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Post by Martin Stett on Aug 5, 2019 14:38:30 GMT
Juno (2007 rewatch) -- Still a movie I want to wrap myself in and never leave. Mac MacGuff is the world's greatest dad. 9/10If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) -- I kind of hated it. The formalism distances the viewer from the characters, who are given nothing to do but gaze at each other soulfully (and Kiki Layne isn't even good at that). The story is thin and preachy. 3/10The Terrorizers (1986) -- This is the top review on Letterboxd. That review there is why I can't stand this movie. I mean, "The equivalent of a cinematic jigsaw puzzle...the answer (?) being that there is no real answer, only a series of juxtapositions between spaces related and unrelated. And perhaps it's only up to us and not him to answer it. Or question it." What kind of bullshit is this? The kind of bullshit that you can talk about a meandering, plotless Edward Yang movie and get people to think you're deep. Maybe the reason the movie means nothing is that it's a collection of poorly written vignettes, hmm? 3/10The Sisters Brothers (2018) -- It gets off to a slow start, but once the movie settles down and paradoxically stops trying to move, it begins breathing and becomes more interesting. Once San Francisco happens, this stops being the slow, plot driven thriller and becomes a slow, character driven mood piece, and it works. The ending is beautiful, btw. 6/10Control (2007) -- Probably a realistic depiction of depression, but the lack of real highs or lows makes it hard to latch onto. It's just a hopeless greyness, and it's easy to block yourself to that emotionally. 5/10The Night of the Hunter (1955 rewatch) -- Pretty much perfect, a brilliant work of atmospheric horror... until the overlong ending that draaaaags and can't figure out that we don't need that much closure. 9/10The Old Man & the Gun (2018) -- If Robert Redford smiled at me, I'd faint like a teenage girl meeting Elvis. 7/10
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Post by mhynson27 on Aug 5, 2019 14:45:34 GMT
The Ides of March
The Hateful Eight (re-watch)
The Big Lebowski (re-watch)
Matthias and Maxime
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Sorry We Missed You
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
The Nightingale
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Post by TerryMontana on Aug 5, 2019 14:46:11 GMT
Scarface (1932)
The Wolf of Wall St.
The Departed
The King of Comedy
Meet Joe Black
All rewatches
First watch:
Lars and the real girl
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Aug 5, 2019 15:50:04 GMT
A Fish Called Wanda - 7.5 / 10
Under The Silver Lake - 5 / 10
Hobbs & Shaw - 7 / 10
Donnie Brasco - 8 / 10
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Aug 5, 2019 18:22:46 GMT
glad I'm not the only one around here who loves Juno!
another slow-ish week for me.
River's Edge - 7.5/10
Black Rain (Immamura) - 7.5/10
The Ruling Class - 5/10
Blazing Saddles - 7/10
The Bronte Sisters - 6/10
The Conversation (rewatch) - 10/10
Parting Glances - 7.5/10
Buffet Froid - 8/10
Darkest Hour (rewatch) - 7/10 (my sister was watching it and I stuck around)
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Post by JangoB on Aug 5, 2019 20:34:42 GMT
The Lion King 1½ - REWATCH. It's fun to see Disney riff on their own stuff like this. Nothing too remarkable here but as far as these direct-to-video sequels go this at least has something creative on its mind.
National Velvet - I was worried that it'd be two hours of schmaltz but actually it turned out to be a really heartfelt, funny and even kind of smart film about family. Amazing cast.
Legends of the Fall - REWATCH. Pretty-looking and engaging but rather superficial and a tad unfocused. But what's important is that it features one of James Horner's VERY best scores which is just a gorgeous piece of work.
Niagara - Wholly entertaining noir which, as opposed to the usual examples of the genre, relies heavily on color to amp up its emotional content. And boy, do the visuals do their job!
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice - It's more interesting for me to think about the effect of this film on the 1969 viewers rather than thinking about the film itself. It's fine but I felt that there was a bit of aloofness to the filmmaking, a certain incoherence that I suppose adds to the charm of it for some people. I did really dig the symbolic ending though and I really didn't expect the conclusion to carry this message of warmth in it.
Broken Embraces - REWATCH. When I was younger and more stupid I was bored out of my mind by it but back then I wasn't really too familiar with Almodovar and maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it. Thankfully time makes people smarter and allows them to revisit movies after many years. Upon this rewatch I discovered that the movie was actually goddamn wonderful. One of the most expressive examples of Pedro's sensibilities and also among his very best films visually (the only time he worked with Rodrigo Prieto as a cinematographer too!).
Mona Lisa - A pretty damn excellent character thriller with two fantastic performances at its centre. Hoskins really was as amazing as advertised.
Oscar - This John Landis movie was doomed upon release because nobody was really willing to give it a chance (mainly because of Stallone doing comedy) but... screw the haters, this was a wonderful time. I thought it was consistently hilarious, very witty and the ensemble cast genuinely impressed me. From Sly himself to the hysterically (and knowingly) OTT Marisa Tomei.
Clockers - Spike Lee's take on the urban drug epidemic was first to be made by Martin Scorsese who then (smartly) decided to do the great "Casino" upon which Lee changed the focus from the detective character to the young dealer played well by Mekhi Pfifer. The movie features a pretty striking sizzling visual style but I found the narrative to be strangely unfocused which is usually not a problem I have with Lee's movies (even if they tend to branch out in several directions in terms of their story). It was a good and sometimes properly tough cinematic experience but I don't think it's among Lee's strongest works.
The Pink Panther - The masterpiece that is Henry Mancini's main theme deserves to be in a better movie. It's fine but the pacing is just too slow. And as we all know, timing is everything in comedy! The latter part of the movie is good fun but the middle section just drags.
Tora! Tora! Tora! - The last hour with the Pearl Harbor attack itself is pretty decent but in order to get to it you gotta suffer through 90 minutes of robotic actors boringly discussing military stuff. A truly hollow experience.
The Great White Hope - A solid Martin Ritt film with James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander giving two very strong performances. The racial prejudice the main character has to face is depicted in an accordingly awful and rough way, and even though the movie feels episodic and maybe a touch unremarkable, it has enough emotional power to make it work.
The Music Man - Dull songs, obnoxious grimacing, annoying sugary 'aw shucks' atmosphere...I wasn't a fan.
Tristana - While watching it I felt that it was certainly good but strangely formalistic from Bunuel's side...but the aftertaste really is terrific. And Deneuve is absolutely amazing in it.
A New Leaf - Elaine May was really unhappy that her three-hour cut was changed by Paramount and even wanted to disown the movie but honestly I though the result was really good in and of itself. It's a funny and charming comedy with a touch of romance and darkness and with May herself giving a really wonderful performance.
The Madness of King George - A fine costume dramedy with a very strong Nigel Hawthorne at its centre.
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Aug 5, 2019 22:17:52 GMT
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Red Eye
The Craft
The Snowman
Drop Dead Fred
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