ScarletLion's Movie Log

This is the film I'm looking forward to seeing the most.

__________________
Too weird to live, and too rare to die.

I don't think you'll be disappointed.

After reading Your review and other MoFOs opinion about White few days ago I started wondering, why it is my fav part. And I figured out it's probably because this is the most Polish part. Red and Blue are more French or even cosmopolitan. The picture You attached here, the picture of Barber Shop, I remember similar views from my childhood. Poland really used to look like that

Thanks, yes it's noticeable how much emphasis KK puts on the view of Poland, it's society and economy being very different to France and the rest of Europe.

You're right. The view is very folksy and I like it

A true noir classic. It has pretty much every noir theme nailed on. Sleaziy gangsters, an anti hero of sorts, femme fatales, brilliant moody lighting, mystery at every corner, a web of deceit etc It also comes with a sharp, witty script.

I particularly loved the way it was shot - cameras mounted on the trunk of the cars, street walls lit up to make silhouettes, close ups on faces / shoes / cigarettes. Hard to believe it was made in the fifties when it looks this stunning. The last 20 minutes or so took me completely by surprise.

Great film that has clearly inspired many filmmakers throughout the years.

[Plus, I also now get the reference to the awesome film GIF site: "If we don't, remember me"]

8.5/10

Glad you enjoyed Kiss Me Deadly - it really is a beautiful noir!

'Most Beautiful Island' (2017)



Very impressive debut from Spanish writer / director Ana Asensio who also stars. It's a tense psycyhological thriller with some surreal elements. Right up my street. One of the films of the year.

'The Hero' (2017)



This isn't a flawless film. There are mis-steps and the script was foggy in places but Sam Elliott is absolutely amazing as the lead - a washed up actor with baggage who needs to reconcile a few things sharpish. Totally recommend this film if you are in need of a lesser known indie flick .

7.5/10

Tempted to call this a masterpiece. It's absurd,brilliant, funny, sad, completely intriguing and very well written. Lanthimos is a complete maverick. 9/10

I need to update my best movies of 2017 list right away

Massively ambitious film from director Sarah Adina Smith.She desribes it as " a meditation on individual responsibility in a mechanistic universe". It's a modern take on Jonah and the Whale, resembles The Shining, Twin Peaks and Eraserhead all rolled into one, and is a complete mindbender but very, very interesting. Rami Malek is superb as always and I'll be thinking about it for days.

7.5/10

A pretty exceptional first time effort at writing and directing by Greta Gerwig. The script is great, really great. And very funny. Saoirse Ronan gives quite a vibrant performance as the lead character who gives us all the typical teenage angst. A lot of critics have said the movie is about growing pains and coming of age, but after thinking about it for some time I think it's also about parenthood. This is a big plus point for the movie as it captures the feelings of Christine's parents (played brillianty by Tracey Letts and Laurie Metcalf). I see alot of similarities to Kenneth Lonnergan's 'Margaret' in this film, which is no bad thing. Gerwig has clearly surrounded herself with talented people and looks to have a pretty big career ahead of her.

7.5/10


Frances McDormand is one of the greatest actresses of all time. She's great in this. This film is great. It's very, very funny and feels a bit like a Cohen bros film, which is no surprise as McDormand is married to one of them. The only problem I had with it was the sudden change in personalities of a couple of characters in the third act and the fact that it seems a little too heavily oscar baited at times in terms of script / tone. But that said it easily makes the top x movies of the year list.

8/10

Sean Baker's latest film is as brilliant as it is heartbreaking. It centres around a single mother and her daughter struggling to make ends meet in the shadow of Disneyland, Florida. Willem Dafoe as the motel manager is great, as he always is, but Bria Vinaite and Brooklyn Prince as mother / daughter steal the show. The realism and tragedy of of it all reminded me of American Honey and I, Daniel Blake. And I loved the ending. 9/10

Glad you like it, it's my favourite of 2017 so far. I did think of it differently to you though; it was more like a fantasy film than realistic to me at least up until: I mean the resort is really run down and obviously poor but it's all super colourful and gorgeous, like if The Land of Oz had a ghetto was how i described it. The fantasy feeling really suited the adventurous escapism i got from the kids.

Anyway, yeah great film.

Here's what i posted about it as i think it explains how i saw it better as i do get what you mean (i think) and don't totally disagree - https://www.movieforums.com/communit...81#post1847881

Yup I totally agree, there are definite fantasy elements to it. But those fantasies are real, because they are Moonees, it's what she sees. Does that make sense? The final scene shows that, because the kids are too young to know any different, they live most of their lives in an almost involuntary fantasy world. The horrible irony of being in the shadow of the most famous man made fantasy location on planet earth.

Your review is great by the way, I enjoyed reading that. This is yet another film where non-actors or unknowns outperform seasoned veterans in other movies.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer is so far, my favourite film of 2017, so I'm glad you got the same enjoyment out of it as I did. I still have yet to see "Three Billboards..." or "The Florida Project", though I'm excited to check out both.

__________________
"A film has to be a dialogue, not a monologue — a dialogue to provoke in the viewer his own thoughts, his own feelings. And if a film is a dialogue, then it’s a good film; if it’s not a dialogue, it’s a bad film."

- Michael "Gloomy Old Fart" Haneke

Kevin Phillips' coming of age / thriller / teen slasher / horror mashup is engaging and intriguing but falls flat in the last act. The performances are fine, the film looks great, but I'm confused about the overall message / theme. I initially thought it was a metaphor for teenagers vying for love / attention / popularity. But I think it's more a cautionary tale of how youngsters can easily go off the rails at the flick of a switch. It looked nice but there were some really off kilter moments and scenes. Didn't really click with me.

Something has been stopping me from watching this already. Reading this probably wont make me go much faster.

Richard Linklater is one of my favourite directors. I never stop being amazed at how someone can be completely self taught at everything he does, and completely good at it.

Last Flag Flying is another one that is dominated by the script. It reminded me of a 60s / 70s road movie in tone. There are some moments that feel a bit forced and "cheesy" but all in all it's an enjoyable one. Bryan Cranston probably steals the show as he has the most comical moments, but Steve Carrell is also pretty good in his role as a detatched and unlucky guy. Can't say much more without spoilers. Essentially it's a war movie but without any war scenes, instead looking at the psychology of after effects and the issues that can arise on home soil, let alone in a war zone.

I will admit to shedding a tear in the final moments. Damn you Linklater.

This was in my collection but I had no idea how it got there. Decided to watch it on a whim and glad I did. It's a comedy high school found footage drama. It evokes memories of chronicle, elephant and polytechnique. The budget was less than $10,000 and Matt Johnson wrote, stars and Directed it.

It really is pretty original despite the 'found footage' tag, and as well as being darkly comedic, has a completely sinister undertone. Some of the footage is clearly ad lib and features real subjects not actors, which makes the tone feel all the more 'hyper-real'. It's a really interesting piece of work and I'll now be checking out Matt Johnson's other film and the comedy series he's done.

Plus, a word on the end credits homage - suited the film perfectly. [link may contain spoilers]