ScarletLion's Movie Log

Debut feature from Kristopher Avedisian, who also plays the title role. It's a cringe comedy drama about revisiting the past. It reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite with a sprinkling of Dead Man's Shoes and perhaps a theme or two from Trains, Planes and Automobiles.

There are some very funny moments, and some quite disturbing ones, but ultimately it fell a little flat in the last 20 minutes. Interesting but not tearing up any trees

6/10

The final installment of Kieslowski's master trilogy doesn't disappoint. We follow Valentine, a fashion model with a few bits of baggage. She sets a chain of events in motion as she tries to return a dog she ran over with her car....this being the 3rd value of 'fraternity' (togetherness) presumably.

The first 40 minutes of the film is somewhat puzzling as there seems to be a few unexplained events, characters and sub-plots blended with massive red symbolism. There's barely a scene in the film in which an inanimate red object is not thrust in the viewer's face. But what comes after is just mesmerizing. Kieslowski manages to rope you into a beautiful story, essentially about love but one that almost borders on the sc-fi genre at times, and climaxes in a wholly satisfying last scene that neatly and brilliantly ties in the whole trilogy. The message seems to be that love and belief will conquer all, and again as we see the 7 characters at the end, the theme of fraternity and togetherness is on show.

Just who the character of Joseph is, given he seems to be a powerful force that can orchestrate entire relationships, I guess is for the viewer to decide. There are strong hints of religion and fate. Recurring themes like broken glass, communication, windows will probably make more sense with repeat viewings.

I have trouble splitting 'Red' and 'Blue' in terms of ranking. They are both fantastic. 'White' is probably one for the Kieslowski purists. If I had to, I'd go:

1) Red
2) Blue
3) White

But that's probably because red is fresher in my mind. Juliette Binoche's performance in Blue is one of the greatest performances I think I've ever seen on screen.

Overall, it's probably not a stretch to claim that 'red' is one of the greatest European films ever made, and the 'Colors' trilogy is one of the greatest ever trilogies.



Next up in Kieslowski's filmography for me will be 'The Double Life of Veronique'

Red - Blue - White for me too, really is a nice trilogy.

What did you mean by, "borders on sci-fi genre at times?" Because for some strange reason I got the same vibe, except I can't pinpoint it.

You got the order correct Red is far and away my favourite, like Blue a lot too though.

It's Joseph. Meddling with radio communictions, being an almost another worldly being that can somehow manipulate situations to alter the course of others lives. It's not a sci-fi film but that element to it is certainly approaching sci-fi or a variant of it.

I've got the same feeling about "Double life..." same like about "Picnic at Hanging Rock" - I liked it when I was teenager, but now they don't work for me. Anyway I'm looking forward to hearing your opinion, despie I expect it t would be different than mine, coz I put in different order the trilogy movies

Debut feature from Francis Lee. Stunningly shot, very well acted, and beautifully written. It borrows from others but walks it's own path too. A bored young farmer's son has his world turned upside down when help arrives during the lambing season. It might not sound edge of your seat stuff but I was so gripped throughout, the film felt like about 25 minutes long. The dramatic and romantic elements work well and it envokes a mix between a Ken Loach film and perhaps a famous Ang Lee film that graced out screens a round a decade ago.

I was trying to come up with a phrase to describe it other than 'a beautiful movie'. But I can't. It is just a 'beautiful movie'.

@ScarletLion

An interesting tale of love, devotion, sacrifice and acceptance. It also seems to be about how important women are in society. Rather topical. Both leads are great (although Daniel Day Lewis sounded like an English Werner Hertzog for the first half an hour), Vicky Krieps especially. It was Lesley Manville as Cyril that stole the show for me though, she managed to perform in an almost robotic way, yet came across as very powerful, stoic and bordering on sociopathic.

The film itself is intriguing enough throughout, and there are pay offs. The final scene is absolutely terrific for instance. The script is savage at times with some brutal, comedic put downs. But it does seem like the award nominations are overkill for this movie. I find myself wondering how many nominations this film would have had if PTA and DDL hadn't been involved. DDL was the third best actor in this movie.

A note on the score by Jonny Greenwood - it's pretty astonishing, combining elements of jazz and piano that trundle along in almost every scene. Superb

7/10

Good:
The film's cases and interviews make interesting and sometimes shocking viewing. I knew little of the 4 main cases that this film delves into but each one is disturbing in its own right.

It culminates in a rather explosive accusation with implications to the Mandelay Bay shooting, which the LVPD must be seething about. This film paints the Las Vegas police department in the worst light possible, make no mistake about it.

It is well put together, and the viewer does get the feeling that the main protagonists (i.e. film-makers) really do care about putting a stop to the increase in police brutality in the Las Vegas metropolitan area and in the USA in general.


Not so good:
The viewer has to take each at face value as we are not given any other side of the story. There are very few police interviews, perhaps understandably so when the cases were quite high profile and serious.

The Director Ramsey Denison explains why he made the film, and while this is integral to the whole experience, unfortunately his demeanour on camera isn't the best - so I feel he should have employed someone else to ask some of the interview questions. The result in some segments is a somewhat "made for TV" feel.

Overall:
I'd recommend it. The cases alone are interesting / frustrating enough to watch for those that enjoy exasperating documentaries on the american justice system. As for the implications and theories around the Sherrif's department - all I can say is, this film puts it's points forward very well.

7/10

Sounds good, I'll get round to that soon hopefully. Cheers.

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Too weird to live, and too rare to die.

This is a dour, miserable drama about the harshness and brutality of farming in Britain. Right up my street. It feels as though it may be heavily inspired by early Lynne Ramsey and Ken Loach.

Clover is an animal medicine student called back to her father's farm after her brother tragically takes his own life. Throughout the film we begin to understand why the father is why he is, why the farm is why it is and why the brother took his own life. There's not many magic moments in this film but there are some stunning shots of the English countryside and some beautiful night shots of the animals (courtesy of cinematographer Nanu Segal). The lead role is played well by Ellie Kendrick, although I thought the father, played by (David Troughton) overacted slightly in a few scenes. All in all it's a watchable drama for those who like bleak British tales with a glimmer of hope at the end.

6.5/10

Andrey Zvyagintsev is quickly becoming a master of cinema. 2014's Leviathan was lauded for it's honesty and harshness, and this is probably just as good.

It's is a brutal, no holds barred attack on contemporary Russian society which has 2 phenomenal lead performances. Maryana Spivak, as Zhenya, in particular is so compelling as the frustrated, mixed up mother in the process of a messy divorce that at times it felt like the viewer is naughtily peeping in on someone's private miseries like some kind of cinematic voyeur. How these performances are not more recognised in awards is baffling to me.

It centres on neglect and selfishness but has a broader message that extends to one of lack of humanity towards each other. Having just finished Kieslowski's Colours trilogy I see huge similarities here. No bad thing.



A must see.

8.5/10

Luca Guadagnino's candid story of same sex love is beautiful but twee.

Firstly, Timothee Chalamet is pretty great. I can't remember the last time I saw such a convincing portrayal of lust / love on screen. The feeling of utter besottedness really comes across well and he's clearly got a huge future. There are times when the viewer is completely transported into Elio's headspace. One scene in the town square sticks in the viewer's mind - Elio's thought process is dissected and the pictures on screen are what he is seeing. His confusion, his repressed sexual feelings, his naivety all transfer on to us. It was just a pleasure to watch.

That said, there are flaws. The family, with their idyllic Mediterranean lifestyle, are characatures and a touch cliched. At times it felt like I was watching an advertisement for Italian wine or olive oil.

The final reveal was also very predictable, so much so that I found myself longing for it to happen. It felt as if it was a tad preachy and there is one particular monologue from one of the characters that was overlong and threw the message in the viewer's face. The entire Winter segment felt a little bit of an 'add-on' after the Summer part was so delicately and sensually delivered.

Finally Sufjan Stevens' score is really quite something - a deliberate 80s vibe with some really great tunes. There is one lyric in particular which reads "Blessed be the mystery of love" - Stevens perfectly captures the film in that lyric.

Overall though, a lovely experience.

Call me by your name - 7.5 / 10
Timothee Chalamet - 9 / 10

Ruben Ostlund is amazing at asking the audience what they would do in a situation. He presents moral dilemmas. The Square is an extraordinary piece of 'art cinema', in more ways than one. It's a metaphor for the decay of society, the inequality, the mistrust and the fear. This film is unsettling, uncomfortable, awkward and bizarre. It makes us think that perhaps society is becoming the way it is because of our vanity and social needyness. Some of the scenes in this film are as excruciating as they are jaw dropping. It also looks gorgeous and is meticulously framed. It is right up there with the best films of 2017.

8.5/10

Loved "Loveless" as well. Zvyagintsev's constant blunt portrayal of the harshness of mankind is so interesting to me. Not to mention, every film he has made so far has been aesthetically phenomenal.

I'll be seeing "Call Me by Your Name" and "The Square" pretty soon for my 2017 watchlist. I don't think I won't have good things to say about 'em, that's for sure.

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"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

Once you're done, be sure to tell me what you thought of them. I think you will like 'The Square.'

Finally got round to it. Absolutely loved it. I spent most of the time wanting to just give Mia a hug. She's so neglected and trodden on, and her mother doesn't realise that all she needs is a gentle tug in the right direction. Some love, someone to talk to, instead of a social worker or a boarding school. She has compassion (we see her care for the horse) and she has ambition (her love of music and dance gives the audience encouragement). Connor and Billy provide her with some sanity as they take her for who she is rather than what she's done. And the film's pay off at the end is huuuuuge.

The scene towards the end where Mia, Tyler and their mum share a little dance, made me weep like a toddler. Andrea Arnold is a genius.


8/10

This film is like a poem about love, tragedy and peace. It seems to be about coping with unspeakable sadness and how difficult it is to move on. The two characters are complex, and their relationship is doomed but at the same time it's a simple story told as a comparison of Hiroshima versus the Western world. What struck me was the framing of some of the shots - the cinematography looked very advanced for a film that is nearly 60 years old.




At times it had a dream like quality and you can see how many films it must have inspired, not only the new wave of the 60s but also films like 'In the Mood for Love'. I enjoyed the nod to Casablanca too, and Emanuelle Riva is beautiful.


7.5/10