.



Welcome to the human race...
Climax (Gaspar Noé, 2018) -


This inspired-by-true-events tale of a dance troupe's ill-fated after-party might be Noé's tamest film (out of the ones I've seen anyway) in that it's not quite as graphic or disorienting as his other major releases (though it's not for a lack of trying). He keeps it lean and focused (under a hundred minutes, confined to a single location) in a way that accentuates the qualities that distinguish him for better or worse but appreciably downplays just how obnoxious he and his filmmaking can be.

Elf (Jon Favreau, 2003) -


I guess this is what passes for a modern Christmas classic these days with its blithely earnest tale of a human adopted by Santa and his elves who decides to go looking for his real dad. Not the worst premise and I obviously understand why it opted to go the family-friendly route (and there was definitely potential for this thing to go darker), but more often than not I found it a grating and unfunny mess.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (Bill Melèndez, 1965) -


Another first-time viewing of a Christmas classic, this time yielding some pleasant results with its animation that has visibly aged but only in a way that emphasises its distinct style for the better and accentuates the better parts of its simple-but-effective narrative about Charlie Brown trying to deal with a sudden onslaught of Christmas neurosis (which, coming on the heels of something as obnoxiously giddy about Christmas spirit as Elf, was thoroughly welcome).

Overlord (Julius Avery, 2018) -


A weirdly disappointing piece of Nazisploitation where American G.I.s on a vital mission in occupied France end up uncovering a mad science lab. It's still entertaining enough in parts - you get a decent feel for the squad (including Wyatt Russell breaking from his slacker typecasting even if it's only to do a really good impression of his dad) and it doesn't exactly skimp on gory horror (though I question if it really earns its R18+ rating), but it's still got enough problems that I'm ultimately underwhelmed by the whole thing.

Bill Cunningham: New York (Richard Press, 2010) -


A slight and economical documentary about the eccentric fashion photographer of the title. It's a modest piece of work about an equally modest subject whose chipper demeanour and fantastic obsession with fashion ultimately grow on you.

Bunny and the Bull (Paul King, 2009) -


Somewhere between directing episodes of The Mighty Boosh and the Paddington movies, King made this very Boosh-like buddy comedy that trades in everything from odd-couple banter to outlandishly animated (in both senses of the word) storytelling. It's definitely got its strengths (the leads have some decent chemistry together and King knows how to deploy some appreciably comedic surrealism) but it's still rather hit-and-miss.

Tokyo Godfathers (Satoshi Kon, 2003) -


At once notably different to the other Kon works I've seen and yet still distinctly his, this tale of three homeless people finding an abandoned infant and getting into all sorts of escapades as a result manages to play the situation for a variety of tones ranging from the broadly comical to the genuinely melancholy without managing to come across as either patronising or cloying. Not sure if it'll become an annual Christmas-viewing staple but honestly I'm starting to get the impression that I don't really need to arbitrarily watch the same movies over and over again at the same time of year.

Sorry To Bother You (Boots Riley, 2018) -


Delightfully deranged and off-kilter satire about a black telemarketer deciding to use an uncanny-sounding "white voice" to become a high-flying salesperson. It's subtle as a brick through a skylight with its no-holds-barred approach that targets everything from racial tension to class warfare to late capitalism to performance art to [spoilers] and, well, the list goes on. While that may make the film sound messy and unfocused, it's mainly a by-product of the film's generally manic and propulsive energy that definitely leaves an impression and results in one of my favourite films of 2018.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (Brian Henson, 1992) -


That most classic of Christmas stories gets a rather novel adaptation through the addition of Jim Henson's troupe of felt-skinned puppets and an assortment of Paul Williams-penned musical numbers that do make for an enjoyable (if somewhat slight) experience.

The Snowman (Dianne Jackson, 1982) -


Another brief made-for-TV Christmas special, this time a simple fairytale about a boy whose snowman comes to life for fun and merriment on Christmas Eve. Above average as far as Christmas classics go, though we'll see if it really holds up (and I can't tell if the song that plays during it is actually good or if it's actually an annoying earworm).



A system of cells interlinked
Tron: Legacy

Kosinski, 2010





A visual and aural feast with a couple of blemishes here and there, but overall, I love this one. Just the right mix of nostalgia and some classic father/son mythology give this enough substance to elevate the proceedings. The CLU animations are dated, but everything else holds up just fine. The soundtrack is phenomenal, and Quora is quite the cutie. Perhaps it's a guilty pleasure, but I am fine with that.



3 Godfathers (John Ford, 1948)


A very well crafted enjoyable film, nothing too spectacular and lulls slightly in the middle but the performances and cinematography are superb as usual.

Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1971)


Having loved Tarkovsky's other films, it was only a matter of time before I would eventually get to this. I thought it was superb, every frame is beautiful and I found it quite scary and disturbing, great atmosphere and examination of the human consciousness.

Ride Lonesome (Budd Boetticher, 1959)


I love films like this, relatively short, simple story with everything perfectly shot and nothing wasted in the camera. A real brutal, raw Western with a fantastic ending.

The Descendants (Alexander Payne, 2011)


I loved Nebraska so I was excited to finally see another Payne film, so I was dissapointed that I didn't really enjoy this. It has some funny moments, but overall it lacks any sort of rhythm or energy to keep me interested. It all seemed a bit vacuous.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (Joseph Sargent, 1974)


Like other films of its time, this one makes excellent use of locations, has awesome villains, and has an amazing soundtrack. Just so cool throughout and very gripping too.
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A system of cells interlinked
Krampus

Dougherty, 2015





I think this has made it into our annual batch of Christmas movies, along side Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Carol, and Die Hard.


Mid90s

Hill, 2018





My wife and I both liked this quite a bit. The two actors above were the best of the bunch. Not bad for the Freshman effort from first-time director Jonah Hill. Definitely transported me back to the 90s.

Halloween

Green, 2018





Hey, isn't it Christmas? Oddly, one of the characters had a Christmas sweater on. A fine sequel, and probably the best of the bunch since the original.