Rate The Last Movie You Saw

I RARELY get a chance to make it out to the movie theater and I had made a point of doing so for this one. A truly gorgeous film to see on the big screen. Please tell your acquaintance to tell his brother, BRAVO.

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I will. Though at this point all of our acquaintance group is like "YOUR BROTHER'S MOVIE IS AMAZING!!". She is very proud of him.

And they are weirdly connected to big movie stuff, because her partner's cousin is someone who is a big-name actor (as in, headlined a superhero movie). Sometimes I'm like, how weird to be two non-movie industry people and see both sides of your family's work in movie theaters.

It's a crazy, wonderful world, isn't it?

How do you feel about Cannon Group movies and late era Bronson in general? That will go long way in deciding whether or not you should rewatch it.

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Alice in the Cities - (1974)

Tempted to take a trip on the road with Wim Wender's famous trilogy, I found myself almost directly experiencing what Philip Winter (Rüdiger Vogler) was, whether it be through silent contemplation or soft black and white cinematography - the images seem like the photographs he is taking - distant, and at a slow pace we spend time with him - lost in a foreign land, and repulsed with commercialism. He meets a mother and child, compatriots, and it's young Alice who very slowly brings him back from the clouds - as humanity flows back so do smiles, and an overall relaxed visage. It's not smooth sailing at first - but this is a man at odds with himself, so of course it's not easy. His voyage is mirrored by the landscapes he passes - at first American highways with billboards, buildings and movement - but eventually into the German countryside, with sleepy villages and a slower paced walk of life. They settle into a rhythm that feels like a shame to have to break further on down the road...

8/10


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Wrong Move - (1975)

The second of Wim Wender's road trilogy couldn't be any more different than the first, and is full of a sense of 'unreality' - like one of the dreams it's characters are so obsessed with recounting. This time Rüdiger Vogler is Wilhelm Meister, a writer who seems especially conscious of never having done anything or been helpful to anyone. Leaving his mother's apartment, he accrues eccentric friends - the way they seem to stick to him made me think that they were all figments of his imagination. A favourite of mine was Bernhard Landau, played by Peter Kern, who has all of the funny lines, but unfortunately disappears three-quarters of the way through the film. Meister philosophizes with his friends, but ends up alienating them one by one - something he comes to regret. Everything a character says in this film seems to have varied meanings, and I never had quite enough time to sit and ponder each statement - which is something I wanted to do. A film to watch again, which reminded me of being on a journey alone with one's thoughts - but with several characters voicing them. The tone of everything made me think of a man who is lonely, but hates people.

(Seemed like a film where there is a lot to unpack - and one that is not easily summarized with a few quick words.)

8/10

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Oh yeah, I liked this a lot, as you can see in my mini-review of it:





The ending in particular really stuck with me, because I was thinking about it non-stop during my entire drive home from the theater.

Cannon was a guarantee of quality when I was a kid I haven't rewatched too many of them in recent years, but I've noticed a considerable loss of adoration towards the ones I have. They have their B-movie charms, though.

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Oh no, the madness is spreading. I feel sorry for inspiring you to this

Greenland (2020)

I'm always pleased to see that someone has watched this. The most perfect casting of any film ever occurs in this; Drew Barrymore - Fantasy Girl. They ain't kidding.

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K-PAX (2001)


I can't tell whether I should bump this higher or lower based on reading the book first. Knowing the ending beforehand spoiled a bit of the more mundane scenes that I feel could cause the average viewer to lose interest. However, it stays relatively true to the book, and Kevin Spacey is remarkable.

Jason Bateman is a guy who, thanks to a loophole, enters a prestigious spelling bee competition for some unknown reason. He enlists a journalist to tag along to record his adventure and help him alleviate some stress, which leads to some of the funnier moments of the movie. He also accidentally strikes up a friendship with one of the younger contestants and this becomes the "heart" of the movie. Allison Janney has a small but funny role as the events organizer who has to juggle angry parents and an a-hole adult intent on destroying her event. Isn't great cinema but it has a few good laughs.

Lol, you watched this?

Encanto (2021)

I hadn't heard anything about this before watching it, it just sort of appeared on Disney+. Having seen it, I'm really not sure what to think about this film; it was odd and kind of messy, but it was colourful and fun and I've had 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' stuck in my head ever since.



Power of the Dog (2021)

Jane Campion's psycho-sexual drama with a Western-setting, very well shot and acted. This was slow to start with a lot of exposition, so it took me a while to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked. Part of the tension of it is not knowing which way it's going to go, so I'd recommend reading as little as possible about it beforehand. There were times I felt like I'd missed something with how the characters seemed to change; not sure if this was a flaw in the film or I just wasn't paying enough attention. I want to watch it again soon, which I rarely feel about films.

+

Les Miserables (1958)

A relatively faithful adaptation, including some elements often omitted from film versions, which was refreshing, although suffering a little from excessive voiceover explaining the plot rather than just letting it happen. Valjean escaping from the inn with Cosette, while taking liberties with the source material, was gripping.

I had a feeling you would respond to me lmao.

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Rifkin’s Festival (2020)

Rifkin’s Festival did not get a lot of love, but part of the reason surely was that the social justice crowd has evidently classified Woody Allen as persona non grata. It’s not one of Allen’s best films, but in the main it was enjoyable if put in the right perspective.

A novelist reluctantly accompanies his press agent wife who is working as a press agent for an internationally acclaimed film director receiving much ado about his pretentious anti war film. The location is a renowned film festival at San Sebastian, Spain. The wife and the director eventually become romantically close, while the husband is smitten by a lady physician who initially examines him for potential heart problems. The drama between the four is the basis for the movie.

The husband’s daydreams provide an opportunity for satirizing some famous scenes from well known films, like Citizen Kane, Jules and Jim, 8-1/2, The Seventh Seal, and others, which play into his notions about his own psychology and destiny. Not only are these particular scenes parodies, but the whole film is a satire. And in my view, Allen is also satirizing himself and some of his prior films as well.

The choice of Wallace Shawn to play Mort Rifkin is a certain send up of Allen. Shawn’s old age, stature, and doddering makes the marriage to his gorgeous young wife an obvious joke. Under what circumstances could they have possibly become attracted, let alone married? On the other hand Rifkin’s attraction to his physician, and the natural outcome of that is more natural and meaningful.

Shawn turns in a creditable journeyman’s performance as Rifkin, and the international cast is right there with him. Here we have familiar Allen, but with a twist. This is Allen’s 49th film. You can be sure there will be a 50th.

Doc’s rating: 6/10

The Hitch-Hiker - A succinct and straight forward 1953 noirish thriller co-written and directed by Ida Lupino. It stars Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy as best friends Roy Collins and Gilbert Bowen who are on their way to a fishing vacation when they have the misfortune to give a lift to the title character. His name is Emmett Myers (William Talman) and he turns out to be a murderous psychopath making his way across the Southwest robbing and killing unsuspecting motorists. Viewers will probably recognize Talman as Hamilton Burger, the District Attorney that Perry Mason mopped the floor with on a weekly basis. But here he turns in a stellar performance as remorseless, lifelong criminal Myers. O'Brien and Lovejoy complete the acting triumvirate with the three ably shouldering the narrative.

He forces the two friends to take him across the border and into Mexico then drive him 500 miles to a seaside town in the Baja peninsula where he can board a ferry across the Gulf. This is only 70 minutes long but director Lupino fills every minute of runtime. There is no fat on her screenplay or in her movie. They give Myers' character a unique physical abnormality where he is unable to completely shut a paralyzed eyelid leaving Collins and Bowen unsure and therefore unable to attempt an escape. It's these small, pulpish touches and the staccato rhythm of the script that really sets this apart from other like minded thrillers. This is a small but ultimately rewarding investment of a viewers time.

80/100

Yeah, this is a favorite of mine.

I, Daniel Blake, 2016

Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) is a widower who is out of work due to a heart condition. While in line at the center where he must appeal for his out-of-work benefits he meets young single mother Katie (Hayley Squires) and her two children. As the indifferent social services system grinds both of them down through a series of humiliations, Daniel bonds with the family.

This is one of those films that just squeezes you by the heart for every single second of its runtime.

There are many films--dramas, dark comedies--that portray the frustration and absurdity of trying to navigate a government system that is in theory meant to help those most in need.

What this film does so well is show the way that a system can fail not because all of the people in it are cold, indifferent, or on a power trip, but rather because the system itself is disjoint and even those who do want to help are hampered by regulation or other restrictions. In one sequence that is somehow uplifting and crushing at the same time, Daniel tries to fill out an online job application form at a public library. Forced to beg help from various other patrons, Daniel does get help but is still unable to complete the form. When a library worker tries to help him, she is pulled away and reprimanded by her superior for setting a precedent.

Katie's struggles are just as harrowing to watch. It becomes clear very quickly that she is not eating so that she can give the kids bigger portions---always claiming that she "ate earlier." This all comes to a head when, while shopping at a food pantry, she suddenly breaks down and begins to eat food straight from a can. While the pantry worker is kind in response and Daniel also comforts her, it is humiliating. Later, we learn that Katie's children are being teased because word of Katie's breakdown has made it to the school. Desperate for money, Katie is eventually offered work, and I'm sure that you can guess the nature of that work.

The one thing I had mixed feelings about here was the almost uniformly positive portrayal of all of the people in the lower class. While it is true that people in poverty do really tend to stick together and show a lot of generosity---because you never know when you might be the one needing $10 to keep the lights on, or a ride to work because your car won't start--it's also true that people who are desperate sometimes resort to desperate means. There is a range of personalities on display when it comes to the bureaucrats (from the kind and helpful to the snide and demeaning), but not so for the "little people".

The lead performances from Johns and Squires are both incredibly good. An emotional watch, but a good one.