Rate The Last Movie You Saw

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08-07-24

Originally Posted by WHITBISSELL!

The Holdovers - This is the seventh Alexander Payne film I've seen. The only one of his features I haven't watched is his first, Citizen Ruth (I'm not counting The Passion of Martin as a full length feature). In terms of body of work he might well be my favorite director. This features a resonant triumvirate of performances from Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and newcomer Dominic Sessa.

Giamatti plays Paul Hunham, a teacher at Barton Academy, a New England boarding school in 1970. He's not well liked by either the students or fellow faculty. Before the Christmas holiday break he's inveigled to stay over at the school to watch over the handful of students that have no place to go. Randolph plays Mary Lamb, the no-nonsense cafeteria supervisor still in mourning over the death of her son in Vietnam. Sessa is Angus Tully, the resident troublemaker with an unspecified and problematic family life.

These three broken and solitary people eventually end up getting thrown together and this being a Payne movie it's basically a dialogue driven character study. The director excels at introducing audiences to these kinds of strangers and then gradually revealing their inner workings. This is only the second Oscar nominated Best Picture I've seen but it definitely belongs on that list and Giamatti earned his spot on the Best Actor nominee list as well. An Alexander Payne film is something to look forward to.

90/100

Favorite of last year and great soundtrack!

Gideon58

Registered User

08-07-24

Originally Posted by exiler96

Interesting... as this is often overshadowed by Goodfellas. What do you think about his other crime epics? Wolf, The Irishman...

I used to think Goodfellas was his masterpiece, but I'm re-thinking that. I liked The Irishman and I'm the only person on this site who HATED The Wolf of Wall Street

Gideon58

Registered User

08-07-24

Marco

Registered User

08-07-24

Originally Posted by MovieGal

Starve Acre
(2023)
3.5/5

A fairly decent folk horror. I will watch it again soon.

Yes, I saw this today. Atmospheric. I'd agree with your rating

Takoma11

Registered User

08-07-24

Past Lives, 2023

Nora (Greta Lee) is a young woman whose family immigrated to Canada from South Korea when she was a child. Years later, she reconnects with her childhood friend, Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) via social media. The two develop a long-distance relationship, but as both are unwilling to compromise their personal trajectories, things come to an end. Years later, Hae Sung comes to America to visit Nora and the pair must confront what could have been.

Heartfelt and deeply empathetic to its characters, this is a fantastic drama.

Very glad to have caught this lovely film on the big screen.

FULL REVIEW

MovieGal

Moviegal

08-07-24

The Godsend
(1980)
3/5

I didn't think this was a Folk Horror at all. I would have put it in the same category as Thr Village of the Damned. It's more in the biology aspect than the Nature aspect of horror.

Nausica�

Registered User

08-07-24

SF = Z

Viewed: DVD

[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

MovieGal

Moviegal

08-07-24

Originally Posted by Nausica�

SF = Z

Viewed: DVD

I enjoyed it more than Skull Island.

We just need to get Gypsy Danger in it.

Nausica�

Registered User

08-07-24

^ I enjoyed it but still prefer Kong Skull Island.

FilmBuff

Pass the popcorn!

08-07-24

Originally Posted by Takoma11

Very glad to have caught this lovely film on the big screen.

Same here! Probably the best movie of 2023

MovieGal

Moviegal

08-07-24

You Won't Be Alone
(2022)
3.75/5

A beautifully made arthouse folk horror film. One I recommend.

Takoma11

Registered User

08-07-24

La Captive, 2000

Ariane (Sylvie Testud) lives with her boyfriend, Simon (Stanislas Merhar) and Simon�s grandmother (Francoise Bertin). The relationship between Ariane and Simon is defined by her passivity in the face of Simon�s increasing jealousy and conviction that Ariane is hiding secrets from him.

An interesting look at a quietly dysfunctional relationship that suffers a bit from closed off characters.

FULL REVIEW

Fabulous

Jonsilfab

08-08-24

The Tamarind Seed (1974)

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[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

LChimp

Registered User

08-08-24

Originally Posted by MovieGal

I can't wait for this to drop on one of streaming services. I know I will like this. I tend to enjoy Guy Ritchie films.

Amazon Prime is the place you're looking for.

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

LChimp

Registered User

08-08-24

Stopmotion - (2023)

6/10

Marco

Registered User

08-08-24

A History of Violence (2005)

Cronenberg directed film about a quiet man thrust into a situation where his lifestyle and happiness are compromised. This is due to his actions before he pitched up in bidlybong Idaho. It's watchable and Mortensen is good. The story is all over the place thematically though. Serious bits with his family then comedic criminals and violence. It's just not consistent enough to make it a good film.

MovieGal