Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019

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Yeah, to anyone who read our superhero conversation, I've started to reconsider my position. I think I'm getting that superhero fatigue. I used to not be into superhero movies, but last year started to see the charm. Guess that's ending. Also, and more importantly, I want to admit I was doing ancient mythology a

HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE

Disservice.



I have a new fulltime job, so unfortunately I don't have as much time anymore to watch films or spend time on these forums. Don't worry: I will keep posting. Just keep in mind that I'll be around a lot less than before.

Anyway, two films coming up.
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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019



#26 - High Life (2018) ~ March 23



Provocatively erotic space thriller by Claire Denis. There's one scene that suddenly steers the film in a completely different direction, after the first part mainly focuses on Pattinson's character and his young daughter. We suddenly get the whole story, but unlike lesser films, there's not one big point to be gotten from it. The film never really loses its sense of mystery and obscurity. It simply made my mind meander about the effects of humanity's more beastly aspects.

This was my first Denis film and I'm already looking forward to see more of her work. Does anyone have any suggestions?



#27 - The Da Vinci Code (2006) ~ March 30



The story by Dan Brown is brilliant (even if it gets a bit too overblown after a while), but this film doesn't fully do it justice. There were a few good bits: Paul Bettany's Silas and Ian McKellen's Sir Leigh Teabing, for instance. But overall the film is too weak to fully let its source material shine.



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#26 - High Life (2018) ~ March 23



Provocatively erotic space thriller by Claire Denis. There's one scene that suddenly steers the film in a completely different direction, after the first part mainly focuses on Pattinson's character and his young daughter. We suddenly get the whole story, but unlike lesser films, there's not one big point to be gotten from it. The film never really loses its sense of mystery and obscurity. It simply made my mind meander about the effects of humanity's more beastly aspects.

This was my first Denis film and I'm already looking forward to see more of her work. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Trouble Every Day is excellent!
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Too weird to live, and too rare to die.



#28 - Primal Fear (1996) ~ April 6



Hilariously stupid, but also quite entertaining. In a weird way, the film kind of gets away with sleazy, dumb and completely illogical content. In that sense, the film itself is a good metaphore for its own story.
So yeah, I admit: I'm guilty. I kind of enjoyed it for what it was. But maybe that says more about my unusually numb state of mind than anything else.



I've rewatched a few films over the past few months but haven't kept track of them, so I'll just be posting some of my few first watches since April (not that many, as I've been really busy indeed).

I hope to be able to watch some more new films in the near future.



#29 - Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) ~ April



Great raw, realistic and occasionally even funny dark piece of cinema.



#30 - Man Bites Dog (1992) ~ May



Shocking and hilarious mockumentary. Absolutely adored this unique piece of pitch black serial killing comedy.



#31 - Cold War (2018) ~ June



I loved how recognizably this was a film by Pawlikowski, the director of Ida (as I really loved that film). Both films are very similar in terms of atmosphere and sheer beauty. I can't wait to see his past and future work.

This is my favorite film out of the small bunch I'm logging here today. Delicious filmmaking!



#32 - Toy Story 4 (2019) ~ June 29



This was (as usual) a visually pleasing Pixar film that certainly was full of top notch entertainment.

I really loved where the story was going at first and I really liked the location of the antique store a lot. Unfortunately I don't think the story developed in a satisfying direction. Too many overly thin plotlines incoherently intersected and therefore I could never fully commit to one of them.

The worst aspect of this film, however, is without a doubt the fact that it had to follow one of the greatest and most nostalgic (for me personally at least) endings of a trilogy ever. A fourth film would always destroy a part of the integrity of that legacy. And it did.

Nevertheless, it's a highly enjoyable film if you don't take the Toy Story series too seriously. As you all know however, cinema is serious business for me, so I couldn't help being disappointed with the film's story.



#33 - Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) ~ July 3



Not as good as the first one, but it's harmless (and occasionally very inventive) fun. Perfect watch for an international flight (I went to NYC last week so I watched this one the plane).



#34- Stan & Ollie (2018) ~ July 3



Very sweet film with great impersonations by the two lead actors. Made me want to watch some of the old Oliver and Hardy shorts and films again in the near future. I used to watch them with my dad when I was young. Universal comedy for young and old!



#35 - The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (2019) ~ July 10



I just realized that I've seen the Batman Lego movie as well. Weirdly I don't remember a thing about it. I do remember some stuff from the first one though, which I liked.

This one was worse than the first film, but still quite enjoyable and just as inventive. Perfect airplane movie.



#36 - Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (2019) ~ July 12



Brilliantly deceptive and beautifully made (pseudo-)documentary. There's so much to get out of it, both from the real and the fictional parts. It shows to me that Scorsese still has the exact right sentiments that are needed to communicate a rich palette of complicated themes in a tasteful manner. He's still experimenting at his old age. Can't wait for The Irishman!

Are his other concert films as rich and interesting as this one? Are there any other great concert films that people here strongly recommend?



#37 - Vice (2018) ~ July 13



This certainly had some entertaining moments, but as a whole I think it's a bit too unbalanced and frustratingly thin a film to be considered great cinema about politics. The humour isn't really that clever, the content remains rather superficial and yet the film still obviously considers itself to be some kind of mindblowing revelation.

I think this quote by Owen Gleiberman from Variety says it best: "The movie, though it pretends to reveal how power works, is ultimately content to remain on the outside, merely sticking its finger in the eye of power."



#38 - The Beach Bum (2019) ~ July 14



Some MoFos will remember that I was one of the few fans of Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers around here at the time it came out. I read quite a lot into that film while simultaneously very much enjoying its beautiful and original cinematic style. I also liked Korine's Mister Lonely, which now seems of a different era in his career, although - just like his last two films - it also falls into that odd category of potentially iconic cult cinema.

Although one can probably read a lot into this film as well if one wanted to, I don't feel that's really necessary with The Beach Bum. It's basically a film centered on a consistently outlandish performance by the always magnetic Matthew McConaughey, who gets into plenty of weird adventures and gets away with lots of crazy stuff. There is a script that - if looked at objectively - does contain some big plot turns that one can find in many ordinary films, but it's clear that the film doesn't really want you to focus on or care about those too much. Life goes on. It's all about the entertainment that's produced by the experience, the style, the overall atmosphere and the unique sense of freedom (from a message, morals, etc.) this film allows us to be a part of.

I think it was PTA who once said (I'll try to paraphrase) - in the context of the release of Inherent Vice - that he really liked films where a character (or a group of characters) just goes from one interesting little adventure to another, where you don't really have to care about what happened before or what will happen after. Films that feel like roadtrips and that are all about "the moment". The only thing those kinds of films have to worry about is remaining interesting to watch. Viewers often don't fully remember the whole plot of a film, but one often does remember certain great moments. If that's true, then the focus of a great film can just as well be on those moments and less on the overall plot. As long as the whole thing feels somewhat wholesome, everything should be OK if the moments are interesting enough. I personally like that philosophy a lot.

Looking at the ratings, it seems like many people disagree with me (just like Spring Breakers, this film will have many non-cinephiles watching it, expecting something totally different and therefore leaving disappointed), but I feel like The Beach Bum is a really good example of the kind of film that PTA talked about.

Well, I personally freaking loved every moment of this and I even think I liked it more than Spring Breakers. It was a lovely relaxing piece of weird cinema to dive into. It almost feels like a few clouds of the smoke from the weed that was consumed in this film somehow traveled from the screen to my seat. A great compliment for a film like this!

+ (just rating a film for once, because this post somehow ended up being somewhat of a review and I'm suggesting it for inclusion in the Reviews area).



#36 - Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (2019) ~ July 12



Brilliantly deceptive and beautifully made (pseudo-)documentary. There's so much to get out of it, both from the real and the fictional parts. It shows to me that Scorsese still has the exact right sentiments that are needed to communicate a rich palette of complicated themes in a tasteful manner. He's still experimenting at his old age. Can't wait for The Irishman!

Are his other concert films as rich and interesting as this one? Are there any other great concert films that people here strongly recommend?
I have just 'discovered' your review thread, and I see we have many similar tastes and views on music and movies ( Local Hero with the talented Mark Knopfler, Five Easy Pieces and your insightful analysis of the 'easy piece', and the wonderful and tender hearted Stan & Ollie). I will continue to follow your thread and I thank you for mentioning the newest Dylan movie. I am ( one of millions of ) a #1 Dylan fan. Scorsese too.

So I'd like to recommend a few films in this vein. Did you see No Direction Home, an earlier film on Dylan , combination of bio and concerts? Also by Scorsese. Excellent film jmho.

And another Scorsese, The Last Waltz, was considered to be one of the best concert films of its time. About The Band.

Finally, I personally recommend a poignant documentary about an early contemporary of Dylan named Phil Ochs. Very well made ( not Scorsese) about a singer songwriter who is less known today, but was a seminal figure at a time - when folk style music was gaining national attention; and a place- NYC's Greenwich Village - the breeding ground of this iconic music scene. Phil Ochs was a 'protest ' singer who also wrote touching ballads, but best known for his timeless and universal song There But For Fortune - title of the movie. Phil also struggled with personal demons, and unlike Dylan, did not fare so well with them. When they played He Was A Friend Of Mine, I burst into tears. I hope you will relate to this music, but even if you don't -for the (true) story alone- worth a look .