Rate The Last Movie You Saw

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I know I'll eventually get around to it. It is Hitchcock after all. Even his subpar efforts are better than most other films. My list of Hitchcock films I feel I absolutely need to watch includes Torn Curtain, Topaz, I Confess, Notorious, Spellbound and Foreign Correspondent.
I really like all those films, perhaps "Curtain" being the least. I love Foreign Correspondent. Joel McCrea really carries the film even thought he wasn't a big star in 1940. I Confess is a unique atypical Hitchcock film shot in Canada. Montgomery Clift does a great job, but it's not a typical suspenseful Hitchcock. You'll like it.



2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
(1968, Kubrick)
2001: A Space Odyssey was released in the spring of 1968, puzzling critics and audiences in the way. It is reported that in one premiere alone, more than 200 people walked out. Much like the scientists (or the apes, or Bowman) in the film upon finding the famous monolith, they were probably wondering "what the damn thing [was]". That is a question that even I, on perhaps my 4th or 5th viewing, still ask myself, regardless of my undying love of the film.

Although it spans several centuries, 2001: A Space Odyssey primarily follows a crew of astronauts on their way to Jupiter; a journey that was apparently sparked by the discovery of a mysterious monolith buried under the surface of the moon. But to limit the film to just that chunk is a disservice to it. The film is much more than that, more than the "apes" that initially encountered the monolith in the first act of the film, or more than Dave Bowman's colorful space "trip" beyond Jupiter in the last act.

Grade:
I agree. 2001 was a great, landmark, and enormously enjoyable film. A few of us from the band went to see it in Denver while we were on the road in 1968. I believe it was in Cinerama. A couple of them had taken acid or pot, so they had their minds blown. It's a film that hardly ever gets old, despite oodles of advanced sci-fi space films since.

The music theme is so iconic, used countless times since in other idioms. Not sure who wrote it, perhaps Alex North. But the sparing use of music (and dialogue for that matter) really set the movie apart. And Kubrick's use of well known classical music was inspiring.



I agree. 2001 was a great, landmark, and enormously enjoyable film. A few of us from the band went to see it in Denver while we were on the road in 1968. I believe it was in Cinerama. A couple of them had taken acid or pot, so they had their minds blown. It's a film that hardly ever gets old, despite oodles of advanced sci-fi space films since.

The music theme is so iconic, used countless times since in other idioms. Not sure who wrote it, perhaps Alex North. But the sparing use of music (and dialogue for that matter) really set the movie apart. And Kubrick's use of well known classical music was inspiring.
North did write a score that was eventually ditched by Kubrick in favor of classical music. North found out at the premiere
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I forgot the opening line.
I've been considering this for a while but a 5/10 review doesn't really inspire me.
Don't let me completely put you off watching The Head Hunter. Knowing about it's low budget and limitations, you'd be seeing it from a much better angle than I did.



Blind Fury -


Rutger Hauer does Zatoichi in this late '80s action movie. Sure, it's derivative, predictable and Hauer's child companion is hard to like, but it's still 90 minutes well spent. Did I mention Rutger Hauer is in it? Besides maintaining his reputation of being one of the most reliable and charismatic actors of all time, he is convincing as sight-impaired and as a sword expert. Oh, and he's pretty funny, too. The movie also has the standard assortment of action scenes from the bar fight to the car chase to the duel and they're all exciting, the latter being the highlight thanks to a very special guest star. Like I said, while it's ultimately familiar stuff, it's worth watching, and you really have no excuse not to considering it's on seemingly every free and paid streaming on the net. Heck, it may even be on C-SPAN.



The only thing that matters is that Rock loses.


WARNING: spoilers below
Just like Sophie





Hey this looks like fun. Check the fear in them eyes.







Werewolves Within was okay. It wasn't scary and wasn't really funny but still managed to be entertaining. The characters were all oddballs and kept saying and doing the weirdest things. I won't be adding this to my collection but it wasn't the worst way I've ever spent a late night alone.
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SF = 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



Amazing cast. Hoping this movie is not as stupid as it looks.

Never seen a Jason Statham movie & I never will.
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SWEENEY TODD
THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET

(2007, Burton)
A musical



"I will get him back even as he gloats; In the meantime I'll practice on less honorable throats."

Sweeney Todd follows the barber (Johnny Depp) as he returns to London after 15 years of being falsely convicted and exiled by corrupt Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman). Realizing that he has lost his wife and that his young daughter is now under the care of Turpin, Todd sets out for revenge by reopening his parlor in order to lure Turpin, and eventually kill him. Aiding him in this quest is Nellie Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), who owns a meat pie shop below Todd's establishment.

For some reason, I had relatively low expectations for this. Burton and Depp have been hit and miss for the last decade or more, it's not a film you see mentioned often, and I seem to recall a more lukewarm reaction to it (although it seems I was confused or mistaken). But anyway, a while ago some friend listed it among her own favorite films or musicals, which intrigued me. So when this category came, and I saw this was available on Hulu, I decided "why not?" and what a surprise it was.

Grade:



Full review on my Movie Loot



This post is copied from this thread:

Nights of Cabiria: Before watching this film, I had yet to rate any of Fellini's films higher than an 8/10 (I've also seen La Strada, La Dolce Vita, , and Amarcord). Upon going into it, I was curious if this would be the first 9/10 or 10/10 rating I'd give to Fellini, but unfortunately, I ended up giving this one an 8/10. With that being said though, it's definitely my favorite of Fellini's films (I plan to revisit this year though, so that may change). While you obviously sympathize with Cabiria and root for her to find happiness, I liked how the film simultaneously recognized that her loneliness was partly her own doing. While she got along with some people in the film, she also acted argumentative with some of the other people she met, causing her to come off as cold, distant, and unappealing. While this isn't to say she deserved what happened to her in the film, there was definitely an implication that her behavior might have been a reason for her loneliness. Overall, I found her plight compelling and, even though I was able to predict the outcome of the final act, the last scene won me over and made for a rather oblique culmination to the film.

Rififi: This would make for a great introduction to foreign and classic film since it feels both classic (the first act) and modern (the last act), so it contains enough to give newcomers a sense of what classic film feels like while simultaneously displaying some modern sensibilities which may appeal to them (and, of course, the dialogue-free jewelry heist in the middle is nothing short of excellent). Overall, the jewelry heist was the only part of the film which dipped into favorite territory for me (the rest of the film ranges from really good to great), so it wouldn't have made my ballot, but I still enjoyed my time with it and I could see myself watching it again. As an aside, Kubrick's The Killing is my favorite heist film. It's also, arguably, Kubrick's first great film.

The Celebration: When I watched this, it didn't seem like the kind of film which would have any chance of making this list, so I found myself pleasantly surprised when I saw it here. Decently high, no less. I was impressed at the emotional appeal and the mystery of the family, but even more so at the terrific style and the cinematic technique Vinterberg employed throughout the film. Initially, the rough and unpolished camera shots (which I don't consider to be a flaw, btw) and unorthodox camera angles and shooting positions mildly impressed me. As the film went on though, my admiration over those aspects grew more profound. As more revelations about the family were revealed and as the siblings kept turning on each other, the bizarre camerawork resonated with me in the best way possible as it matched the craziness of the situation at the birthday party. Also, I briefly mentioned this film in the low budget film thread I started a few days ago, but I think the grainy feel of the camerawork makes the cinematography look even more stylish and crazy. I can't imagine the film giving off the same effect with a high budget. At times, I struggled with the film as it hit a bit too close to home for reasons I'd rather not get into, but I'm sure I'll like it more when I revisit it since I'll know what to expect. If I had to nitpick something though, I think it would be better to build to the unorthodox cinematography as opposed to utilizing it right at the start of the film. This isn't to say I disliked the unorthodox cinematography in the first act per se, but since it worked best for me when paired with the family conflict, it might have been cool to have the camerawork escalate in weirdness, with it growing more unorthodox and dreamlike as the film went on. This minor issue though was ultimately lost in the grand scheme of everything I loved about the film, so I don't mean to imply this matters much. Just some food for thought. But yeah, this film would've surely made my ballot had I seen it prior to this list.

High and Low: Didn't like this one as much as I hoped I would; sorry, y'all! It got its hooks in me at first, but it lost some steam after the first hour. Gondo's moral dilemma was my favorite thing about the film (in addition to the slow-burning suspense of how they had to prevent the kidnapper from finding out about the police). After this segment ended, Gondo mostly disappeared from the film in place of the less interesting police officers and the film turned into an entertaining and well-detailed, albeit far less emotionally engaging police procedural. The final scene is really chilling though. I'll give the film credit for that. Overall, it has a handful of good ideas and some great ideas here and there. It wouldn't crack my top 5 Kurosawa's though.

Also, when I watched this film, I found out that you can buy the Criterion version of this film on Amazon Prime for 4-5 dollars (the digital version though). Or, at least, you could do this when I watched it a few weeks ago. Since I already bought it, I can't see the price anymore, but hopefully it hasn't changed since then:

https://www.amazon.com/High-English-...o%2C737&sr=1-1

Harakiri: I gave this film an 8/10, so it wouldn't have made my ballot, but it's still a great demythization and deconstruction of the customs and practices of samurai, specifically the code of honor which existed amongst them. I'm not a historian or anything, but from what I know, honor was really important for samurai and those who broke this code could face death. Given both this and how themes of honor were present in many other classic samurai films, I can only imagine how shocking this film was when it was released. Also, in regards to a statement someone made earlier in this thread on how Tatsuya Nakadai is a better actor than Toshiro Mifune (Mr Minio, I think), yeah, I can see that argument. I'd have to watch more of Nakadai's films though to decide whether I completely agree or not.

Woman in the Dunes: I watched this film a week or so before it was revealed in this list, so I'll just copy/paste what I wrote on it upthread as I've already written a lot in this post:

Woman in the Dunes is great, but it didn't make my list. It's the kind of film where I enjoyed thinking about it later more than actually watching it. However, I found its premise to be a thought provoking and deceptively simple adaptation of Sisyphus.
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THE GREEN KNIGHT



A masterpiece and the greatest Arthurian adaptation. It was worth the delay to see in theaters because, to Scorsese meme for a second, this is cinema.