Zotis' Film Watching Diary

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I watched American Beauty again after someone made a thread about it that peeked my interest. I remembered liking it, but I like it even more now after a second viewing. What an incredible film. I love the dynamics of life, truth, trust, love, superficiality... It reminds me so much of my own life, the way I criticise my parents, the way I feel alone with my family because they don't understand me, and the way that people with pure motives can be brutally and unjustly judged by stupid people who can't face the truth about their own life.



American Beauty (Drama)

I love this movie. It's not an artistic masterpiece on the level of Ozu or Bergman, it doesn't have that hint of artistry, but it's technically flawless. Every technical aspect is excellent, the cinematography, the acting, the writing, the directing, I can't find any flaw. But what makes this movie truly great is the story, plot, and themes. This is a movie that celebrates life, it's about life and death, truth and deception, and is brutally honest in its depiction of everything. The story revolves around a family that appears normal on the surface but is complex and weird beneath the surface, and doesn't apologize for it. Gradually as the movie moves on it becomes more bold and less ashamed of the truth about life. What is normal? At times you don't notice the cinematography, and at other times the composition is the main focus. The characters are criticised thoroughly and the culmination is a mixture of lust, heartbreak, devotion, and murder. There are moments that make me cheer, make me laugh, make me swell with joy, and make me sympathise and understand even with the worst of people. There is an incredible understanding of life in this movie. There is one scene where Spacey's character is at an upper class party bored out of his mind when a young waiter identifies himself as the boy who just moved in next door. He says hi and there is an awkward pause. Spacey wonders why the boy is still there. The boy asks him if he likes to party. "Excuse me?" Spacey asks. "Do you like to get high?" Suddenly Spacey lights up like this boring part is about to get interesting. They're out back smoking weed, and the waiter's boss opens the door. "I'm not paying you to do whatever you're doing." He says in an aggressive tone. This is the kind of intimidation a boss may use to get his employee in line, but the boy is so bold and brave. "So don't pay me." "What?" His boss says, stammering. "I quit, so you don't have to pay me. Now leave me alone." The freedom blows Spacey's character away. It's incredible, this idea that in life you are free, and slavery is a state of mind. Spacey starts to live freely after the influence of this incredible young man who sees life like no one else, it captivates his daughter too who falls in love with the young man. I don't want to spoil too much, but this movie is full of incredible moments that move my heart and soul.

"Do you want to see the most beautiful thing I've ever experienced?" I'm paraphrasing, that's not an exact quote, but the boy asks the girl and shows her a video of a plastic bag being blown by the wind. He describes an epiphany he had when he captured it on film, it was like a spirit dancing before him showing him that life was pure joy and there was nothing to fear. You watch as a plastic bag is blown in circles by the wind, dancing before you among the leaves, and it is spiritual and magnificent.





The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)

This movie was a blast. With a colorful cast and rich script it was a very fun ride. I think the beginning was my favorite part, where it was guns blazing without any rules. That to me perfectly captured the spirit of the wild West. It mellowed out a bit, but was quite a sweeping story. It basically told the man's whole life. This movie was more about characters and events than anything else. The cinematography was nothing fancy, and it wasn't an artistic film, but it was very interesting. I wanted to explore more niche films for the countdown, so this really hit the spot.






The Belle Star Story (1968)

What a vixen. Black Widow from the 60's. I loved this movie. It's a great Western with a lot of charm. It's not cheesy at all, but it's the best kind of female outlaw adventure you could ask for. For 60's Westerns it's exceptional in that it's not cheesy. The acting is pretty decent, and the script is solid. Elsa Martinelli, who plays Belle, is more gorgeous than women usually are in these types of films. She's truly stunning and wins your heart as she confronts danger and outsmarts the odds stacked against her. There's a lot of action and twisted romance in this, you really couldn't ask for more.






One-Eyed Jacks (1961)

This movie surpassed my expectations. To me, this was the ideal Western. It had it all. Romance, heartbreak, deception, betrayal, revenge, bank robbery, and prison breaks. Marlon Brando played the ultimate anti-hero, a bandit with a legendary reputation as a fast gunslinger who made his living robbing banks. A strong quiet type, he was a smart calculating killer with a plan, and he only let people know what they needed to. Pride was something of a downfall, but he bit the humble bullet too and rose again from the ashes like a phoenix. The acting was great. There was no cheese at all. This was a serious and realistic film with subtle attention to detail. The camera work was nice. It didn't fall into cliches, but had that elegance that makes you forget the camera was even there at all. I really could not ask for more from a Western.






Goin' South (1978)

Jack Nicholson played a reckless bandit caught and facing the gallows. Luckily the town had an arrangement that if any woman would marry a man sentenced to die who hand't committed murder, they would be spared. But Mary Steenburgen's character had other plans for marrying him. This movie was quite funny and romantic. Nicholson was a delightfully wild character, both charming and flawed. Steenburgen was very pretty at this age, and played a strong determined character. There a few other colorful characters too, such as the deputies played by Christopher Lloyd and John Belushi, and some other bandits played by Danny DeVito and Veronica Cartwright.






Warlock (1959)

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It had class, style, and substance. There was a suprising score of distinct minor characters, and all the leads had rich backstory. This was not your typical story of bandits terrorizing a town. It was realistic and full of unexpected elements. Considering the era, it's movies like this that raise the bar for the era in terms of realism and quality acting. Compared to some movies that have a number of bandits terrorizing a town, this impressed me with the scope of activity, the coming and going of characters, and their interactions. I didn't get the ending I hoped for, but it was an interesting and fitting ending.


Dolores Michaels was delightful. I think I will look for more of her work. The whole cast was excellent though. I was going to comment that Anthony Quinn's character was morally complex, but grey areas were well charted in a lot of characters actually. Richard Widmark played a bandit turned sherif, and Henry Fonda, though heroic, had his flaws.




Glad to see you like Warlock, I've seen that twice and it's a good western that's not well known. I could even watch it again as it has good pacing and interesting themes, especially between Anthony Quinn and Henry Fonda.



Glad to see you like Warlock, I've seen that twice and it's a good western that's not well known. I could even watch it again as it has good pacing and interesting themes, especially between Anthony Quinn and Henry Fonda.
It was a very solid all-round film, and classy. I love seeing Westerns like this. In my opinion this is the standard for a Western, and a true classic.

Edit: By all-round I mean from a technical standpoint, everything was balanced and done right. The acting, directing, cinematography, writing, costume/set/prop design, etc... I was tempted to give it 4 stars.



It's good to see you diving into a genre that you don't typically watch in an effort to contribute to the countdown. And it's even better to see you walking away impressed more often than not with the westerns you've watched so far. I love the hell out of The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean and think it's criminally underrated/underseen. I especially love the scene with the albino gunslinger, and that bear puts all other bear actors to shame. I also enjoy Goin' South, although to a far lesser degree. I remember the movie starting strong but tapering off as it went along, as it became less comical and more dramatic (at least from what I remember; been several years since I watched it). Everything with the gallows was gold.

Never heard of The Belle Star Story, but that chick is indeed gorgeous. I've only heard great things about One-Eyed Jacks and Warlock and was already planning on watching them for the countdown.
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There's a lot to like about One Eyed Jacks but one aspect that I appreciated, was the doomed romance between Rio and Louisa. For me that made the film so memorable. I really liked Louisa (Pina Pellicer), she had this vulnerable-sadness, quality to her that made her enduring.
I rated it a
+



Never heard of The Belle Star Story, but that chick is indeed gorgeous. I've only heard great things about One-Eyed Jacks and Warlock and was already planning on watching them for the countdown.
I hope you watch them all. I'm sure you'll love them. The Belle Star Story is surprisingly good. It's one of those movies that just has to exist. How many movies have you seen where there was some form of female cowboy, but she was just a minor character, or she just wasn't particularly attractive? Finally she's the main character, and she's gorgeous, and the story and acting are solid, not cheesy or cliche at all. It's basically a perfect movie that just had to exist. I just want to be careful that I don't raise your expectations too high though. It's not a masterpiece. It's not as deep as One-Eyed Jacks, or Warlock, and it's not as technically proficient either. It's not on the same level as a movie like, Judge Roy Bean. It's a smaller scale movie, a little more for fun and charm than for technical proficiency. I just think that for what it is, it's perfect.

There's a lot to like about One Eyed Jacks but one aspect that I appreciated, was the doomed romance between Rio and Louisa. For me that made the film so memorable. I really liked Louisa (Pina Pellicer), she had this vulnerable-sadness, quality to her that made her enduring.
I rated it a
+
WARNING: "One-Eyed Jacks" spoilers below
The interesting thing about One-Eyed Jacks is I felt everything perfectly as intended the entire way. And, I could feel that it was the intended feeling. It's almost like it was cliche, but so good that you couldn't help feel what you were supposed to. When you first met her, she was nothing, just a young girl, the daughter of the man he was out for revenge against. He saw that she liked him, and it was the perfect opportunity to seduce and shame her to hurt his enemy. That line, "You only shamed yourself," was so perfect. Even though she didn't understand what was going on. And the fact that he lied to her made it hard to trust him, yet she didn't fall into some cliche of not trusting him once he did start telling the truth. She was a good example of an intelligent and honest woman. The way that his love turned genuine was also so perfect. It's a movie that basically takes a lot of cliche elements and shows you how they should be done perfectly.





Ride in the Whirlwind (1966)

Monte Hellman directed this, and produced it alongside Jack Nicholson, who also starred in it and wrote the script. Roger Corman put up the money for the film, and suggested they shoot two movies back to back to save costs (although apparently it didn't save them much in terms of cost anyway). The second film, The Shooting, was also directed by Hellman and starred Jack Nicholson and Millie Perkins. Plot-wise the two movies had no connection, although they both featured similar themes of a chase among desert mountains. In Ride in the Whirlwind, Nicholson played Wes, a man travelling with two companions. Among them, Vern was played by Cameron Mitchell. They came across a bandit hideout where they spent the night, but in the morning the hideout was ambushed by vigilantes looking to hang the outlaws. Nicholson and his friends were mistaken for members of the outlaw gang, and a heated pursuit began. Millie Perkins played the daughter of a small family who found themselves hostages caught up in the mix. The movie was realistic with solid performances from the entire cast. For a 60's Western there was refreshingly no camp or wooden acting. According to wikipedia, Hellman cut out as much dialogue as he could focusing on visual storytelling, and avoided the obvious in terms of dialogue.






Amores Perros (2000)

Multiple stories were woven together in this powerful Mexican movie about the hardships of life and love. I recognized Emilio Echaverria with his iconic beard, but when he shaved I actually thought it was a different actor. Gael Garcia Bernal stole the show for me, but all of the performances were superb. I particularly remembered him from Bad Education. I thought Bernal's chapter was the most fascinating, and the middle arc which focused on Alvaro Guerrero was a little boring by comparison. The final chapter focusing on Echaverria was phenomenal.






Pusher (2012)

Nicolas Winding Refn was one of the executive producers and played a small role as Dutch Bob (a character I only vaguely recall). This remake of Refn's original 1996 hit made the series a trilogy. I made the mistake of thinking this was "the" Pusher movie, and didn't learn until after I'd finished that it was the third. I would have preferred to have watched the original first. On it's own I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It was gritty, realistic, and full of colorful characters. Richard Coyle played Frank, a low level cocaine dealer who takes on a heavy debt when a big deal goes South. Bronson Webb played Tony, Frank's best friend and partner in crime. Though he was a bit of a goofy screw up, he was loyal, earnest, and energetic. Agyness Deyn was beautiful and played Frank's elegant, charming stripper girlfriend. This movie was smart and unflinching in its portrayal of life. It was recommended to me by @Stirchley two and a half years ago, and I finally got around to it.






She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

Well, yet another John Ford movie starring John Wayne. It was a fairly pleasant and charming movie, but nothing special. The theme that drue me in was of course the lovely Joanne Dru, but asside from a subtle romance she was little more than along for the ride. I was hoping something a little exciting would happen, but it was a bit of a dud. This movie felt like one big tease that left me wanting.






The Lawnmower Man (1992)

Before the Matrix there was another movie that explored the nature of reality and the depths of truth in regards to our perception of reality. None of this is new, this is what the alchemists of the ancient world already knew, but was lost and forgotten. If we could only embrace wisdom instead of ignorance, this technology would free the mind of man.

I'm just quoting my post from the Rate the Last Movie You Watched thread so that I can keep track of it here too.

I just finished watching:



Johnny Guitar (1954)

I was hoping for a little more from this movie, but it was still very good. It had class and a lot of great lines. The character after which the movie was titled, Johnny, was played by Sterling Hayden, a very hansom and iconic gentleman. He was proud, honorable, smart, and strong. The move was a little cliche and melodramatic, but it avoided being cheesy and had strong acting and writing. It was a mildly pleasant film, but didn't especially excite me. Joan Crawford played a strong heroine, and Mercedes McCambridge was a villain that did a good job of masquerading as an upstanding individual. The arguments between those who wanted to lynch anyone who seemed plausible versus those who defended their innocence were quite intense.




I'm just quoting my post from the Rate the Last Movie You Watched thread so that I can keep track of it here too.

I just finished watching:



Johnny Guitar (1954)

I was hoping for a little more from this movie, but it was still very good. It had class and a lot of great lines. The character after which the movie was titled, Johnny, was played by Sterling Hayden, a very hansom and iconic gentleman. He was proud, honorable, smart, and strong. The move was a little cliche and melodramatic, but it avoided being cheesy and had strong acting and writing. It was a mildly pleasant film, but didn't especially excite me. Joan Crawford played a strong heroine, and Mercedes McCambridge was a villain that did a good job of masquerading as an upstanding individual. The arguments between those who wanted to lynch anyone who seemed plausible versus those who defended their innocence were quite intense.

Oof, not a fan of Westerns in general but this was one of more memorable ones - anti-McCarthy subtext extends beyond just politics but also sexuality, or for that matter anything that is foreign or out of the norm to society. There's another film, The Ox-Bow Incident, that focuses on mob mentality and lynching, but it isn't as morally ambiguous as Johnny Guitar. The other Western that impressed me was Bad Day at Black Rock, also laced with caustic social commentary. I highly recommend this.

Btw I won't forget to watch The Great Silence.



Oof, not a fan of Westerns in general but this was one of more memorable ones - anti-McCarthy subtext extends beyond just politics but also sexuality, or for that matter anything that is foreign or out of the norm to society. There's another film, The Ox-Bow Incident, that focuses on mob mentality and lynching, but it isn't as morally ambiguous as Johnny Guitar. The other Western that impressed me was Bad Day at Black Rock, also laced with caustic social commentary. I highly recommend this.

Btw I won't forget to watch The Great Silence.
Well, there's no denying that it was a good movie. Very classy, with strong acting performances and visuals. I enjoyed it, but for me personally the biggest obstacle preventing me from liking it more was the Hollywood style. It was on my radar, and when you mentioned it in the Recommend a Movie to the Poster Above thread, that made me bump it up and watch it right away. You should join the Western III HoF.





All the Bright Places (2020) Romance/Drama

This was a more serious romantic drama dealing with some darker tones of depression, suicide, and tragedy. Elle Fanning was sensational as always, delivering a compelling and emotionally intense performance as Violet. I see her as a method actress, not a character actress, although sometimes she does play more interesting characters, usually she is focused on delivering her brand of angst, depression, in a complex and complete bundle. Sometimes there is a specific ingredient taken away or added for a given role, so there is a hint of character acting I suppose. Her performance was the highlight of the film for me personally, but her character was also very interestingly written. Her co-star, Justice Smith, played Theodore, a strange but energetic high-school senior who had a surprising amount of charisma and charm for a social outcast. At first I thought this was going to be one of those movies where an attractive young woman tries to downplay her beauty to pose as a geek, only to later blossom into a prom queen, but luckily this didn't do that. Instead the focus was on Theodore and Violet's relationship as he tried to help her overcome her depression and tragedy, and they gradually fell in love. Overall I would say that it was a decent movie, but not a great one. Without Fanning being a lead I was particularly interested in I wouldn't have been interested in this movie at all.






The Platform (2019) Thriller/Mystery/Drama

Do not watch the English dub, as it will give you a b-movie vibe. The original language was Spanish, and the original voice acting was very good. A man awoke to find himself in some sort of prison with a stranger waking across from him. The stranger had been there for a while and filled the audience in with some exposition. This was one of those survive and escape puzzles where people have to figure out their circumstances and learn the rules of what's going on. I've always liked these type of settings in cinema and videogames. It's refreshing when a new version comes on the scene. This one wasn't as thoughtful as others, as all the exposition took away the mystery, but it was still a fun watch. If you liked Circle (2015) then you should like The Platform.






Basic Instict (1992) Thriller/Mystery/Drama

What a piece of crap. This movie was entertaining, but there were times I thought of turning it off. Why? The psychology. Psychology is one of the central themes and it's handled in such an unrealistic way for dramatic effect like a typical cliche hollywood movie. I hated that about it. Weak twists, predictable plot, and realism completely thrown out the window. That being said, it was actually entertaining enough to bring it up to a watchable level and earning it an above average rating. That's nothing special, but at least it's an enjoyable watch. Don't expect too much from this or you will want to bang your head against the wall for wasting your time on something that pretends to be smart but is actually pretty stupid. It's Jurassic Park in the form of a serial killer psychological thriller. It even shares two cast members with Jurassic Park. It was hard to choose between a 3 and a 2.5 rating for this movie, but it is very entertaining. Although, the sex was a bit much. There's a lot of sex in this movie. Acting was the saving grace. Micheal Douglas did a great job as the lead, Sharon Stone and Jeanne Tripplehorn were great supporting roles.