Rate The Last Movie You Saw

JANUARY 1, 2024

FERRARI (2023)

I decided to see Michael Mann's latest film this past week, and I have to say I thought it was really good. A word of advice, though: The movie begins in a decidedly in media res fashion, and it takes a while for the viewer to really orient themselves and get a good grasp on who's who and what's what. I sometimes wonder whether or not people have the patience for that these days, but that would really be the viewer's problem and not the filmmakers'. In any case, the story / situation begins to assert itself in fairly short order, and it's a very interesting one. Not really being a racing enthusiast, and not really knowing anything about the history of automobile manufacturing, I still found it rather compelling. (I admittedly had a similar reaction to Gran Turismo earlier this year, which was also based on a true story. As a matter of fact, there's a tragic and cataclysmic "it" event late in the movie which far surpasses that of Gran Turismo in terms of sheer devastation and destruction.)

Adam Driver was very good in the role of Enzo Ferrari, disappearing into the skin of the company founder quite effortlessly, in a way that definitely does not make one think of Kylo Ren! (Yeah, yeah. I know Driver's done plenty of good work since the decidedly mixed bag that was the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, but the only film of his since then that I've actually seen is Spike Lee's BlackKklansman, and acting-wise that was primarily John David Washington's show.) And Driver is quite readily rivalled by Penélope Cruz as Enzo's wife Laura, who owns half the company's shares and has become estranged from Enzo since the death of their young son Dino a year earlier. Cruz's performance actually creates a good deal of suspense, in terms of making the audience wonder exactly what she's going to do and how she's going to react to certain situations, and much of Enzo and the Ferrari company's fate rests on this. Complicating matters considerably is the fact that Enzo's been having a long-time affair with another woman named Lina for many years, with whom he's had another son named Piero, who just might end up being the heir to the company.

In short, I would highly recommend it, but I would also counsel patience due to its unhurried, unrushed pacing and the fact that its primary virtues are those of character development as opposed to nonstop action. (Although it's certainly not lacking in the latter, as we do get the big thousand-mile Mille Miglia race later in the film.)

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"It's what people know about themselves inside that makes 'em afraid." - Clint Eastwood as The Stranger, High Plains Drifter (1973)

Rewatched Naruse's Mother.



Ah, Japanese cinema of the 50s was so simple yet so powerful. Americans could never beat this. Well, at least the US released some masterpieces in the 50s, too. All Americans are capable of now is Sundance-level pleasantries or downright abhorrent films on corrupted hearts of whores and whoremongers.

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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.

Prey
6.5/10

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Boldly going.

I assumed it was to give the native humans a fighting chance. If all the predators cared about was victory, they could've shot everyone from the sky. In all the predator movies they ignore people that can't put up a fight. It's ritual combat, and it doesn't seem to count unless there's a chance of defeat, no matter how small.

The Anne Frank Gift Shop (2023) This 15 minute short film is surprisingly hilarious and smart, yet still has a good heart and a valuable message. The dark humour and serious themes manage to work really well together. Hope it gets an Oscar nomination.

Last voyage of the Demeter
6.5/10.
The handicap of this movie is that it's very predictable.

By Columbia Pictures - [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12269623

The Wild One - (1953)

The Wild One has always been a big box to tick for me on my Marlon Brando film list. He's doing his James Dean here, before Dean had a chance to break out - after absolutely making it into the stratosphere in A Streetcar Named Desire. So, is The Wild One dated? Did the United States ever have a problem involving marauding biker gangs smashing up towns and causing trouble? Interesting to read about such events as the Hollister riot in 1947, and how it was sensationalized in the press. As far as understanding troubled youth, we at least get something of a mannered and balanced look - and that's a side of this film that makes it easier to enjoy the raw drama, stirred up by young men rebelling against the status quo - whatever that might be. Brando is great (his propensity to gain weight already a little apparent) and that makes this one of his better films. Without him and Lee Marvin this wouldn't really be as memorable though.

7/10


By CineMaterial, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57397667

Cold War - (2018)

Rewatch. One of Paweł Pawlikowski's great films - a visual powerhouse set in 1950s Poland, East Germany, Yugoslavia and France. Two lovers - Zula Lichoń (Joanna Kulig) and Wiktor Warski (Tomasz Kot) struggle to maintain their relationship against the backdrop of folk music, the entertainment industry and the push/pull of their homeland, communist oppression and rootless exile. Beautiful cinematography and sublime music underpin a really stunning film, which is one of the decade's best foreign language movies. Great performances, and equally wonderful screenplay make this the full package as far as cinematic enjoyment goes.

9/10


By Illustrator unknown. "Copyright 1953 by Twentieth Century–Fox Film Corp." - Scan via Heritage Auctions. Cropped from the original image and retouched; see upload history for unretouched original., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/inde...curid=89338693

Pickup on South Street - (1953)

Another film noir classic makes for another great viewing ticked off my lengthy watchlist - review here.

8/10

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American Fiction - It's been a while since I saw a movie that is smart, high on dialog, low on FX and near zero in action. American Fiction is all that and it's a really enjoyable novelty in the movie world. Monk (named for Thelonius) is a novelist, but hardly a best seller. As a black author, he does not want to pander to black stereotypes, but his books seem to land with a thud. In a fit of sarcasm, he invents a pseudonym, "Stagger Lee" and writes a book that is cover to cover with stereotypes and stereotypic language. The book is a best seller and "Lee" is celebrated as an authentic African American author. He's also a complete fake. All of a sudden, this guy who was in debt is rolling in money, but only a few people know who he really is. How do you untangle this?

Jeffrey Wright plays the novelist as a geeky guy, who doesn't know what to do with his success, especially since he disapproves of this sort of success and since, the identity, after all, is a fake, an alter ego that's not really him.

I completely enjoyed this movie, pretty much end to end. It's smart, with good dialog and a puzzle palace of a plot line. I think I will appreciate it more the second time around, when I know what to expect since there's a lot going on in the dialog.

If you get fatigue from all of the FX laden superheroes, this will give you a break from all that. It's a fun movie with a good heart and a good sense of humor.

Talk to Me (2022)

Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (1953, Jacques Tati)

I love how spontaneously random yet visually meticulous and subtle this mostly silent film is. The way Tati choreographs the characters within the scenes and conjures up the comedy in them (mostly medium to long shots, hardly any closeups) is truly magical, all the little nuances, details and funny bits popping out—not to make you roar with laughter but rather to gently tickle your sense of humor and amuse you with their heartwarming, nostalgic whimsicality. The character of Hulot himself, a walking trouble magnet with jerky angular body movements and a polite and friendly personality, exudes tons of charm and is hilarious to watch, as he keeps finding himself in all kinds of hassles and handling them as only he can. It's a comedy alright but it elicits laughs in a different way and from a different place—playing out more as a warm, quietly amusing, but sort of lovingly detached observation of the comedic yet bittersweet absurdity of human existence. The beauty of films like this is that they possess a wealth of visual information—they are unique little worlds that you can revisit time and time again and find something new each time.

Indochine (1992)




This is on the foreign language Oscar winners list. If it weren't for that I might not have heard of it as I've never seen it talked about. Indochine is a sweeping epic historical melodrama about French colonial rule in Vietnam in the early 20th Century. Catherine Deneuve and her adopted Vietnamese daughter both fall for the same man, a French navy officer played by Vincent Perez (and who can blame them!) against a backdrop of increasing unrest, cruelty, rebellion and change. It looks great and enjoyed it a lot.

Good movie. I was going to choose that for the War movie watch group back during the war countdown watch period, but the watch group ended before I got a chance to choose Indochina. I reviewed it here some time ago https://www.movieforums.com/communit...20#post1921920

Werewolf by Night, 2022

After the death of famed monster hunter Ulysses Bloodstone, Jack Russell (Gael Garcia Bernal) is one of several hunters summoned to the Bloodstone estate to compete to become the next holder of the family bloodstone. Showing up unannounced is Bloodstone’s estranged daughter Elsa (Laura Donnelly), who hits things off with Russell. But as the hunt heats up, who will survive the night?

While the film doesn’t leverage its assets as well as it could have, it’s still a fun horror flick with fun performances and a satisfying story arc.



Full review

Elemental (2023)

The Holdovers (2023)

Eileen (2023)

Wings of Desire (1987)



Now this is what a good German movie is all about.

By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7280181

Lolita - (1997)

It's been a couple of decades since I last saw the 1997 adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita - in the interim I've read the novel. The novel is far more disturbing, although this latter-day version goes places that cause genuine discomfort - something Stanley Kubrick's simply couldn't. Jeremy Irons, Melanie Griffith and Dominique Swain get their parts exactly right - and Frank Langella makes for a better Clare Quilty than Peter Sellers (that's not to say what Sellers did in his version wasn't brilliant - because it was fantastic.) The only quibble I might have is that this version puts a little too much of the onus on Dolores Haze (Dominique Swain) as an instigator when it comes to much of what goes on. Humbert Humbert (Irons) is more of a passive figure, and therefore doesn't seem as evil. Another thing I'd forgotten - this Lolita is almost a full-on comedy, with humour used in many effective ways throughout. That probably makes both versions lean on lot on funny stuff to diffuse all of the uncomfortable vibes we get when we watch them. Ennio Morricone's score is simply sublime.

7.5/10


By Derived from a digital capture (photo/scan) of the Film Poster (creator of this digital version is irrelevant as the copyright in all equivalent images is still held by the same party). Copyright held by the film company or the artist. Claimed as fair use regardless., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26593006

El Sur - (1983)

Classic film about childhood and the way we slowly learn that our parents are people too - with complexities and faults. The only fly in the ointment is the fact it's director never got to finish it the way he wanted - but it's great despite that. My review, on my watchlist thread, is here.

8/10

Collateral (2004)


Pretty good. Tom Cruise and Jamie Fox both do a good job, and the action's top notch.


It's not all good, of course. There's pacing issues, the fight scene in the dance club is hard to follow, and at times the bad guys make baffling bad decisions, but all in all its a fun ride.