Movie Tab II

@rauldc14 Such a Kubrick fanboy.

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Letterboxd

I think that's the third movie I've graded over for him. Unfortunately I think he has all others under

A Clockwork Orange is my only major blindspot.

Stick with Clockwork. Took me three times to get through it. I think the second half is brilliant.

Actually just looked. Crap I think it's about a 50/50 split right now. I think The Shining has outpaced Lolita now, with 2001 or Full Metal Jacket in third.

The four I hate are Eyes Wide Shut, The Killing, Killers Kiss, and yes, Dr. Strangelove.

I didn't like Ninotchka much either. This is what i posted.

Really glad you like The Shining. Rewatched it last month and still love it as much as ever.

Dead of Winter (1987) Some unbelievably stupid writing vs beautiful setting and some really decent performances. Hard to hate this movie, but very easy to grow frustrated with some glaring inconsistencies and conveniences.

The Green Mile (1999) Not sure why I don't rate this 5 stars. Maybe some late 90's cheesy feel that dulls this otherwise highly entertaining and emotional film. Acting is superb all around with a really unique and overall great story by Stephen King, the master of characterization. Frank Darabont is the best adapter of King's work that I've seen in movies. He really takes care to ensure these people act as they read, and so do the cast.

George Harrison - Living in the Material World (2011) Scorsese puts together a flawless timeline of the quiet Beatle. I was quite happy that the childhood days weren't drawn out. Also a choice I liked was to basically cover a lot of Beatles territory and include some of their story, too. How could you not? But this was a very comprehensive documentary. Great interviews, great insight, and some truly touching moments. Harrison has always been my favorite of the fab four and this film cements that for me.

Gone Baby Gone (2007) I have mixed feelings about this. The acting was good, and most of the writing was strong. I just can't stomach films about child abuse. This movie had one very suggestive scene and I almost turned it off. I only watched it because of my man John Ashton. I would never need to see this one again.

Greenberg (2010) Ugh. I hates this movie mostly. Pretentious. Tries to be hip with quick "inside" dialog but amounts to little more than nothing. I hated the frankness going for shock and comedy. Nothing was funny. I never like a movie that so clearly tries to be cutting edge and funny but actually spells out the words "cutting edge here", "Funny there", "How about some music"? Jet Airliner for the opening scene? Yeah because I haven't heard that tune on the radio since about 5 minutes ago! This movie sucks, and honestly, I'm not a fan of the director as a writer or director. Noah was the dude that took over writing as Wes Andersons sidekick once Owen Wilson had to move on. I can tell why I liked the early films much better. I'm all upset now just thinking about it. Can't stand that pompous criterion mentality but no real game.

^^Ditto on Dead of Winter.



Alien: Covenant (2017) –
People tend to pick apart the logic, but I’ve always seen the original Alien flicks as b-movies in disguise. The earlier movies aren’t much smarter than this, just loads more fun and atmospheric. The story here actually seemed pretty ambitious (like Prometheus), but it’s delivered cut & dry. Still, it’s an Alien movie. I’ll take whatever KY jelly monsters I can get.

The Cat and the Canary (1927) –
A charmingly histrionic and moody spook mystery.

The Land That Time Forgot (1975) –
A u-boat discovers a land of rubber dinos. Father time hasn’t been kind to it, but it has a fun sense of big dumb adventure that appeals to the kid in me.

Coherence (2013) –
People Interrupting Each Other: The Movie. I’m not too big a fan of the wobbly camera movement, but I admire the way it was made. The story compensates aplenty too.

The Last Command (1928) –
Emil Jannings plays a(nother) sympathetic louse whose fall from grace stretches from Imperial Russia to Hollywood. This paints a very unkind view of humanity, and the premise makes for some strong tragic melodrama.

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@re93animator - Re: Dead of Winter

the fact that Steenburgen found pictures of a dead woman looking like her bu never asked how they got POLAROIDS of them!...the fact that he's in a wheelchair and she JUST got done stabbing McDowell in the neck but she can't kick the old man down the staris and run? She went behind the mirror, there were stairs!! Run, bitch, RUN!

The Merchant Of Four Seasons:



I think Fassbinder appeals to me thematically and I like his static camera well enough. I really am having a hard time getting on board with his writing style. Maybe eventually but so far it has ruined his movies for me.

The Seventh Seal:



Does anyone put more of themselves into their films than Bergman? Sure doesn't seem like it to me. I don't think I ever really stopped thinking about this film from first to second watch and I haven't stopped thinking about it since.

Persona:



See above almost verbatim. This is my third time with Persona though. I never want to stop listening to his characters talk. He is unbelievably brilliant. The more I watch, the more I love him.

The Longest Yard:



Piece of advice for younger Mofos. If you don't want to watch movies you already thought were dreadful a second time, don't have kids. The really bad new for me is he liked it so this probably won't be the last time it shows up in Movie Tab.

mother!



A movie so enigmatic is usually not quite for me but I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this. It worked for me on a couple levels but even if you get nothing else out of it I really feel like this works spectacularly as a nightmare. Shot in a really intense way and the acting is fantastic as expected. Pheiffer better get some award recognition, absolutely loved her.

It's not good, but I enjoy watching The Longest Yard strangely.

That's kind of how I feel about Waterboy. Going to try and get him to watch that next. I am afraid to watch Happy Gilmore. I loved that movie as a teen and know it will not live up to how funny it is in my mind.

Me in 30 years:
*Casually logs on MoFo*
*Sees Mr Minio Jr rated American Pie *
OH MY GOD MY SON IS A MONSTER! WHERE DID I FAIL?! WHY?! WHY?! MY SON IS A NORMIE

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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.

I got another one:

Mr Minio Jr: Dad, I'm vegan.
Me: Okay.
Mr Minio Jr: Dad, I'm gay.
Me: Okay.
Mr Minio Jr: Dad, I'm in love with Sexy Celebrity.
Me : Okay
Mr Minio Jr: Dad, I think Werckmeister Harmonies is sh*t
Me: GET OUT OF MY HOUSE YOU BASTARD I DONT WANNA KNOW YOU

And another:

Mr Minio Jr: Dad, I think mum is SO MUCH more beautiful than Setsuko Hara
Me: Don't worry, you can be frank. Mum is out.
Mr Minio Jr: Setsuko Hara marathon?
Me: Setsuko Hara marathon that is!

I am giving these rep because they are making me laugh. I am pretty frightened they aren't jokes though.

Mr Minio Jr: Dad, that @seanc rated Werckmeister Harmonies low.
Me: You know what to do?
*Mr Minio Jr nods his head and grins*

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (Dario Argento, 1970) -

Much like Hitchcock's The 39 Steps or Miyazaki's Laputa, this feels like another example of an early work by a distinctive filmmaker who is still establishing the personal trademarks that they would go on to refine in later works but in this particular instance seem a bit unpolished (albeit still solid enough to provide a fairly enjoyable experience).

Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977) -

This movie kicks my ass every time I watch it and I'm sorely tempted to give it the full five. Vibrant, cacophonous, and mesmerising in all the right ways.

Kingsman: The Secret Service (Matthew Vaughn, 2014) -

So this makes, what, the fourth time I've seen this movie? Still seems like a bit of a guilty pleasure since there are some things it does right and others it doesn't, but it proves surprisingly rewatchable because it can't really disappoint on revisits if you never had that high an opinion of it in the first place.

The Accountant (Gavin O'Connor, 2016) -

Probably not the best follow-up to that previous film as it plays like a rather dull airport novel of a film. Even its potentially problematic hook of having an autistic protagonist only goes so far in giving this a good sense of personality, though I'll at least concede that this makes for a better Jack Reacher follow-up than Never Go Back did.

Black Sunday (Mario Bava, 1960) -

A lean and mean old-school Gothic horror movie about a long-dead sorcerer and witch being brought back to life and terrorising the locals. There's always something to be said for old-school horror of this caliber that may not quite bring the visceral shocks you hope for but still gives you a worthwhile experience all the same.

Black Sabbath (Mario Bava, 1963) -

A fairly solid horror anthology movie. It may not start off too promisingly with the decidedly bland modern-day stalking of "The Telephone", but it definitely kicks things up a notch with the one-two punch of creepy folk tale "The Wurdulak" and cursed morality play of "A Drop of Water". Also has one of the best final shots I've seen in a while.

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (Wych Kaosayananda, 2002) -

The conundrum I have with 0.5 ratings is that I never know whether to save them for films that genuinely aggravate me or to extend them to films that are just that boring. Ballistic certainly seems to fit the latter definition and that may well be enough as its painfully early-2000s action aesthetics and general lack of inner life make its tale of a lawman/assassin rivalry a surprisingly tough sell.

Four Bags Full (Claude Autant-Lara, 1956) -

A slight but effective odd-couple caper about two French civilians trying to smuggle black-market pork from one end of Nazi-occupied France to the other. It certainly doesn't outstay its welcome and does throw in a couple of surprises that definitely make it a rather tight and appreciable little number.

And Now For Something Completely Different (Ian MacNaughton, 1971) -

Maybe it's because I saw it much later than the others, but this has always been my least favourite Monty Python movie. It doesn't help that most of it amounts to remaking Flying Circus sketches with (slightly) more production value that barely registers because so many of these bits worked well enough already on the basis of their absurdly low budgets and emphasis on the ensemble's talent for both writing and performing. It's still a fairly fun watch, but it never quite stops feeling inessential.

The Big Sick (Michael Showalter, 2017) -

This went about as well as it expected. It may suffer because of its Apatow-style qualities - overly lengthy runtime, emphasis on semi-improvised comedian humour, dramatic elements that overshadow the comedic for better and for worse - but it's got enough heart that I ultimately come away liking it more than disliking it.

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

(Scorsese said he had this movie in mind when making Taxi Driver)..

I rated the 15 movies of his I saw... I think average score was a 7. There's "Whity" (8.5/10) - it's pretty funny.. The story is great, I'm also glad I didn't read the description.

I can see that. Like I said I am pretty sure I like him as a director thematically. This and Ali are the only ones I have seen so far though.

There is a scene in Merchant that sums up my feelings on Fassbinder thus far. Hans is paying the man he has just hired to sell his fruit for him. His wife asks how he knows the man hasn't swindled him. Hans replies by saying he snuck behind him to observe his interactions with the customers. The wife and Hans begin laughing uncontrollably for what feels like five minutes but is probably actually 90 seconds or less. It is so unrealistic yet played completely straight.

It is a great example of why I hate his writing so far. He creates these very realistic worlds and characters but then writes totally unrealistic dialouge. The dialogue is not ornate however. It is droll throughout. It is obviously a conscious choice. Up to this point I just can't see why anyone thinks it's a good one.

Help me understand Mofo!

I don't think I can help you because I don't even understand what you mean. Fassbinder evolved a lot during his short (in years) career so every film is basically its own style and has its own type of dialogue, which for the most part I find no more unrealistic than Bergman. I just checked at Filmstruck/The Criterion Channel for the laughing scene you mentioned - it lasts 20 seconds and is immediately interrupted by their daughter's entry and saying that she cannot understand her homework, which is followed by a fadeout. I thought the whole sequence was a powerful commentary on how the parents don't have a grip on reality and are so far gone they can't even see their lack of understanding which pays off later.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

Fantom Kiler [Fantom Killer] (1998) -



Terribluh! Pseudo-gore, not-pseudo-porn exploitation with Russian and Polish dubbing taken from random sources and English subtitles that obviously are not the translation of what is being said. A lot of nude girls and kinky scenes and maybe one cool murder scene. And a reference to Mario Bava's Blood and Black Lace => +1 to the final rating!!!

Hana no onna sumô [Sumo Vixens] (1996) -




When Japanese New Wave influences or Sato-esque mood is missing, pinku eiga just isn't the same. Still, this super-stupid film was such a joy to watch! As you can tell from the title, it's female sumo! Of course, they fight topless, only in their panties, and there's terrible comedy all around, but, huh, I enjoyed it a great deal. This has a lesbian love scene with music stolen from Tsui Hark's Green Snake!!!

Dâku rabu: Rape [Dark Love Rape] (2008) -



Katsuya Matsumura may be one of the greatest masters of disturbing cinema. All Night Long made a big impact on me (the biggest since Angst) when I watched it back in 2016. This one is super disturbing as well. It's about some pervert kidnapping a girl and sexually torturing her basically for the whole movie. Then we get some beautiful pseudo-artistic scene. It rubbed me the wrong way and it says something since I'm usually quite immune to disturbing movies. A really hateful movie, if there ever was one! It's also the first Japanese movie I've watched with no English subtitles (because there are none!!!).

Tih-Minh (1918) -



So many years of wait and it's been worth it! It's finally available in a good quality! It's very enjoyable, but nothing new. It's all been done before (and better) in previous Feuillade serials!

Pokot [Spoor] (2017) -



A solid movie albeit with many flaws. It's a little bit too forced in its moralizing and the twist brings no surprise. The animal attack version would've been much better and much more satire-esque.

La chinoise, ou plutôt à la chinoise : Un film en train de se faire [The Chinese] (1967) -



It's one of Godard's most political and also weakest films. It is also the point, at which he stops being a movie buff director and starts being a politically-affiliated director, which never is a good thing. In this one he talks about a group of young students fascinated by Maoism and on one hand critiques them cynically, even though on the other hand probably professes a not-so-far-away-from-this views. Of course, he does it in an 'arty' and vague way, but it's nowhere as vague and arty as in his later films. Overall, a good exercise in style, but its bland, obsolete political stance is dubious to say the least.

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) -



A wonderful one-man-band Alec Guinness black comedy that may not unfold in the most unexpected way possible, but makes for one helluva ride filled with laughs and great time.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) -



Too long for its own good, but having Mason, Douglas and Lorre in one room is a treat! Also this line: "The cream is, of course, milk from the giant sperm whale" had me laughing gasping for my breath. Let me just tell you that at the time I did not know that a 'sperm whale' is a proper scientific term for a cachalote. The special effects were fantastic.

父ありき [There Was a Father] (1942) -



A simple sad tale from master Ozu. Made during the war with the usual theme of hard work above everything. However, it feels way more natural than other films of the time. The propaganda is almost unseen and the drama does not feel contrived in the least.

青い山脈 [The Green Mountains] (1949) -
続青い山脈 [Blue Mountains] (1949) -




A two-part film. Ah, so the high school genre is not contemporary nor was it first invented for anime shows for teenagers. This is basically such a movie with an inane plot of some fake love letter and what not, but who cares when there is Setsuko Hara as the teacher! And man, isn't she a force in this film. And the gallery of secondary characters is strong, too! The first part was better while the second did not really unfold the way I wanted it to, but it's still a solid film with Setsuko to boot. Also, the movie had me laughing a couple of times. Some jokes are surprisingly kinky. Look:







金臂童 [The Kid with the Golden Arm] (1979) -



What an outstanding kung fu/wuxia offering from Shaw Brothers! It's been awhile since I've seen a wuxia film and I had a really great time with this one.

Day of the Outlaw (1959) -



Dark and brutal western in snowy mountains! Gotta see more from André De Toth!

House of Strangers (1949) -



Mankiewicz warms up for All About Eve and makes a movie almost as good! Conte and Robinson are great!