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Yeah, I rolled my eyes through this whole movie when it came out in the theater.
It's the movie that kinda made me lose respect for Pacino and not wanna see any more of his work.
It's really a classic example, to me, of how lost cinema was in the 90s. Not that there were no good films but the general mainstream product was arguably the poorest of any decade.
Agree with your point on this film. But I don't feel 'mainstream film' has improved at all since the 1990s. Got worse if anything.

This is why so many mainstream films have had to incorporate / remake so many international films and their themes. Because if they don't you get Scent of a Woman / Green Book etc



Yeah, I rolled my eyes through this whole movie when it came out in the theater.
It's the movie that kinda made me lose respect for Pacino and not wanna see any more of his work.
It's really a classic example, to me, of how lost cinema was in the 90s. Not that there were no good films but the general mainstream product was arguably the poorest of any decade.
Maybe I am bias because I grew up in the 90s. I think it was the best decade for film. Independent films were given relatively large budgets. Studios were making big films without being reliant on pre existing franchises. Wide variety of movies being made, comedies, independent dramas, big blockbusters etc and they were diverse in the sense of genres. I think 1994 was the pinnacle of cinema. Where classic collide with modern.

The last few years have been trash. It's all about identity or remakes or pre existing properties like superheros, not to mention the political correctness has absolutely killed the comedy genre one of my favorites. Maybe they will course correct, but I have little faith it's going come from Hollywood.
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101 Favorite Movies (2019)



[quote=Marco;2297589]
Scent Of A Woman - 1992

I never thought about it before as I think the film is good but agree 100%, without the schmlatz at the end the film could have been shorter and more time spent on the central relationship.
I just had no investment in the end scene. Strange choice to me. Whole movie was strange.





San Antonio - 1945 Errol Flynn western directed by David Butler. Flynn plays cattle rancher Clay Hardin. He's hiding out in Mexico after being shot and run off his land by cattle rustlers. The organized gangs have taken over in Texas and there's not much the authorities can do without solid evidence. Hardin is convinced he's found it after discovering a tally book with bills of sale for his stolen cattle. The definitive proof is the signature of Roy Stuart (Paul Kelly), the man Clay has always suspected of being behind the thefts.

Hardin and his friend Charlie Bell (John Litel) venture to San Antonio separately. On the way Clay meets love interest/singer Jeanne Starr (Alexis Smith) who's been hired by Stuart's partner, the manifestly janky Legare (Victor Francen), to entertain at their saloon. Wanting to spend more time with Jeanne but not exactly trusting her, Hardin leaves the tally book with Charlie. Most of you will be able to guess where this is going and eventually the whole thing wraps up with the customary showdown.

I'm not sure if this is a completely worthy Flynn western. But if you have an affinity for the genre it will satisfy.

70/100



John W Constantine's #1 movie on his countdown - (1966)




What's the flippin' movie?
It's a secret, until Iro gets done with his list.



[The Outfit (2022)]


Watched it because of Mark Rylance, one of the best actors of our generation. It has particularities that resemblances to his possibly most well known work, Rudolf Abel in The Bridge of Spies, although, the film and character are nothing like it. Chicago, 1956, a tailor, I'm sorry, a cutter, you'll understand when you see it, gets mixed in dangerous mob business. Although this takes place in Chicago, this is an all-in-one room film. Everything is centered around Rylance character, he successfully made it mysterious, slowly unfolding his past history with a twist by the end.

P.s. @Stirchley the film mentions Savile Row, it has very slow and detailed takes on tailoring, almost like Hannibal Lecter cooking in the series.
I too am a huge fan of Mark Rylance. Possibly my favorite actor today. And he didn't disappoint here.

Still the movie was just a smidge disappointing. Part of that is due to my imagining what the film was going to be prior to watching it, but another portion was within the production itself.

First of all the color saturation was rather pale, making it seem almost like it was shot on video tape. That could have been my TV's setting. OTOH it could have been filmed that way to connote the 1950s. It's almost if it were color desaturated.

It's very tricky to bring off a crime drama set in one room. In this case I think it was a detraction. In films of this type, the story, writing, and acting have to be first rate in order to overcome the humdrum of the single set.

Notable examples of films set in one room that were successful: Rope, Rear Window (slightly expanded set), Coherence, and The Guilty (Danish).

Some of the casting was questionable, especially Simon Russell Beale as Roy Boyle, the mob boss. I never believed him in the role. The two gangsters played by Johnny Flynn and Dylan O'Brien were not very threatening. Johnny Flynn at times seem to fit the role, but at other times he seemed to be struggling to seem nasty.

The production put me in mind of an American crime version of a British drawing room drama. After about the 10th foray into the ante room, I wanted the camera to go through the front door and show the damn neighborhood!

I'd rate the film about the same as did you. A very nice vehicle for Mark Rylance, but to me the twists, turns, and surprise ending was not enough to rate it the highest.

~Doc



I do love Drive a lot on the whole, but even I'll admit that one particular moment in it was a bit too violent for its own good.



Victim of The Night
Agree with your point on this film. But I don't feel 'mainstream film' has improved at all since the 1990s. Got worse if anything.

This is why so many mainstream films have had to incorporate / remake so many international films and their themes. Because if they don't you get Scent of a Woman / Green Book etc
Could be.
I feel like the rise of alternate outlets to the theater have given rise to the opportunity to some films we just really didn't see much of in the '90s.



Victim of The Night
Maybe I am bias because I grew up in the 90s. I think it was the best decade for film. Independent films were given relatively large budgets. Studios were making big films without being reliant on pre existing franchises. Wide variety of movies being made, comedies, independent dramas, big blockbusters etc and they were diverse in the sense of genres. I think 1994 was the pinnacle of cinema. Where classic collide with modern.

The last few years have been trash. It's all about identity or remakes or pre existing properties like superheros, not to mention the political correctness has absolutely killed the comedy genre one of my favorites. Maybe they will course correct, but I have little faith it's going come from Hollywood.
Well, I get that.
I can't say I agree, but I get it.



I forgot the opening line.

By IMP Awards / 2021 Movie Poster Gallery / Blue Bayou Poster (#2 of 2), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68197138

Blue Bayou - (2021)

Well, this was very heavy handed - it's a 'message movie' about an issue, and particularly emotionally manipulative, but if you're okay with all of that then you might enjoy it. Antonio LeBlanc (Justin Chon) was born in Korea, but adopted by an American family when he was three years old. Married, with a stepdaughter and biological daughter on the way, he desperately looks for work to supplement the income he and his wife are making (he's a tattoo artist.) He ends up crossing his partner's ex, who is a cop, and ends up in trouble - he has a criminal record and the authorities decide to deport him back to Korea, despite the fact he has an American family, accent, and doesn't even speak Korean or remember the place. You see, in the U.S. people who were adopted out as babies are being deported - ripped away from their families and sent to places that are foreign to them. It seem pretty silly, but it's happening. Anyway, really top notch film - very well directed and the actors are great. I recommend it - but afterwards you do get the feeling you've been hit about the head with a baseball bat with the film's message on it. It doesn't rely on subtlety, but it's pretty good.

7/10
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Latest Review : Le Circle Rouge (1970)





Night and the City - My unintentional flurry of Jules Dassin movies continues. This is a really effective noir from 1950 and stars Richard Widmark as American expatriate Harry Fabian. He's a low level hustler living in London and working as a "club tout" for Philip Nosseross. He goes out and, using his network of cab drivers, doormen and bouncers, entices well to do targets into visiting his bosses nightclub. Fabian is kind of a pathetic schmuck and hustler always looking for the big score that will land him on Easy Street. He lives with his long suffering girlfriend Mary Bristol (Gene Tierney) who seemingly never tires of lending him money for his endless debts and get rich quick schemes.

WARNING: spoilers below
One night while at the wrestling matches he runs across Gregorius (Stanislaus Zbyszko), a battle-scarred and retired Greco-Roman wrestling champion. He's now managing and training an up and coming young wrestler named Nikolas. Gregorius is also ashamed of his own son Kristos (Herbert Lom), who controls all the wrestling venues throughout London. His father thinks that the glitzy, manufactured entertainment Kristos promotes is an affront to the tradition of classic Greco-Roman wrestling. Never one to let an opportunity pass by, Harry makes sure to meet and charm the old man into a partnership, which would also serve to shield him from Kristos' wrath when he finds out Harry is going into competition with him.

Having conned his way into the old man's graces Fabian next has to come up with the money needed to launch Harry Fabian Promotions. Enter Helen Nosseross (Googie Withers) Philip's rapacious, ambitious wife. She's married the corpulent and lovestruck Philip for his money and has been scheming to break free of him and open her own nightclub. She offers to put up the money on the sly if Harry can help her acquire a license for her new club. There are also intimations that she and Harry were once romantically involved.

There's something about Richard Widmark that just meshed with playing desperately wretched characters and he turns in an indelible performance as Harry Fabian. You can plainly sense that it won't (and will never) end well for the guy. But you still can't look away. It's a dark, moody and palpably angry motion picture and critics at the time were taken aback at the story. But with a deeper appreciation of noir this came into it's own to some extent. Recommended.

85/100





Maybe a bit too long, but a really good movie.
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Hunger Games

Hunger Games:Catching Fire

Hunger Games:Mocking Jay Part I

Hunger Games:Mocking Jay Part 2



The first Hunger Games film is a classic. It has a solid three act structure with the climax being the best part. Gary Ross gives the characters depth, color and texture. We get genuine emotional moments in the film...those of horror, joy and love. Visually it's a full realized world, and while it does have some CGI issues and script issues it can be forgiven through quality execution.


The sequel does basically the same thing, it provides a more interesting fight. The new additions to the cast are pretty great...as a matter of fact when you see these people (in small doses) they are more interesting than the left overs from the original. The story takes a huge narrative leap with Katniss turning her into a messianic figure and that sinks the series. Not to say that she's not a solid lead, Lawrence is fine but it feels unearned. Once again the film has some solid horror aspects (murdering a random black guy is powerful...better than what I saw in the next two).


Mocking Jay it all just turns into a cartoon. Both of the films are just terrible on a script level and a basic execution level. I had to constantly turn my volume up just to hear the actors and then turn the volume down because of the dumb explosions.