The Resident Bitch's Movie Log - Volume 2

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Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
I'm surprised you like Dead Man. I've seen it twice and I can't stand it.
I too hate Dead Man Cricket. Seen twice
Well I admire you both for subjecting yourself to it twice. I hated it as well and once was most definitely enough





Joheunnom nabbeunnom isanghannom (The Good, the Bad, the Weird) (Jee-woon Kim , 2008)
Imdb

Date Watched: 04/28/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns, recommended by @mark f
Rewatch: No


With its vibrant colors, colorful characters, and near non-stop action, The Good, the Bad, the Weird started off as being a bit of fun. It is quite light on substance though and the Western elements seem to be little more than an excuse to throw a train robbery, some cowboy duds, and a bunch of horses into the mix.

Unfortunately, it only started off as being fun. As the film went on, however, I began to notice some things with those horses that didn't sit well with me. A little bit of googling revealed that - as I had begun to suspect and fear - the filmmakers employed some pretty barbaric methods to get the spectacle they achieved (methods that have thankfully been outlawed in the U.S. and some other countries). It also revealed that the worst of the cruelty had been deleted from many of the international releases so I might not have even seen all of it. As such, any positive feelings I'd had for the film until that point evaporated and all I could feel was anger and disappointment.

-





Hell or High Water (David Mackenzie, 2016)
Imdb

Date Watched: 04/29/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns
Rewatch: No.


This is a really solid film about a pair of brothers that take to bank robbery in order to save the family's ranch and the Texas Ranger that is chasing them.

There's plenty of gunfire and even some scenes in a casino but this is not a flashy film. It's relatively short but still takes its time to let the audience get to know the key players. It doesn't prop anyone up as being particularly heroic and gives the audience plenty of opportunity to see things from the perspective of both the outlaws and the men trying to bring them to justice.

On that note, I enjoyed the intensity of Ben Fosters performance as the brother with the criminal past -and really, he was my reason for watching it- and I found Jeff Bridges's character amusing. Chris Pine did a decent job as the other brother but was not a stand-out for me.

Unfortunately though, once I got to know the characters I still didn't particularly like them and wasn't as invested in them as I'd hoped to be. As such, I respected the film more than I truly liked it.

-



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Hell or High Water was a strange viewing experience for me. Throughout it I wasn't overly immersed or thinking much about it. However come the end of it I was left thinking it was really good, verging on great. It stuck with me. I can't explain it lol and intend to rewatch it at some point to try and figure out exactly how I do feel about it as I'm genuinely not sure





Rang zi dan fei (Let the Bullets Fly) (Wen Jiang, 2010)
Imdb

Date Watched: 05/01/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns, recommended by @mark f
Rewatch: No


Not at a lot to say here, but I had a good bit of fun with this one. It's a gorgeous movie with vivid colors, plenty of action and violence, and an engaging story. My one big gripe though is that it's as much - if not moreso - a comedy as anything else and all that silliness got a little old after awhile. I would've liked this quite a bit more had it been about 30 minutes shorter.

I also had a little trouble keeping up with reading the dialogue and watching what was happening on screen so I got a little confused at times.


-





Giant (George Stevens, 1956)
Imdb

Date Watched: 05/02/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns
Rewatch: No


I gotta say, I'm not entirely sure what I think of this film. I definitely admire it for its ambitions - telling a sprawling story of a Texas family while weaving in commentary about racism, sexism, classism, war, and greed. The film is beautifully shot, the acting is solid, and it has a lot to say.

But I'd be lying if I said I never got bored with it. The movie is nearly three and a half hours long and the male leads are not exactly likable guys. There wasn't really anybody to root for or against. The film is also seriously lacking in humor - though I did kind of have to laugh at the Thanksgiving scene when the children found out about Pedro.

In all likelihood, I'll never watch this movie again. It's too damn long and there's just not enough in it for me to make a revisit worthwhile, but I do have a lot of respect for it and it just might sneak onto my Western ballot.

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Hidalgo (Joe Johnston, 2004)
Imdb

Date Watched: 05/05/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns
Rewatch: No


*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Even putting aside the fact that the authenticity of the stories the real Frank Hopkins told about his life is debatable at best, this movie is deeply flawed. My biggest issue with the film was with the tone. It's glaringly apparent which company created this film: Even with its considerable violence and a dick joke or two, it has Disney written all over it. It also has a few pointless characters with stories that are left as loose ends (what the hell was up with that little slave boy anyway? So Frank buys the kid, puts him to work doing various chores, and... what exactly becomes of him when Frank returns to America?) The goat herder too was pretty pointless. I was also fairly annoyed with how little respect the Bedouin characters were shown (only Omar Sharif's character seemed to have any dimension) especially when compared to how the Native American characters were treated. And while the image of that sandstorm was pretty damn impressive, those CG cats (leopards, I guess?) were decidedly not. And the icing on the WTF cake was that ending. Somehow I'm supposed to believe that an aging, severely injured horse that has been travelling thousands of miles in the scorching desert suddenly goes from lying near death on the burning sand to sprinting across the finish line and winning against younger horses that have not been injured? Yeah... no. No, I don't buy it. I don't buy it all.

But even with all of those complaints, I enjoyed it. It was fun. I was entertained and that's really what I most want out of any film. It'll definitely never be an all time favorite, but in my top 25 Westerns? Maybe.






Aferim! (Radu Jude, 2015)
Imdb

Date Watched: 05/08/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns, recommended by @mark f
Rewatch: No



This was a bit of a strange film. It's a Romanian Western that casts an eye on how horrible people are to each other, the ways in which they excuse their behavior, and how flippant they are to the suffering of those they consider less than or other than themselves. But it doesn't do this in a way that is overly dramatic or at all preachy. Instead it laughs at people's cruelty. It's pretty light-hearted in a very odd way - up until the brutal end, though even that has an element of humor.

While I never got fully engaged with any of its characters (they're not the most likable folks, but also given their circumstances, not totally despicable), I was fully engaged with and invested in their journey. I also was laughing right along with the film, but I was pretty uncomfortable with my amusement, which I think is a testament to the effectiveness of the movie. I'm going to go with a conservative rating for now, but I probably liked it a little more than is reflected here.

+





Hidalgo (Joe Johnston, 2004)
Imdb

Date Watched: 05/05/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns
Rewatch: No


*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Even putting aside the fact that the authenticity of the stories the real Frank Hopkins told about his life is debatable at best, this movie is deeply flawed. My biggest issue with the film was with the tone. It's glaringly apparent which company created this film: Even with its considerable violence and a dick joke or two, it has Disney written all over it. It also has a few pointless characters with stories that are left as loose ends (what the hell was up with that little slave boy anyway? So Frank buys the kid, puts him to work doing various chores, and... what exactly becomes of him when Frank returns to America?) The goat herder too was pretty pointless. I was also fairly annoyed with how little respect the Bedouin characters were shown (only Omar Sharif's character seemed to have any dimension) especially when compared to how the Native American characters were treated. And while the image of that sandstorm was pretty damn impressive, those CG cats (leopards, I guess?) were decidedly not. And the icing on the WTF cake was that ending. Somehow I'm supposed to believe that an aging, severely injured horse that has been travelling thousands of miles in the scorching desert suddenly goes from lying near death on the burning sand to sprinting across the finish line and winning against younger horses that have not been injured? Yeah... no. No, I don't buy it. I don't buy it all.

But even with all of those complaints, I enjoyed it. It was fun. I was entertained and that's really what I most want out of any film. It'll definitely never be an all time favorite, but in my top 25 Westerns? Maybe.

Hey was that the dvd?



Master of My Domain
A little bit of googling revealed that - as I had begun to suspect and fear - the filmmakers employed some pretty barbaric methods to get the spectacle they achieved (methods that have thankfully been outlawed in the U.S. and some other countries).
Damn, I didn't know that I feel like my country as a whole doesn't treat animals that well, even in 2020...
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Once Upon a Time In The West (Sergio Leone, 1968)
Imdb

Date Watched: 05/10/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns
Rewatch: Yes.



Not a lot to say about this. I think I liked it a bit less than last time. It's too damn long. Not that length is always a bad thing - the film that will take the #2 position on my Western ballot is even longer than this - but it did put considerable strain on my ability to stay focused. I also don't find enough in the characters to be much invested in them. That said, the story has a good amount of tension, a strong score, and an interesting story which is probably enough to secure it a spot on my ballot.






The Revenant (Alejandro G. Iñárritu, 2015)
Imdb

Date Watched: 05/10/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns
Rewatch: Yes.



It probably wasn't the wisest decision on my part to immediately follow a really long movie with another really long movie, but oh well. I don't think I've watched this movie since it was in the theater and what with his Oscar win and everything, I'd remembered Leonardo DiCaprio being very good in this. What I hadn't remembered, however, was just how strong Tom Hardy's performance was. It was quite a treat seeing two of my favorites go toe to toe - even if they both looked decidedly unattractive. The beauty of the cinematography and the scenery almost make up for that though. Almost. Kind of.

Still, about two and half hours of listening to Leo grunt and groan was a little wearing and I don't think I'll ever quite love this film.






Once Upon a Time In The West (Sergio Leone, 1968)
Imdb

Date Watched: 05/10/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MoFo Top 100 Westerns
Rewatch: Yes.



Not a lot to say about this. I think I liked it a bit less than last time. It's too damn long. Not that length is always a bad thing - the film that will take the #2 position on my Western ballot is even longer than this - but it did put considerable strain on my ability to stay focused. I also don't find enough in the characters to be much invested in them. That said, the story has a good amount of tension, a strong score, and an interesting story which is probably enough to secure it a spot on my ballot.

Just watched this and absolutely loved it. At least we can agree it's better than the Good the Bad and the Ugly
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The Matrix (The Wachowskis, 1999)
Imdb

Date Watched: 05/13/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 22nd MoFo Hall of Fame
Rewatch: Yes.



This film was released in theaters in the spring of my senior year of high school. My friends and classmates absolutely raved about it. So I watched it.

With its slick costumes, Sci-Fi premise, slow-motion stunts, characters with names like "Neo," "Trinity," "Cypher," and "Morpheus," and a soundtrack that features the likes of Prodigy, Rage Against the Machine, Massive Attack, and Rob Zombie, The Matrix came off to me then as tryhard "hey, look how edgy I am!" bulls***. I could not understand what the hell everyone else loved about it. Twenty-one years later, it has left me with that same impression.

There is nothing that I liked about this. Not one damn thing. It's too slick. It's too stylized. It's too cold. It's got so much expositional dialogue that it might as well have had a narrator. And all that green tint just made me think of the scum I had to clean out of my family's fish ponds every summer. I didn't give a rat's ass about any of these characters, I didn't give a rat's ass about the story, and the closest thing to emotion it brought out in me was boredom. Absolute, utter boredom.




Fair criticism on The Matrix haha though I am decidedly more in favor of the movie. I am more in line with your rating when it comes to the sequels



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Oh man that was a brutal skewering of a film I absolutely love But very entertainingly done lol