ScarletLion's Movie Log

Great performance from Jessie Buckley as an oppressed twenty something still living with her parents on the island of Jersey, who gets involved with a mysterious rogue. It's got 70s / 80s mystery / drama vibe to it. Like an old Nicholas Roeg film. Looks great as well. There are a few scenes that didn't quite ring true but those are minor faults. Worth a watch 7/10

Looks good SL. I actually meant to check this out at my local cinema but didn't get to.

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Too weird to live, and too rare to die.

Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie gives a fantastic performance as a daughter who wants to move on and become independent instead of living of the fat of the land with her father. If you enjoyed The Survivalist, Captain Fantastic, Hunt for the Wilderpeople you may like this. There are a few subtle moments that reminded me of Tender Mercies too. It's a very tender film, especially how the couple interact with nature. The focus of the film is on the father daughter relationship arc, and how it changes, and this is key to the films stremngth as it focuses on the emotion of the strive for independence instead of the chase from the authorities. A really beautiful film.

Lovely film. Fine central performance from Elsie Fisher. Some laugh out loud moments. Some toe curlingly gutwrenching moments. Features the best use of Enya ever, and some other brilliant music cues. Very nostalgic as regards high school, growing pains and teenage angst, but also very sweet the way it deals with teenage-parent relations. Reminded me of 'Say Anything' and 'Almost Famous' in that respect. 7.5/10

Gus van Sant's latest - based on a true story of an addict who tries to rebuild his life. Mostly features Joaquin Phoenix whizzing around on a wheelchair, a mysteriously beautiful Rooney Mara, Jack Black actually doing some serious acting, a very impressive cameo by Beth Ditto and Jonah Hill being fabulously flamboyant. The performances carry this film through, as sometimes the story ebbs and flows a little. There are lots of slow facial zoom shots, which wore a bit thin at times. But it's very watchable, and laugh out loud funny in places too.

I love Gus Van Sant. I had no idea he had another movie out. I'll have to check it out, thanks.

Very intriguing film by Peter Strickland about sexuality and dominance. It's cryptic and sometimes quite etheral. But it looks and sounds fantastic and I couldn't stop watching it. There are nods to Bergman and Jodorowsky, no men in the film and it has a particularly unsettling insect sequence towards the end. Strickland's films are always mysterious and tenuous but this is his most airy film to date. It raises so many questions that it's likely to put some viewers off, but I feel in years to come it may be regarded very highly. 7.5/10

Superb film. Fassbinder's ability to make bleak characters so interesting is pretty remarkable. This film is just as important today as it was in 1974. The script and plot captures how I'd imagine Postwar Munich really felt. for The prejudice and bigotry expressed then is unfortunately prevalent now.

The characters are maligned and downtrodden but they have an on screen bond that really shines through in the performances. The extended family are also well played with Fassbinder himself appearing as Emmi's son in law. Some of the bar room scenes are massively tense, with an almost paradoxical subplot whereby the bar is the only place where Ali is protected. Emmi is seen as the outsider here as she's taking away Ali from the young German girls. Yet everywhere else Ali is the foreigner.

What I thought was key to the film was that there was no revenge type plot in the final act....... no obvious resolve for the one set of protagonists or the other. Instead, Fassbinder gives us a metaphor like ending that tells us that for the neatest resolution we need to accept each other's faults, nuances and customs and learn to live alongside them and to accept them. Compromise and understanding is the only way for a society to have true happiness. If only the message could be applied more widely today.

Glad you enjoyed this as much as you did. I've not seen much from Fassbinder but this is my favourite of his so far. What else have you seen of his?

I've only seen the Marriage of Maria Braun and Ali. Ali was much better. What would you recommend of his next?

World on a Wire was pretty good although a bit of a mind-bender if in the mood for that. You might like The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant though, maybe try it next, although I need to watch that again myself. I watched Berlin Alexanderplatz fairly recently and found it tough going. Started and ended really well but I found myself less and less drawn to it as it went on. Still worth a watch though.

I've read that this Kieslowski film is so powerful that it more or less lead to the end of capital punishment in Poland. And you can see why. Shot in green / yellow filters with darkened sections of the screen, I don't think I've ever seen such intentional vignetted cinematography like that before. It's quite a surreal experience and one which I'm sure the Warsaw tourist board were over the moon at. The message is clear. There's too much killing in the world. Please Stop it.

7.5/10

I've heard first time about this influence of Kieślowski movie for capitl punishment. If it's only a legend, fine by me. It's a very good story

This movie just passed me by at the time for some reason. Visiting it now it seems like a mix of oscar bait and melodramatic hollywood fare. It's a very decent effort from a first time film-maker (Vadim Perelman), and Roger Deakins adds some real class in the photography department. But it just didn't click for me. It felt like it was trying a bit too hard to showcase the nature of culture clashes, race and social divide (similar to 2004's 'Crash'). I realise it's based on a novel but the point still stands. It felt like a 1990s made for tv movie at times although Ben Kingsley is superb.

It's not often I enjoy a film with such constant tonal shifts throughout, but I did with this one. The film essentially made me laugh, made me emotive and made me think - which is all a viewer can ask for really. Right from the extraordinary opening monologue, the film grabs the viewer and reels you into the heady mix of comedy and tragedy. Some are going to hate this movie because of that. There are moments of black comedy placed into scenes of real drama - which shouldn't really work. But it does. For me at least.

The focus is on single parenting, life, stress, happiness, anxiety, metal health, love. Jim Cummings wrote, directed and starred in it - and you can tell he totally believed in this project by the performance he puts in. Although he can possibly be accused of overracting at times, he is quite brilliant at others. There are some flawed moments - some real "wtf" scenes with a potential dealbreaking third act.

The placement of comedy is the talking point in many places. But overall I would recommend this movie for those who are suckers for an indie dramedy. 7.5 / 10.

What a stunning film. A real experience. One of those you almost let wash over you like a dream. John Bailey's photography is absolutely mesmerizing and it has to be one of the most jaw droppingly beautiful films I've ever seen. Fantasy and fiction merge with the real life of Mishima and play out within the stories written by him. What a concept. The film explores Mishima's state of mind, his grasp of how art and reality converge, his patriotism and loyalty to the Japanese state and sexuality. It also has that nihilistic / self destruction theme that is often prevalent in Schrader / Scorsese projects.

Total art.

This documentary made me sad and angry. But it is well worth seeing, as it is bizarre and fascinating as well. Three young men realise they are triplets who were separated at birth.

I do want to see Three Identical Strangers. It's unbelievable how ' social experiments' like this are sometimes able to proceed...

Yup. The film does touch on that somewhat.

'Long Way Back Home' (2018)

Jeff Nichols' short film that doubles up as his brother's latest music video. Michael Shannon, Scoot McNairy, Paul Sparks. Pretty amazing cinematography, and would love to see a full feature version: