Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Samourai movie with 7.6 IMDb and 89% RT. It was pretty good and I have no complaints. It's only 85 minutes and is action packed. Nothing stuck out to me as special to make it any more than that.

Caravaggio, 1986

This film follows the life of artist Caravaggio (played in his youth by Dexter Fletcher, and later by Nigel Terry). The film especially focuses on his relationship with his longtime, deaf-mute companion Jerusaleme (Spencer Leigh), and troubled couple Ranuccio (Sean Bean) and Lena (Tilda Swinton). Caravaggio creates paintings with religious themes, but his use of "common" people as models stirs up some controversy.

Sometimes you know from the first breath that a film is going to resonate with you, and thus it was with Caravaggio. The movie has a robust cast (every 15 minutes or so I was going, "Whoa, is that . . . ?" and it always was!), fantastic imagery, and it is loaded with potent, allegorical imagery.

Maybe my favorite part of the film was the way that it maintained a level of intensity across several themes: violence, sexuality, and art. And often these themes would bleed into each other (pun intended, cause why not). Caravaggio often finds his models via sexual encounters or things like underground fights. The film is not just alive with sexuality, but with a queer, subversive sexuality that stands in stark contrast to the religious institutions for whom he produces much of his art. All of the characters are flawed and complex, and even as you can empathize with their passions, you can see how it is all headed for somewhere tragic.

I am moderately familiar with Caravaggio's work, and I totally loved the sequences of the film that showed how he created his artwork. The portrayal of the different pieces isn't just a wink at the audience. Many of the paintings are important to the narrative because of which models are used and in what way.

This is an artful exploration of an artistic subject, and it was an absolute joy to watch.

Captains Courageous (1937)

Snooze factor = Z


[Snooze Factor Ratings]:
Z = didn't nod off at all
Zz = nearly nodded off but managed to stay alert
Zzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed
Zzzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed but nodded off again at the same point and therefore needed to go back a number of times before I got through it...
Zzzzz = nodded off and missed some or the rest of the film but was not interested enough to go back over it

Dirty Dancing (1987) 10/10 one of my favorite 80s dancing movie

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.

The Taking of Pelham 123 - The original from 1974. Steeped in NYC attitude with an urgency and realness that the 2009 remake could never match. Robert Shaw stars as Mr. Blue, the leader of a four man hijack team that succeeds in taking over a subway car. They demand one million dollars with a one hour deadline. Walter Matthau costars as Lt. Zachary Garber of the NYC Transit Police, who takes over communications and negotiations with the hijackers. This is a tense thriller with an underlying vein of dark gallows humor coupled with a no nonsense disposition. That and a first rate musical score from David Shire are what truly set it aside from other hijack movies and makes it a must see. Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Jerry Stiller, Dick O'Neill and Kenneth McMillan round out the cast of accomplished character actors.

Murder My Sweet - This 1944 noir was one of the first of it's kind and starred Dick Powell as private investigator Phillip Marlowe. Powell was anxious to move away from his usual roles in comedies and light musicals so he negotiated with his new bosses at RKO to land this role which did indeed change his career trajectory. His take on the character was certainly original. Instead of the usual taciturn and closed off antihero his Phillip Marlowe shows uncertainty and fear as well as a playful streak. Some moviegoers and fans of the novel had a problem with this but no less an authority than author and Marlowe creator Raymond Chandler signed off on Powell's portrayal. The movie starts off with the private eye being hired by the hulking and single minded Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki). He's recently out of prison after 8 years and is anxious to track down his old girlfriend Velma. In the course of his investigation he also takes on the impromptu role of bodyguard for Lindsay Marriot (Douglas Walton), a man looking to pay off a ransom for some missing jewels. Marlowe takes his place while Marriot hides in the backseat. Once they're at the prearranged rendezvous at a secluded canyon he is knocked unconscious and wakes to find Marriot bludgeoned to death. The two cases eventually merge into one as Marlowe quickly finds himself in over his head. Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley and Otto Kruger round out the major players. This is a fine progenitor for the entire noir genre and director Edward Dmytryk would go on to helm a number of other notable features.

i need to rewatch this movie again.

I agree. Great film. Powell is my 2nd favorite Marlowe behind Bogart. This is Edward Dmytryk's first noir, and he went on to direct several great ones.

If you haven't seen the 1975 Robert Mitchum version of Farewell, My Lovely I think you'd like it. Mitchum is a great Marlowe, and the production is, well, lovely.

Great review, Torgo, and I enjoy all of your reviews. I do wish you'd hit the "paragraph" or "Enter" key ever so often, though...

Thanks! I do have trouble every day with creating paragraphs. I'm working on it.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)

Blackmail, 1929

Alice White (Anny Ondra) is dating a Scotland Yard detective named Frank (John Longden). Unbeknownst to Frank, Alice has agreed to meet up with another man, known only as The Artist (Cyril Ritchard). When the Artist tries to rape Alice in his apartment, Alice defends herself and kills him. As she reels from what has just happened, a witness to the crime decides that this could be his chance to make some money . . .

This is one of those films that ends up being kind of frustrating because it does some things surprisingly well and then later fails to live up to the high bar it has set for itself.

To my mind, the best thing about the film was easily the long and tense encounter between Alice and the Artist. The two are at his apartment, flirting. He convinces her to put on one of the costumes worn by his models. Cool, cool, cool. But then he suddenly grabs her and kisses her and she wants to leave. Only when she goes to change, he takes away her clothing and tells her she must come and get it from him. For me, the most effective moment of this whole sequence comes when she realizes he has her dress. She is obscured from his view by a partition screen, but we can see her. She knows immediately that this is a bad situation, and you can see in her face how trapped she feels. She's forced into that horrible choice: do you pretend like everything is fun and friendly in an attempt not to anger the person, or do you scream for help? By the time she does scream, the film cuts to a policeman walking by outside--and while we can hear her pleas, he remains oblivious and strolls on by.

Further, I appreciated that the film took time to show how much shock Alice is in after these events. In fact, she never really stops being in shock, and there's something really powerful about that. In many films, characters seem to mostly get over horribly traumatic events in the space of days or even hours. But even in the final frames of the film, Alice still has a horribly haunted look on her face. This is a woman for whom there is no happy ending--she has been sexually assaulted and has killed a person (we do not see the actual murder and so we do not know the degree to which she was aiming to kill or just trying to fend him off).

Something else that I liked was the way that you see how the entire film is just a series of men trying to control Alice and making key decisions about her life with little or no input from her: whether it's the Artist, her boyfriend, or the Blackmailer. There's a part where her boyfriend begins to do something and she explicitly tells him that she doesn't want to handle things that way, and he just straight up doesn't even hear her. It's interesting that, despite Alice being a character who is cheating on her boyfriend, she ends up being the moral center of the film. Her detective boyfriend's solution to the problem is to frame someone else for the murder, a thought that Alice cannot abide.

So what's not so great about this one? Well, once the whole blackmail plot actually kicks into action, the film kind of slows down. There are over-long sequences of the blackmailer and Frank negotiating with each other. While I liked the acknowledgement of the way that Alice is pushed aside, the other side of that coin is that the film would have been a lot more interesting if Alice was more of an active participant in the dealings with the blackmailer. In the final act she is largely reduced to a passive observer. And Frank just isn't an interesting enough character to carry the degree of intensity and intrigue that would have been essential to really make the final act hit home.

This film is, I gather, considered the first British "talkie", and there are some interesting uses made of sound. Probably the best is when Alice, in shock, is sitting at a table listening to a conversation about the murder. It's all very muted and indistinct, except for each time the speaker uses the word "knife".

This was better than I'd expected, but a limp third act doesn't live up to what came before.

same here

I remember watching it years and years ago. And you're right, I did enjoy it.

Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971, John Hancock)

A masterpiece this film is not - in fact, many would dismiss it as a badly made piece of hippie-drenched cult nonsense, and if i were to be objective I would have to agree. But it's one of those films that, in spite of the flaws, kind of puts you under a spell and lulls you into its world. There's a dreamy, hazy, hypnotic quality to it - like an acid trip. The low-budget production feels like a choppy, disjointed affair but, on the other hand, it also lends it an eerily real, almost documentary vibe (not unlike the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, only without the visceral shocking horror of the latter). Some of the cinematography is absolutely mesmerizing, with countryside scenery coming through beautifully wistful yet subtly foreboding at the same time, and the sparse score is effective in creating the atmosphere. A number of elements in the film instantly evoke parallels with other horror classics, like the opening sequence of the car with the lead characters inside winding down countryside roads and stopping at the cemetery (Night of the Living Dead), or the closing one (Friday the 13th).

Technically this may not be a very well made film but I enjoyed it very much, and I definitely understand its cult status. It has that certain low-budget charm and realness to it that I found strangely compelling.

Excellent film - you rated it half a notch higher that I did but we agree, it's definitely a winner.

Sixteen Candles 9/10