The Resident Bitch's Movie Log

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Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Lovely to return to another flurry of reviews. As always very well written Victoria. I especially liked your Station Agent write-up, thought that was very well done. And I largely agree with you on the films featured. Neither Aguirre or American Graffiti did anything for me really. Glory I remember really liking but I've not seen it in decades and remember pretty much nothing more than that. Station Agent is a film I really like; very touching and endearing little film with some great performances. Not seen Shallow Grave





The Elephant Man (David Lynch, 1980)
Imdb

Date Watched: 02/22/18
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching:15th Hall of Fame, nominated by jiraffejustin
Rewatch: No.


Joseph Merrick was a man with severe physical deformities who was exhibited in freak shows in the 1880s, billed as "The Elephant Man." He was befriended by a surgeon named Frederick Treves who documented his condition and offered him care and lodging at the London Hospital. The film entitled The Elephant Man tells his story... sort of...

...and it didn't do a very good job of it, in my opinion. I realize that this film was perhaps at least influenced by the play of the same name rather than totally on the real Joseph Merrick (both the film and the play call him John Merrick, though I read somewhere that the misnomer was the fault of Dr. Treves's writings) and normally historical inaccuracies don't bother me, but I must admit it bothered me here. I feel like the film needlessly made Merrick out to be more of a victim than he really was and, frankly, this portrayal of Merrick here made him seem less than human. I don't mean that in reference to his deformities or to the way in which the others in the film treated him, but rather in reference to his own behavior. I very much had trouble buying that a man who suffered that much cruelty (according to the film anyway, there's nothing that I've read about the real Merrick that would suggest that his exhibition as a freak was not by his own choice or that any promoter was physically abusive to him), and who was in full possession of his mental faculties, would be so utterly devoid of anger or bitterness.

Which is not to say that there was anything lacking in the performances. John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins did well enough with the characters they were given, but the exaggerated situations and the characters' reactions to them just didn't click with me. The result was that the delivery of the film's message of acceptance and charity just didn't strike a chord and by the time we hear Merrick cry "I'm not an animal! I am a human being!," I was too disinterested to care.

I should give praise though for the look of the film. The prosthetics and make up, costuming, set and prop design, and the cinematography were all very good, but overall the film just didn't work for me.

+





In the Mood for Love Faa yeung nin wa (Kar-Wai Wong, 2000)
Imdb

Date Watched: 02/24/18
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 15th Hall of Fame, nominated by Thursday Next
Rewatch: No.


In the Mood for Love is an very sensual film. The colors, the fashion, and the music all work splendidly to create a work of art that is incredibly arousing (as the title would suggest) and yet contains no sex. From a strictly asthetic standpoint, the film is absolutely stunning and the brilliant hues, beautiful patterns, and skillful cinematography were more than enough to hold my interest through its rather brief runtime.

Unfortunately, however, I felt very little for the characters themselves and was emotionally unaffected by their inability to be together. I don't doubt that the fault in that lies with me, however, and even with that disconnect this is a film that I admired.

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2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ
What characters in film history have you actually felt you cared about? Maybe a list of 10 or so just so we can get an idea. I feel you say that about every film @Miss Vicky



Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
Phoenix in anything, because she'd bang him.

A couple of animated characters, because they're cute.
__________________
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.



What characters in film history have you actually felt you cared about? Maybe a list of 10 or so just so we can get an idea. I feel you say that about every film @Miss Vicky
Every major character in every film in my top 100, to start with.

Well, okay, maybe not the ones in Showgirls, but the rest of them.





Rebecca (Alfred Hitchcock, 1940)
Imdb

Date Watched: 02/27/18
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 15th Hall of Fame, nominated by Cosmic Runaway
Rewatch: No.


This was my tenth Hitchcock, if memory serves, and I've had kind of a spotty history with the director. Some of his films I've greatly admired, others I enjoyed a lot, others I enjoyed only somewhat, and one I absolutely hated. So I really wasn't sure what to expect with Rebecca.

And what I got was somewhere in the middle. The film overall was solidly made if ultimately unimpressive. The story was engaging, the camerawork was well done and the performances mostly ranged from very good to serviceable. But there were some things about it that bugged. First and foremost the decision to change the death of Rebecca from murder, as it was in the novel, to an accident just felt like a lame attempt to keep the audience from disliking Maxim and it felt very out of place to me. Second, I didn't buy the romance between Maxim and his new bride at all and had little sympathy for what she experienced at Manderley at the hands of both the housekeeper and her husband. (Word to the wise: Don't marry somebody you've only known for a few days!) I also found the wife's naivete to be far more annoying than endearing. And third, the inquiry into Rebecca's death just seemed half-assed and rushed. I get that the justice system and investigation techniques weren't anywhere near as advanced as they are today, but I still didn't buy it.

Still, I never found myself getting bored and my complaints aren't especially major ones. It's just not something that I'm likely to ever watch again and, to be honest, I will probably have forgotten most of it by next week.


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Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
I've definitely seen Rebecca but can't remember what I thought about it. Out of interest what was the Hitchcock film you hated?



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Ah yes that rings a bell now. I'd have to agree with you on that. While I do intend to give it another chance some day I just kind of hated it. His only film I've actively disliked that I've seen

Oh and 60 pages! Congrats on the landmark!



You can't win an argument just by being right!
What didnt you like about The Birds? I havent seen it for years but remember enjoying it. Really scared me because magpies do that here. They just gang up on poor humans.

ETA: the humans probably deserve it.



What didnt you like about The Birds? I havent seen it for years but remember enjoying it. Really scared me because magpies do that here. They just gang up on poor humans.
It's been ages since I watched it so the details are hazy, but I do recall finding the ending to be particularly anti-climactic. It was the first Hitchcock movie I ever saw and it nearly put me off of watching any of his others. I do actually own it on DVD (as part of a Hitchcock boxed set) so maybe at some point I'll give it another chance, but I'm not in any rush.



You can't win an argument just by being right!
Thanks. I dont even remember the end so that seems fair enough.





L'Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960)
Imdb

Date Watched: 03/03/18
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 15th Hall of Fame, nominated by rauldc14
Rewatch: No.


I'll grant that this film is very beautiful from a visual standpoint and the performances were strong, however that's all the praise I can give it. I actively despised all of its characters and really struggled to get through nearly two and half hours of watching a bunch of self-absorbed pieces of **** be self-absorbed pieces of ****.

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Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Even when it's short you've got to love a Miss Vicky review - she doesn't mince her words!



Master of My Domain
Well, okay, maybe not the ones in Showgirls, but the rest of them.
What? You mean you can't relate to strippers more attractive when in clothing spitting out awful, expository dialogue?
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Letterboxd Profile: https://letterboxd.com/GatsbyG/



Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
I'll grant that this film is very beautiful from a visual standpoint and the performances were strong, however that's all the praise I can give it. I actively despised all of its characters and really struggled to get through nearly two and half hours of watching a bunch of self-absorbed pieces of **** be self-absorbed pieces of ****.

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If the film starred Phoenix in a triple role, you'd be singing otherwise.



If the film starred Phoenix in a triple role, you'd be singing otherwise.
Yes because I absolutely adore every movie that man's been in.

Okay maybe not The Master.
Or It's All About Love.
Or The Yards.
Or We Own the Night.
Or Two Lovers.
Oh and Mary Magdalene doesn't look promising either.