As much as I love 70s music, even glam, I'll be danged if I can find one Suzi Quatro song to get behind. I've tried a few times but her stuff is just fingernails on a chalkboard to me. If anyone can recommend a "good" Quatro song, send it my way.
Rate The Last Movie You Saw
I've always liked "Stumblin' In" but that's pretty low-hanging fruit. And a duet.
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Fruit of Paradise (Vera Chytilova, 1970)
Despite Daisies being one of my all time faves for quite a while now, I'd still not watched anything else from Chytilova and this didn't disappoint. Just so much visual flavour between the lens choices and the editing (the bits with the painted montage superimposed into the live action footage are money) and it has that wonderful, spacious vibe you get with films that are less narrative driven, especially around this time. Really dug it and hope its not another like 7 years or whatever before I see another of her films.
One Piece: Chopper's Kingdom on the Island of Strange Animals (Atsuji Shimizu, 2002)
The last One Piece film I'll be seeing for awhile as I need to read like 60 chapters before the next one. It's another 50 minute joint (I think after this one they go full feature length) and the animation takes a bit of a dip in quality overall but it does have some cool stylized moments here and there. The one-off characters for this one aren't quite as interesting in this one either but we do get some good character moments out of our main cast because of them and it really sold me on new best boy candidate Tony Tony Chopper. Another extremely minor note is just that the costume design was so good in this one. Every character just looked the coolest they ever have. Really enjoyed this one too. As of now I can't see how any of these are gonna be bad but who knows with the longer runtimes coming up in next instalments.
Despite Daisies being one of my all time faves for quite a while now, I'd still not watched anything else from Chytilova and this didn't disappoint. Just so much visual flavour between the lens choices and the editing (the bits with the painted montage superimposed into the live action footage are money) and it has that wonderful, spacious vibe you get with films that are less narrative driven, especially around this time. Really dug it and hope its not another like 7 years or whatever before I see another of her films.
One Piece: Chopper's Kingdom on the Island of Strange Animals (Atsuji Shimizu, 2002)
The last One Piece film I'll be seeing for awhile as I need to read like 60 chapters before the next one. It's another 50 minute joint (I think after this one they go full feature length) and the animation takes a bit of a dip in quality overall but it does have some cool stylized moments here and there. The one-off characters for this one aren't quite as interesting in this one either but we do get some good character moments out of our main cast because of them and it really sold me on new best boy candidate Tony Tony Chopper. Another extremely minor note is just that the costume design was so good in this one. Every character just looked the coolest they ever have. Really enjoyed this one too. As of now I can't see how any of these are gonna be bad but who knows with the longer runtimes coming up in next instalments.
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L.A. Confidential - CONTAINS SPOILERS
L.A. Confidential is my favorite kind of favorite movie: the kind that's a little different every time you see it. With each rewatch, I notice something I hadn't before or obsess over scenes that previously left me indifferent or confused. In this rewatch, I made a point to pay more attention to Captain Dudley Smith and I'm glad I did. Even though I know his real intentions - the scene that reveals them still sends chills down my spine - Cromwell's performance is one that rewards repeat viewings. You can interpret his actions in his screen time up to the big reveal as those of a commanding officer who looks out for his subordinates or as those of a master manipulator who knows exactly which buttons to push. This realization made me notice how strong the movie's subtlety is in general (the kind I also constantly miss, in general, due to my phone addiction, I'm ashamed to admit). Aside from Smith's duplicity, highlights include the way Spacey's Vincennes enunciates "lieutenant" while talking to Pearce’s Exley, the chief's (John Mahon) stone-cold glare towards Exley while awarding him, Exley and Smith's smug poses in the newspaper photo shoot and Vincennes' bemused expressions while the clueless Exley interrogates Johnny Stompanato. As for the uniqueness and beauty of the movie's look and feel, it still very much captivates. The movie manages to resemble one from the '50s and one from the late '90s at the same time and thus portrays its era in a way that favors accuracy over glorification, but thankfully without dulling the era's charms. The quality of the good, bad and ugly dynamic of Exley, White and Vincennes respectively also stood out this time, their acting credits since 1997 making their casting seem even more inspired. All this added appreciation also led to a stronger understanding of what this delightfully told and acted noir story is all about, which is so succinctly expressed in the Fleur di Lis slogan "whatever you desire." As Sid Hudgens puts it in the introduction, Los Angeles is sold as a place that has just that, whether it's the means to raise a family, become a superstar or indulge the basest of pleasures. Sadly, those desires have been co-opted by the likes of Mickey Cohen, Pierce Patchett and Dudley Smith while those who punish them like Exley are more likely to be shunned than praised and wave goodbye to the girl than take her home. My favorite takeaway from this rewatch, however, is simply watching a Hollywood movie with such a talented and devoted cast and crew. Not to mention, and this may be a combination of quarantine fatigue and having read too many Martin Scorsese articles doing the talking, but there's the added appeal of knowing that Hollywood took a chance on the movie for the sake of making something good first and something bankable second.
L.A. Confidential is my favorite kind of favorite movie: the kind that's a little different every time you see it. With each rewatch, I notice something I hadn't before or obsess over scenes that previously left me indifferent or confused. In this rewatch, I made a point to pay more attention to Captain Dudley Smith and I'm glad I did. Even though I know his real intentions - the scene that reveals them still sends chills down my spine - Cromwell's performance is one that rewards repeat viewings. You can interpret his actions in his screen time up to the big reveal as those of a commanding officer who looks out for his subordinates or as those of a master manipulator who knows exactly which buttons to push. This realization made me notice how strong the movie's subtlety is in general (the kind I also constantly miss, in general, due to my phone addiction, I'm ashamed to admit). Aside from Smith's duplicity, highlights include the way Spacey's Vincennes enunciates "lieutenant" while talking to Pearce’s Exley, the chief's (John Mahon) stone-cold glare towards Exley while awarding him, Exley and Smith's smug poses in the newspaper photo shoot and Vincennes' bemused expressions while the clueless Exley interrogates Johnny Stompanato. As for the uniqueness and beauty of the movie's look and feel, it still very much captivates. The movie manages to resemble one from the '50s and one from the late '90s at the same time and thus portrays its era in a way that favors accuracy over glorification, but thankfully without dulling the era's charms. The quality of the good, bad and ugly dynamic of Exley, White and Vincennes respectively also stood out this time, their acting credits since 1997 making their casting seem even more inspired. All this added appreciation also led to a stronger understanding of what this delightfully told and acted noir story is all about, which is so succinctly expressed in the Fleur di Lis slogan "whatever you desire." As Sid Hudgens puts it in the introduction, Los Angeles is sold as a place that has just that, whether it's the means to raise a family, become a superstar or indulge the basest of pleasures. Sadly, those desires have been co-opted by the likes of Mickey Cohen, Pierce Patchett and Dudley Smith while those who punish them like Exley are more likely to be shunned than praised and wave goodbye to the girl than take her home. My favorite takeaway from this rewatch, however, is simply watching a Hollywood movie with such a talented and devoted cast and crew. Not to mention, and this may be a combination of quarantine fatigue and having read too many Martin Scorsese articles doing the talking, but there's the added appeal of knowing that Hollywood took a chance on the movie for the sake of making something good first and something bankable second.
One of the things I love is that it nails the essence of noir while feeling modern without being too obvious about it.*I recently went through the first season of HBO's Perry Mason and the contrast between the elegant direction of the movie versus the heavy handed, declarative of its own importance style of the series couldn't be more stark.*
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Tell No One
I've been really trying to beef up one my foreign film intake lately, and this was a superb. Highly recommend it. Great acting, and sure-footed directing. A suspense thriller with heart.
8.5/10
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Great review, movie ****ing slaps.*
One of the things I love is that it nails the essence of noir while feeling modern without being too obvious about it.*I recently went through the first season of HBO's Perry Mason and the contrast between the elegant direction of the movie versus the heavy handed, declarative of its own importance style of the series couldn't be more stark.*
One of the things I love is that it nails the essence of noir while feeling modern without being too obvious about it.*I recently went through the first season of HBO's Perry Mason and the contrast between the elegant direction of the movie versus the heavy handed, declarative of its own importance style of the series couldn't be more stark.*
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Greenland (2020)
I really haven't been watching many mainstream movies lately so this is hard to rate and compare. I am a sucker for disaster movies as they give me as close to what I'd call a scare as anything. My wife and I enjoyed it from start to finish, and that's about all you can ask for.
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THE THREE CABALLEROS
(1944, Ferguson & Co.)
A film with the number 3 (Three, Third, etc.) in its title
(1944, Ferguson & Co.)
A film with the number 3 (Three, Third, etc.) in its title
♫ "We're three caballeros, three gay caballeros
They say we are birds of a feather ♪
♪ We're happy amigos, no matter where he goes
The one, two, and three goes, we're always together" ♫
They say we are birds of a feather ♪
♪ We're happy amigos, no matter where he goes
The one, two, and three goes, we're always together" ♫
Released for Donald Duck's 10th birthday/anniversary, The Three Caballeros features a series of shorts and segments tied by the premise of Donald (Clarence Nash) opening a series of presents from a group of friends. Most notably, he receives presents from José Carioca (José Oliveira), a Brazilian parrot, and Panchito Pistoles (Joaquin Garay), a Mexican rooster, and then the three get to spend some time traveling around their respective countries.
Certainly not Disney's best effort, but given the circumstances when it was released, I give them props for coming out with a film that has endured to some extent and that managed to shine a light on other cultures at a time when that wasn't the norm.
Grade:
Full review on my Movie Loot
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Great review, movie ****ing slaps.*
One of the things I love is that it nails the essence of noir while feeling modern without being too obvious about it.*I recently went through the first season of HBO's Perry Mason and the contrast between the elegant direction of the movie versus the heavy handed, declarative of its own importance style of the series couldn't be more stark.*
One of the things I love is that it nails the essence of noir while feeling modern without being too obvious about it.*I recently went through the first season of HBO's Perry Mason and the contrast between the elegant direction of the movie versus the heavy handed, declarative of its own importance style of the series couldn't be more stark.*
I haven't seen Perry Mason, but your description of its look reminds me the issues I have with the looks of The Black Dahlia, Road to Perdition and maybe The Untouchables. There's a point where the designers take it too far when it comes to getting the look and era of the period right that the scenery chews the actors and it borders on period fetishism, if that makes sense. L.A. Confidential, on the other hand, achieves just the right balance.
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Greenland (2020)
I really haven't been watching many mainstream movies lately so this is hard to rate and compare. I am a sucker for disaster movies as they give me as close to what I'd call a scare as anything. My wife and I enjoyed it from start to finish, and that's about all you can ask for.
It utterly and completely blows away cheesy movies like Deep Impact and Armageddon.
Was it perfect? No. But we should never, ever demand perfection in a disaster film lol.
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Greenland (2020)
I really haven't been watching many mainstream movies lately so this is hard to rate and compare. I am a sucker for disaster movies as they give me as close to what I'd call a scare as anything. My wife and I enjoyed it from start to finish, and that's about all you can ask for.
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Kaluuya is not going to win Best Actor, he is being submitted as supporting because no one has a chance against Chadwick Boseman, who will be winning every Best Actor award available this season.
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I always really liked the That's Entertainment movies.
Believe it or not, this was my favorite of the three movies.
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Kaluuya is not going to win Best Actor, he is being submitted as supporting because no one has a chance against Chadwick Boseman, who will be winning every Best Actor award available this season.
Last edited by Wooley; 03-10-21 at 12:03 AM.
Believe it or not, this was my favorite of the three movies.
I would swear that this had fallen out of grace with you.
I watched this movie because of you, you had spoken pretty highly of it many years ago and I always said I was gonna watch it but then it was hard to find or I just wasn't sure I was in the right mood on a given night or whatever and it took me years to get around to it.
When I finally did and wrote it up I thought I remembered you telling me that you weren't as high on it anymore or maybe I'd misremembered your level of enthusiasm for it.
Do I have that wrong?
Cause I really was pretty impressed with it.
I watched this movie because of you, you had spoken pretty highly of it many years ago and I always said I was gonna watch it but then it was hard to find or I just wasn't sure I was in the right mood on a given night or whatever and it took me years to get around to it.
When I finally did and wrote it up I thought I remembered you telling me that you weren't as high on it anymore or maybe I'd misremembered your level of enthusiasm for it.
Do I have that wrong?
Cause I really was pretty impressed with it.
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I thought I had sent that he was Supporting because Lakeith Stanfield's character was supposed to be the principal.
I think in terms of screentime, either role could be considered the lead but Kaluuya's performance is the standout performance and I don't really see both of them being nominated. Kaluuya has already won the Golden Globe and the Critic's Choice.
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Which have you heard? Probably all these.
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42nd Street, 1933
A Broadway director named Julian Marsh (Warner Baxter) is putting on a musical called Pretty Lady. Lots of hijinks ensue as lead actress Dorothy (Bebe Daniels) juggles trying to romance a wealthy financier while rekindling a relationship with a former dance partner, Pat (George Brent). Fresh-faced novice Peggy (Ruby Keeler) is mentored by two other dancers, including a giddily-promiscuous dancer nicknamed "Anytime Annie" (Ginger Rogers).
This is an enjoyable romp. It is pre-code, and so you get that little jolt of off-color jokes, such as a pretty forward explanation about how Annie got her nickname. The dance numbers, especially the final 20 minutes (which are almost entirely just the production of the musical). There is a lot of fun camerawork, bold sets, and solid choreography.
Aside from the production numbers, the film really sparkles with the performances and the characters. Rogers, in particular, is hilarious as Annie. She is such an assured character, and it is so fun to see a "slutty" character also be someone with a level head and a lot of heart. Daniels and Brent have great chemistry as Dorothy and Pat, and it is easy to root for them as a couple.
The only downside for me was the humor that lands on the unfortunate side of being dated. Does anyone still think it's funny to think about men in power getting young girls on the "casting couch"? And in probably the worst scene, a man grabs a woman and kisses her. She pushes him away. He tells her not to play around. She looks him right in the face and says she isn't kidding. He grabs her again. She pushes away and runs out of the room. He chases her while the other people at the party laugh and one man yells "Go get her!". Just, yuck.
Overall this was a fun flick that really sings in its performances.
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