Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2017

#40 - The Best Man (1964) ~ March 6



Good film about the inherent dirtiness of politics.
Gore Vidal wrote a main character that is uncharacteristically idealistic for his standards and I'm not really sure yet if the story is better or worse because of it. Perhaps he should've shown that the real corruption isn't simply part of the system, but also an inherent part of man.
This is just an afterthought, though. The movie experience itself didn't really suffer from it. It was all delivered in a balanced and honest manner.

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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019

#41 - Kundun (1997) ~ March 7



It's a great film that tells about the macroscopic issues in a magnificently beautiful manner, but on a character level, it kept me more at a distance than I expected from Scorsese.
It will probably never become one of my favorite films of his, but it is one of his most unique ones.

REWATCH #2 - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) ~ March 11



It's been a very long time since I last saw this. It was just as epic as I remembered it to be and I got even more out of it than I thought I would.
I appreciated the civil war background a lot more this time. It's truly one of the most magnificent cinematic productions ever done. I don't think we'll ever get another epic that feels so alive, is so perfectly directed and is so easy to sit through as this one. I couldn't find a single flaw in it. There wasn't a second that I wanted to fly by more quickly or go more slowly. The extended English version (which is the one I always watch) is truly one of the most balanced (almost) three hour long films that has ever been made and one of the most badass as well!

To honor this film and this incredible rewatch, I've put it in tenth place on my MoFo Top 10 and will keep it there for a while.

#42 - Shadow World (2016) ~ March 12



A documentary about the international arms trade, based on the book by Andrew Feinstein. It was on television, so I decided to give it a watch. Its content is undoubtedly fascinating, but I wanted more facts instead of opinions. The editing sometimes felt cheatingly manipulative and there are a lot of things that needed more substantial backing for me, but nevertheless I'm sure many things that were stated are somewhat true. A lot of it seems believable at least, after having read about the subject for a little bit during the last two hours.

There are a lot of shocking things going on in this world and it's good to sometimes be pulled out of my bubble of luxury and ignorance in order to understand what's really going on. It's always a very purgative experience for me. Some more food for thought on my plate!

I read that book, it was super paranoid and loaded but also good because conspiracies like this are catnip for me

The documentary is no different. It's very paranoid and loaded as well.

I would've taken it more seriously if they had just given the facts. I have this inner radar that constantly tells me when something is not presented in a factual manner or when someone is being manipulative. The content may still be true, but the style it's told in automatically makes me a bit suspicious. Still a fascinating watch.

I have the same radar and that's why reality-type television triggers my gag reflex. Also I'm much less interested in watching these kinds of "advocacy documentaries" than I used to be, almost regardless of how fact/opinion-based they are. Something unpleasant about sitting through a 90 min one-way conversation. I'd rather just read the book

#43 - Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) ~ March 18



This film goes completely over the top in order to fulfill its only purpose of existence: offering a brainless time of pure entertainment. It only half succeeds. I liked the first one a lot better, even though this film also has its few cool (and sexy) moments.

#44 - Monster (2003) ~ March 18



Charlize Theron's performance in this is stunning. Her transformation into this character is hauntingly realistic.
As for the rest of the film, I think it's more than solid enough. Sure, it could have been a little less sentimental during certain parts and it could've probably been told in an even more interesting way, but I remained interested throughout and I was never truly bothered by any obvious shortcomings. Good film.

Two films I enjoyed very much there, Cob. I agree with you about CA2 (and anyone who knows about how that film was made won't be surprised at all). I'm pretty much with you about Monster, too, although I've not seen it since it came out. But I think Christina Ricci's performance warrants mention, too. The two of them play superbly off each other. At least, that's how I remember it.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

I like Monster too but haven't seen it in years. i saw it when it just came out and had no clue who Theron was, i was shocked when i saw what she is really like actually. There's actually a meta Arrested Development joke about Theron's character looking how she did in Monster before she had plastic surgery haha..

The Charlie's Angels sequel has some of the first movie's agreeable charm but it also replaced Sam Rockwell and Bill Murray with Demi Moore and Bernie Mac so yeah that's your problem right there imo

#45 - The Beguiled (1971) ~ March 25



Fantastic film! This is a western with the atmosphere of a gothic horror film and the content of a psychosexual thriller. A very unique experience! I'm not sure why Sofia Coppola is remaking this film, because it's absolutely perfect as it is. Highly recommended!

The Beguiled is one of my favorite movies. Even though in a vacuum it's a very good match of material and director, I agree with you, this remake seem even more unnecessary than usual

#46 - Paterson (2016) ~ March 26



Beautiful, thoughtful and deliciously quiet film by Jim Jarmusch with some intense, but never overly dramatized moments from time to time. He remains one of the best cinematic communicators of inner humanity.

Can't wait for Paterson. I still have a week and a half before it's available to me.

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There's also a great easter egg in it for us Wes Anderson fans. You'll undoubtedly notice it.

I noticed it in the freaking trailer!

#47 - Incendies (2010) ~ April 1



This film was pretty good, but I kind of saw the big twist coming way before I was supposed to. I'm getting a bit disillusioned with films that rely on twists a lot. The concept can work at times, but sometimes it can feel like the purpose of big twist films is to simply "shock" or "surprise" the audience. I search for a little more than that in films.
I thought the twist in Incendies did have some meaning behind it, but the big surprise and the way it was presented didn't fully work for me.
I still liked the film as it has lots of interesting moments in it, but overall I felt like it may have cheapened its own themes a little bit at times. Nevertheless, it remains a quite impressive and moderately intelligent piece of cinema.

I really don't know anything about Incendies, just that it seems to be well liked. I'll give it a shot some time.

Glad to see you loved The Beguiled, a new big favorite of mine as well. The remake actually looks pretty good.

I was disappointed in Monster.