Rate The Last Movie You Saw

2 stars is more than I would've given it.

Faust -

Turns out the Devil isn't a very trustworthy dude. Who knew?

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

The Platform (2019, Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia)


Thematically, this reminded me of Parasite in the sense that it also attempts to look at the socio-economic maladies of today's world through an allegorical lens. The result, however, is a far more disturbing viewing experience - with lots of gore and all kinds of unpleasantness - but here grotesque violence at least serves some semblance of a point within the overarching concept of the film. I felt the ending was a bit unsatisfying but other than that, worth a watch, just not for the faint of heart.

Made me think. The first review of ‘The Platform’ I ever read was here. Got my hopes up. Once I had watched it, I came to feel it was reasonably well-made, but a bit underwhelming perhaps? It didn’t remind me so much of ‘The Parasite’ as ‘Snowpiercer’ (2013). I suppose you need to have a taste for socio-political dystopia and I am yet to develop mine. I tend to like disturbing and graphic films if they are well-made, but this one didn’t seem to have a plot apart from the stereotypical ‘break the system’ angle. Maybe I should rewatch it.

I agree, I thought it was a solid movie, which knows what it wants to do and does it really well. It's not the most sophisticated or profound film - it goes more for visceral reactions, for the shock value, but it's not without an intriguing premise either, and has at least some food for thought to offer. Unfortunately, to me, it doesn't rise that much above merely decent or competent, and generally I'm not a fan of over-the-top graphic violence, torture, etc.

I haven't yet got around to seeing Snowpiercer for some reason.

Mean Girls. (2004)






The best high school movie of the past twenty years? Shut up!


I haven't seen this in a few years and forgot how enjoyable it was. Excellent screenplay by Tina Fey, very well paced with plenty of great moments. The cast is great but this is really Lohan's film, she carries it with ease and a genuine natural performance. In fact watching this was bittersweet, to see her back in her prime before all the personal troubles sent her off the rails and tanked her career. You can tell she had that movie star quality and the potential to go on to great things. She was damn good looking as well. Such a shame to see all that talent go to waste.


4/5 Stars.

Although it's full of stodgy acting, (like most films from the early sound era), the film still remains rather visceral and just as powerful today as it was then. I remember Sam Fuller declaring it to be the best "war" film because it was "anti-war." Brilliant, and highly recommend.

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Imagine an eye unruled by man-made laws of perspective, an eye unprejudiced by compositional logic, an eye which does not respond to the name of everything but which must know each object encountered in life through an adventure of perception. How many colors are there in a field of grass to the crawling baby unaware of 'Green'?

-Stan Brakhage

Yes, it is excellent. I found it a lot more emotional than I expected to. Especially the sequence where . I agree that it's an excellent film.

Murder Most Foul (1964, first watch)

So I just cannot get enough of Margaret Rutherford as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple (though apparently this film was adapted from a Poirot book and not a Marple one). This is the third of her Marple films that I've seen, and I would say that I liked it a bit more than Murder She Said and a bit less than Murder Ahoy ("Propel me, Jim!!").

In this film, Marple begins the film on a jury for what seems to be an open and shut murder case. She is the only juror who refuses to convict, and after being told off by the police she decides to do a little investigating of her own. This soon leads her to a theater troupe filled with over-the-top personalities. Assisted (willingly) by her trusty partner Jim and (reluctantly) by Inspector Craddock, Marple tries to find the killer as bodies start to fall.

Rutherford's Marple is such a delight to me. She is smart and open-minded and also completely stubborn. I love that she is always ready and willing to sit down with a "small beer". She is also physically fearless, ready to use herself as bait and to go toe-to-toe with a murderer. I'm also head-over-heels for the loving, special relationship between Marple and Jim. Jim is played by Rutherford's real-life husband, and their chemistry is genuine and delightful. Simply put they are adorable, such as in a scene where they meet in the park and Jim is cold because he is wearing ridiculous exercise shorts, and Marple whisks off her cape and tucks it around both of them. His reliable support and total faith in her makes him a great foil to her blustery character.

I also have to mention a character whose name I didn't catch (EDIT: Her name is Eva). She's a member of the theater troupe who has psychic visions. I loved her look and the weird physicality she brought to the role. There's a moment where she drops a wine glass and it was one of the funniest things in the whole film.

This film goes very, very meta at times, and I was mostly pretty charmed by it. While rifling through the possessions of a victim Marple finds a playbill for a stage production of Murder She Said. Once in the troupe, the unknowing director has the idea of casting Marple as an old lady detective. There's an allusion to Christie's play The Mousetrap, and so on.

I only have one of these Marple films left (Murder at the Gallop) and I am both looking forward to it and sad that there are only four of them.

The Dark Knight (2008)


Sorry for all the 5 star ratings lately; I've just been going through some old favorites lately. This one might be more deserved in others' eyes. The best in the trilogy, though maybe not by much. I still don't completely agree with how the 'social experiment' played out in the end, with neither boat deciding to blow up the other....doesn't seem like it would actually play out that way in reality.

Have you seen Haxan?

Aquarius (2016)

I fell in love with this film. Avant-garde, underground, experimental stuff is my schtick, but cheesy cult and camp films from the 50's holds a place in my heart too. I especially like the stuff that has a "EC Comics" feel to it, which this film almost has and had it really gone all the way and followed through with that aesthetic it would have been rated higher for me. (Films like The Incredible Shrinking Man is an example.) Anyway, onto the next film.

I'll be honest, this wasn't my favorite "cult" feature but the ending really sealed it for me. The ending is at once powerful, frightening and sad. It also begs the viewer to question human limitations on progress all done in the name of a "greater good." While the feature had some "lull" moments for me, and maybe not as engaging as The Atomic Submarine, this film did provide that "EC Comics" feel I so whole-heartedly enjoy.

Yes...

Adore (2013) - Naomi Watts and Robin Wright star in a tale about two best friends and their sons. Well acted and nice cinematography, but the characters are not likable due to the subject matter of the story.
Heroes of Telemark (1965) - Interesting War movie based on a true story. I enjoyed this as I'm a fan of Kirk Douglas and Michael Redgrave, plus the action was good and the story kept me intrigued.

I liked it, but I felt like the whole first half meandered. Everything that happened .

Just wondering. It's one of my favorite witchcraft/with hunt films.

If.... (1968)

The notoriety seems unwarranted by the modern standards but apparently it was quite a hot potato back in the late 60s. I can't say that I enjoyed it very much (in a way it's as hollow as Mick's rebellion), but there are at least two things I have to respect; it didn't feel preachy (I think that depending on the viewer it's quite easy to see opposite messages in it) and 52 years later it still felt relevant (the ending is like it's written during the last month). It's like an essay turned into a film. Not bad, not good, kind of odd.

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I didn't see Mick's rebellion as hollow so much as something that came from a place of helplessness. In the context of how power works in the school, the boys are sort of funneled into violence as the only way to fight back.

To me that's actually kind of a powerful message, even if Mick's motivations could be read as immature or short-sighted. Even if you think that violence isn't the answer, you have to admit that from Mick's point of view it feels like his only recourse.

I think that the main issue I had with it is that the Whips and the school administration are a bit thinly drawn.

I actually seen that one, and mostly liked it. I probably respected the guts of it more than enjoyed it. Personally it seems more of a 'dangerous' movie today than when it was made.