Rate The Last Movie You Saw

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L.A. Confidential - (1997)

Yesterday, before watching L.A. Confidential, I took out my phone, flipped onto the IMDb and memorized all the characters' names - and if I thought I might be hazy on any moment I rewound and made sure I got it - it's a movie with plenty of twists and turns, where all the characters play a pivotal part - and there are around 10 to 12 important ones - the first time I ever watched it I have to admit I lost the thread at certain times. Yesterday was my most enjoyable experience with the film, because everything made sense and I was able to follow the emotional and narrative trails that unwind in this slurry mixture of law enforcement and entertainment that is full to the brim with corruption and crooked deals. It's a really great film, and a fantastic ensemble piece where all of the actors involved get something extremely satisfying to do. Kim Basinger walked away with the prize, but Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, David Strathairn, Danny DeVito and yeah - even Kevin Spacey aquit themselves particularly well. If not for Titanic, this might have been a Best Picture winner.

8/10


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Drive My Car - (2021)

The opening credits to Drive My Car kick in after 40 minutes have gone by - but hey, if Michael Cimino had of had his way, the climactic battle in Heaven's Gate would have lasted 90 minutes of it's 5 and a half hour runtime. That's what it's all about these days, and I myself like to err on the side of giving filmmakers their cuts, no matter the length. It's true, that we only ever know our own hearts, even if we think we know the hearts of others - and we usually blame ourselves for the deaths of our loved ones, even if their death was caused by events completely out of our control. There were some great scenes in this film - top tier stuff, but I'm loath to rank this among my favourite films because at times it felt like a bit of a slog. An extremely well-made and meaningful slog, with amazing moments.

7/10


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The Big Sick - (2017)

What happens when your relationship with someone grows and changes while they're in a coma? This happens with Kumail Nanjiani (playing himself) and the winsome Zoe Kazan (playing his real life wife Emily) - they've broken up, but he gets a call about her having a serious illness, and he gets to know her parents while she's under. It's an ultra-cute romance they have to start the film, and the life of stand-up comedians does interest me. I would have loved to have been one - my only problem being that after a bad night where I "died" on stage I'd probably be suicidal. I would not be able to handle that aspect of being one. Anyway, Judd Apatow only produced this thank goodness, and director Michael Showalter delivers a decent mix of character and comedy that comes off - despite a hokey ending. I've been curious about his 2021 film The Eyes of Tammy Faye - should have watched that.

7/10

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In the Realm of the Senses (1976) -

I didn't think I would enjoy this at first as, while I can (mostly) handle graphic sexual content, I initially felt it was at the expense of everything else in the film and I found myself pretty unengaged with it. As it went on though and as the central relationship changed from constant lovemaking to increasingly masochistic scenes of them hurting each other and other people, the movie grew more and more disconcerting to watch. Watching them make love to each other through autoerotic asphyxiation numerous times, make suggestions of penial amputations, and seeing them taunt other people who get in the way of their lovemaking, one can't help but feel dread over what the film is building to. And I always appreciate it when art is able to make me feel this much dread, regardless of the measures it takes to do this. Even though the payoff is predictable (I'd argue the ending was an inevitability though), all this dread culminated in one of the most disturbing scenes of violence I've ever seen in a film. As much as I dislike this term, this film obviously isn't for everyone, but I thought it was very well-done.

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What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

It probably should've been the BP winner for '97 too, if you ask me: https://letterboxd.com/stusmallz/film/la-confidential/

loved it

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King Richard - (2021)

I didn't think I could really be into a sports biopic to the extent I got into King Richard - it's a film with a lot of personality woven into it, and it's own way of doing things. Will Smith managed to inject some serious performance art into his role - even though he won an Oscar for his performance, I didn't expect the subtle transformation he'd make onscreen. His Richard Williams is buried deep into a corner of the character's own mind as he goes about lifting his daughters from the squalor of their lives into something better - in a Terminator kind of "this is the plan - we don't deviate" kind of way. I like how the film focused on the process, hardships and simple will. I like that it's triumph comes in a match Venus Williams soundly loses - her making it there at all is the story. I was really impressed with King Richard - coming from a genre I'm tired of, but feeling really fresh.

8/10


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Shame - (2011)

Steve McQueen directed short films for 15 years before he gave us Hunger - an auspicious debut, and a film I really rated highly. Shame, his second film, is just as good. Brandon Sullivan (Michael Fassbender) has all the outward trappings of success and stability - but inside he's a sex-addicted, painful knot of rage. When his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) lands on his doorstep it nearly sends him over the edge - they're both unstable and have a lot to work through. Neither character really manages this, or overcomes all of their obstacles in a matter of days - like you'd see in most films. This just reminds us that behind locked doors, or in the mind, things are often not what they seem. Brandon seems to get no real joy from his lovemaking - it just satisfies an urge in the moment, and urge that is always there. He can't love - not even his sister - because he's too damaged. Shame is a disturbing portrait - and how many people are out there like this? This is a confronting, alarming and eye-opening look at mental illness and trauma - the shame these characters feel mean they cloak themselves in normality. A reminder to be aware - always.

8/10


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My Neighbor Totoro - (1988)

This popped up on my Netflix recommendations and reminded me that I have more Studio Ghibli films to watch to complete the Foreign Language Countdown list, and they're pretty easy to watch. This one was adorable, and would be perfect to watch with small children. Even though there wasn't much more to the plot than "A family go on holiday, the two young girls encounter magical creatures - their mother is ill in hospital" it really has a joyous fun-filled atmosphere that's full of laughter and the cutest little ghost-creatures you're ever likely to see. Fantastic kid's film.

8/10

Foreign Language Countdown films seen : 90/100


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The Waiting Room - (2007)

This little-seen drama takes us into the minds of various characters - most of whom are dissatisfied with their lives. The main thrust is an instant connection made when two of the characters happen to meet at a train station. One is married, and the other a single mum sleeping with her married neighbour - but this brief moment seems to linger in their thoughts. Will they meet again? Should they rethink the relationships they're in, if they feel this way? It's involving for us to care a little - if you believe in love at first sight. Would you throw in your whole marriage for someone you bumped into at a train station though? Personally, I thought it should take more than that to abandon your spouse.

6/10

Wolf (1994)

The Lady from Shanghai 8.5/10
Bullet Train 7/10
Gerald's Game 7.5/10
Bodies Bodies Bodies 6.5/10
X 7/10
Do Revenge 6/10

Agree that it should have won the Oscar for Best Picture of '97.

Don't Worry Darling (2022)

Looks great and Florence Pugh is great and I have to admit I did spend a lot of time thinking about it afterwards. However, it is a lot of setup for a little payoff and some things just never are explained at all.

Perfect Blue (1997) -

What a crazy film, absolute insane from start to finish

Barbie in The 12 Dancing Princesses (Greg Richardson, 2006)

So I've remarked in many of these reviews that a dance scene is a particularly standout, magical moment in the film and I was hype for this one since it implied an abundance of dancing, and we do get a lot of dancing, but outside of one scene towards the end none of it really hits like that. Like, the princesses find a way to go to magical realm where they can dance to their hearts content and its not the best film in the series?? It took awhile to get over my disappointment in the dances not being great and the plot is as bare bones as possible but the vibes are really good throughout and the last act is particularly fun.

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Halloween Ends - (2022)

With a whimper and a shrug by the feel of it. Half way through, I was commending Halloween Ends for going in an unexpected direction, but I figured I'd need a pretty big payoff for everything I'd invested by that point. A new character is not only introduced - McBride, David Gordon Green and co build the whole final chapter of the new Halloween trilogy around him, Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) and add Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak - returning). The town of Haddonfield itself is a character I guess - and the question asked, has Michael's life work screwed up a generation, and thus the entire town? Is Corey the new Michael? I was expecting something huge. Well....the final act in the final installment of the trilogy ended up lacking imagination to such a startling degree that the big payoff definitely did not arrive. Was this the 5 year plan? Some of the cheaper, b-movie installments had better and more spectacular endings. I guess it was an overcorrection, considering how crazily over-the-top Halloween Kills was. This has a story, and tries something different, but is as flat as a pancake.

4/10


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West Side Story - (2021)

For the first hour or so, this version of West Side Story had me rolling my eyes and asking why Steven Spielberg would bother with an updated recreation. But the last hour or so really won me over, and so in the end I found myself hoping that at least a few people had been converted to West Side Story-lovers, and that this version would be theirs. It's still a topical film (perhaps even more so) and the music is still terrific. The flashy visuals go up a whole other level - so I ended up liking it. There was definite passion there. Weeeeepaaaaaa!!!

7/10


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Stranger Than Fiction - (2006)

I don't know if Will Ferrell was really well cast as the IRS agent in Stranger Than Fiction - it was more a Matthew Broderick-type role. It's a film that has a screenplay that's okay, comedy that's okay and performances that are okay. There's a lot of talent - Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, Emma Thompson with Marc Forster directing. Harold Crick (Ferrell) finds himself living a life that's being written at the same time by author Karen Eiffel (Thompson) whose voice he hears in his mind. It hits straight down the middle - I didn't mind it at all, and I didn't love it. Amusing, but not hilarious. A perfect 6.

6/10

Candyman (1992)

Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul (2020) -

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I do blogging (especially reviews) on my Movie and Anime Blog

Great recommendation, and thanks for the tip! I hadn't realized the film was on Amazon Prime. Watched it last night, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I believe I recall Rose Marie from the Bob Cummings Show from the late '50s. I watched some of the Dick Van Dyke shows, but honestly I thought it was often too corny. Dick Van Dyke was really impressive with his comedy acting and physical comedy. Morey Amsterdam had been a popular comedian prior to that show. I recall seeing him on Ed Sullivan, and maybe even Jack Paar.

Looking back, Rose Marie was always perfect in her timing. I often wondered about that black bow she always wore in her hair. Now I know.

She was always a riot on Hollywood Squares, just under Cliff Arquette and Paul Lynde. Cheers.

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Belfast - (2021)

Personal, reflective and intimate, Belfast is an autobiographical look at Kenneth Branagh's childhood living in a dilapidated old house in the middle of a conflict-ridden street in the titular Irish city. Protestants and Catholics fight in one of the most pointless and trivial conflicts I've ever heard of, but regardless - they really mean it. Growing up amongst the danger is Buddy (Jude Hill) who is living your typical nine-year-old life, with a father who works in England but a close-knit group with grandparents, mother and brother. The cinema and theatre are highlighted by being shown in colour while the rest of the film is in black and white - the special nature of this probably isn't lost on many of us here - when I think back to my formative days, the cinema and drive-in form a huge part of that (probably the largest.) The film oozes remembrance, and has a deleted ending where Branagh himself is seen walking through his old neighbourhood - a grown Buddy amongst the ghosts of the past. I felt that the film was enjoyable, well-made and had a lot of heart - I didn't find anything remarkably special in it that raises it into a category of greatness, but I felt that deep-seated familiar touch.

7/10

That leaves Dune and CODA - 8/10