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Baby Blood (1990)
A French film that's a mix of Peter Jackson, Troma, and Possession. It was far tamer than I expected, and it never managed to establish itself as either a comedy or a serious film. Not bad, but based on its ratings on IMDb and Letterboxd, massively overrated.
A French film that's a mix of Peter Jackson, Troma, and Possession. It was far tamer than I expected, and it never managed to establish itself as either a comedy or a serious film. Not bad, but based on its ratings on IMDb and Letterboxd, massively overrated.
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A pleasent surprise, since I wasn't really expecting much. Solid performances and the little girl just stole my heart, so adorable.
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There has been an awekening.... have you felt it?
There has been an awekening.... have you felt it?
I watched The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021) today. Directed by Michael Showalter, the films stars Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield and tells the true story of the rise and fall of televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. I really enjoyed this. Chastain is fantastic and really becomes Tammy Faye. She definitely deserves an Oscar nomination. Andrew Garfield is very good in this too. I really liked the way the film was written and directed. This was a compelling film, with a lot of humour and compassion. I was entertained and genuinely moved by this film. My rating is a .
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Skyfire
SF = Z
[Snooze Factor Ratings]:
Z = didn't nod off at all
Zz = nearly nodded off but managed to stay alert
Zzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed
Zzzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed but nodded off again at the same point and therefore needed to go back a number of times before I got through it...
Zzzzz = nodded off and missed some or the rest of the film but was not interested enough to go back over it
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Nobody (2021) ++ Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) lives a very dull, repetitive, domestic life.
Or at least, he tried to.
Then, you know how it is, little sh#t from the day after day grind starts to wear on ole Hutch. Till finally. . . let's just say old patterns begin to resurface.
And OH what stylized mayhem and violence ensues!
With a few of the Wick Series folks, including writer Derek Kolstad onboard, it is pretty much guaranteed that this would be a professionally fast-paced, nonstop action with very clever, very funny dialogue and a very well rounded script - and it was. Very, VERY much so. Including a befitting Soundtrack that complimented and enhanced everything on screen.
This is Director Ilya Naishuller' second full-length film, the first being Hardcore Henry (2015) and with Kolstad's writing, he creates a high-quality Popcorn Devouring Experience that, while I am truly bummed that I did not see at the Theater, it still remains a helluva fun film experience on the smaller screen.
Easy admission to similar genre films in my film collection.
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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes
~Mr Minio
Last edited by edarsenal; 11-05-21 at 02:40 PM.
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Bacurau - This is a hard movie to pin down but it's akin to a modern day (Weird) Western with a strong dose of anti-colonialism social commentary and heavily influenced by John Carpenter, whom the director clearly idolizes. It also features a bit of a scifi bent and is set in the near future and focuses on the small and remote mountain village/town of Bacurau in the Northeast region of Brazil. When the movie opens the villagers are shown to be in a protracted dispute with unnamed authorities that has culminated with the town being cut off from the local water supply. It never goes into specifics because the anxiety and rancor that directors Juliano Dornelles and Kleber Mendonça Filho were feeling towards the direction the country was going or the Bolsonaro regime might have been part of a larger nationwide malaise.
The movie starts out slow and colorful, introducing all the relevant players and delineating everyday life in the settlement with small and telling flourishes. The arrival of outside forces adds to the prevailing feel of impending doom and before too long the conflict flares up into violent gunplay. The actual storytelling and exposition are handled quite well in a concise and straightforward way leaving the audience to interpret any underlying message. The two biggest stars are Sonia Braga and Udo Kier but the rest of the cast acquit themselves capably. The overall tone is one of an earthy nonchalance with the violence as well as numerous sexual references both treated in a matter-of-fact way. You totally buy into the decisive way the villagers handle the threat from the outside world. All while apparently trippin' balls. I liked this movie.
85/100
Captain Blood - This 1935 swashbuckler was directed by Michael Curtiz and features Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland in their first starring roles. Flynn plays Peter Blood, a doctor convicted for treating a man accused of treason during the Monmouth Rebellion. He, along with many others charged with the same crime, is sent to Port Royal on the British colony of Jamaica where they are sold into slavery. There he makes the acquaintance of rich landowner Colonel Bishop (Lionel Atwill) and his niece Arabella (de Havilland). To save him from certain death from forced labor in a sulfur mine she purchases him for ten dollars thus starting your typical love/hate relationship that these period romances thrived on. After treating the local governor for a bad case of gout, Blood is given a modicum of freedom which he uses to plot an escape. Along with several of his fellow prisoners he makes plans to buy a small skiff and set out to sea only to have several Spanish ships lay siege to Port Royal. They burn and sink his boat but Blood improvises and takes over one of the Spanish galleons and turns his cannons on the unsuspecting Spaniards after which Blood and company make their escape. But not before making a sworn enemy of Bishop who vows to hunt down the former doctor and now pirate king.
This takes the viewer about halfway into the two hour movie which means there's still plenty of seagoing action to play out. For those paying attention to the credits they will take note that Basil Rathbone is featured prominently. Don't let this fool you because he's only onscreen for a relatively short period of time. The remaining hour plays out as one would assume with Blood and Arabella managing to to bump into each other from time to time. It also ends as one would expect with lots of derring do, cannon fire and swordplay. It's all depicted in stirring fashion by Curtiz and the films reported one million dollar budget is plain to see in the naval battles. This made stars of both Flynn and de Havilland and should be considered a must see for fans of their work.
90/100
This takes the viewer about halfway into the two hour movie which means there's still plenty of seagoing action to play out. For those paying attention to the credits they will take note that Basil Rathbone is featured prominently. Don't let this fool you because he's only onscreen for a relatively short period of time. The remaining hour plays out as one would assume with Blood and Arabella managing to to bump into each other from time to time. It also ends as one would expect with lots of derring do, cannon fire and swordplay. It's all depicted in stirring fashion by Curtiz and the films reported one million dollar budget is plain to see in the naval battles. This made stars of both Flynn and de Havilland and should be considered a must see for fans of their work.
90/100
The Black Dahlia, 2006
Dwight (Josh Hartnett) and Lee (Aaron Eckhart) are two detectives newly promoted to he more serious crimes division of the LAPD. But shortly into their new job, they get pulled into the infamous Black Dahlia murder case, in which a young woman was found horrifically mutilated. Complicating matters are Dwight's feelings for Lee's wife, Kay (Scarlett Johansson), and the fact that Lee seems to be not entirely on the up-and-up.
This film, bless its heart, tries. It really does.
How do you create a compelling mystery film about a murder that is perhaps most famous for not having been solved? The answer, of course, is that the film has to craft a compelling alternative theory about the murder, and in this case it does so to very mixed success.
What the film does well is convey a sense of a 1940s Los Angeles where it's honestly not that surprising that a murder goes unsolved. Between the police having side-hustles of their own, the powerful pull of the wealthy, and the willingness of the press to muddy the waters, it seems more shocking that murders got solved at all.
Mostly, though, the film does a lot of things that just missed the mark for me.
The acting . . .well . . . hmm. Everyone seems to be trying really hard. And if that sounds like a back-handed compliment, I guess it is. Hartnett is one of those actors I find very charismatic, but (and I'm so sorry about how harsh this will sound), he's better as a physical actor than he is delivering lines. And this film puts a lot of intense dialogue and voice-over work in his lap. Eckhart is a solid actor, but his character's motivations feel all over the place. Johansson's Kay is mainly there to be an object of desire and then to be all sad when the guys get obsessed with the murder. Hilary Swank--playing a wealthy associate of the murder victim--overacts in a way that would have been fun if it fit the rest of the film, but instead makes it feel like she's at an 8 when everyone else is at a 5.
There's also something a bit ham-fisted about the way that the film tries to walk the line between the more exploitative elements of the Dahlia's story and the way that it also tries to garner sympathy for her. At one point, the detectives discover that she acted in a pornographic film. There are close-ups of her stricken face, and yet it felt like we the viewer saw a lot more of the film than was necessary. Ditto the shots of her mutilated face and body.
Finally, I did not care all that much for the film's proposed "solution" to the murder, which was so outlandish that it was kind of off-putting. There's also something kind of nuts to me about a film in which a woman is abused, exploited, and mutilated, and yet
There just wasn't much here to recommend, despite a pretty capable cast.
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I just finished watching The Celebration (1998). Directed by Thomas Vinterberg, this is the first film of the Dogme 95 movement. It is about family drama and secrets that are revealed at a birthday party. The film is highly rated and very well regarded, but I'm sorry to say that I did not like this one. At all. I didn't find the characters interesting enough and it takes too long to get the story going. Once it starts, I still found it rather unengaging. I didn't care for the way the film looked and I was not impressed by it. I loved The Hunt and liked Another Round, but this one is a miss for me. My rating is a
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Alice in the Cities - 1974 road movie directed by Wim Wenders. Frequent Wenders collaborator Rüdiger Vogler stars as Philip Winter, a West German journalist with a bad case of writers block. He's on assignment and charged with writing a story about the US but is undergoing a bit of a life crisis. He is instead reduced to taking endless Polaroids of images that both make sense while also bewildering him. After driving around aimlessly in the South for weeks at a time he has started to run out of money and is forced to sell his car. He makes his way back to New York City where he runs into young German mother Lisa Van Dam and her nine year old daughter Alice. After befriending them he accepts her invitation to stay overnight in their room while they wait for the next available flight back to Germany. Lisa is also going through a bit of a crisis herself having recently broken up with her boyfriend who was the reason she moved to the states in the first place. The next morning she tells Philip that she must go and have one final talk with her boyfriend and promises to meet him and her daughter at the airport. Philip sees her from a distance checking out of her hotel and realizes he has no choice but to take the child with him to Germany and wait for Lisa to show up. She of course doesn't arrive as planned so it's up to the disgruntled and nervous Philip to try and find Alice's grandmother. They set out on a road trip with next to no idea of where to find the woman and with Philip's funds rapidly dwindling.
This is a slow moving but ultimately endearing story of a man who has slowly cut himself off from others and now finds himself at loose ends. The introduction of this young child into his life gives him a measure of purpose but not in the rote predictable way that so many Hollywood films have done. These aren't cliched characters. There is no gradual melting of a cold heart or the breaking down of a stony exterior. Instead, the two are portrayed as essentially equals with Philip an inherently decent guy trying to do right by the little girl and Alice dealing with a dicey situation with a childs innate resilience. He is however level headed and, playing by the rules and running out of options, eventually turns her over to the authorities. The film doesn't quite end the way you would expect but it is kind of a sweet ending. Open ended but sweet nonetheless.
This is only the third Wenders film I've seen following Wings of Desire and Paris, Texas. Both of which I loved BTW. It put me in mind of Jim Jarmusch because of the black and white cinematography and it's focus on music in general and certain songs in particular. I wouldn't be shocked to find out that this is one of Jarmusch's favorites or that he's a Wenders fan.
90/100
Nobody (2021) ++ Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) lives a very dull, repetitive, domestic life.
Or at least, he tried to.
Then, you know how it is, little sh#t from the day after day grind starts to wear on ole Hutch. Till finally. . . let's just say old patterns begin to resurface.
And OH what stylized mayhem and violence ensues!
With a few of the Wick Series folks, including writer Derek Kolstad onboard, it is pretty much guaranteed that this would be a professionally fast-paced, nonstop action with very clever, very funny dialogue and a very well rounded script - and it was. Very, VERY much so. Including a befitting Soundtrack that complimented and enhanced everything on screen.
This is Director Ilya Naishuller' second full-length film, the first being Hardcore Henry (2015) and with Kolstad's writing, he creates a high-quality Popcorn Devouring Experience that, while I am truly bummed that I did not see at the Theater, it still remains a helluva fun film experience on the smaller screen.
Easy admission to similar genre films in my film collection.
Or at least, he tried to.
Then, you know how it is, little sh#t from the day after day grind starts to wear on ole Hutch. Till finally. . . let's just say old patterns begin to resurface.
And OH what stylized mayhem and violence ensues!
With a few of the Wick Series folks, including writer Derek Kolstad onboard, it is pretty much guaranteed that this would be a professionally fast-paced, nonstop action with very clever, very funny dialogue and a very well rounded script - and it was. Very, VERY much so. Including a befitting Soundtrack that complimented and enhanced everything on screen.
This is Director Ilya Naishuller' second full-length film, the first being Hardcore Henry (2015) and with Kolstad's writing, he creates a high-quality Popcorn Devouring Experience that, while I am truly bummed that I did not see at the Theater, it still remains a helluva fun film experience on the smaller screen.
Easy admission to similar genre films in my film collection.
Nobody (2021)
In a surprising foray against type, Bob Odenkirk plays a former CIA assassin (Hutch Mansell) who had been living the suburban life as a milquetoast until his inner assassin emerges when some thugs taunt a young woman on a bus. That unleashes a whole series of 007 type confrontations with a drug lord and his henchmen in which Hutch prevails, which impresses his kids and regains their respect.
It's a guess as to what they were trying to do here. At first it seemed to be a straight drama, but then morphed into a Kingsman or John Wick type of comedy overkill. Odenkirk's forte is droll comedy, so one kept expecting Hutch to lapse into understated gags. And it's not clear whether or not he may have.
The story is familiar and almost silly, but yet the set ups and acting were entertaining. The action and stunt scenes were as good as in much more expensive productions. There was a nice turn by the aged Christopher Lloyd as Hutch's father. Although 82 he still was believable in his action scenes. The popular Russian/Canadian actor Aleksei Serebryakov (Leviathan, Space Dogs) plays the chief bad guy. He managed to make a trite role seem plausible and even fresh.
Nothing new here, yet Odenkirk explores new territory, and action fans will enjoy the wuss to Wick adventure.
Doc's rating: 5/10
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Alice in the Cities - 1974 road movie directed by Wim Wenders. Frequent Wenders collaborator Rüdiger Vogler stars as Philip Winter, a West German journalist with a bad case of writers block. He's on assignment and charged with writing a story about the US but is undergoing a bit of a life crisis. He is instead reduced to taking endless Polaroids of images that both make sense while also bewildering him. After driving around aimlessly in the South for weeks at a time he has started to run out of money and is forced to sell his car. He makes his way back to New York City where he runs into young German mother Lisa Van Dam and her nine year old daughter Alice. After befriending them he accepts her invitation to stay overnight in their room while they wait for the next available flight back to Germany. Lisa is also going through a bit of a crisis herself having recently broken up with her boyfriend who was the reason she moved to the states in the first place. The next morning she tells Philip that she must go and have one final talk with her boyfriend and promises to meet him and her daughter at the airport. Philip sees her from a distance checking out of her hotel and realizes he has no choice but to take the child with him to Germany and wait for Lisa to show up. She of course doesn't arrive as planned so it's up to the disgruntled and nervous Philip to try and find Alice's grandmother. They set out on a road trip with next to no idea of where to find the woman and with Philip's funds rapidly dwindling.
This is a slow moving but ultimately endearing story of a man who has slowly cut himself off from others and now finds himself at loose ends. The introduction of this young child into his life gives him a measure of purpose but not in the rote predictable way that so many Hollywood films have done. These aren't cliched characters. There is no gradual melting of a cold heart or the breaking down of a stony exterior. Instead, the two are portrayed as essentially equals with Philip an inherently decent guy trying to do right by the little girl and Alice dealing with a dicey situation with a childs innate resilience. He is however level headed and, playing by the rules and running out of options, eventually turns her over to the authorities. The film doesn't quite end the way you would expect but it is kind of a sweet ending. Open ended but sweet nonetheless.
This is only the third Wenders film I've seen following Wings of Desire and Paris, Texas. Both of which I loved BTW. It put me in mind of Jim Jarmusch because of the black and white cinematography and it's focus on music in general and certain songs in particular. I wouldn't be shocked to find out that this is one of Jarmusch's favorites or that he's a Wenders fan.
90/100
WARNING: "Kings of the Road" spoilers below
Be warned though that at one point a character takes a dump for real on camera. But it's a wide shot, so Wenders has some mercy on the viewer.
I also recently rewatched The American Friend, his adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's Ripley's Game, and it has some of the same half curious, half suspicious view of American iconography, which blends interestingly with the thriller elements, as well as a great Dennis Hopper performance from his wilderness years. Strongly recommend that one as well.
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By IMP Awards / 2017 Movie Poster Gallery / Brigsby Bear Poster (#2 of 2), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54057697
Brigsby Bear - (2017)
A great vehicle for Kyle Mooney, who I'm sure will end up appearing in lots of crud by the time his career flatlines. Brigsby Bear is not only funny, but charming and somehow heartwarming in the end. It doesn't go too far with it's main character (James - played by Mooney) being innocent and damaged after being kidnapped by a couple (played by Mark Hamill and Jane Adams) as an infant and raised in a strange environment. James learns and adapts to the modern world, but also keeps his quirks - this existing in a universe where he's actually loved for his eccentricities. I don't mind spending 97 minutes in that place at all.
7/10
By IMDb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46341417
The Bélier Family (La Famille Bélier) - (2014) - France
This is a coming of age story set on a French farm where Paula is close to graduating from school. Her mother, father and brother are all deaf, so her help is indispensable. When it's discovered that she has a real talent for singing, she has to choose between staying with her family and chasing her dream in Paris. Louane Emera was a semi-finalist on the French version of The Voice - and this film is better than the average film put together for the benefit of one of these people with decent performances from all, but it's nothing that will be remembered a long time from now.
6/10
By May be found at the following website: IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1015591
21 Grams - (2003)
Was this the film that popularized all the non-linear narratives we have these days? In any case, it's a real top 100 Films of the 2000s contender with superior performances from Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn and Naomi Watts. I really enjoyed catching up with it again - a film that shows how when our worlds spin out of control, they often collide.
8/10
By Studio and or Graphic Artist - Can be obtained from distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63595422
Bad Education - (2019)
Talking about good performances, check out Hugh Jackman in this, even if you don't like the man. This film gives us a true-life snapshot of the kind of greed and entitlement that is flourishing in today's world, with high ranking officials at a public school on Long Island helping themselves to millions of dollars while the actual infrastructure at the school is crumbling. As long as the school is performing well in an academic sense, nobody from inside the school wants to rock the boat lest universities and budget committees turn their backs on the place. A true story that exposes something that's too common. I recommend it.
7/10
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Latest Review : Le Circle Rouge (1970)
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If you liked this, Kings of the Road is definitely worth a watch, as it has some of the same unfussy road movie quality.
II also recently rewatched The American Friend, his adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's Ripley's Game, and it has some of the same half curious, half suspicious view of American iconography, which blends interestingly with the thriller elements, as well as a great Dennis Hopper performance from his wilderness years. Strongly recommend that one as well.
By IMP Awards / 2017 Movie Poster Gallery / Brigsby Bear Poster (#2 of 2), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54057697
Brigsby Bear - (2017)
A great vehicle for Kyle Mooney, who I'm sure will end up appearing in lots of crud by the time his career flatlines. Brigsby Bear is not only funny, but charming and somehow heartwarming in the end. It doesn't go too far with it's main character (James - played by Mooney) being innocent and damaged after being kidnapped by a couple (played by Mark Hamill and Jane Adams) as an infant and raised in a strange environment. James learns and adapts to the modern world, but also keeps his quirks - this existing in a universe where he's actually loved for his eccentricities. I don't mind spending 97 minutes in that place at all.
7/10
By Studio and or Graphic Artist - Can be obtained from distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63595422
Bad Education - (2019)
Talking about good performances, check out Hugh Jackman in this, even if you don't like the man. This film gives us a true-life snapshot of the kind of greed and entitlement that is flourishing in today's world, with high ranking officials at a public school on Long Island helping themselves to millions of dollars while the actual infrastructure at the school is crumbling. As long as the school is performing well in an academic sense, nobody from inside the school wants to rock the boat lest universities and budget committees turn their backs on the place. A true story that exposes something that's too common. I recommend it.
7/10