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Just finished the rewatch of my own nom, Poison for the Fairies. I'll post the review either later today or tomorrow depending on how deep I feel obliged to be

So now that I've watched all noms do I send an ordered list to @rauldc14 as PM or what?



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Just finished the rewatch of my own nom, Poison for the Fairies. I'll post the review either later today or tomorrow depending on how deep I feel obliged to be

So now that I've watched all noms do I send an ordered list to @rauldc14 as PM or what?
Correct. PM the list when you get a chance @pahaK



Poison for the Fairies (1984) R

Two girls building their friendship on the shaky foundation of witchcraft and bullying.



Flavia is a pampered and naive girl who comes to new school mid-year. She gets acquainted with Verónica mostly by chance and initially thinks she's found a friend. Flavia doesn't know that her new pal isn't too well liked by other girls because she's a known liar and generally little mean.

After Verónica finds out that Flavia's parents are rich she becomes jealous for the other girl. Verónica doesn't seem to be poor by any means but her parents have died when she was just a little and now she lives with her grandmother and nanny so it's not only money she envies Flavia for but also love.

Verónica is deeply intrigued by the stories her nanny tells her. She's especially interested about the more macabre things like witches, ghosts and mummies. Again by chance she fools naive Flavia to believe she's an old witch. From that moment on their friendship turns more and more into selfish and calculating Verónica bullying weaker Flavia to do her bidding.



Poison for the Fairies is often labeled as horror but despite meddling with horror themes and having some tense scenes from Flavia's nightmares it's almost pure drama. It's a story of two girls and how their relationship evolves and finally leads to its not so surprising end. On surface level it's a story of envy and bullying and as such it works almost perfectly because its two leading characters are written so well.

Beneath the surface is another, more politicized, layer about class battles, religion and distribution of wealth. Like many artists in Latin America Taboada seems to be leaning left but unlike, for example, Mr. Freedom his work doesn't preach and ram its ideals down the viewers throat. He even leaves it open to interpretation which of the girls presented the common people and which the upper class (at least I can explain the end both ways). I much prefer the style where viewer is left with questions instead of trying to offer him truths from a pedestal.

Cinematography is solid but nothing too fancy. Its gimmick of never showing the adults (Flavia thinks the old woman is actually Verónica and the piano teacher is just a corpse) works pretty well and strengthens the atmosphere by focusing on the world through children's eyes. Gimmicks rarely work but this time I have no real complaints. Soundtrack works well but isn't exactly memorable. Both girls are great in their roles.

Great film that relies on solid script, capable (child) actors and intriguing character dynamics. It's been less than a year since I saw this for the first time and it's still just as good as it was then.







They Shoot Horses (1969) seems to be bit of a timely film, it's the story of a dozen or so contestants in a dance contest in depression era LA. Jane Fonda is the star of the film as a malcontent. Fonda is good though sometimes the films dips too much into melodrama. While you see these people break down I found Fonda's to be the least believable.



The movie is misery porn, but I think it's done in a good way. Some of the twists work well while others you see coming a mile away. I do wonder if the film wouldn't have been better if it was focused more on Gig Young, the MC's character as the lead over Fonda. As the weeks go on you see all the little tricks Young is doing to this group of desperate people and in the end we get a heart breaking scene between Fonda and Young. But you do have questions at the end of the film with the big reveal.


It's pretty funny to look back at 1969 and see how many of those films ended on downers...it was almost like the misery Olympics.



Perfume: The Story of a Murderer


Wow. Wow. Wow. Going into this I expected an entertaining thriller and nothing more, but it was so much more than that.

The film has the feeling of a fairy tale. The things that contribute to that are the music, narration and plot. The music is so good. It's beautiful and has that slight feeling of sadness to it. John Hurt is a wonderful narrator with his calm expression. The setting and subject matter are very ugly and dark, which most fairy tales were before being adapted into Disney films.

It was a very good idea to adapt this book, as the concept is really original. The story is super engaging and you don't feel the long run-time at all. Bright colours are used very well to amplify smells. I don't think I've ever seen a film that depicts smells so expressively which is great as cinema is not a smelling medium (Unless you're a fan of buttery popcorn). Seeing all the liquids swishing around make you even want to drink them. Also noticed the film had some REALLY dark comedy. I usually don't like the visuals of films set in these ugly, mucky areas, but something about the entertainment I had with the film made me love the imagery.

I would not be describing this film in such detail if it wasn't for that ending (Or last 15 minutes I'm not sure), oh God that ending. It was one of the most unexpected endings to a movie I have ever seen and my love for it is probably amplified by that. Some of the movie twists that people bring up in conversation have nothing on this ending.
WARNING: spoilers below
The totally unexpected fantasy element being introduced and the defeating feeling of the villain winning just really impacted me.
Those are some reasons why I adored the ending but it's kind of impossible to describe its beauty in full (Like any good art).

A pretty great murder film that just happens to have one of the best and most unexpected climax's to a film I have ever seen. Thank you Edar, you have performed a wonderful service for me. You are an angel.

++



Edar....the angel

I really liked Perfume The Story of a Murder too. It was very artistic-creative and it worked! I know some people probably wanted it to be a bloody-stalker movie, but not me.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Thanks Hash and CR!
Does my angel heart good to hear how much you enjoyed the film.
It really does play the part of a dark fairy tale and I'm always amazed by the visuals used to express scent with such skill.
I actually started a rewatch of this last night simply because I wanted the movie and it's scent incredibly fresh when I write up my review.
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Got 3 lists now and I'll have mine sent in once I find an easy way to watch Poison for Fairies. Just looking for an already uploaded copy somewhere, not a big download guy and they don't work much with an iPad.



Got 3 lists now and I'll have mine sent in once I find an easy way to watch Poison for Fairies. Just looking for an already uploaded copy somewhere, not a big download guy and they don't work much with an iPad.
Poison for the Fairies is not an easy film to find! But I think I found a link that will work, it worked for me. I'll PM you.



movies can be okay...
Sorry for the hiatus guys, but now I'm back. I re-watched Frances Ha today, and if everything goes as planned, I'll be done with the rest of the nominations by the end of the month.
__________________
"A film has to be a dialogue, not a monologue — a dialogue to provoke in the viewer his own thoughts, his own feelings. And if a film is a dialogue, then it’s a good film; if it’s not a dialogue, it’s a bad film."
- Michael "Gloomy Old Fart" Haneke



2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ
Poison for the Fairies is not an easy film to find! But I think I found a link that will work, it worked for me. I'll PM you.
Think I PMed you, but that was a good copy. I'll try to sneak it in the next couple of days.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé



Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Narrator: In the period of which we speak, there reigned in the cities a stench barely conceivable to us modern men and women. Naturally, the stench was foulest in Paris, for Paris was the largest city in Europe. And nowhere in Paris was that stench more profoundly repugnant than in the city's fish-market. It was here then, on the most putrid spot in the whole kingdom, that Jean-Baptiste Grenouille was born on the 17th of July, 1738. It was his mother's fifth birth: she delivered them all here under her fish-stand, and all had been stillbirths or semi-stillbirths. And by evening the whole mess had been shoveled away with the fish-guts into the river. It would be much the same today, but then... Jean-Baptiste chose differently.

There are a few reasons why I love this film and why I wished to share it.

First of which, the concept of this dark fairy tale where a young man with extraordinary olfactory senses seeks out to capture smell. Learning the rudimentary methods of creating perfume. And, having done so, uses the scent of women he has murdered to create that final scent.

Secondly by the incredible execution of this concept by creating scent through visual film and sound. Followed by the intricate detail of it all. Even the costumes were given additional attention to appear old, dirty and worn out. While the scenery, sets and blocking were like paintings of both dark and light aspects. Starting with the stark, filthy fish market of Paris to the beautiful landscape of Grasse.



There is a line in the narration of how Grenouille did not differentiate between good smells and bad smells. That they only must be new. The Director: Tom Tykwer, took this to heart when filming. . . well, everything.

While the ending is QUITE fantastical, it is rather befitting of this sojourn that I continue to be enraptured by with every viewing I have had so far. And this includes the quirky, almost UN-human quality of Grenouille, who, at times, reminded me of an insect in mannerisms. Which I thought had an ideal feel for the character.

With the dark humour and story filled with beautiful imagery, it feeds my nocturnal/fantastical side brilliantly.



Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
I liked that Grenouille, the lead character...was shown to be almost divine in his scent ability, which then plays out in one of the last scenes in the city square where he's surrounded by 1000's of people. It was like he was a prophet or mythical.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
I liked that Grenouille, the lead character...was shown to be almost divine in his scent ability, which then plays out in one of the last scenes in the city square where he's surrounded by 1000's of people. It was like he was a prophet or mythical.
that's a very cool perception and I definitely see it.



2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ
Sorry for the hiatus guys, but now I'm back. I re-watched Frances Ha today, and if everything goes as planned, I'll be done with the rest of the nominations by the end of the month.
Really look forward to seeing your thoughts on Frances Ha!



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Ahh, the excitement of the final leg of these Hall of Fames!!

For myself, I have 3 films left. Just requested Poison from my library, found a pretty good link for Monkeys, annnd, is @MovieMad16 still in this? Hope so. Because I can rent Call Me at my library and check that out. (And rented it previously and, sadly, never got to it)