Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Double Down (2007) -

I feel I'd need to watch more from Breen to be confident on why I enjoyed this so much, but whatever Breen was going for here, I found it fascinating. Of course, the acting is atrocious, the narration is beyond overbearing, the nudity is awkward, the plot is nonsensical, etc. However, the further I got into the film, the more intrigued I was by whatever it was doing. Again, I'm sure people who've seen more from Breen will be able to explain his strengths better, but one thing I noticed was how the runtime felt nonexistent. Given how much introductory narration filled the first third and given how not much happened throughout that section, it felt like a prolonged first minute. When I checked how far in I was and saw it was over 25 minutes, I remember feeling a mix of emotions to that discovery. No movie I've seen moves like this. I also found Breen's character completely baffling. The narration portrays him as a genius who seems to have invented every single thing imaginable, has ties to all kinds of governments and higher-ups, and he might've cured cancer. On the other hand, he has a cliché tragic backstory, has frequent hallucinations and regularly wakes up on the road next to his car, he's a hacker who plans to take control of Las Vegas, and has a tuna addiction. Just...wow! How exactly am I supposed to even read this character? Breen clearly doesn't intend for this to be comedic and reveals all these details with a straight face, so am I supposed to like or dislike his character? I genuinely have no idea. The entire film just seems so inexplicable in its merits I have to be impressed. I had little interest in watching anything from Breen prior to watching this, but I'm now eager to check out some more of his filmography.

__________________
IMDb
Letterboxd

This movie probably seemed a lot funnier when it was brand new in 1968, highlighting the quick ascend of a young director named William Friedkin.

The events in the film are reportedly a fictional account of the invention of the striptease at Minsky's Burlesque in 1925; the place was very real, but the events in the movie are completely made-up.

If nothing else, at least the movie has a very interesting cast that includes Jason Robards, Britt Ekland, Joseph Wiseman, Denholm Elliott, Elliott Gould and Bert Lahr.

It's also a little bit sad to realize that, other than Britt Ekland, all of the lead actors here are long gone....

The Big Sleep (1946) - Howard Hawks: 6/10

Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6791712

The Wind That Shakes the Barley - (2006)

Watching The Wind That Shakes the Barley makes me realise that I haven't seen all that many films which really take a deep dive into the Irish experience of their War of Independence and Civil War in the early 20th Century - and perhaps not many have been made because it seems such a sad, despairing story. Cillian Murphy leads a cast of Irish talent in this movie that won Ken Loach one of his two Palme d'Ors (the other being 2016 film I, Daniel Blake.) It's a very uncompromising movie with a lot of emotional fallout - Murphy's character, Damien O'Donovan, forgoes medical school when the call to arms becomes impossible to ignore, and must see his friends tortured while he personally is called upon to execute young men he knows and was once friends with. This is steeped with all kinds of loss, whether that be the loss of what could otherwise have been a free life, a loss of innocence, a loss of possible love and happiness, a loss of loved ones, dignity, friends, security and peace. It's a strangely muted war film, with soft Irish poetry whispered every time friends have a chance to rest and share their thoughts with each other. I've never seen conflict as poignantly captured on film, detailing the start of a tragic century for the Island nation.

8/10


By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27438556

The Killer - (1989)

Watching The Killer is a kind of heavy experience, because it's a painful reminder of how action films in the late 1980s were so, so much better than the action films of today. There's a wonderfully perfect mix of the familiar with the exotic, and that makes the film all the more inviting right from the get-go. It's silly, a load of fun, way, way over the top and as far as violent action goes pure poetry. Full review here, in my watchlist thread.

9/10

__________________

High Fidelity (2000)

__________________

[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

Nomad (1982) - Two (or three) parallel young love stories, told in a New Wave style; it's a Hong Kong film but recalls the French... scenes cutting before you could catch a break and you're thrown in a scene without an immediately recognizable relation to the previous one, overwhelming locations and a variety of music choices (and camera angles) make Nomad the kind of movie that keeps one on their toes.

My one other Patrick Tam film (Love Massacre) scared the crap out of me so I was awaiting something deeply strange and alienating this time again but while at times, the tone and especially the last 7 minutes get jaw-dropping weird, I'm surprised at how much I liked the characters in this one and how many times I chuckled; at an unreal meet-cute, the apartment pollution bit when two of our love birds wanted to have "good clean fun" as a poster on the wall suggests, the love-making in the public bus that follows... all in all, I hadn't seen anything quite like this one. Maybe WkW, but he came after this... 8/10

__________________
HEI guys.

Breen is one of today's most important American directors. Maybe THE most important. The transformation of his Messianic auteur figure from a self-inserted troubled genius in a Malick-derivative (but BEFORE that kind of Malick) milieu to an Inland Empire-like hero and anti-hero in one flesh (in a meta sense; two persons in one body disguised as simply playing identical twins) also saw him warming up to the kind of CGI prevalent in inept African no-fi outsider art.

He's a true auteur in the sense that he just does his thing and doesn't care about the 'rational' criticism that is fiendishly easy to use to dismiss his work. I think his films are some of the most entertaining and artistically intriguing works in US cinema of the last 30 years, and it's a rarity an oeuvre is both these things at the same time.

And all this doesn't stop him from calling books boring in every single review on his Letterboxd account.

__________________
San Franciscan lesbian dwarves and their tomato orgies.

Longlegs - (2024)

Not nearly as scary as people are saying. It's a good movie, but the hype is totally unjustified. 7/10

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

Very strange, but good movie. Two leads are excellent.

__________________
I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

1st Rewatch...This silly and confusing Bond spoof is pretty much for hardcore fans of the stars. Cameron Diaz plays June Havens, a garage mechanic flying home for her sister's wedding who ends up on a plane with Roy Miller (Tom Cruise), a disgraced CIA agent who everyone on the plane tries to murder, plunging him and June into a world-wide road trip pursuing two sets of bad guys. Directed James Mangold (Ford Vs Ferrari, Walk the Line) mounts some viable action sequences, but the story is all over the place and the movie seems to go on forever. Didn't notice this the first time, but Cruise's character is named Miller and Diaz' character is named Havens, so I have no idea where the title of the movie comes from.

1st Rewatch...The 1963 instant comedy classic that made Peter Sellers a star, after 20 years in the business. Sellers still brings the funny as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau who is trailing a jewel thief known as the Phantom (David Niven), completely clueless that his wife (Capucine) is working with him. Sellers proves to be a master of physical comedy here, able to get laughs out of the simplest things, even just taking off a bathrobe. Blake Edwards proves to be a master behind the camera, producing a film so funny that it produced seven sequels, an animated television, a remake with Steve Martin and a sequel to that film.

2nd Rewatch...Six years after their smash hit Dumb and Dumber, Jim Carrey and the Farrelly brothers reunited for this crude, raunchy, but very funny comedy that starred Carrey as Charlie Baileygates. a trooper for the Rhode Island State Police, who has allowed people to treat him like a doormat for his entire life, who finally snaps and develops an alternate personality named Hank, who doesn't take any of the crap that Charlie does, which complicates Charlie's mission to transport and protect a woman on the run (Oscar winner Renee Zellweger). It takes a minute to get going, but this one really delivers the laughs, thanks primarily to Carrey, who creates two very distinct character in Charlie and Hank that are both entertaining in their own way. Carrey and Zellweger also have a solid supporting cast behind them including Oscar winner Chris Cooper, Robert Forster, Richard Jenkins, Anthony Anderson, and Tony Cox. Appointment viewing for Carrey fans.

1st Rewatch...A rich performance by the late Robin Williams playing a character who starts out extremely sympathetic and does a complete 180 is at the crux of this black comedy written and directed by Bobcat Goldwait. Williams plays Lance, an unpopular poetry teacher who really wants to be a writer, who teaches at the same school that his son, Kyle attends. Kyle is a sex-obsessed, obnoxious jerk who treats his father, and just about everyone else in his orbit, like dirt. One night, Lance discovers that Kyle has died in a very embarrassing way so he decides to cover it up, which includes an elaborate suicide note berating everyone for being mean to Kyle. Somehow the suicide note hits the internet and makes Kyle and his father media celebrities. Flattered by the attention he's getting, Lance decides to take it a step further and composes a fake journal for Kyle, garnering his creepy son even further fame. This story makes me very uncomfortable, it reminds me of the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen, but Williams does make it worth checking out. Goldwait's screenplay is unapologetic.

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

__________________

Perfect Days follows Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho), a humble man that works cleaning public toilets in Tokyo. When he's not working, he spends his time through a daily routine that includes listening music on his cassette tapes, reading, looking at trees and photographing them. The above quote seems to be his mantra, as he remains unfazed by what tomorrow might bring, but rather focused on the little pleasures that today might give him.

This is my first Wim Wenders film, a notable blindspot in my movie-watching journey, and I couldn't be more pleased with it. The way he delineates Hirayama's daily routine is great and Yakusho's performance is, for lack of a better word, perfect. Wenders then goes on to contrast Hirayama's way of living with characters like his co-worker, his niece, and his sister, among others, all while patiently revealing little tidbits of his past.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

__________________

Set in a small town in 1950s Italy, Luca follows the titular character (Jacob Tremblay), a sea creature, who meets Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer), a fellow sea creature who lives alone. After discovering that he changes to human form when he's on land, the two set out to enjoy the summer, which will include exploring the nearby town of Portorosso. It is there that they meet Giulia (Emma Berman) and end up as the "underdogs" in a triathlon competition with the local bully.

This was a watch with the kids. I think they had seen it before, but it was a first-time watch for me, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. There is a charming simplicity to its story of friendship and acceptance that I enjoyed. The relationship between the three friends, especially Luca and Alberto, is well built, and it's fun to see them as "underdogs" looking out for each other. I think that aspect is the most important of the film.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

Cafe Lumiere (2003) 9

Trap (2024)

Oh boy. Despite mediocre reviews I was expecting Trap to be an entertaining picture based chiefly on the reputation of director M. Night Shyamalan (Split; Glass). But alas it was a real turkey. It gradually became poor enough that I began to wonder if it was a spoof. But it wasn't.

A man named Cooper (Josh Hartnett) and his daughter attend an arena rock concert. We soon learn that the entire venue has become surrounded by police, having heard that the contemporary serial killer, "The Butcher" is in the building. They let the viewer know pretty quick that it is Cooper who is The Butcher, so the rest of the film features how they try to catch him, his evasion, and a hint at a sequel.

Right off the bat one of the problems is that we are not shown why or how Cooper has become The Butcher. There are no flashbacks of his evil deeds. Hitchcock once said that whatever is not shown to the audience is completely lost on them. That's the case here.

Of course the other problem is that the story is utterly unbelievable. Add to that the poor dialogue, and one finds oneself sitting there wondering why one is watching the movie. There is some decent acting, but with the silly dialogue, the actors have tall orders to sound convincing.

If you're a big Shyamalan fan then you might get something out of this one. But if not, you were warned...

Doc's rating: 3/10