Rate The Last Movie You Saw

I did notice exactly that when I was checking out his info again on IMDb. I had first done it after I watched Blue Ruin a few years back. I liked that one so much that I figure it belongs on my Top 10 list. If I ever get around to making one that is I also have Hold the Dark in my Netflix queue and will track down Murder Party as well. But you're definitely right about him being surprisingly clean cut.

Absolutely terrible. Some trashy lazy 3rd rate knock off of a Stephen King novel. Shame as I really like Sarah Paulson.

loved her on american horror story

Watched a couple of Noirs from Byron Haskin (War of the Worlds).
Both are definitely second-tier at best but if you don't mind wading into the sleazier pulpy end of the noir pool I can recommend them both. I Walk Alone is especially fun as we watch Burt Lancaster and baby Kirk Douglas going toe to toe. I have very little experience with Lancaster and he impressed me here. I should look for his more famous work I guess.

But yeah, all the elements are here. The cinematography, gun play, double crosses, two-faced dames, etc. Genre fans should be pleased with both.

for both films

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Captain's Log
My Collection

I probably need to revisit Hold the Dark, but I was kind of underwhelmed. Maybe a case of expectations being too high.

Of the three I've seen from him, I'd put Blue Ruin high at the top, then a step down and you'd find Murder Party and Hold the Dark about tied (they are VERY different films with VERY different tones). I sometimes accidentally drag I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore into that group because it was directed by Macon Blair who starred in Blue Ruin and it has some of the vibe of that film.

Trashy? Absolutely. But I still enjoyed it. I thought it had some moments of genuinely enjoyable suspense (like the scene with the mailman). I thought the acting was fine. The writing was weak at points, but in such an outlandish film I didn't mind it too much.

Not the kind of film I'd watch at 8pm, but a perfect movie for a Saturday night when I'd stayed up too late and just needed the kind of movie where a girl realizes that

I loved Green Room, maybe even a bit more than Blue Ruin, but if his death is still hitting you that hard, maybe you're right to put it off for a while.

As for Saulnier, I still haven't seen Murder Party or Hold the Dark, but should probably prioritize them.

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IN A LONELY PLACE (1950)
A film noir



The film follows Dix Steele (Humphrey Bogart), a cynical, down-on-his-luck screenwriter looking for a hit. When a young girl is murdered after visiting his home, he becomes the primary suspect to the police and to his neighbor and romantic interest, Laurel (Gloria Grahame). But is he really guilty? Did he do it? *Could* he do it?

I had heard mostly good things about this one, and for the most part, it didn't disappoint. The film has a solid story and script, full of great dialogue, the plot is tense and interesting in the way that it keeps you guessing, and all of the members of the cast are at the top of their game, particularly Bogey. Even though the film gives him enough quippy and sardonic lines, I was more impressed by the moments where he crosses the line into more darker, psychological territory. Grahame was just as good as she beautifully portrays the crumbling of a confident, stoic woman.

In many ways, this reminded me a bit of Hitchcock's Suspicion, but ultimately better and more confident in its own story. If you're a noir or classic film fan, definitely a must see.

Grade:

They both have their own strengths (and I get the impression that many people enjoyed Murder Party a fair bit more than I did), though neither of them quite hits the level of Blue Ruin.

I'd say they are both still well worth seeing.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL (2009)
A film from the 2000s



This one was an unexpected watch. My wife had put it for the kids, shortly after I got home from work, so I decided to sit with them. There's little changes to the well-known story, but it follows Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey), as he is visited by three spirits that will teach him the value of Christmas.

Considering that most people know the story and there are pretty much no surprises, I suppose that director Robert Zemeckis chose the stop-motion treatment to use the visuals to carry the film. In that aspect, the film was impressive, even on TV. The quality and detail of the animation is superb, and the way he plays with lights and shadows, I found to be the main highlight.

I thought Carrey was pretty effective, perhaps more restrained than I was expecting. There are a few moments where I think Zemeckis lets the film get away from his hands, particularly in the last act, perhaps in his effort to showcase the visuals. Overall, I don't think the film brings much new to the table, but if you like animated films and appreciate great visuals, maybe you'll appreciate this one.

Grade:

In the Heart of the Sea (2015)

The incredible story of the Whaling ship Essex that was attacked by a Whale and the crew forced to take to 3 smaller whaling boats for survival. The bad planning and greed of the captain and the ships owners soon see them in dire straits though.
Excellent cast but a simple retelling of the amazing story would have been fine without the artistic licence shown here. There is also too much CGI for my liking which is as subtle as a sledgehammer here. Final quibble...Hemsworths accent...on a par with Crowes in Robin Hood for all-over-the-place-ness. Could have been so much better.

FROST/NIXON (2008)
A film about politics



This film follows the before, during, and after of the famous interviews between British journalist David Frost and former US President Richard Nixon, held in 1977. The interviews are framed in the premise that both Frost (Michael Sheen) and Nixon (Frank Langella) had something to prove to their peers, the country, and the world. From Frost's apparent desire to prove that he's more than an entertainer, and Nixon's desire to bring up his legacy and prove that he's innocent.

For the most part, the film manages to be brisk and engaging, with characters that are easy to connect with. Sheen does a great job in portraying Frost's insecurities and feelings of a "fish out of the water", while Langella walks a fine line between making Nixon into a pensive, complex figure and a bit of an a$$hole. The supporting cast is rounded out by solid, if not underused performances from Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt, Matthew MacFayden, Rebecca Hall, and Kevin Bacon.

I really appreciated the way director Ron Howard staged everything as if it was a boxing match, with each interview representing a "round", even with each "fighter" being coached by their crew in their "corner", in between. However, Howard does take some liberties with some lines of dialogue, small but not subtle, to turn Nixon into more of an antagonist. Be it to make him seem like he's racist, a chauvinist, or a money-grubbing crook. Despite that, taken at face value, it is like I said, very engaging and entertaining.

Grade:

The Naked City (1948)
Blink and you might lose the plot. Lots of concentration is needed to follow the many characters in this story. A great film from a great period. The movie is entirely shot on the streets or in the buildings of New York and has a cracking finale. A must see noir/crime picture.

Hillbilly Elegy (2020)

This movie was a huge let down. Although it was a true story, it felt like a cookie cutter rise from poverty story. In its effort to show the struggle of low-income living, it overplayed the drama of the story into almost being a parody of the topics it was trying to cover.

Clearly this was a drive for awards, but Amy Adams does not deserve recognition for this. She played an unloveable character even though the story demanded that you at least pity her.

Glen Close, on the other hand, puts on a hell of a performance and it’s worth it to at least watch her in this one. She plays a character with a lot of depth, showing love for her family with discipline and hard truths.

This movie did not give me much to care about, story wise, but there are a couple performances that make it at least worth watching.

5/10

Earrings of Madame de . . ., 1953

Well this was a sneaky little film.

At first I admit that I was having trouble getting into it. Though the whole thing is beautifully shot, the main idea in the first act seems to be about a frivolous upper class woman who is going to be brought down to earth when the lies she tells (to her husband and others) begin to catch up with her. Layer this in with some blatant hypocrisy (her husband is unabashedly having an affair), and I was ready for something that looked amazing but didn't really do much for me story-wise.

Then the story shifts gears in the most wonderful way. Our main character falls in love, and that simple, unexpected twist opens her (and the audience) up to a series of highs and lows of emotion that feel like rare and delicate things in the overly-mannered ecosystem in which she lives.

The film's even-handed treatment of its male and female characters is incredibly refreshing, and it reminded me of the dynamics in La Ronde, only for me to discover later that it was made by the same director. In The Earrings of Madame de . . ., the main character is the only one who ultimately bows down to love, while all the other characters seem to be driven only by money, "honor", or both.

Danielle Darrieux is wonderful as the lead character, a woman who we slowly watch discover love and heartbreak almost simultaneously. Charles Boyer is equally good as her patronizing husband, who assumes that any of her ailments (physical or emotional) are things she has invented. Vittorio de Sica is effortlessly charming as her lover, a man who seems decent, but who is also frustratingly subservient to social norms.

Even the ending, which is joyfully and maddeningly ambiguous, was perfect for the story.

Yeah, my main memory of this film is being super confused. I think I watched it years ago when I was home sick? Anyway, around 40 minutes in I think I just gave up and kept waiting for characters to summarize it for me.

Blair was also in Murder Party and Green Room and wrote Hold the Dark. He’s so linked to Saulnier’s filmography that it’s hard to extricate him. IDFAHITWA is definitely him applying what they learned together in his own film. It’s a fair mix up to make.

Oh, yeah. They definitely have a lot of overlap. It's just funny to me that I repeatedly roll I Don't Feel at Home . . . into Saulnier's filmography despite having realized and corrected the error many times in my own posting.

A second watch to understand who's who may be needed, but a great film. I think quite a few noir films are similar. Plots move so fast it's sometimes hard to keep track.

RE: Run, it has a pretty good Tomato score. I'll check it out.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

They just made it too easy.

Also, I am all for everyone rewatching or watching Hold the Dark until they realize it’s brilliant.