Movie Tab II

The Neon Demon (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2016)

His Greatest Gamble (John Robertson, 1934)

Illusions (Victor Kulle, 1992)

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Rosemary’s Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968)

Rosemary (Mia Farrow) will do anything to protect her unborn child, but is that really a good thing?
The Joe Louis Story (Robert Gordon, 1953)

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The Curve aka Krivina (Igor Drijaca, 2012)

Touchdown Mickey (Wilfred Jackson, 1932)

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The Sugarland Express (Steven Spielberg, 1974)

It seems that half of all Texas lawmen are pursuing an escaped convict (William Atherton) and his wife (Goldie Hawn) when they kidnap a highway patrolman (Michael Sacks) and take his car to try to see their two-year-old son.
Spring in a Small Town (Fei Mu, 1948)

Red Riding Hood (Adam Brooks, 1988)

Dormant Beauty (Marco Bellocchio, 2012)

Mother Pluto (David Hand, 1936)

Pluto finds the eggs which hatch in his doghouse to produce annoying chicks – at least for a while.
Sweet Music (Alfred E. Green, 1935)

The Secret Heart (Robert Z. Leonard, 1946)

Purple Butterfly (Lou Ye, 2004)

Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter (Yasuharu Hasebe, 1970)

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Tokyo gang leader Meiko Kaji flashes her favorite weapon while trying to fight a racist rival gang.
Captain Hurricane (John Robertson, 1935)

Gold Diggers in Paris (Ray Enright, 1938)

The Open Road (Michael Meredith, 2009)

The Moon-Spinners (James Neilson, 1964)

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Visiting Crete with her musicologist aunt (Joan Greenwood), English teen Hayley Mills runs afoul of the unfriendly and dangerous Eli Wallach.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

Love Stray Cat Rock series!

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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.

Inside Llewyn Davis (Joel Coen/Ethan Coen, 2013) - +
The Real Glory (Henry Hathaway, 1939) -
Guys and Dolls (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1955) - +

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"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room."

Glad you liked Inside Llewyn Davis but that score seems harsh for Guys and Dolls, it's a film I'm looking forward to eventually watching. Also, any chance of a top 10 soon?

My rating for Inside Llewyn Davis actually went down from my first viewing (8,5/10). While i still love the soundtrack, the story itself couldn't engage me as much anymore. Guys and Dolls is not a bad movie per se, i just wasn't a fan of the story and themes. It looks gorgeous, though.

I still need to rewatch some movies to compile my current top 10.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) -



A superb buddy movie with always amazing Redford and Newman that later returned in another film of the director The Sting. Some incredible scenes like Newman riding a bike, funny train robbery and a powerful freeze frame ending. Amazing entertainment. Maybe a 4.5 movie even.

Interno di un convento [Behind Convent Walls] (1978) -





My first Borowczyk movie. Most of the time it's pretty tasteful and erotica is very sensual, but there are two more hardcore scenes here that surely must've enraged more religious people. Not as good as School of the Holy Beast, but still more than worthy piece of nunsploitation. Not only for perverts!

Visions of Ecstacy (1989) -
Sacred Flesh (2000) -



The first one is said to be banned for 23 years in the UK under the anti-blasphemy law. The second one is from the same director, but far less artsy, more campy and stupid. Both probably inspired by nunsploitation films from Italy and France from the 70's. Both savage nunsploitation flicks. The first one is very atmospheric and artistic, second one funny and campy. Both very enjoyable for people who enjoy this kind of stuff.

Zombeavers (2014) -



Yet another contemporary creature feature, *cough* masterpiece *cough*. I guess it's better than Sharknado, but the humour is so vulgar, unfunny and stupid it's below any level of decency. At least the beavers are done without CGI and look really nice.

玉蒲团之偷情宝鉴 [Sex and Zen] (1991) -



One of the biggest HK classics at last watched by me! Feels like Chinese Torture Chamber Story with all torture scenes taken out. Very funny and beautifully shot with staggering colors and nice babes. Some freaked up sexual stuff here, but at least it's funny. On to Sex and Zen II now!

The Ninth Configuration (1980) -



A pretty twisted, but ultimately full of meaning Kubrickian supplement to a Vietnam syndrome triptych (Jacob's Ladder and Full Metal Jacket being the other two). At times tiresome, at times wonderful, every line of spoken language seems to be important in this flick. The last scene and that freeze frame once again prove that a freeze frame, when used skillfully, may be the best way to end a film.

卿本佳人 [Pretty Woman] (1992) -



100% Veronica Yip-core. I got hooked on her ever since I saw 3 Days of a Blind Girl, but sadly this movie, even though has her disrobing on multiple occasions (!!!), isn't even half as good as the aforementioned masterpiece. The jokes are terrible and the movie is bad except for them erotic scenes that really make up for a lot of its faults. The workout sex scene was hilarious and the bathroom mirror, then shower+bathtub scene the best thing in the movie - made me raise the rating at least by a star. The kung-fu parts are cringe-worthy, though. Haha. Generally, worth it for Veronica, but only for enthusiasts and completists.

The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (Aviva Kempner, 1998)

Hank Greenberg was one of the first baseball players who was exposed to race prejudice, but basically it was only at away games and it only happened on the field. That's where he'd be called all manner of racist names by the opposing players and their fans in the stands, but when the Jewish Greenberg went out after a game, he didn't have to worry about sitting on the back of the bus or drinking at a segregrated water fountain. He was an inspiration for all the fans in Detroit, Jew and Gentile, and he later became one of our national pastime's ambassadors for the desegregation of the game. In fact, Jackie Robinson called Greenberg his idol when he came up to the Big Leagues as the first Black player of the 20th century in Major League Baseball.

When Greenberg came up to play first base for the Detroit Tigers, he was an immediate success and led his team to two pennants in 1934 and 1935. While utilizing some of the greatest jazz music of the '30s and '40s, this film shows old newreels, interviews with Greenberg, his family, his teammates, his friends and his fans (including Walter Matthau who cites him as a personal hero), who all tell how much they love the man and what he stood for. Greenberg was not a religious man, but he was proud of his heritage, so even in the middle of a pennant race, he refused to play baseball on Yom Kippur. Greenberg was drafted into the military in 1940 and served until the rule was changed to allow older men to not have to serve after they turned 28. However, immediately after Pearl Harbor, he reenlisted and served throughout the remainder of WWII. He even came back in the summer of 1945 to lead the Tigers to another pennant. Greenberg fell just short of breaking some prominent records involving home runs and RBIs in a season, but many people attest that he never fell short of being a good man and role model. This is a very interesting film from many perspectives, and you don't have to care about baseball to get a lot out of it.

東邪西毒 [Ashes of Time] (1994) -



Gotta love Wong Kar-wai's poetic approach. I was hypnotized all throughout the movie. 2008 Redux's color saturation is pretty weird for my taste, but this 1994 Theatrical version is perfect! Amazing cinema!

玉蒲团二之玉女心经 [Sex & Zen II] (1996) -



Too good to be true. Even better than the first one. That's what I wrote to Swan on Facebook after I finished the movie:



As the King of Kinkiness, I hereby pronounce Sex & Zen II a masterpiece and grant it the Hairy Seal of Approval!

Seriously, though. This one had better plot and erotic scenes had a reason. Well, you know: "It was a poisoned arrow. The poison is very powerful. If you don't screw a woman within an hour your dick will explode." CLASSIC

The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991) - +
Another Earth (Mike Cahill, 2011) - +

Going through one of those phases where everything I watch is gold and I feel like I am rating everything way too high. I am enjoy it while it lasts though because there is no doubt a movie will be right around the corner to bring me back to earth.




My fourth Bergman that I give a perfect rating to, and that doesn't even account for Persona and Seventh Seal which I think are great as well. The man is an absolute genius with dialogue. I don't know if a screen writer has ever understood the human condition better. As always he is a poet here. Not necessarily writing the way people talk but nailing it by having them talk the way people feel. This film was fantastic from start to finish.




Not quite Le Cercle Rouge but pretty damn close. I love the atmosphere and main character. The cat and mouse scenes are great. Cool to think about the film makers Melville must have heavily influenced. I thought about Mann with the score and quiet moments. I thought about maybe every 70's crime film I have seen with the aesthetics. Taxi Driver and French Connection in particular. Of course Dumb And Dumber pays homage with the dilapidated apartment and prominent caged bird. Really good stuff all around. Sean loves Le Melville.

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Letterboxd

Story of my life bruh. Don't sweat it. Liking movies is a good thing!

Goofy Movies Number Five (No Director Listed, 1934)

Dracula’s Dog aka Zoltan, Hound of Dracula (Albert Band, 1978)

Summer Palace (Lou Ye, 2007)

A Letter to Three Wives (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1949)

The wives are Ann Sothern, Jeanne Crain and Linda Darnell, and the letter writer ran away with one of their husbands. Could it be English teacher Kirk Douglas, here demonstrating the difference between “feeling bad” and “feeling badly” [shown].
Night Falls on Manhattan (Sidney Lumet, 1996)

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Straight Is the Way (Paul Sloane, 1934)

Dollar Dizzy (James W. Horne, 1930)

The Bank Dick (Edward Cline, 1940)

At the behest of his future father-in-law (W.C. Fields), bank clerk Grady Sutton “borrows” money from the bank to invest in some phony stock just before the auditor (Franklin Pangborn) shows up.
The Pip from Pittsburg (Charles Parrott, 1931)

The Skulls (J. Miles Dale, 2004)

Hips, Hips, Hooray! (Mark Sandrich, 1934)

Zelig (Woody Allen, 1983)

A clever mockumentary about the “Human Chameleon” (Woody Allen) whose illness and exploits were popular in the ‘20s/’30s.
Heart of Glass (Werner Herzog, 1976)

5 Card Stud (Henry Hathaway)

The Neighbor (Marcus Dunstan, 2016)

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Futureworld (Richard T. Heffron, 1976)

When Delos is reopened after the deadly disaster at Westworld, two journalists (Peter Fonda & Blythe Danner) investigate its safety.
Tomorrow, the World! (Leslie Fenton, 1944)

Chasing Yesterday (George Nichols Jr, 1935)

Skylark (Joseph Sargent, 1993)

Children Who Chase Lost Voices aka Journey to Agartha (Makoto Shinkai, 2011)

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A Quetzalcoatl sings before it dies and then agrees to transport two youths to the Gate of Life and Death to find what they are seeking.

Don't think I knew Night Falls On Manhattan was Lunet. I saw that years ago but don't remember a thing about it. I used to like Andy Garcia quite a bit. He was in a binch of forgettable crime movies in the 90's though.

What are the four perfect Bergmans? Please say Virgin Spring and Autumn Sonata

There are like 10 perfect Bergmans.

Le Deuxieme Souffle is really good too.



"Dishy, dishy hair doo. Can't wait to get my hands on it."

I love this movie - the premise is so fantastic, especially for Price. It's my favorite of his, you can tell he was having a blast.

Sonata, Fanny & Alexander, and your favorite. Virgin Spring is my least favorite so far. Sorry buddy.

Virgin Spring might be my favorite so far, raul, hope that makes you happy.

Though Fanny & Alexander might be the top spot as well. So I guess I'm kinda counter-supportive here.

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MovieMeditation's Cinema Reviews // Film Diary 2015 // Letterboxd Profile // MovieMeditation's Top 50 Horror

Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, 1992) -
Jungfrukällan The Virgin Spring (Ingmar Bergman, 1960) - +
The Big Parade (King Vidor, 1925) - +

Triumph of the Spirit (1989) -



Has some very good parts, but sometimes its Hollywoodness prevails and it's quite cringe-worthy. There are some historical inconsistencies, too. Not too many boxing scenes, neither. Dafoe's performance is good, but I'm thinking about decreasing movie's rating to 3 stars. Godard might've been right saying that cinema can't cope with the topic of Holocaust. I wonder what Godard would've thought of Son of Saul.

Anatomy of a Murder (1959) -



Surprisingly comedic and spicy (them panties tho) at times. Great performance from Stewart, but also from Gazara and Scott, which makes it a very strong film acting-wise. Loved how the viewer never really finds out several things about the case, although he may suspect many things. Wonderful Ellington soundtrack (he even "acted" in one scene). All in all, a very good film.

High-Rise (2015) -



Not sure if Hiddleston's hip dance (accompanied by red-dressed ladies) being the most vivid memory from this film is a good thing or not, but this is generally quite a crazy film. Good job, Wheatley. I never read the book, but the movie seems like a harsh critique of capitalism (or possibly society) with hedonism of the bourgeoisie and bestiality of lower classes caused by lack of food, money etc. I really love movie's moral degringolade. At one point a rich dame enters the room on a horse, dismounts it and, screaming, asks who wants to have anal sex with her. Meanwhile, on lower floors, people sell their wives for some food.

Histoires extraordinaires [Spirits of the Dead] (1968) -



This consists of three episodes, each based on Edgar Allan Poe short story. The first one, directed by Roger Vadim is the weakest one, but Jane Fonda's beauty almost makes up for it. Then, Louis Malle's story with Bardot (looks kinda weird with black hair) and Deloin is quite alright, but played too safe (at least has them boobies). Then comes Federico Fellini and saves the day & this movie with an outstanding short story both in Fellinian style as well as a lot of respect for classic Italian gothic horror (BAVA!).

Lady and the Tramp (1955) -



So adorable! Even the songs weren't terrible and quite fitting. Touching ending!

Mad Love [The Hands of Orlac] (1935) -



This one was superb! Lorre is one creepy bald bastard infatuated in one dame, then has her wax figure made and worships that figure every day, playing music to it and speaking to it. What a sicko (good thing nobody on MoFo knows about my wax figure of Swan). This is the first adaptation of Hands of Orlac I saw (I haven't seen the silent movie yet!) and I really enjoyed it! May be a 4 star movie.

Zem spieva [The Earth Sings] (1933) -



This Slovak movie is an ethnographic documentary about the life of villagers in Carpathian mountains. Slovak language may be the closest to Polish of them all, so I could understand almost everything from movie's intertitles. There's not much to say about it. There's quite a lot of movies of this kind, but some of the footage here is striking.

A Y.M.O. Film Propaganda (1984) -



Yellow Magic Orchestra concert with some nicely directed footage that makes it a music film (something like Pink Floyd's The Wall, I guess). I really liked the Nazi & totalitarian visuals.