Rate The Last Movie You Saw

“Morally questionable” and “likable” aren’t descriptors I’d ascribe to Pike’s character. She’s a terrible person and horribly unlikable (as is virtually everyone in the film). This wouldn’t be so much of a problem if the film wasn’t equally unlikable in its edgelord, forceful provocation through hackneyed narration and utterly contrived plotting. Everything is such an empty affectation while still clinging to the idea that it’s about a “real issue!!!”

It also failed to suspend any disbelief as it went on as it gave its two leads irredeemably thick plot armor until it was time to make its thematic point.

It’s such a lazy and cynical movie.

At least the performances are solid, especially Macon Blair, whose character should be the lead in a much more interesting movie. Then again, that may look too much like Taxi Driver...

Near the end of 1992, Bernd Eichinger and Constantin Film teamed up with Roger Corman and Troma Entertainment to create a feature film based on the popular comic The Fantastic Four. Unfortunately, as so often happens in Hollywood, artistic endeavors don't necessarily align with business interests, and things fall out at the expense of those that are "lower on the totem pole", so to speak.

Doomed! follows the troubled production of the film which, according to some of the people interviewed, was never meant to see the light of day. This intentions, however, were kept from the cast and crew, most of which were counting on the film to advance their careers, and devoted personal time and money to complete it.

During the conversations with the cast and crew, it's hard not to feel how passionate they were about the project, and eventually how frustrating it was for them to not see it come to fruition. More interesting is to wonder why did those moving the strings let the project go along all the way into post-production, if the real intention was only to secure the rights and never to release it.

Grade:




Of course, after watching the Doomed! documentary last night, what was left for me to do? Watch the real thing! Fortunately for the cast and crew involved, their little project has found some life as bootleg copies that can now be found through the Internet. In the words of Ian Malcolm, "life... uhh... finds a way"

The Fantastic Four is a typical origin story for the superhero team. It starts with Dr. Reed Richards (Alex Hyde-White) and his college friend Victor Von Doom (Joseph Culp) performing an experiment with a passing comet that goes awry, and leaves Victor for dead. Fast forward ten years, and Richards recruits his friends Sue, Johnny, and Ben (Rebecca Staab, Jay Underwood, and Michael Bailey Smith) to go to space as the same comet approaches Earth again.

However, things don't go as planned, and the four end up crash-landing, but with superpowers! There's some nonsensical subplot about a villain called The Jeweler stealing a diamond that both Victor and Reed needed for their experiment, which is why the former, now as the megalomaniac Dr. Doom goes after them.

Grade:

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Die Mörder sind unter uns (1946)
The Murderers Are Among Us

Directed by Wolfgang Staudte
Starring: Ernst Wilhelm Borchert, Hildegard Knef, Arno Paulsen, Erna Sellmer

Set in Berlin in 1945, this film brilliantly portrays the devastation to the nation and the surreal nature of the post-war environment. The lives of its main characters play out like the awakening from a terrible nightmare amidst the ruins which continues to haunt them. Ex-military doctor Hans Mertens wanders through the streets drunk, trying to forget the horrors he experienced of which he continually has flashbacks to. He lives in an abandoned bombed out apartment where he is confronted by Susanne Wallner, its former resident and a concentration camp survivor. After significant disagreement they reluctantly begin to share the space. Slowly their relationship mellows and Hans starts to recover himself. But this is all shattered when he discovers the existence of his former commanding officer, whom on the basis of his wartime conduct he decides he must kill.

This immediately post-war made German film impresses me every time I see it and is expertly directed, with powerfully artistic cinematography, high quality script and acting from the lead players, and a darkness that is typically German which is easily likened to earlier works such as Fritz Lang's M (1931).

10/10

Am I going to be forever infamous on movieforums as that crazy lady who hates Taxi Driver ?

We'll never gonna let you live that down.

*looks left*

...

*looks right*


You talkin’ to me?

Escape from Zahrain (1962) - 7 / 10

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Transit (2018)

Thelma - (2017) - Norway

Thelma begins with a father and young daughter going hunting in the frigid Norwegian outdoors. They spot a deer, and as the man raises his rifle he turns it from the deer towards his daughter. He wrestles with his conscience, and can't do it. What is so wrong with his daughter that he feels he must kill her?

This is a nice, atmospheric, supernatural thriller that really pays off when all the pieces start fitting together. It takes place mostly during our young protagonist's start of university - her first time away from home. Something awakens in her - something horrible and awe-inspiring. There are flashbacks to some terrible events that happened when she was around 6 years of age.

Might be a little slow for some people. I didn't mind the pacing - and a lot of the shots are gorgeous. It manages to be creepy and surreal at the right times.

7/10

Inhale-Exhale (2019) 7/10

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How the West Was Won (1962) - 7 / 10

Wife wanted to rewatch this movie, God knows why. No story, Mickey Rourke's character is a total *******, misplaced soundtrack. It's amazing how much 50 shades stole from this.

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There has been an awekening.... have you felt it?

Promising Young Woman 7/10

All of Me (1984) 7/10

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl 7.5/10

Loveless (2017)

My 2nd Zvyagintsev, enthralling story regarding a warring couple who are well into a divorce and neither wants to take responsibility for their 12 year old son...literally none. Mum has moved onto an idyllic relationship with an older, richer man and dad makes excuses about his job (sales?) and how he is morally looked upon by his superiors. However it's clear he doesn't want to upset his heavily pregnant girlfriend by involving his one son in his life. Poor Alyosha is caught up in this and goes missing.

Didn't understand the ending and the Ukraine/Russia conflict footage but it may be simpler than I've dug out?

Right Now, Wrong Then, 2015

A film director is in town for a film festival at a local university, but he arrives a day early and must kill time in town. The director, Ham Cheon-Soo (Jae-yeong Jeong), meets a young woman named Yoon Hee-jeong (Kim Min-hee). As the two spend time together and talk about their lives, an attraction grows. Halfway through the film, the entire day resets and we see a different version of events.

This was a fun and interesting take on the "reliving a day" type film. At this point, we are all pretty familiar with the structure: we watch one version of events, then get to see how big or small changes snowball through the narrative. In this movie, the emphasis is on small changes, and even more specifically small changes in the way that the characters express themselves.

That focus on little moments and word choice is both the attraction of the film for me and the slight problem. On the positive side, the idea that choosing to express ourselves more honestly can lead to overall healthier relationships is a nice one. Even more so because the film doesn't promise a happy ending if we are honest---just that we will feel more settled in ourselves. It is a really nice idea and it shifts the focus away from superficial narrative elements (WILL THEY END UP TOGETHER?!!) and toward who they are as people and how this encounter will change them.

The downside is that, especially in the first part of the retelling, we cover a lot of familiar ground. And while I liked both main characters, I didn't love them. A middle-aged man deciding he's in love--no exaggeration--with a young woman he just met is kind of eye-rolling. I don't mind that the film treats these emotions as sincere but also . . . . c'mon. The central question of where their relationship will go just wasn't all that compelling for me. I liked the way that the film mainly focused on their character growth, but at times I wanted the movie to hurry up and get where it was going.

I'd definitely recommend this one, despite feeling it was about 10-15 minutes too long.

Snooze factor = Z







Snooze factor = Zzzzz


[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

The Dry (2020)

Pretty standard "something in the woodshed" police drama. Eric Bana was good but the story itself was quite thin even if watchable. The location shooting is great.

The book on which it is based is pretty good. I plan to see the film despite tepid reviews because I liked the story.