ScarletLion's Movie Log

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'Like Father, Like Son' (2013)


Hirokazu Koreeda's work has been recommended to me by a few people, and I'm ashamed to say this is the first of his movies I have seen. Based on 'Like Father, Like Son' I am now in a rush to see a few more. It is an excellent film that deals with raw human emotion. But the genius is the way Koreeda shows us that emotion. There are beautiful looking films and then there are just beautiful films. This falls into the latter category.

This story centres around receiving the inexplicable news that your child was swapped at birth and your real child lives a few miles away ion the next town. That's a horrific thing for anybody to deal with but Koreeda doesn't show us the hysterical scream fits that both mothers would have no doubt had, he instead deals with the inner turmoil and pain that anyone in this position would no doubt feel. Questioning yourself to understand if you could have done something different. Examining your morals and your judgments on others.

The main protagonist is Ryota, expertly played by Masaharu Fukuyama. Through his journey we see that he has to learn alot about his role in the family even though he thinks he has made it as the main breadwinner with a high powered job. The use of pianos, kites and robots are all fantastic mechanisms to enable us to see how he views his "son", and the level of expectation placed upon him. In one scene towards the end in particular (you could very loosely call it a reveal scene) the emotions become too much for Ryota and we finally see him learning and accepting what his role in the family should ultimately be. How Koreeda manages to weave this into the plot is just masterful film-making.

It's such a simple concept - child swapped at birth = tragedy. But not many people could write a screenplay and direct a 2 hour feature on the turmoil and upheaval of family life based around it. Koreeda manages it, and also enables every single actor in this movie to nail their roles. Great film




'Meek's Cutoff' (2010)


I had high expectations of this movie, namely because Kelly Reichardt is a Director that comes with alot of recommendations. It's a Western at heart and follows the decision makings of 3 families and the guide that's taking them to safety through the Oregon desert. It looks lovely, it sounds lovely and Michelle Williams, Paul Dano and Bruce Greenwood give superb performances. I enjoyed the sparse dialogue. But there was something that just didn't click with me. I don't mind the non-closure. I don't mind the minimalistic feel and slow pace, but I do feel that there was just a little bit of substance missing. The isolation, the xenophobia, the hardship, the fear of these times was captured beautifully. There was just not enough of it.

Unfortunately the movie didn't really live up to my expectations, I guess they were a bit high, but that won't stop me checking out more of Reichardt's films. 6.5/10



I like it a bit more than you but it's my least favourite from her so far. Night Moves>Certain Women>Meek's Cutoff.
Night Moves and Certain Women are next for me in terms of Reichardt. I also want to see 'River of Grass' which looks interesting.



Night Moves and Certain Women are next for me in terms of Reichardt. I also want to see 'River of Grass' which looks interesting.
I'd be surprised if you didn't like Night Moves after reading your posts here. Not sure about Certain Women though, i'm more interested in what you'll think of that.



'The Double' (2013)


Richard Ayoade is a very talented man. He's a funny comic and a good director. His first feature, 'Submarine' was a lovely tale about handling the harsh realities of being young. 'The double', however is basically a retelling of Dostoyevsky's novel. It's also a bit of a homage to a mixture of inspirations such as Gilliam, Fincher, Lynch and Wes Anderson.

Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska deliver nice performances here, but I'm afraid I'll have to resort to the cliche of "I didn't find myself caring about them much" to ram home the flaws in the Direction. Perhaps we're not supposed to care about them but then that leaves little else to engage with. This film came out the same year as Denis Villeneuve's 'Enemy'. But that film (though not based on Dostoyevsky) was so much more engaging because it lured you into the mystery and made you want to find out why things were the way they were.

The Double is a bit of a let down as it is just so unoriginal. Have we seen these bubbling up in a plot before?

Dystopian corporate culture - check
Themes of dopplegangers - check
Old striking faces to instill dread and claustrophobia - check
Odd Dream sequences - check
Lead character scorned by parents - check
Overbearing soundtrack - check
Very fast paced witty dialogue - check
Social misfit trying to fit in - check

It all melds into a huge crockpot of unoriginality that however nice it is to look at, never gets off the ground because of the forced nature of the storylines. That means that every 5 minutes, something in the back of your brain is twitching, saying, "oh that reminds me of Fight Club", or "that was similar to Brazil". It eventually distracts the viewer from the action which is a shame.


I still like Ayoade and the lighting in this film is used masterfully though. Some of the photography is a joy to look at. Yellows, greys and white lights are used very well in almost every scene with some luminous blues and reds chucked in for good measure to add to the dystopian feel/

It's about time Ayoade directed something else, I'm convinced he has at least 1 great film in him.

This wasn't it though -



'Frances Ha' (2012)


Noah Baumbach's neat little film about growing up in New York is quaint and quirky. I can understand why someone would think it's a bit of second rate Woody Allen rip off, but I just took it for what it was and really enjoyed it. Greta Gerwig is great as the lead, and the goofyness or aloofness just adds to her character rather than detract. Some characters are spoilt, some are unlikeably care free, some are pious and pretentious. But then that's what some people are like.

If I was to be hyper critical I'd say that the third act just announces itself rate abruptly on our laps, and could have done with a few more scenes to bed in, especially given the movies' short running time. But that' a minor quibble. Baumbach's films continue to entertain me.

I found it charming, quirky, unusual, endearing, amusing and interesting. As I was watching I was thinking to myself "I bet this film got loads of hate" and I still think that. But there's always the next Mission Impossible round the corner for the haters. I enjoyed it. 7.5/10



'American Honey' (2016)


Andrea Arnold is an oscar winning director, she's no spring chicken and knows her way around. Maybe that's a factor when considering that the performances in this movie are nothing short of incredible. Loads of first timers. Loads of inexperienced kids. How she has got these performances out of this cast is nothing short of mesmerising.

The movie is long, lets be honest. But it is very rewarding and is a very accomplished way of exploring society's values and attitudes towards youngsters, poverty, opportunities etc. I found large similarities between this and her short 'wasp'. Which is no bad thing. The film also looks amazing.

I'd probably find a place for this in my top 10 of 2016.





'I don't feel at home in this world anymore' (2016)


This is Macon Blair's directorial debut. Given he produced and starred in 'Green Room' and 'Blue Ruin' I was really keen to see what he could do.

The problem with this film is that it isn't quite sure what it wants to be. It's too funny to be a thriller, and it has to many serious elements to be a full out comedy. Therefore it ends up being a mish mash of both. It's a bit like a Ben Wheatley black comedy co-written by Edgar Wright. While that might sound appealing it just doesn't click with me because it gets it a bit wrong, especially in the final act.

I really liked Elijah Wood's character and I was totally on board with what the film was actually trying to tell me, it just didn't pull it off very well.

Blair is still one to watch though I feel.




I dug it. So what should I see next of hers? Red Road or Fish Tank?
I think Red Road is better but if you're planning on seeing both i'd personally leave that to last. I still haven't seen her Wuthering Heights.



So glad you like American Honey . My #1 from last year.
Sorry I don't want to contradict just to contradict. For me it was quite a mess. I could not find any in-depth message that this movie would give me. And yes, it was too long. I was also pretty annoyed with that blond guy flashing his boom-stick. Otherwise it was watchable.
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You can call it the art of fighting without fighting.



Sorry I don't want to contradict just to contradict. For me it was quite a mess. I could not find any in-depth message that this movie would give me. And yes, it was too long. I was also pretty annoyed with that blond guy flashing his boom-stick. Otherwise it was watchable.
How does that contradict it being my favourite movie of the year? That makes no sense. I didn't find it a mess, that's fine if you did. Great film.



'In Order of Disappearance' (2014)



Hans Petter Moland's dark thriller delivers despite having a less than original premise. Man seeks vengeance after death of son. It must be difficult to get a film like this just right because revenge capers have been done so many times. But this film just about manages it, mainly due to the script, it's interesting enough to keep us switched on amongst the cold blooded actions on screen. Stellan Skarsgård and Bruno Ganz also give us more than adequate performances. There are elements that reminded me of Fargo, Snatch and others, and the way in which we see the 'order of disappearance' is quite novel, especially the very end sequence.

There are moments of dark comedy that intermingle with the beautiful landscape photography. All in all it's not going to tear up any trees but there is enough here to result in a decent 2 hours of film watching. 7/10



I'm gonna watch American Honey and IDFAHITWA asap. Both sound like something I'd like. I take it you liked Green Room and Blue Ruin?
I liked Blue Ruin more than I liked Green Room. But that's just because I prefer movies in the ilk of Blue Ruin. Both were very watchable. I've not seen 'Murder Party', which he also produced and starred in with Saulnier directing. I'm not convinced it's my thing.