Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Tools    





Wow. This movie had an extremely strong following on Corri.

It put me to sleep on my first two attempts but I tried it a third time and loved it.

Got my box set a few weeks ago. Haven't watched it yet, but I did watch an interesting bonus interview with the director. Seems he had quite a reputation as a photographer beforehand, and used a lot of those techniques in the film.
__________________
Captain's Log
My Collection




The NeverEnding Story (Wolfgang Petersen, 1984)
i've definitely seen this as a child but not to the point of having nostalgia for it but surprisingly i remembered almost every scene. certainly an immaculate production and the sense of scale is awe-inspiring but it didn't end up having the vibes promised by that banging theme song and also the pacing is kinda wack.




The Night House (2021, David Bruckner)

Supernatural horror with Rebecca Hall in the lead role. The set-up of the mystery was decent (those first 30-40 minutes or so were my favorite part), but the execution of the reveal in the second half is where the film fell flat imo. I thought the film didn't make the best use of its running time, dragging on a bit slow at times. Hall delivered a solid performance but I found her character irritating, which didn't help either, and the rest of the cast were forgettable. The atmosphere was kinda weak and lacked impact, and, although the film definitely had its moments, overall I didn't find the resolution of the mystery satisfying or engrossing in any meaningful way.






This was great, a Stanley Kubrick heist film that is top 3 Kubrick for me after one viewing. Sterling Hayden and his crew try to rob a horse racing track. Great acting. One of the older movies where the acting feels very natural and how about that ending...
WARNING: spoilers below
I love animals and all, but I would have ****ing killed that dog and beat the **** out of it's owner, or vice versa, before leaving the airport.
Okay, I probably wouldn't really do that, might be a case of watching too many revenge flicks, but that's what I felt like I'd want to do.



Ghostbusters II (1989)


I and II are favorites. Having spent lots of time in the Big Apple over the years, these are among my favorite New York movies. Both have a combination of big city "seen it all" attitude combined with monsters that even surprise someone who has spent time on 46th Street.



Don't Look Up - A new Netflix movie, it's end of the world stuff done up as somewhat of a comedy. Of course, since everybody, or at least most-body will die if this really happens, it's a rather dark comedy. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence are astronomers who discover that a comet the size of Mt Everest is right on target for Earth. As anybody who's ever paid attention knows, this would be really, really bad, like wipe out the dinosaurs bad.

It's chocked full of deniers, crazy politicians, planners who want to prevent the event, social chaos and all the things that happen before a global disaster. Unfortunately, as COVID experiences have shown, none of this will shed a positive light on humanity. It's hard to miss the obvious allegorical and metaphorical aspects of the story. It's an existential threat, there is a solution but we're probably going to NOT do that because the species is just too damn dumb. Instead, we will just not look up.

Don't Look Up has it's obvious parallels in past movies, most notably Armagaddon and Deep Impact from the 90's when we thought that Right Stuff astronauts or Bruce Willis could save us. As a dark comedy, however, it seems a more likely outcome than those faux-serious antecedents. It's ratings are not stellar, but it's my favorite among that genre because it is so cynical. Instead of Morgan Freeman making an inspiring speech, we have profiteering government contractors and an inept president who worries about her poll rankings. That seems about right.




The Jungle (2013)

A carbage tier found-footage horror. A dose of Blair Witch and Predator mixed with a vast quantity of incompetence.

--
Mill of Stone Women (1960)
aka Il mulino delle donne di pietra

Quite enjoyable Italian Gothic horror. It feels like a mix of Hammer and Edgar Allan Poe with slightly Bava-like Italian aesthetics. Youtube has a pretty good quality copy.
__________________



Mission Impossible II


If you need a MI movie this probably isn't the right one for you, but if you're in need of some Woo-hem, this is pretty good.



I watched Zazie dans le Métro (1960) on Criterion channel. Catherine Demongeot is wonderful here, giving a magnetic and energetic performance. The film is intentionally silly, fast paced and fun. Zazie is a zany delight.



Loved her in Return of the Jedi.






Portrait of Jason, 1967

In this intimate, yet sprawling documentary, vibrant personality Jason Holliday shares his observations, recollections, and stage bits--all in the confines of an apartment living room.

This is a pretty incredible piece of cinema, and I'm not even 100% sure what I saw.

Holliday, perpetually swigging from a glass, seems like a contradiction. At once charismatic enough that he's gained access to high society (often as hired company, not an equal), and yet there is a longing and a sense of missing out.

It is this push-pull of Holliday's stories that makes him so compelling to watch. He is a keen observer, and clearly the kind of person who stands there with a smile on his face while filing away every turn of phrase or mannerism that tickles his fancy. He perfectly emulates a wealthy woman complaining about thieving maids ("You send them to the store for 6 cans, you only ever see 4!").

At the same time, many of his stories have an edge to them, and show how precarious it was for him to navigate different situations. Being gay made him "safe" to be in a mixed-race group, because the white men stopped being aggressive toward him when they realized he was not interested in the white women. And while this might seem like an amusing little anecdote, you then hear about the way that being gay devastated his relationship with his mother.

This movie, honestly, was like when you're at a party and someone who actually deserves the spotlight is holding court. Is it all an act? Some dialogue at the end suggests that what we're seeing is a mix of reality and performance, but honestly who cares?

"No one can wear these hats except for me and Mae West."




Don't Look Up - A new Netflix movie, it's end of the world stuff done up as somewhat of a comedy. Of course, since everybody, or at least most-body will die if this really happens, it's a rather dark comedy. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence are astronomers who discover that a comet the size of Mt Everest is right on target for Earth. As anybody who's ever paid attention knows, this would be really, really bad, like wipe out the dinosaurs bad.

It's chocked full of deniers, crazy politicians, planners who want to prevent the event, social chaos and all the things that happen before a global disaster. Unfortunately, as COVID experiences have shown, none of this will shed a positive light on humanity. It's hard to miss the obvious allegorical and metaphorical aspects of the story. It's an existential threat, there is a solution but we're probably going to NOT do that because the species is just too damn dumb. Instead, we will just not look up.

Don't Look Up has it's obvious parallels in past movies, most notably Armagaddon and Deep Impact from the 90's when we thought that Right Stuff astronauts or Bruce Willis could save us. As a dark comedy, however, it seems a more likely outcome than those faux-serious antecedents. It's ratings are not stellar, but it's my favorite among that genre because it is so cynical. Instead of Morgan Freeman making an inspiring speech, we have profiteering government contractors and an inept president who worries about her poll rankings. That seems about right.
I was shocked at how bad this movie was. Despite a couple of good actor's performances, it was a lead balloon. Still, it had some official Hollywood darlings in it, and it was about a fashionable cause. So look for it to win some awards...





Portrait of Jason, 1967

In this intimate, yet sprawling documentary, vibrant personality Jason Holliday shares his observations, recollections, and stage bits--all in the confines of an apartment living room.

This is a pretty incredible piece of cinema, and I'm not even 100% sure what I saw.

Holliday, perpetually swigging from a glass, seems like a contradiction. At once charismatic enough that he's gained access to high society (often as hired company, not an equal), and yet there is a longing and a sense of missing out.

It is this push-pull of Holliday's stories that makes him so compelling to watch. He is a keen observer, and clearly the kind of person who stands there with a smile on his face while filing away every turn of phrase or mannerism that tickles his fancy. He perfectly emulates a wealthy woman complaining about thieving maids ("You send them to the store for 6 cans, you only ever see 4!").

At the same time, many of his stories have an edge to them, and show how precarious it was for him to navigate different situations. Being gay made him "safe" to be in a mixed-race group, because the white men stopped being aggressive toward him when they realized he was not interested in the white women. And while this might seem like an amusing little anecdote, you then hear about the way that being gay devastated his relationship with his mother.

This movie, honestly, was like when you're at a party and someone who actually deserves the spotlight is holding court. Is it all an act? Some dialogue at the end suggests that what we're seeing is a mix of reality and performance, but honestly who cares?

"No one can wear these hats except for me and Mae West."

Fantastic film. I agree with your comments and your rating.



Twixt (2011)

Let's get this out of the way first - I was shocked when I saw in the end titles that this was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. I honestly thought this was done by some young director who lacked confidence in his ideas. It could have been great but it feels that in the end, no one took it seriously (well, maybe Elle Fanning did, with all the seriousness of a 12-year-old following in her older sister's footsteps). It almost reminds me of Nobuhiko Obayashi, in good and in bad.



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.

Dear Mother (Laurent Lafitte, 2020)
6/10
Sidney Poitier: The Defiant One (Morgan Neville, 1997)
6.5/10
Our Modern Maidens (Jack Conway, 1929)
5/10
The Temptress (Fred Niblo, 1926)
+ 6/10

After a spectacular party, unhappy wife Greta Garbo begins numerous affairs which tend to end badly, including one with Argentine architect Antonio Moreno.
After Tonight (George Archainbaud, 1933)
5.5/10
The Seance (Christopher James Cramer, 2021)
6/10
Mata Hari (George Fitzmaurice, 1931)
5.5/10
The Magician (Rex Ingram, 1926)
6/10

Mad magician Paul Wegener uses his powers on cured cripple Alice Terry because he needs her virgin's blood to create life.
The Night Is Young (Mattson Tomlin, 2021)
5.5/10
Mother/Android (George McCowan, 2020)
6-/10
Flesh (John Ford, 1932)
5.5/10
Topper (Norman Z. McLeod, 1937)
6.5/10

Rich, henpecked Cosmo Topper (Roland Young) decides to loosen up after hanging out with friends Constance Bennett and Cary Grant, who recently died and are ghosts now.
The Wasteland AKA The Beast (David Casademunt, 2021)
5/10
Topper Takes a Trip (Norman Z. McLeod, 1938)
+ 6/10
Merrily We Live (Norman Z. McLeod, 1938)
- 6.5/10
Percy (Ralph Thomas, 1971)
6+/10

Hywel Bennett, the recipient of the world's first penis transplant [by surgeon Denholm Elliott] is trying to test it out. This is actually a pretty serious drama with a bittersweet Ray Davies soundtrack and Michael Palin contributing to the script.
The Great Waltz (Julien Duvivier, 1938)
6/10
Materna (David Gutnik, 2020)
5/10
The Emperor's Candlesticks (George Fitzmaurice, 1937)
5.5/10
Eternals (Chloé Zhao, 2021)
6/10

Eternals have been on Earth for quite awhile, and what you "learn" from this movie is all you need is love, always watch your back and never trust a friggin' eternal.
__________________
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page