Reply to Topic
Star Wars: the Last Jedi - I loved this flick. Exciting, unpredictable, timely...this is how you make a space epic. The film tosses aside what you think you know and goes in new directions, abandons the black and white morality of past Star Wars flicks, and creates new questions to be answered by the next one.
Movie Tab II
→ in Games and Tabs
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
The Polar Express (2004):
Christmas, ghosts, marionettes... Am I the only one who thinks this was influenced by Fanny and Alexander?
Christmas, ghosts, marionettes... Am I the only one who thinks this was influenced by Fanny and Alexander?
X
User Lists
Seen in December, Pt.3
Kind of a trashy horror movie. It's good at the start but it starts to go downhill as it goes on. There was one good jumpscare but the rest of them were awful.I liked the father character but the son was super forgettable. I liked the atmosphere inside the autopsy room. The cgi wasn't that good.
Overall not an experience I would recommend.
A very well done mystery thriller with brilliant atmosphere. Leo's performance was fantastic as always. The horror elements were handled really great.
The animation, editing and direction are amazing, it reminds me of those old tv shows that would air really late in the night on Nick Jr. You do get many frames during the film that could be hung in an art gallery.The music is great. It can completely change depending on the mood of the scene (Sometimes it's rock music). The character designs are extremely unique, whether it be the breasts extruding from the female Draags or the multiple creatures scattered across the land (including that one guy in the cage with a ton of tentacles coming out of his nose). The film is written as if it is aware of the rules of the world in the film, giving no time whatsoever to explain them. All of these elements absorb you into the world, as if you're a part of it, and the 'real' world is just an odd concept in the back of your head. The scenes at the beginning immediately strike you as it is akin to the way children play with animals in real life, giving you a whole different perspective on animal abuse. Despite the characters only having a little amount of dialogue, you get to sympathies with them all.
An extremely unique experience that every animation lover should experience.
The Wes Anderson style is awesome. The characters and the story are great. It makes it feel like an edgy family film.
+
Overall not a memorable experience. I couldn't follow the plot at all; all of the dialogue sounds like 'Blah blah blah'. The performances were great though.
Mark Duplass was the best element of the first one, so I'm glad he's back in this one. In the first one you were kinda asking yourself "Why the hell is he still holding the camera?! Why doesn't he just drop it out of terror and run?" There's not a single scene in the second one that leaves you asking that question. The opening credits really ruin the immersion. There's a few crappy sound effects and there's one or two shots that should be impossible.
+
Absolutely hilarious. It was a real laugh a minute. So many quotable lines. This film is meant to be a homage to 30's comedies like Bringing Up Baby, but the thing is it's a million times funnier than Bringing Up Baby! The chase scene at the end is perfection. The actors are really good with comedy. The way the film handled the clichéd "Two men with a glass pane" joke was genius.
Rewatch
Decided to see it again since it's Christmas. What can I say? It's perfect.
An experience. My favourite director never fails to surprise me. It f*cked me up REAL bad. The direction and editing kept you on edge.
Lawrence wasn’t a particularly good casting choice, though her performance was good. The Michael Haneke’ approach to the soundtrack was an interesting choice, but I’m very disappointed the soundtrack we heard in the trailer wasn’t heard in the movie; Aronofsky is a master with string music. The cgi is a little off.
Kind of a trashy horror movie. It's good at the start but it starts to go downhill as it goes on. There was one good jumpscare but the rest of them were awful.I liked the father character but the son was super forgettable. I liked the atmosphere inside the autopsy room. The cgi wasn't that good.
WARNING: spoilers below
The girlfriend death is the most moronic thing I have ever witnessed on a screen
Overall not an experience I would recommend.
A very well done mystery thriller with brilliant atmosphere. Leo's performance was fantastic as always. The horror elements were handled really great.
The animation, editing and direction are amazing, it reminds me of those old tv shows that would air really late in the night on Nick Jr. You do get many frames during the film that could be hung in an art gallery.The music is great. It can completely change depending on the mood of the scene (Sometimes it's rock music). The character designs are extremely unique, whether it be the breasts extruding from the female Draags or the multiple creatures scattered across the land (including that one guy in the cage with a ton of tentacles coming out of his nose). The film is written as if it is aware of the rules of the world in the film, giving no time whatsoever to explain them. All of these elements absorb you into the world, as if you're a part of it, and the 'real' world is just an odd concept in the back of your head. The scenes at the beginning immediately strike you as it is akin to the way children play with animals in real life, giving you a whole different perspective on animal abuse. Despite the characters only having a little amount of dialogue, you get to sympathies with them all.
An extremely unique experience that every animation lover should experience.
The Wes Anderson style is awesome. The characters and the story are great. It makes it feel like an edgy family film.
+
Overall not a memorable experience. I couldn't follow the plot at all; all of the dialogue sounds like 'Blah blah blah'. The performances were great though.
Mark Duplass was the best element of the first one, so I'm glad he's back in this one. In the first one you were kinda asking yourself "Why the hell is he still holding the camera?! Why doesn't he just drop it out of terror and run?" There's not a single scene in the second one that leaves you asking that question. The opening credits really ruin the immersion. There's a few crappy sound effects and there's one or two shots that should be impossible.
+
Absolutely hilarious. It was a real laugh a minute. So many quotable lines. This film is meant to be a homage to 30's comedies like Bringing Up Baby, but the thing is it's a million times funnier than Bringing Up Baby! The chase scene at the end is perfection. The actors are really good with comedy. The way the film handled the clichéd "Two men with a glass pane" joke was genius.
Rewatch
Decided to see it again since it's Christmas. What can I say? It's perfect.
An experience. My favourite director never fails to surprise me. It f*cked me up REAL bad. The direction and editing kept you on edge.
Lawrence wasn’t a particularly good casting choice, though her performance was good. The Michael Haneke’ approach to the soundtrack was an interesting choice, but I’m very disappointed the soundtrack we heard in the trailer wasn’t heard in the movie; Aronofsky is a master with string music. The cgi is a little off.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
State Cabinet in 2505-Idiocracy
Recent Watches:
[REWATCH] A Christmas Story (Clark, 1983)-
Idiocracy (Judge, 2006)- +
House of Games (Mamet, 1987)-
Meet the Fockers (Roach, 2004)-
Age of Consent (Powell, 1969)-
__________________
Yeah, there's no body mutilation in it
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
Krampus (2015) –
A lot is cut and dry, but still fun. It got a little too ridiculous though after a decent start (seemed in the spirit of Killer Klowns).
Un homme qui dort (1974) –
Bleakly meditative statement on loneliness, apathy, and depression. Some of it resonates greatly, though it’s a little boring and self-indulgent by nature.
A Shot in the Dark (1964) –
Entertaining, comfortable, easy to watch. Something I love coming back to every now and again.
Mother! (2017) –
I didn’t know or expect much going in. I’m almost embarrassed to admit when a horror movie gets to me, but this really is uncomfortable, if not comically OTT at times. Only watch if you’re ready to embrace a lot of forced discomfort.
A lot is cut and dry, but still fun. It got a little too ridiculous though after a decent start (seemed in the spirit of Killer Klowns).
Un homme qui dort (1974) –
Bleakly meditative statement on loneliness, apathy, and depression. Some of it resonates greatly, though it’s a little boring and self-indulgent by nature.
A Shot in the Dark (1964) –
Entertaining, comfortable, easy to watch. Something I love coming back to every now and again.
Mother! (2017) –
I didn’t know or expect much going in. I’m almost embarrassed to admit when a horror movie gets to me, but this really is uncomfortable, if not comically OTT at times. Only watch if you’re ready to embrace a lot of forced discomfort.
__________________
X
Favorite Movies
First They Killed My Father (Angelina Jolie, 2017) -
What initially seems like Netflix attempting to produce another Beasts of No Nation ends up doing just enough to distinguish itself by telling the true story of Loung Ung trying to survive the dangers of Vietnam War-era Cambodia as a child. It's blunt in its retelling of Ung's experiences and is a little on the long side, but it's ultimately a decent piece of work.
Raw Deal (Anthony Mann, 1948) -
A lean and mean little noir about an escaped convict running into all sorts of obstacles on his way to freedom. Mann's work is dependably watchable and, though this one may lack some of the complexity of the other films of his that I've seen, it's still a solid piece of work that doesn't waste its 80 minutes.
Bright (David Ayer, 2017) -
An Alien Nation riff where the aliens are replaced by orcs and elves sounds like it could work in theory, but in these hands the result is extremely messy. A poorly thought-out treatment (both thematically and logically) of its central socio-political metaphor intersects with a dull and overly long excuse for a buddy-cop thriller that doesn't quite result in the worst movie in the year but it's not for a lack of trying.
The Book of Henry (Colin Trevorrow, 2017) -
I thought I'd gotten to a point where I could afford to stop deliberately watching the notoriously terrible new releases, but clearly that is not the case (besides, my main motivation this time was so that I could watch Folding Ideas' video essay on it). As for the film itself, it really is a severe tonal and narrative mishmash that has to be seen to be believed, but you really don't need to see it.
The Circle (James Ponsoldt, 2017) -
This story of a young woman getting a job at a Google-like tech company and having a complicated reaction to their more invasive practices seems like it's ideally poised to comment upon the potential (or is that inherent?) toxicity of 2010s technology, but its attempts at nuance end up coming across as absence of clarity and end up creating a cyber-thriller so clumsy that it managed to remind me of a movie as utterly forgettable as Antitrust.
The Florida Project (Sean Baker, 2017) -
After those last few movies, it was good to watch this and remind myself that good movies did come out this year. A recognisable inversion of Baker's previous film Tangerine in so many ways that complements that film very well while this one still manages to be its own thing with remarkable results. The extremely episodic structure combines with the two-hour running time to maybe make this feel a bit long, but that does little to dilute the emotional rollercoaster the film sends you on.
The Long Kiss Goodnight (Renny Harlin, 1996) -
This Shane Black-penned tale of an amnesiac assassin rediscovering her past is yet another film that got a harsh review from me a couple of years back before I learned to stop worrying and love the bombs. Now I recognise that it's definitely fun enough to make me consider adding this to the regular Christmas rotation - can't just watch Die Hard, after all.
Scrooged (Richard Donner, 1988) -
Sticking with established Christmas movie-watching traditions makes a lot more sense when you consider that the alternative is throwing yourself at the mercy of an unseen piece of work that may just end up being more boring than anything. Certainly, the prospect of seeing A Christmas Carol updated for the '80s with Bill Murray as the Scrooge stand-in is hardly the most alienating prospect but it didn't make me laugh and even its supposedly sharp satire about '80s cynicism just seems either lacklustre of benign.
Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (Akira Kurosawa, 1990) -
Watching Kurosawa is always a treat and this anthology of vignettes based on his own dreams is at once something appreciably different yet satisfyingly familiar. The colours and compositions are as vibrant or mordant as the ones he pulled off in Ran while the constantly-shifting subject matter and forays into surrealism (such as the entire chapter about VIncent Van Gogh) certainly keep it interesting enough.
Call Me by Your Name (Luca Guadigninio, 2017) -
Maybe a little too good at capturing the languid nature of summer holidays as its extremely deliberate pacing can attest to, but it's very much a story of subtleties that demands attention even when it seems like very little (or even nothing) is happening, to say nothing of the moments where everything happens all at once.
What initially seems like Netflix attempting to produce another Beasts of No Nation ends up doing just enough to distinguish itself by telling the true story of Loung Ung trying to survive the dangers of Vietnam War-era Cambodia as a child. It's blunt in its retelling of Ung's experiences and is a little on the long side, but it's ultimately a decent piece of work.
Raw Deal (Anthony Mann, 1948) -
A lean and mean little noir about an escaped convict running into all sorts of obstacles on his way to freedom. Mann's work is dependably watchable and, though this one may lack some of the complexity of the other films of his that I've seen, it's still a solid piece of work that doesn't waste its 80 minutes.
Bright (David Ayer, 2017) -
An Alien Nation riff where the aliens are replaced by orcs and elves sounds like it could work in theory, but in these hands the result is extremely messy. A poorly thought-out treatment (both thematically and logically) of its central socio-political metaphor intersects with a dull and overly long excuse for a buddy-cop thriller that doesn't quite result in the worst movie in the year but it's not for a lack of trying.
The Book of Henry (Colin Trevorrow, 2017) -
I thought I'd gotten to a point where I could afford to stop deliberately watching the notoriously terrible new releases, but clearly that is not the case (besides, my main motivation this time was so that I could watch Folding Ideas' video essay on it). As for the film itself, it really is a severe tonal and narrative mishmash that has to be seen to be believed, but you really don't need to see it.
The Circle (James Ponsoldt, 2017) -
This story of a young woman getting a job at a Google-like tech company and having a complicated reaction to their more invasive practices seems like it's ideally poised to comment upon the potential (or is that inherent?) toxicity of 2010s technology, but its attempts at nuance end up coming across as absence of clarity and end up creating a cyber-thriller so clumsy that it managed to remind me of a movie as utterly forgettable as Antitrust.
The Florida Project (Sean Baker, 2017) -
After those last few movies, it was good to watch this and remind myself that good movies did come out this year. A recognisable inversion of Baker's previous film Tangerine in so many ways that complements that film very well while this one still manages to be its own thing with remarkable results. The extremely episodic structure combines with the two-hour running time to maybe make this feel a bit long, but that does little to dilute the emotional rollercoaster the film sends you on.
The Long Kiss Goodnight (Renny Harlin, 1996) -
This Shane Black-penned tale of an amnesiac assassin rediscovering her past is yet another film that got a harsh review from me a couple of years back before I learned to stop worrying and love the bombs. Now I recognise that it's definitely fun enough to make me consider adding this to the regular Christmas rotation - can't just watch Die Hard, after all.
Scrooged (Richard Donner, 1988) -
Sticking with established Christmas movie-watching traditions makes a lot more sense when you consider that the alternative is throwing yourself at the mercy of an unseen piece of work that may just end up being more boring than anything. Certainly, the prospect of seeing A Christmas Carol updated for the '80s with Bill Murray as the Scrooge stand-in is hardly the most alienating prospect but it didn't make me laugh and even its supposedly sharp satire about '80s cynicism just seems either lacklustre of benign.
Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (Akira Kurosawa, 1990) -
Watching Kurosawa is always a treat and this anthology of vignettes based on his own dreams is at once something appreciably different yet satisfyingly familiar. The colours and compositions are as vibrant or mordant as the ones he pulled off in Ran while the constantly-shifting subject matter and forays into surrealism (such as the entire chapter about VIncent Van Gogh) certainly keep it interesting enough.
Call Me by Your Name (Luca Guadigninio, 2017) -
Maybe a little too good at capturing the languid nature of summer holidays as its extremely deliberate pacing can attest to, but it's very much a story of subtleties that demands attention even when it seems like very little (or even nothing) is happening, to say nothing of the moments where everything happens all at once.
__________________
Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0
I really just want you all angry and confused the whole time.
X
Favorite Movies
This post is as much use as a liquorice hairnet here, but I'm leaving it anyway 
. A couple of Virtual Reality shorts I've watched recently 
Plus this fits too. Despite being a 'game' in theory, it's a cinematic spin off, has some cool actor-capture, and was essentially a linear narrative with minor interaction (and the ability to chose your own viewpoint in certain environments).
I actually think this full capture tech is probably a dead end, for the reason posted there re file sizes. Especially when halfway house stuff can be more effective, such as the face capture & animated bodies of LA Noire. (Vid example here. Still on the gamey end with the transitions and body animations, and the '3rd person' camera edits are fairly hokey, but the face capture is very effective at points. Some interesting 'in the narrative' stuff should be possible here )
. A couple of Virtual Reality shorts I've watched recently Shorts:
Easter Rising: Voice of a Rebel
This is the closest I've felt to a 'future TV' experience. It's just 12 minutes of one man's reminiscences from the day, but has splashes of detail that speak to the wider facts and the feel of the times. Some lovely semi-static art paints and connects the various subjective scenes around you in a seated experience. The pseudo-balanced BBC meta narrator is a bit annoying, but in fairness the topic is too huge for anything but a toe dip in the timeframe available.
*More Pix*
(++)
---
Pearl
Part of Google's Spotlight series, I'll give this one a hat tip for being the first to get my eyes moist. (Although with the caveat that since I've become a dad any story tied to kid care can tease the tears out with ease. Also films about bears, loss, love, & the inner-workings of the rotisserie industry. I don't know why this is 
).
The format is pretty simple: Sit in the passenger seat throughout the life of a family car, as a father and daughter go from the Spring to the Autumn of their relationship. It's kinda hokey, but technically solid.
---
Dear Angelica
Another painterly affair (developed with and alongside the 3D paint package Quill), this one shows off some cinematic sensitivities, partially with its narrative of a daughter lost in dreams without her famous mother, and partially in its voice works from Geena Davis. It doesn't take off completely, but the melancholy traces of reveries and daily debris work with the audio for sure.
---
Easter Rising: Voice of a Rebel
This is the closest I've felt to a 'future TV' experience. It's just 12 minutes of one man's reminiscences from the day, but has splashes of detail that speak to the wider facts and the feel of the times. Some lovely semi-static art paints and connects the various subjective scenes around you in a seated experience. The pseudo-balanced BBC meta narrator is a bit annoying, but in fairness the topic is too huge for anything but a toe dip in the timeframe available.
*More Pix*
(++)
---
Pearl
Part of Google's Spotlight series, I'll give this one a hat tip for being the first to get my eyes moist. (Although with the caveat that since I've become a dad any story tied to kid care can tease the tears out with ease
. Also films about bears, loss, love, & the inner-workings of the rotisserie industry. I don't know why this is ). The format is pretty simple: Sit in the passenger seat throughout the life of a family car, as a father and daughter go from the Spring to the Autumn of their relationship. It's kinda hokey, but technically solid.
---
Dear Angelica
Another painterly affair (developed with and alongside the 3D paint package Quill), this one shows off some cinematic sensitivities, partially with its narrative of a daughter lost in dreams without her famous mother, and partially in its voice works from Geena Davis. It doesn't take off completely, but the melancholy traces of reveries and daily debris work with the audio for sure.
---
Blade Runner 2049
Cool little freebie dropped today. A Blade Runner mini adventure using new volumetric 'hologram' footage capture. Here's some examples
Pretty impressed. You can see some outline trimming and such, but used as holographic entities & recordings they totally pass muster. Really cool to see volumetric vid capture like this that you can move around and approach etc. How they use this in more classical narratives I'm not sure, as all the story elements were really playing to the tech's strengths. Eye contact would definitely be an issue, as of course they can't track you like a normal NPC would. Actor exchanges would certainly work though.
EDIT: Although having seen how they capture it, I've just remembered that this 10 minute experience was a 10GB download
Cool little freebie dropped today. A Blade Runner mini adventure using new volumetric 'hologram' footage capture. Here's some examples
Pretty impressed
. You can see some outline trimming and such, but used as holographic entities & recordings they totally pass muster. Really cool to see volumetric vid capture like this that you can move around and approach etc. How they use this in more classical narratives I'm not sure, as all the story elements were really playing to the tech's strengths. Eye contact would definitely be an issue, as of course they can't track you like a normal NPC would. Actor exchanges would certainly work though.EDIT: Although having seen how they capture it, I've just remembered that this 10 minute experience was a 10GB download
)
X
User Lists
Hannah and Her Sisters (Allen, 1983)
Probably the most acclaimed Woody Allen film I had yet to see, and this masterpiece is well worth the praise.The brilliance of this charming piece is how Woody Allen weaves so many characters and their relationships together. The character depictions are all one dimensional, but created enough where you can relate to everyone and understand their motives- and somehow being able to withhold judgement with the more honest approach Allen takes in portraying infidelity. While many can seem like faux-intellects while jamming artist and philosopher references in there works, Allen does it perfectly time and again. Perhaps it's his ability to poke fun at those faux-intellects with pompous characters like Frederick. Beyond the honesty of the film it's extremely funny, the lighter hearted scenes with Woody Allen have the most chuckles however there are some great socially funny moments between Hannah and her Sisters. It's hard to explain how Woody Allen makes the scene where the 3 sisters are enjoying dinner and Lee starts breaking down defending Hannah from April's "attacks", while Hannah seems as usual affable to the whole situation. Perhaps it's the extra layer of knowledge the audience has that makes scenes like these so funny, regardless of how he does it- Hannah and Her Sisters is yet another masterful and tasteful comedy from Woody Allen.
Woody Ranked and Rated:
Annie Hall
Crimes and Misdemeanors, Hannah and Her Sisters, Midnight in Paris
Match Point, Zelig, Anything Else, Another Women
Blue Jasmine, Sleeper, Manhattan, Manhattan Murder Mystery, The Purple Rose of Cairo
Cafe Society, Everything you Always Wanted to Know About Sex* but Were Afraid to Ask
Everybody Says I Love you, Stardust Memories
Husbands and Wives
Murder on the Orient Express (Lumet, 1974)
A charming and extremely European murder mystery, with one of the most insanely star studded casts in history. The characters seem overly one dimensional, but as those who've seen it know this too is for a reason. While some of the deductive reasoning is rather goofy it's still and intriguing enough story too put that aside. Excellent rainy day movie, perhaps Lumet could've titled it 12 Angry Men II: On a Train.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
My Life To Live
Rauldc is going to give me grief for giving out another 5, but I can't help myself I am seeing way too many great films this year. This just might be the best of the bunch. I woke up at 5 the other morning and couldn't sleep so I threw this on. It mesmerized me and I had one of my most enchanting viewings of the year. I just love every second of this film. The camera work is completely unique and beautiful. One of my favorite female performances ever by an absolutely beautiful woman. Really great story and structure and completely engaging. I can't praise it enough.
I so wanted everyone to be wrong and to love this, as I am a big Payne head. It is as mediocre as reported. It picks up a lot the second half, especially with the humor. The ideas are just too big and broad to be interesting for me. He narrows up the themes in the last bit, but it is too little too late. Not the worst thing out there for holiday viewing but far from the best.
The Room
I am definitely not a so good it's bad type of film fan but this may be the exception to the rule. I gave it 1 star but a like on Letterboxd because this thing is so damn entertaining for a one time watch and you definitely find yourself wanting to talk about it. I can't believe something can be this inept in every single way. Just wow. Oh, and the phrase "keep your comments in your pocket" should certainly be used regular on forums.
Rauldc is going to give me grief for giving out another 5, but I can't help myself I am seeing way too many great films this year. This just might be the best of the bunch. I woke up at 5 the other morning and couldn't sleep so I threw this on. It mesmerized me and I had one of my most enchanting viewings of the year. I just love every second of this film. The camera work is completely unique and beautiful. One of my favorite female performances ever by an absolutely beautiful woman. Really great story and structure and completely engaging. I can't praise it enough.
I so wanted everyone to be wrong and to love this, as I am a big Payne head. It is as mediocre as reported. It picks up a lot the second half, especially with the humor. The ideas are just too big and broad to be interesting for me. He narrows up the themes in the last bit, but it is too little too late. Not the worst thing out there for holiday viewing but far from the best.
The Room
I am definitely not a so good it's bad type of film fan but this may be the exception to the rule. I gave it 1 star but a like on Letterboxd because this thing is so damn entertaining for a one time watch and you definitely find yourself wanting to talk about it. I can't believe something can be this inept in every single way. Just wow. Oh, and the phrase "keep your comments in your pocket" should certainly be used regular on forums.
__________________
Letterboxd
Letterboxd
X
Favorite Movies
Oh, and the phrase "keep your comments in your pocket" should certainly be used regular on forums.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
The Room
I am definitely not a so good it's bad type of film fan but this may be the exception to the rule. I gave it 1 star but a like on Letterboxd because this thing is so damn entertaining for a one time watch and you definitely find yourself wanting to talk about it. I can't believe something can be this inept in every single way. Just wow. Oh, and the phrase "keep your comments in your pocket" should certainly be used regular on forums.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
The sad thing is that it's getting more attention than ever, because it's so bad... I don't get it. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
X
Favorite Movies
The sad thing is that it's getting more attention than ever, because it's so bad... I don't get it. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
X
Favorite Movies
My Life To Live
Rauldc is going to give me grief for giving out another 5, but I can't help myself I am seeing way too many great films this year. This just might be the best of the bunch. I woke up at 5 the other morning and couldn't sleep so I threw this on. It mesmerized me and I had one of my most enchanting viewings of the year. I just love every second of this film. The camera work is completely unique and beautiful. One of my favorite female performances ever by an absolutely beautiful woman. Really great story and structure and completely engaging. I can't praise it enough.
Rauldc is going to give me grief for giving out another 5, but I can't help myself I am seeing way too many great films this year. This just might be the best of the bunch. I woke up at 5 the other morning and couldn't sleep so I threw this on. It mesmerized me and I had one of my most enchanting viewings of the year. I just love every second of this film. The camera work is completely unique and beautiful. One of my favorite female performances ever by an absolutely beautiful woman. Really great story and structure and completely engaging. I can't praise it enough.
Vivre Sa Vie is one of my favourite films. It's the only one of the five Godard's i've seen so far that i really love. for The Room is being generous if you are rating on quality but it's of course really entertaining.
as I am a big Payne head
Too bad to hear it's as weak as everyone is saying.
X
Favorite Movies
Christmas in movies (12.19-29.2017)
All movies I've watched during these 10 Christmas days. What I will have watched tomorrow (that is on December the 30th) and on New Year's Eve will be covered in my next post. Warning! I pan some new popular movies in this post, so don't lynch me, if one of your favourites got trashed. In spite of the Christmas season I watched 0 Christmas-themed films!
The World's End (2013) -
Not a film for me and I knew it the second I started watching it, but my initial disgust slowly turned into slight enjoyment, especially in the second part, when things went completely bat-excrement™ crazy. The action scenes were executed nicely, too. I did not love it, but thought it was decent. I'm a little bit uncertain about my initial choice of Baby Driver as one of the films to watch on New Year's Eve as I don't seem to completely dig Edgar Wright, but we will see how it goes.
FDR: American Badass! (2012) -
A superbly offensive & stupid film. Quite bad, but cheered me up during some otherwise sad day. Besides, it's not every day you get to see Roosevelt killing a bunch of Nazi-werewolves using machine guns attached to his wheelchair. And the three-way conversation between werewolf Axis leaders was pretty out there, too!
Dunkirk (2017) -
The best Christopher Nolan film! Or at least the best one since Memento. Solid craftsmanship. Loved the air combat scenes. Too bad the ending had some typical Nolan-esque pathos (thankfully quite restrained). Also, the guy has to calm down with his frame rates. It changes every now and then and for some reason is pretty annoying. On a side note, Hans Zimmer evolved from my favourite movie composer ever (that was when Gladiator was my favourite film) to one of my least favourites with his constant, boring, recurrent BAAAAM sound that pollutes every score he does.
The Verdict (1982) -
With every new movie of his I watch, Paul Newman slowly becomes one of my favourite American actors. He's phenomenal as a failure of an attorney who decides that "This is the case" in this satisfying legal drama. Plus he ruthlessly punches Charlotte Rampling on her nose. A WTF scene, for sure.
Fury (2014) -
A really well-made and gritty war movie ruined by a bunch of cliches, pathos in the final battle, and Brad Pitt's supermodel heroism. With a couple of changes this could've been an easy 4/5 war flick. Oh well...
Charade (1963) -
AKA the best film Hitchcock never made. Kind of goofy at times (taking a shower in your suit? Oh, come on!). Hepburn is nice to look at. Also the final scene.
Ostatnia rodzina [The Last Family] (2016) -
The best Polish film since Wołyń.
蜂の巣の子供たち [Children of the Beehive] (1948) -
A poignant film about a bunch of "loafers" - homeless children orphaned by the war. It perfectly captures the Shimizu touch™.
Cape Fear (1962) -
This, along with Psycho, continues the streak of films in which it is a human that is the monster, what was later noticed and masterfully turned into a film by Peter Bogdanovich in Targets (1968). Mitchum's character is terrifying and cunning. I loved the way the film was shot. Some sequences, like the two-shot scene in which he pulls a girl and then the window closes have perfect rhythm! The grand finale that lasts 20-odd minutes is full of sheer brilliance, from Mitchum's inflated chest to Peck's surprising final words. Much superior to Scorsese's version.
Sicario (2015) -
Not a bad film, but one that I just didn't find that engaging or exciting. I can't quite put my finger on what exactly wasn't right, but maybe it was the pacing mixed with not too interesting theme?
Manchester by the Sea (2016) -
First off, I'm not really sure if this deserves such a high rating. I might decrease it by half a star later. Secondly, f*ck me, f*cking sh*t c*cks*cker, do f*cking people from f*cking Boston really f*ckin' cuss so f*ckin' often, the f*ck? Another thing I appreciate about this one (and other new films) is that people often stutter, have this weird moment of silence, or simply don't know what to say. Nice refreshment from perfect, refined dialogues from oldschool cinema in which every person has the most perfect answer ALWAYS available on spot.
東京の女 [Woman of Tokyo] (1933) -
Another great Ozu silent. I don't have much to say about this one other than I really liked it and loved how these Japanese actresses used their faces to make me sad.
20th Century Women (2016) -
Kinda too hip and feminist for me, but I really liked the film essay parts in which people gave some backstory of the characters. I felt the film was quite successful in portraying late 70s culture as well. Still, I enjoyed the director's previous film much more.
Room (2015) -
Had I watched it a couple of years ago, I'd have enjoyed this way more. Still, a solid film of its kind and probably as good as Frtizl-core goes.
Moonlight (2016) -
Cool that it is toned down and I liked the aesthetics of a tear running down a face, but I'm not really sure what this film wanted to achieve. The social commentary is pretty trivial. The hero at the end is some monkey gangsta with golden teeth and what not. Meh.
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) -
Fonda plays Lincoln and does it really nice. Besides, anybody who plays Jew's harp is a badass in my book.
Silence (2016) -
Inferior to Shinoda's version (second time Scorsese's film is inferior in this post) and some metaphors are painfully obvious/in your face, but overal a really well made film. Scorsese seems to be siding with Christianity/Western world, though. That's not cool.
Mystery Train (1989) -
Even though it is Jarmusch I love, I have to say: Youki Kudoh marry me. *.* One of director's best with his trademark episodic style (before Pulp Fiction). And at one point when you observe some characters and you realize that behind the wall there are some other characters you know, that feeling is amazing.
Él [This Strange Passion] (1953) -
A delicious Bunuel! Maybe I should complete his filmography now and then get back to two of his flicks I didn't like the first time?
This Is Spinal Tap (1984) -
I enjoyed this way more than I should. A great spoof on the whole glam/hard rock band thing that makes Steel Panther at least 20 years late. Laughed a couple of times and had a great time. My only problem with this is that it's too short. This is now in my kitsch rock movie cannon along with Rocky Horror Picture Show, Lisztomania and Phantom of the Paradise. As a side note, the black girl at the airport is one of the most attractive black females I've seen in a while.
Tant qu'on a la santé [As Long as You've Got Your Health] (1966) -
Four shorts from master Étaix. All great! I only wish this had the poetry of director's other films like Yoyo.
Prova d'orchestra [Orchestra Rehearsal] (1978) -
AKA Fellini's Revolution. Surprisingly a chamber room film!
The Void (2016) -
Lovecraft/Carpenter wannabe. Meh.
Духовные голоса. Из дневников войны. Повествование в пяти частях [Spiritual Voices. From the Diaries of the War. The Story in Five Parts] (1995) -
The first (of 5) part of this is a five star masterpiece containing some of the most beautiful moments in cinema I saw this year. Sadly, the following 5 hours (!) of this film are completely different. A documentary war movie - direct cinema style!
__________________
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.
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.
Last edited by Mr Minio; 12-29-17 at 07:59 PM.
X
User Lists
fury is awful
__________________
Oh my god. They're trying to claim another young victim with the foreign films.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
[center][b]
Charade (1963) -
AKA the best film Hitchcock never made.
Charade (1963) -
AKA the best film Hitchcock never made.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
Yep, Diabolique is the better film, and it's quite Hitchcockian (just like some Truffaut flicks are). :P
X
User Lists
Seen in December, Pt.4
Very interesting. The plot twist literally made my jaw drop. The main subject of the documentary was someone I didn’t think was possible to exist anywhere but comic books.
Very intriguing and intense story. The animation is fantastic. Some very chilling moments. The soundtrack is quite great too. It’s easy to see how and why Aronofsky took inspiration from this. The main character is very interesting. The ending took me completely by surprise. There were many scenes that tricked you into thinking they were actually happening, but they were just scenes in a fictional T.V. show; It was absolutely genius and took me by surprise every time. Currently my favourite anime.
A nice but overall forgettable comedy. It was better in the second half. The relation between The White Sheik and Wanda was interesting. The comedy involving Ivan was fun.
+
Fantastic movie. The animation is wonderful, the movements of the characters are so detailed. The soundtrack and songs are absolutely fantastic. All of the characters are likeable and well developed (Except possibly Flounder, who gets almost so screen-time at all in the second half).
+
The performances were great, especially Rebecca Hall's. The director can direct actors, but he can't direct the camera. The direction is fairly stale, but he does great in two scenes; The 'Yes but' scene and 'Christine sorting the papers before 'you know what'' scene. The script is pretty great and the actors deliver it well.
There were a couple funny moments, but the unstructured narrative makes the film not fun to sit to.
Absolutely fantastic. I dunno what to say, I love Black Mirror. It was extremely well structured and I loved all of the characters.
Quite a brilliant thriller/horror/whatever you want to call it. Christian Bale should've gotten an Oscar for his role in this (Instead of The Fighter, which I wasn't too fond of). The character of Patrick Bateman is fantastic and Bale performs him beautifully; I couldn't imagine any other person performing the role. The opening to the film sets the mood perfectly, the ominous red drops against the pure, white background. Also kudos to the effects department, they got the blood to a perfect, threatening hue. The film can be goofy at times, but not to the point of where a more serious person would walk out of the screening. The film is very well paced. Also two big thumbs up to the sound department, they made the chainsaw sound absolutely vicious!
Jodie Foster’s a pretty great director. It has a very important message. The ending is predictable but it doesn’t make the story any less shocking or thought-provoking.
A nice, feel-good Disney film. The relationship between Dumbo and Jumbo was very cute, and slightly heartbreaking. The secondary characters were a lotta fun, aswell as the slapstick humour. The ending felt very rushed though, they didn’t bring in the concept of the flying ears until the very end.
Some people think the crows are racist caricatures, but let me tell you this. They speak in a stereo typically black way, but they're depicted as good guys who want to help the main character. So it's obviously NOT racist.
Very interesting. The plot twist literally made my jaw drop. The main subject of the documentary was someone I didn’t think was possible to exist anywhere but comic books.
Very intriguing and intense story. The animation is fantastic. Some very chilling moments. The soundtrack is quite great too. It’s easy to see how and why Aronofsky took inspiration from this. The main character is very interesting. The ending took me completely by surprise. There were many scenes that tricked you into thinking they were actually happening, but they were just scenes in a fictional T.V. show; It was absolutely genius and took me by surprise every time. Currently my favourite anime.
A nice but overall forgettable comedy. It was better in the second half. The relation between The White Sheik and Wanda was interesting. The comedy involving Ivan was fun.
+
Fantastic movie. The animation is wonderful, the movements of the characters are so detailed. The soundtrack and songs are absolutely fantastic. All of the characters are likeable and well developed (Except possibly Flounder, who gets almost so screen-time at all in the second half).
+
The performances were great, especially Rebecca Hall's. The director can direct actors, but he can't direct the camera. The direction is fairly stale, but he does great in two scenes; The 'Yes but' scene and 'Christine sorting the papers before 'you know what'' scene. The script is pretty great and the actors deliver it well.
There were a couple funny moments, but the unstructured narrative makes the film not fun to sit to.
Absolutely fantastic. I dunno what to say, I love Black Mirror. It was extremely well structured and I loved all of the characters.
Quite a brilliant thriller/horror/whatever you want to call it. Christian Bale should've gotten an Oscar for his role in this (Instead of The Fighter, which I wasn't too fond of). The character of Patrick Bateman is fantastic and Bale performs him beautifully; I couldn't imagine any other person performing the role. The opening to the film sets the mood perfectly, the ominous red drops against the pure, white background. Also kudos to the effects department, they got the blood to a perfect, threatening hue. The film can be goofy at times, but not to the point of where a more serious person would walk out of the screening. The film is very well paced. Also two big thumbs up to the sound department, they made the chainsaw sound absolutely vicious!
Jodie Foster’s a pretty great director. It has a very important message. The ending is predictable but it doesn’t make the story any less shocking or thought-provoking.
A nice, feel-good Disney film. The relationship between Dumbo and Jumbo was very cute, and slightly heartbreaking. The secondary characters were a lotta fun, aswell as the slapstick humour. The ending felt very rushed though, they didn’t bring in the concept of the flying ears until the very end.
Some people think the crows are racist caricatures, but let me tell you this. They speak in a stereo typically black way, but they're depicted as good guys who want to help the main character. So it's obviously NOT racist.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
Seen in December, Pt.4
Very interesting. The plot twist literally made my jaw drop. The main subject of the documentary was someone I didn’t think was possible to exist anywhere but comic books.
Very interesting. The plot twist literally made my jaw drop. The main subject of the documentary was someone I didn’t think was possible to exist anywhere but comic books.
X