ScarletLion's Movie Log

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‘Wendy and Lucy’ (2008)



This is why I love movieforums.com . Somebody reviewed this on the “Rate the last movie you watched” thread, and being a fan of Michelle Williams I had to give it a go. She really delivers. The girl can act, and the best part of it is that she knows when not to overact. Her mannerisms in this film are excellent because she spends half the movie it chaotic bewilderment as she tries to find her lost dog.

Yes it’s a minimalistic movie. Yes it’s quiet, subdued and downbeat. But you can’t ignore that part of life. And this film showed a side of struggling that a lot of movies don’t. It was like a slice of a drifter’s life, 3 days in time that we peek into and then forget about. Who cares we don’t find out what happens to her, that’s not the point.

So thank you to whoever brought this to my attention last week. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
That was me and you are most welcome, I enjoyed reading your review and pleased you enjoyed it. I found that movie because I wanted to see a dog themed movie but got a lot more than that, I enjoyed it especially as I can relate so well to that situation

Have you seen the movie Hacksaw Ridge yet ?



17.
'The beat that my heart skipped' (2005)


I'm a fan of Jacques Audiard, he's one of those directors that I aim to watch whatever he puts out because I know it has a good chance of being very good. So I'm catching up on his filmography. This is just as good as the rest. It's violent but has a sentimental streak running through it. Romain Duris gives a superb, almost 'young de Niroesque' performance as the lead who has some very important choices to make. I'd recommend this film from a master of French crime drama. 7.5/10



That was me and you are most welcome, I enjoyed reading your review and pleased you enjoyed it. I found that movie because I wanted to see a dog themed movie but got a lot more than that, I enjoyed it especially as I can relate so well to that situation
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I haven't stopped thinking about it all week.

Have you seen the movie Hacksaw Ridge yet ?
No comment.



18.
'Mystery Road' (2013)


Small Outback town in Australia. Murder of a young girl. Elements of race, drugs, poverty, sex, violence and your typical gorgeous photography come together to form a nice but not groundbreaking drama. No Country for Old Men meets The Proposition. Hugo Weaving is a very very good actor.

7/10



19.
'The Devil's Backbone' (2001)


History repeats itself, and we as a species don't learn. How appropriate. I thought this was a fantastic movie. It might not be as good looking as Pan's Labyrinth but it actually might better. The backdrop of the war is the history and the ghosts are the metaphor for us not learning and the cycle repeats itself time and time again. Superbly crafted by Del Torro, it didn't drop in pace, tension or beauty one single bit

I really enjoyed this. The ending was brilliant too.

8.5/10



Glad you liked In The Mood For Love so much .

It felt like it was from the 1950s.
It's a 60's Period-FIlm so close. It reminds me of Mad Men in that what the characters are wearing, their hairstyles, etc, bring so much to the film at least for me. When Maggie Cheung first wears that red dress is one of my favourite parts of the film. Mad Men is my second favourite show after The Sopranos so it's no wonder i liked it so much.

I feel similarly to you about Wadjda. Godoggo nominated it for a Hall of Fame here and i liked it but something felt a bit off about it; think your complaints could have been it. It's a very important film though so i'm glad i watched it.



Glad you liked In The Mood For Love so much .



It's a 60's Period-FIlm so close. It reminds me of Mad Men in that what the characters are wearing, their hairstyles, etc, bring so much to the film at least for me. When Maggie Cheung first wears that red dress is one of my favourite parts of the film.
.
Yeah but it had the feel of a movie that was actually made decades ago too. I hope you know what I mean by that, I can't really explain it.



I agree The Devil's Backbone is a decent enough story pretty well executed.



20.
'Lonesome Jim' (2005)


I wish Steve Buscemi directed more movies. This wasn't a great movie but it's one of the funniest I've seen in a long while. Casey Affleck plays a down on his luck affable loser type struggling to find the meaning of life. But he's struggling for struggling's sake, and the movie does well not to make it a downbeat experience. It does he opposite, the humour is a sort of 'American Graffiti' , 'Dazed and Confused' meets 'Happiness' style comedy. And it works. It made me laugh out loud more times than any movie has recently. Oh and Liv Tyler was utterly beautiful in 2005.

7/10



Yeah but it had the feel of a movie that was actually made decades ago too. I hope you know what I mean by that, I can't really explain it.
I do and i think that was a major aim of the filmmaker so it was a major success with you. Everything together; the music, dialogue, performances, every visual as in every single item you could see whether it was a characters clothing or a piece of funiture or whatever, was placed to try and create the feeling of a past time specifically; the 60's. If you felt like this movie felt like it was made decades before it actually was then it was a major success with you, and i'm with you for the record.



21.
'The Deerhunter' (1978)


This movie often features in the "Greatest ever" war movies or some such list. I do feel it is a movie worth watching but also feel it is overrated. The main reason for this is the pacing. It feels so disjointed. The first act is over an hour long, in which we learn all about their current, working class lives. Then within 5 minutes of the second act, our heroes have been to war and been captured. It just felt like Michael Cimino didn't have the budget to film the war scenes he wanted so the entire 2nd act was rushed.

Obviously you can't ignore the iconic, horrifying scenes that the movie is infamous for, or the acting by Walken and de Niro. But I think overall I'd give it 7/10 due to the long winded 1st act and slightly bizarre pacing. Good but not great.



I love The Deer Hunter, I'd certainly never argue against anyone saying it's drawn out in places but personally I have no issue with the brevity or lack of war scenes as those salient to the human drama that unfolds are all in place and the war serving as both backdrop and context is enough for me without it potentially distracting from that story.



I love The Deer Hunter, I'd certainly never argue against anyone saying it's drawn out in places but personally I have no issue with the brevity or lack of war scenes as those salient to the human drama that unfolds are all in place and the war serving as both backdrop and context is enough for me without it potentially distracting from that story.
Yes, I think the movie is strong enough in the right places to be considered a good movie, but I was just surprised by how quickly we were thrust into the harrowing war scenes after such a long drawn out first act.



Yes, I think the movie is strong enough in the right places to be considered a good movie, but I was just surprised by how quickly we were thrust into the harrowing war scenes after such a long drawn out first act.
Only Cimino would know for sure but for my take is it helps avoid potentially distracting from the principal story as already mentioned and also perhaps an attempt to quickly convey the disorientation, shock and complete contrast that the characters must feel between the two.



Only Cimino would know for sure but for my take is it helps avoid potentially distracting from the principal story as already mentioned and also perhaps an attempt to quickly convey the disorientation, shock and complete contrast that the characters must feel between the two.
It certainly came across as utterly horrifying so it worked on me. Some of the hunting scenes in this movie were absolutely gorgeous by the way. The mountains and scenery etc.



I first saw The Deer Hunter around 1982 when I was about 11. It seems strange now that I loved it at that age. I still love it, but there's a lot of people that strongly dislike it.



22.
Wasp [short] (2003)


I watched this as someone mentioned it in another thread (along the lines of Danny Dyer starring in an Oscar winning film! )

It was very well shot for a 20 minute short, you can tell Andrea Arnold has a gift for film-making and I really want to check out more of her films, especially 'Fish Tank'.

It's on youtube, so worth 20 minutes of your time if you're at a loose end.