Rate The Last Movie You Saw

3rd Rewatch...For years, I have been trying to figure out why this movie doesn't work and I think I might have finally figured it out last night. Even though it's supposed to be a teen comedy, the execution of the film is in the style of a melodrama...the direction, the artsy camerawork with the self-important slow motion, the over indulgent use of tracking shots, the creepy music, it's supposed to be a comedy but it's directed like a melodrama. Despite the fact that there is a sweetness and sincerity to Michael J Fox's performance, it just doesn't gel with the rest of the movie. Not to mention the fact that they have Fox, perhaps Hollywood's shortest actor, playing the star of his high school basketball team.

The Ballad of Narayama (1958) ‐

This is the second film I can recall seeing which feels caught between a film and a staged play (the first one is Olivier's Henry V). Given the reactions I've seen from some of my Letterboxd followers, not everyone will click with its incorporation of Kubuki theater, but I was very much on board with it. Given the narrative and the kinds of themes it covers (mortality and the questionable treatment of the elderly villagers), this could've easily fallen into schmaltziness or misery, but the visual abstraction of its style prevents it from dipping into those territories. Putting aside the artificial sets and the obvious handmade backdrops, probably the most divisive element of it is the voice over singing as I've seen plenty argue it grew tiring fairly quickly. That said, I found it to be the most unique element of the film. In spite of the dialogue describing what normally would've been emotionally blunt minutiae and character asides, I rarely got the sense it was trying to manipulate my emotions. In the context of the visual style, it fit very well in the film and helped the story find the right balance between alienating you from the proceedings and properly conveying the inner thoughts of the characters and the customs of the village really well. In spite of what I said though, the final act still managed to devastate me. It's hard to watch it without being moved in some way. The remake is pretty good and might click with people who couldn't get into the style of this film, but I prefer this one by a decent margin.

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Body Heat (1981)

Likely in sequence the second great neo-noir of the later 20th Century following Chinatown (1975), it was both written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan (Star Wars films, Raiders of the Lost Ark). The first rate cinematography was handled by Richard H. Kline (The Boston Strangler, Soylent Green).

In a small Florida town William Hurt plays a second-rate attorney, Ned Racine, who commences an affair with Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner), the wife of wealthy tycoon Edmond Walker (Richard Crenna). Matty wants a divorce, but because of a pre-nuptial agreement, the only way she can acquire her husband’s fortune is if he is killed. She and Ned hatch a plan to murder Edmond in such a way as to show that it was an accident. Ned gets assistance from an explosives expert (Mickey Rourke) to make it look like Edmond was accidently blown up in his factory following his surreptitious murder by Ned.

Matty decides to forge a new will making her sole beneficiary of the estate, cutting out anyone else in the family. Ned knew that the new document could be discovered as a forgery, which might expose them both. Several of Ned’s colleagues and the police start to suspect his involvement. What follows are several twists, double dealings, switched identities, and faked deaths which all lead to anatypical classic noir ending.

Right from the start the classical noir chiaroscuro lighting is effectively replaced by the portrayal of the sultry oppresive heat and mood of a small southern town in the humidity of the summer. Much of the action takes place at night or indoors so the shading of a mystery is enhanced. Ironically most of the film was shot during a cold winter spell, so efforts by the makeup and props crews had to work to imitate the sweaty summer environment.

Their are two common important differences in the depiction of classic noir to neo-noir. One is the typical absence of the femme fatale in neo-noir; the other is the addition of more explicit sex, made newly possible by the loss of censorship that had been present in the classic era. But in Body Heat there is a nasty scheming femme fatale, and there is also plenty of steamy sex. Screenwriter Kasdan has certainly channeled James N. Cain (Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice). Absent the use ofcolor film andthe portrayal of sexual intimacy, the film could have been made in 1950.

Kathleen Turner exploded into recognition in this her debut film, and both she and Mickey Rourke are put solidly on the map. It is a landmark film that serves as one of the finest example of neo-noir.

Doc's rating: 9/10

By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54626052

Ready Player One - (2018)

Ready Player One works really well in some ways - the pop culture references are perfectly placed like candy throughout the entire film, and that's related to the nostalgia we get for old games, characters and that great DeLorean from Back to the Future, which makes an appearance. Adding weight to the positive side of the scale is Steven Spielberg's expertise when it comes to action and special effects. I mean, although most of this is a CGI computer game-based movie, I never felt like I was simply sat watching cut scenes from the latest GTA extravaganza - it all felt real. It's exciting - and a thrill to watch. During the movie's 140 minutes, however, I think more time could have been portioned out to character development. When Wade's aunt gets killed, do we feel anything at all? No, we've seen her for around 12 seconds - and even if we focus on the supporting characters who have more to do with the story, some of them feel pretty thin. There's too much computer game action in this. I did tire of it during the film's overlong final battle. Thankfully, the good in the film is overwhelmingly pretty and fun - so it's worth watching regardless. Just could have been a lot better.

7/10


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Pale Flower - (1964)

Anyone interested in film noir ought to check out this very well made Japanese Yakuza film called Pale Flower, by Masahiro Shinoda. A gangster meets a lady who is an adrenaline junkie and the two form an obsessive bond with each other. Great movie - stylish and visually interesting, with a superb score and sound. My review is here, on my watchlist thread.

9/10

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Mike Birbiglia: The New One - I guess I'm watching these Mike Birbiglia specials in reverse chronological order. This one's from 2019 and preceded The Old Man and the Pool. It might be because of my age but so far I'm identifying a bit more with the introspective, middle aged Birbiglia. This one deals with his initial lack of enthusiasm towards fatherhood. Then the somewhat tortuous, Socratic method route he takes towards acceptance. Then he lists all the obstacles he and his wife have to overcome on the road to actual conception. This, of course, is all done in his usual droll and hilarious fashion. Being such a masterful yarn spinner he knows how to time his big reveals for maximum effect. And he invariably circles his way back around to some random observation he made at the beginning of his set. Only this time it's filtered through the prism of all this information he's given you, adding a weight and a gravitas that wasn't there before. Mike Birbiglia, virtuoso of the circular narrative.

85/100

Second film from Junta Yamaguchi and the same concept as the first (‘Beyond the infinite two minutes’) – a group of people find that time is looping every 2 minutes. It’s a bold step to make your second film about the same concept, and in that respect the film-makers don’t really pull it off. Half way through I was thinking it’s getting a bit old. There are a few laughs and it’s all very chaotic – the setting this time is a beautiful hotel next to a flowing river in snowy rustic Japan. But there’s not enough of anything to really elevate the film.


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Finish director Aki Kaurismaki is a master at melancholy and loneliness. But he doesn’t wallow in it. His films dissect personal situations and Fallen Leaves is no different. The subtext is the war in Ukraine/Russia and perhaps the main plot (essentially a relationship drama) is an allegory for Finland’s relationship with the rest of Europe. It’s not quite as fascinating as Lights in the Dusk which remains my favourite film of his but it is quite an accessible, enjoyable Kauris maki entry.

This is a superb film from Italian director Matteo Garrone (Gomorrah, Dogman). We follow Seydou and Moussa – two 16 year old residents of Dakhar, Senegal who against the wishes of their families want to be smuggled into Europe for a better life and to send money back home. They are warned that the journey is dangerous but they set off anyway. We see them travel through Africa, across the Sahara desert, come into contact with the Libyan mafia, smuggled across borders, tortured, get fake passports and all the other nasty side of humanity that comes with the territory of people smuggling.

There is a lot packed into the 2 hour runtime. So much so that it could have been a 3 hour film, lots of fades and transitions in the editing process from scene to scene. Seydou Sarr’s performance as the lead is nothing short of unstoppable. How he didn’t end up with major awards for this is scandalous but unsurprising I suppose. The film also has the most beautiful end credits I‘ve seen in some time.

At it’s heart this film is a reminder to us how much some of those in search of a better life have to go through, to even begin that search. It’s brutal at times and completely heartbreaking at others. Anybody should be able to search for a better life – and they shouldn’t have to go through hell to try and find it.

That explains the 1 star uber rating

Oceans Eleven (2001)


Back on the Vegas movie binge with this masterpiece. The ending still makes me mentally break down the impeccable timing of how the heist worked. Probably going to skip 12 and go to Oceans 13 next.

From the noirs list, and the directorial debut of Michelangelo Antonioni. It's not a noir as far as I'm concerned, more like BFI said we need to get this acclaimed director on the list. Whatever, it's worth watching. At least the story is noir worthy. The main characters are very unlikable, but that's much better than me not caring.

None of the sequels could even touch this.

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1st Rewatch...The passing of Heath Ledger kept this film being what it could have been, but this is still pretty solid work from Christopher Nolan that delivers some genuinely terrifying visual and cinematic imagery. Imagine if all of our military leasers and police officers were trapped underground and all of the criminals in prison were actually released? It's a pretty chilling thought that this movie frighteningly makes us face. LOVED Tom Hardy as Bale and Cillian Murphy as the Crow, though I couldn't get behind Anna Hathaway as Catwoman. Not as good as The Dark Night but better than Batman Begins.

1st Rewatch...It's been a few decades since I've watched this movie and found it undeniably powerful, despite director and screenwriter's sledgehammer approach in delivering the message. Nicolas Cage won his only Oscar to date for his performance as Ben Sanderson, an alcoholic screenwriter who has lost his job, his wife, and his child because of his alcoholism and decides to move to Las Vegas in order to drink himself to death. Upon his arrival he meets a lonely hooker named Sera (Elisabeth Shue) who is not only attracted to him, but is under the mistaken impression that she can stop the guy from drinking. This is the most important message of this film, that nobody can stop another human being from drinking and it is really pounded in our heads here. I love the moment where Sera gives Ben a flask as a way of letting him know that she accepts who he is and what he wants to do, even though this couldn't be further from the truth. Everything that happens in this movie is a little over the top, but not so much that the viewer doesn't feel for Ben and want Sera to wake up. Shue's performance, which earned her an Oscar nomination as well, was stronger than I remember, but couldn't get past the character's arrogance, thinking she had what it takes to keep Ben sober. The late Julian Sands also impresses as Sera's abusive pimp. It should also be mentioned that I LOVED every bit of music in this movie. Every song fit every scene beautifully. It's a downer, but if you know anybody you suspect is an alcoholic. this is appointment viewing.

Scary.

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

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Made my annoying day!