Swan's 2018 Film Diary

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Welcome to the human race...
I'm intrigued enough by Can You Ever Forgive Me? that I'll consider making the effort to watch it, though I'm still keeping my expectations modest.

I think I have seen The Wrestler at least once since theatres and it is in my collection, but I haven't felt much need to revisit it (sort of hold Aronofsky at arm's length anyway) - pretty sure it'd hold up well enough, though.

Still hype for Suspiria but probably won't get to see it until next week. I already consider the original a major favourite but I know to go in expecting something significantly different and yet similar (which is what I should hope for anyway).

I expect I'll see Bohemian Rhapsody at some point because I do like Queen that much but everything I've heard points to me hating it (especially when it's so stuck to musician biopic formula that people compared it to Walk Hard, which sucks even harder because I didn't even like Walk Hard in the first place). Was a little baffled when I checked the IMDb top 250 the other day and say it hovering around the 150 mark, too, but then again it is the IMDb top 250.
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I really just want you all angry and confused the whole time.
Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0



I'm intrigued enough by Can You Ever Forgive Me? that I'll consider making the effort to watch it, though I'm still keeping my expectations modest.

I think I have seen The Wrestler at least once since theatres and it is in my collection, but I haven't felt much need to revisit it (sort of hold Aronofsky at arm's length anyway) - pretty sure it'd hold up well enough, though.

Still hype for Suspiria but probably won't get to see it until next week. I already consider the original a major favourite but I know to go in expecting something significantly different and yet similar (which is what I should hope for anyway).

I expect I'll see Bohemian Rhapsody at some point because I do like Queen that much but everything I've heard points to me hating it (especially when it's so stuck to musician biopic formula that people compared it to Walk Hard, which sucks even harder because I didn't even like Walk Hard in the first place). Was a little baffled when I checked the IMDb top 250 the other day and say it hovering around the 150 mark, too, but then again it is the IMDb top 250.
Whoa... Bohemian Rhapsody has been SEVERELY overrated on IMDb. Let me put it this way: it's cheesier and funnier than Walk Hard, except that it's not trying to be. It's bad, man. I like Queen too, and that's part of why I disliked it. Did them a great disservice.

Hope you like Suspiria, Iro. I think you have the right attitude about it.



Welcome to the human race...
Yeah, I figure it just got a huge opening-weekend boost because of all the Queen fans turning out in force and simply enjoying the immediate experience and will probably drop off the list eventually.



It's a little strange to hear people saying the new 'Queen' film does Queen a disservice when, from what little I know of the project, the reason it is what it is (or has ended up being, take your pick) seems to be mostly because that's the way the surviving members of Queen want it to be seen.

It sounds very much like old men wanting to protect their reputation and career by denying or whitewashing their past. I have no evidence that's the case, but it's what it sounds like to me.
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5-time MoFo Award winner.



Overlord
(Julius Avery, 2018)

[NEW WATCH]



Really good genre flick. I had heard it was a super gorefest, and when it turned out to not be I was slightly disappointed. But it's still good.

Krisha
(Trey Edward Shults, 2015)

[NEW WATCH]



Strong debut from Shults, which I finally got to check out. I often like low-budget movies like this, and love that Shults used mostly family and friends for the cast (including himself). Seems like a movie many young filmmakers would try to make, incorporating things drawn straight from their real life. The difference here is Shults has talent and pulls all that off extremely well.

Wildlife
(Paul Dano, 2018)

[NEW WATCH]



I haven't seen a debut this confident since The Witch. Dano has a real knack for cinema, drawing from Ozu, Koreeda, PTA etc. to make something bold, subtle but powerful. Mulligan is probably the stand out, but Jakey-boy is great too, and the kid was my favorite character.

Beautiful Boy
(Felix Van Groeningen, 2018)

[NEW WATCH]



Chalamet is my homie, and he's very good here. So is Carell, though admittedly it was hard not to see Michael Scott in his mannerisms - but that's what happens when you have seen the US Office too damn much. I had heard this had problems with pacing and music choices, and for the first 20 minutes I was afraid that was coming true, but ultimately I didn't think any of that was a significant problem. Maybe the pacing could have been better, but it didn't distract me much. As for the music, maybe two choices stick out as being out of place, but I felt there were more good to great musical choices (I was fond of the use of "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young) than bad ones.

The Grinch
(Yarrow Cheney & Scott Mosier, 2018)

[NEW WATCH]



Meh.

The Cranes are Flying
(Mikhail Kalatozov, 1957)

[NEW WATCH]



Terrific flick. I do think some of the storytelling is too obvious and on the nose (the scene where she is a nurse and the doctor is ranting about something that obviously ties to her story sticks out in my memory), but it's a minor nitpick relative to the otherwise powerful story, and the terrific performances (Tatiana Samoilova is the stand-out, obviously), great camerawork, use of war to amplify the character turmoil etc. etc. etc.

Arachnophobia
(Frank Marshall, 1990)

[NEW WATCH]



Pretty tame but I had a great time. John Goodman is the highlight, but I really like Jeff Daniels in his role too.

Hot Rod
(Akiva Schaffer, 2007)

[REWATCH]



A comedic masterpiece and one of my favorites of the genre! It never gets old.

Widows
(Steve McQueen, 2018)

[NEW WATCH]



Hunger > Shame > 12 Years a Slave = Widows

The Girl in the Spider's Web
(Fede Alvarez, 2018)

[NEW WATCH]



Fincher gave us a stylistic character study, Alvarez gives us a decent James Bond movie.



Does that mean you like Widows? It's something I'm thinking of seeing. Have you ever seen the mini-series?
I haven't seen the mini-series, no. I did like the movie, yeah. Do you like McQueen's other work?



I haven't watched any of his films. Not his feature films, anyway. I've seen some of his art films. I'm sure they're very good and worthy, but I don't really have any interest in seeing Hunger or 12 Years A Slave. I'm not that bothered about seeing Shame, but it's something I might see someday. Though, probably not any time soon, let's be honest.



The Hunt
(Thomas Vinterberg, 2012)

[NEW WATCH]



Absolutely enthralling story with great performances. The direction is sufficient, but mostly just allows the story to unfold without drawing attention to itself - a good thing.
One of my favourite movies, happy you liked it.

Have you seen the director's 'Festen'?



Love The Wrestler. Think I slightly prefer Black Swan, but it's close, and like you said, the films gain even more potency when viewed as companion pieces. Still bummed that Rourke didn't win an Academy Award for his performance. Also bummed that he seems to have faded back into obscurity in the years since. I guess it's only a matter of time before you join the pro wrestling circuit now that you're becoming a healthy, fit, soon-to-be-buff Swan.

Glad to hear that you were so impressed with the Suspiria remake. I haven't read many reactions to it so far, but I'm looking forward to seeing it at some point. Overlord looks like my brand of horror. Didn't know that Paul Dano had directed a flick, but it's obvious from interviews I've seen with him in the past that he's well-educated when it comes to the craft of filmmaking. The Cranes are Flying is magnificent and features some of the most stunning cinematography I've ever seen. Think I've only seen Hot Rod once. It was just okay for me. The only scene I really remember is when he's falling down the hill for seemingly five minutes straight.
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I can see you liking Overlord, Cap. I'd be curious what you think.