Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Never thought an action movie could be... well, boring. The action sequences take too damn long, my God

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There has been an awekening.... have you felt it?

It's everything but boring. The length of the action sequences makes them hypnotizing, contemplative even. This movie is action made art.

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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.

Slightly wild and weird Roman Polanski film that is a mix of thriller, relationship drama and a comedy. Two American gangsters botch a heist and end up taking George (Donald Pleasance) and his French wife Therese the beautiful Françoise Dorléac who is Catherine Deneuve's sister) hostage at their castle residence on Lindisfarne Island.

Polanski said he just wanted to make a film his way and one that reflected his inspirations, not some cliched story, and that must be admired. Some of the images have echoes of Michelangelo Antonioni's 'Lavventura' which was made 6 years prior.

The film seems to explore themes of marriage, infidelity, crime and isolation. Donald Pleasance's performance gets slightly madcap as he teeters on the edge of insanity. And this would be one of Dorléac's last ever performances as she died in a car accident the following year aged just 25.

Set in the titular city in 1941 Morocco, Casablanca follows Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), an American cafe owner with a cynical shell, but maybe a sentimentalist heart. So when a former lover, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) unknowingly ends up at his cafe looking for safe passage to America for her husband, Rick has to decide whether to help them or not.

Casablanca is the perfect example of a studio production coming to fruition in a way that feels harmoniously constructed from all angles. The film is a masterpiece and by most accounts, pretty much perfect; Curtiz direction is flawless, the script offers depth to the characters while giving an endless supply of memorable lines, the performances are all top-notch, and that ending!

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

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Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

Difficult to rate this on a point system so I will have to rate it relative to the other movies I watch. Big stars, top notch special effects, solid story, not too serious or demanding of the audience. Action, eye candy, light hearted dialog.

72/100

Yep. It becomes a law of diminishing returns. Well executed, but too much.

Local Hero (1983)

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[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

Reality (2023) New HBO film (watched on Crave in Canada) Sydney Sweeney is fantastic in this riveting and tense true story.

By Trailerdownload.net,, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13723084

Offside - (2006)

This is the most light-hearted film I've ever seen come from Iran, but it still managed to get itself banned there. Offside takes place during the Iran vs Bahrain football/soccer match which would decide which country went to the 2006 World Cup, and features a group of soccer-mad girls who are dying to go to the stadium to see it. Women are banned from going to matches of course, but that doesn't stop our die hard fans who try their best to disguise themselves as boys - and most of the film takes place in an area where those caught are herded and watched by a group of soldiers. These soldiers will spend most of their time being comically harassed and sometimes duped by the girls, one of whom tried to disguise herself as a soldier and could be in serious trouble. Meanwhile, out of sight but still within earshot, the important match plays out. It's a very nonconfrontational asking of a question - "Why on earth aren't these girls allowed to attend football matches?" The soldiers guarding the girls struggle to answer this question, and the best they can come up with is that women would be exposed to the bad language the guys shout at games. Really, it's a power play by a patriarchy which enjoys the control it has over it's female denizens. Despite it's subject, there's a joyful feel to the whole production, and a kind of kinship shared between guards and prisoners during a sporting event which involves all Iranians, and one which all Iranians should be able to go and see.

6/10


By latetaasustada.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26477198

The Milk of Sorrow - (2009)

The Milk of Sorrow was the first Peruvian film ever nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. It involves Fausta (Magaly Solier), whose mother had to endure unspeakable atrocities during a civil conflict in Peru, including rape and the execution of her husband. Because of this, her family believes that the milk she breastfed to her baby was soured - it explains why Fausta is so eccentric and withdrawn. Early in the film we learn that Fausta has inserted a potato into herself, as a means of preventing rape - but this is obviously unhygienic, and also - the potato grows while inside of her. When Fausta's mother dies, she has to go out into the world to earn enough money so that the one person who was precious to her can have a dignified funeral, and as such she's running two races at once. One is to earn the money fast enough, before her relatives bury mother in the backyard, and the other is to gain enough confidence and bravery to have that potato removed before it kills her. A really strange film, and I only realised how strange when I had to put together a synopsis - a lot of metaphorical grist, and the film also shows us much Peruvian culture that's unique to that country. "A journey from fear to freedom" is it's tagline - a really interesting feature from director Claudia Llosa, who also wrote it's inventive screenplay.

7/10

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I've always wanted to like this more than I do. I'd probably rank it about the same but it feels like it should be way more up my alley


I'm much more on board his Gregory's Girl, which I definitely love

Ariel (1988) -

Did anyone else immediately think of The Little Mermaid after reading the film's title or was it just me?

The Match Factory Girl is the only other film I've seen from Aki Kaurismäki and, while I wasn't quite sure what to make of it at the time, this film helped me to get a better grasp on his style of dark and deadpan comedy. In the first 15 minutes, Taisto loses his job, his father commits suicide, and his entire life savings are stolen from him. And that's only the beginning of his troubles! While Robert Bresson has a similar style of depicting characters suffering/being hurt repeatedly, both directors are able to depict this without wallowing in misery. From a stylistic standpoint at least. Throughout this film and The Match Factory Girl, Kaurismäki mainly focuses on the reactions, or lack thereof, of the main characters. Taisto is stuck in a low-paying job, he's constantly on the move, and it's unlikely he'll ever dig himself out of his rut. In spite of every adversity he goes through though, he emerges from them seemingly unharmed. Which isn't to say he's devoid of emotions by any means (his dreams of finding a better future are made clear at a few points in the film), but that he's no longer 'impressed' by them. His misfortunes, though they clearly pile up and weigh on him, are an everyday reality for him. One scene, for instance, shows Taisto lying on a beach while his jeans and leather shoes are resting right smack in the water. It's a weird and uncomfortable position to rest in for sure, but he had already been through much, much worse at that point, so what's the big deal of getting his clothing wet? Given this, one could watch the film and laugh at Taisto's misfortunes, but I would argue this misses part of the film's point. Because Kaurismäki also displays a great deal of empathy for his struggles. He's stuck in the lower class, has little hope of improving his social status, and (like most people, I would imagine) wants to live a good life. Except bad decisions and misfortunes constantly ruin his dreams time and time again. Regardless of whether you've experienced the same misfortunes as him, his dreams and worries are all too relatable to not feel sympathy for his plight. But Kaurismäki never goes overboard with this since Taisto's stoicism prevents the film from dipping into sentimentality. I imagine Kaurismäki will be an acquired taste for most people since the contradictory elements of his style won't gel with everyone, but I think the tonal clash between the onscreen misery and Taisto's stoic reaction throughout it pair very well together.

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First feature film from Eliza Hittman - about a young teen's sexual awakening. I just love the way Hittman captures bodies - camerawork that is extremely sensual, with close ups on hands, midriffs and thighs. It's really drawing from the French new wave / cinema verite style that exudes intimacy. Hittman is like the American Celine Sciamma.

The film follows Lila (Gina Piersanti) who is desperate to have her first sexual encounter as her friend Chiara has a boyfriend and seems to be exploring her body in that way. Lila is so desperate that she chases an older boy Sammy in the hope that he’ll pay her attention and maybe even take her virginity. Lila soon sees that this is not the path to go down.

What Hittman does so well is make the audience feel a little sorry for Lila, perhaps in the same way that we root for Kayla in the film ‘Eighth Grade’. These are introverted young teens desperate to match up to their peers and not be left behind in a daunting world that may lead to further mockery and ostracizing and even more loneliness at any stage. ‘It Felt Like Love’ isn’t the complete article, but it’s proof that Eliza Hittman is a huge talent and one of the brightest indie filmmakers around, destined for huge things.

I’d never seen this film in one go until now. I watched the extended cut (4 hours and 11 minutes), so it was nice to see the additional scenes that Leone had wanted in the film that were thought to be lost. One of which includes Louise Fetcher as a cemetery directress.

Where to start. The film has many flaws. The length isn’t one of them though, if that is a Director’s vision to have a story take 4 hours to tell, then that has to be respected. What I didn’t particularly like was the cartoonish style of some characters and dialogue. The chief of police was especially setup like this, and totally took me out of the films reality. This character was more in keeping with something more comic book style like Dick Tracy (1990). And did street kids without a penny to their name really wear bow ties and expensive suits? Maybe that’s a harsh criticism. There’s also a terrible cover of The Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’ which can’t be ignored – nice sentiment given the different timelines and the film is about regret / looking back, but just no.

Then you have de Niro’s character ‘Noodles’, that the film focuses on. He’s the lead, he’s what Leone wants us to analyse…..but I couldn’t work out if he is an anti-hero that we are supposed to sympathise with or root for. Are we really supposed to buy in to this character’s behaviour? A serial rapist? After the second rape I just wanted him to get shot in the face. Maybe that is the reaction that Leone wanted, but it seems strange that the rest of the film has Noodles on the more compassionate side of things when compared to the rest of the gang. He’s way more level headed than James Woods’ character. He’s less self destructive and at one stage even seems to want to go straight. And indeed he does disappear for a normal life for 30 years while Max is still a corrupt politician. I get that the younger Noodles is conditioned to experience violence as a norm. He is desensitized to it and this is his arc, because it’s the violent outbursts that lead to huge consequences in terms of losing the only person he loves. It just goes past the point of any sort of redeemable forgiveness after those acts are committed, and there is never any come-uppance, instead the heinous acts are actually used for comic effect at one point and almost romanticised.

That all said the rest of the film is just sumptuous. From the framing to the colours to Morricone’s score to the gradual construction of the Manhattan bridge. It’s an epic in the truest sense of the word with terrific casting and Leone’s great directing. I just went in with huge expectations and they weren’t quite met and it’s marked down because of y’know the rapey bits.

Looking forward to it. It looks like she won’t be carrying the rôle through her beauty & breasts, which would be a significant good change for her future in movies. Huge fan.

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

Smash and Grab follows the titular robots, who are forced to continuously work inside the engine of a futuristic train, all while being tethered to the machine, unable to move freely and even "high five" themselves. However, much like Larsen did when making this short in order to "break free" and feel "fulfilled", Smash and Grab will try to find a way to do so.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

Float follows Alex, a young boy that can somehow float; something that his father goes to great lengths to hide in order to shield him from ridicule or obsessive lookers. However, sometimes Alex can't help but float, which sparks his father's desperate scream of anguish with the above quote.

Director/writer Bobby Rubio decided to use his son's autism as an inspiration for this short film. The short is an invitation to parents and people to accept their children for who they are, regardless of any diagnose or condition, or how diverse and different they might be. This is something that hit close to home for me, which has me struggling on how much to write here.

But I will rather keep it simple and not that personal. Regardless of how much it hit me, I still felt the short needed a bit more to close things up. That small quibble aside, I think this is a really creative and powerful way to put that message of acceptance out. There's no such thing as "normal", and we all should do our best to love our kids without reserves, and let them "float".

Grade:

Cocaine Bear:

It was the best movie featuring both cocaine and a bear that I have ever seen.

Entertaining and definitely captured the 80's vibe without needing to put ALL of the 80's stuff on display, all the time. The movie did have a much larger cast of characters than I expected for a movie about a cocaine bear. The violence was over-the-top in a almost-but-not-quite cartoony way, which was appropriate.

All-in-all, would recommend if you want a fun time.

Fast X- 7/10

I would describe it as stupid but fun. The film clearly doesn’t take itself seriously and you’re not supposed to take it seriously. You’re supposed to switch your brain off and enjoy and if you do you will enjoy yourself a lot.

I will say it wasn’t as aesthetically unique as previous instalments in the series. Brazil and London have been covered by the series many times. There was a sequence in Rome and Vatican City but it was pretty small. With a movie like this your rating of it and your enjoyment of it depends a lot on the aesthetics of the movie, choreography and quality of set pieces. That’s what separates the truly great action movies like Kill Bill and John Wick from your regular blockbuster.

And the nobody ever dying and previous villains becoming friends part can get annoying but to be fair the movie does acknowledge this and lampshade itself. Maybe it could have emphasized the satire a little bit more.

Also not too sure about how rewatchable it is. Especially with the cliffhanger ending.

Sounds fascinating.