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You might also be interested in the miniseries on Netflix called Unblievable. It's about a woman named Marie who reports an assault, but the police don't believe her and (through threats and intimidation) get her to say that she made it up. Later, two partners investigate a series of attacks that eventually connect back to Marie. It's a pretty compelling story, and the original newspaper article (which won a Pulitzer) is also worth reading.
Yes, we did watch that, and thought it was well done.

Actually I prefer true documentaries rather than "based upon" dramas. There are a ton of good ones out there, although sometimes not easy to find. In fact IMO documentaries in general these days seem to be of much better quality than are commercial movies. I've often wondered how the production crews make any money-- or at least enough to make a good living. I imagine they have to scramble for funding, then hope one of the bigs buys it.

~Doc



the samoan lawyer's Avatar
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I absolutely LOVE Intacto.

I know that the
WARNING: spoilers below
blindfolded run through the forest
gets a lot of attention (and deservedly so!), but I think the whole film is filled with memorable moments and images.

Yeah that was still probably my favourite scene. I did find it a bit slow though but overall it was enjoyable.
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I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)


Woah, what a great film! Not read the book and after reading up on it (a lot) I really want to now. It sounds like prior reading would help to understand things while watching for the first time, although I do love finding out all about the film afterwards. Long, bleak and dialogue heavy scenes, which were absolutely exceptional. The scene where they discuss another film, which is my favourite of all time is also outstanding. A great cast too, Buckley has a great career ahead of her. Amazing film, just no time to write more





The Haunting (Robert Wise, 1963)

So spooky it's mental!




I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)


Woah, what a great film! Not read the book and after reading up on it (a lot) I really want to now. It sounds like prior reading would help to understand things while watching for the first time, although I do love finding out all about the film afterwards. Long, bleak and dialogue heavy scenes, which were absolutely exceptional. The scene where they discuss another film, which is my favourite of all time is also outstanding. A great cast too, Buckley has a great career ahead of her. Amazing film, just no time to write more


Yeah it's fantastic. What did you think of the post credits scene?







Snooze factor = 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



‘東海道四谷怪談’ (1959)
aka The Ghost of Yotsuya

A very typical Japanese horror film that offers nothing new but does on an OK job in telling the same old story. Some nice visuals, poor sword fights and an old school soundtrack.

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Mignonnes (2020)
aka Cuties

After seeing the outrage Cuties caused before its Netflix premiere I just had to watch it. It's not my kind of film (it really isn't, despite it being sort of a coming-of-age story focusing on a young girl) and my rating reflects that more than the actual quality of the film.

And no, the film isn't praising pedophilia and promoting the sexualization of children. It's pretty much the opposite, actually*. The story needs its imagery, though, and I'm quite sure the film rubs it in on purpose to show what kind of roles and dreams the media sells and how it translates to child consumers. I think it's quite successful in this regard.

The biggest reason I didn't like it was the characters. All the original cuties were total airheads and extremely annoying. Amy wasn't that much better but at least it was a little more understandable with her (the scantily dressed preteen tramps were the total opposite of how a Muslim girl had been taught to behave).

*I suppose you could interpret the film in an alternate way too, corrupted west and moral Islam.
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1900 (Novecento) 1976

Sprawling Bertolucci epic about life in the 1st half on the 20th Century for 2 friends from opposite ends of the social spectrum (in their own community). De Niro and Depardieu are excellent in their parts and the story and how their histories intertwine is very interesting. Some close-to-the-bone scenes. Not sure the authenticity of the dynamic of the landowners and the workers in Italy at that time but very watchable. A big allegory, personifying the wider struggles at the time:
Olmo = Workers
Alfredo = blase aristocracy/elite
Attila = Hard Fascism.
Burt Lancaster in a very strange role. Donald Sutherland wonderfully plays an evil, evil, debauched figure of hate that will chill your bones.



⬆️ Amazon has this for streaming so just added it to my watchlist. Years since I’ve seen this.
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A Man Escaped 1956
The best Bresson I've seen yet. The best escape movie I've seen yet.
Yeah, it's is truly excellent. The way that it build suspense is almost unparalleled. I really did not know what I was getting into the first time I watched it. Totally captivating.

Yes, we did watch that, and thought it was well done.

Actually I prefer true documentaries rather than "based upon" dramas. There are a ton of good ones out there, although sometimes not easy to find. In fact IMO documentaries in general these days seem to be of much better quality than are commercial movies. I've often wondered how the production crews make any money-- or at least enough to make a good living. I imagine they have to scramble for funding, then hope one of the bigs buys it.

~Doc
I think it helps that all it takes to make a documentary is a camera. Unlike a traditional film, a documentary doesn't have to worry about bad actors, low-budget sets, etc. When you watch a documentary like Icarus, you can literally see that it's just a guy, his camera, and some editing software on a laptop.

My main issue with "based on a true story" films is that they almost always have to simplify or shift facts around to fit a more traditional narrative.

I saw that the true crime book The Lost Girls (about someone who was killing sex workers and how it took a ridiculously long time for the police to care or do anything about it) got turned into a narrative film. But I just don't see how the complexity of the real story could be captured in 90 minutes.

My only real "problem" with documentaries sometimes is how mad I can get knowing that these things really happened to people. A film like Crime After Crime or Abducted in Plain Sight can really do a number on me. Especially if people who are clearly total garbage are just out walking around free or got away with what they did.



Man Without A Star (King Vidor, 1955)
+
A bit of a mixed bag but the plot does at least go down to the wire






This was pretty captivating but I don't really know why. It's a character driven piece about a young girl who is chosen for a suicide bombing mission. After she is chosen she is sent to a farm to prepare where she meets a few people who may or may not influence her decision to go through with the mission. Very low budget but it looks good, is well filmed and acted.



Hard to know, too obvious for it to mean trapped? What did you think?
More I think about the film, the more I love it.
Huge spoilers ahead:

WARNING: "Spoilers for Im thinking of Ending it...." spoilers below
If you listen very closely, a vehicle engine starts up (and shakes some snow off the branch of the tree) and then we hear it drive away. It's very subtle. But I just wonder if this is Kauffman offering us a tiny bit of hope, or a hint that a last minute change of heart was had by the main protagonist. It's there for a reason. I guess only Kauffman knows for sure, it might just be to mess with our heads of course.