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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Mar 14, 2020 4:21:18 GMT
I re-watched Casino Royale and grew a newfound appreciation of it. Functions as a brilliant deconstruction and study of the character of Bond, while also providing arguably the best action and intrigue of the series. The cast is uniformly terrific, the locales alluring, the soundtrack a standout as always- yeah, I loved this a lot more than I remember. 9/10 Did the same a couple years ago and it really is so much better than I remembered. Genuinely thrilling and brilliantly-plotted and the action pieces have more than held up. It's rare to find an action film so character-focused and Craig totally sells Bond's complexities and character arc. I love the hell out of it.
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avnermoriarti
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Friends say I’ve changed. They’re right.
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Post by avnermoriarti on Mar 14, 2020 7:42:56 GMT
Ema (not Emma.)
So far Larrain has developed a style of his own, but this one basically reinvents the language of his previous work and for the most part he manages to pull off succesfully risky approaches, the visuals are vibrant, music and dance are a more integral part of the characters, all of that creates a certain feeling of defience and explosion, althought it might be a little abstract at first, the way the scenes are done give the impression to be a piece of a bigger puzzle, by the end, the final picture I don't think is easily anticipated.
On the other hand, the lead character, Ema, vindicates female ambition, she's a woman that, without any kind of false shame, reorganized the world around her, I think this makes a good case for the most fascinating character in Larrain's filmography, Ema represents a woman that craves for liberty, one that belongs to all women, but also wants to be a mother, the final moments reveal a woman who always had a purpose, so not a single action she performes is chaotic or confusing, althought it would be easy to describe her as that at the beginning, she goes through life destroying conventions of different systems, is one of the most subversive characters of the last couple of years, and the actress, Mariana Di Girolamo, does a fantastic work ( where's her Volpi Cup ?? ).
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Post by pacinoyes on Mar 14, 2020 10:02:16 GMT
From The Life Of The Marionettes (1980) 9+ (or higher)/10 - re-watchDirector: Ingmar Bergman - Free on Youtube
The beginning really doesn't quite work - a shocking opening - then gives way to artificially constructed and titled scenes - it takes a while to settle in and even then there are dialogue passages and scene set-up/construction that are eyebrow raising at least. But when it finds its rhythm it becomes one of the cruelest films a GOAT director has ever inflicted on his audience. The story of Peter, a murder (revealed at the start) - and each (despicable) character we are introduced to from wife, mother, doctor, wife's friend (Tim), is in some ways complicit not merely misrepresenting the truth about him but also themselves too and as more is revealed........the less we know of Peter at all. That is not a failure, it is rather the entire point. Nowhere is God mentioned yet several times the word "soul" is specifically (or not) and Bergman's formal style couches a field day of directorial/screenwriting devices that build incrementally on each other like the "events" do (sex, power dynamics, self-knowledge) - the repeating of words (and crucially in one case, names), themes (exhaustion, sleep, dreams), and the seeping out of and adding back in of color.
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Post by jimmalone on Mar 14, 2020 12:40:06 GMT
When Eight Bells Toll (1971) 6/10 - Hopkins' Bond, and his first leading role! Pitched to be a series just like the Bonds, they got Connery's stuntman, apes the big score, etc. It's entertaining - some great action scenes including an amazing use of a grenade on a rope, interesting locations, but I found the plot a bit dumb and incoherent. Hopkins is solid in full-on sarcastic action hero mode. Pretty much this.
Saw Ace in the Hole for the first time. Really sinister satire, which I as a journalist (though only for sports, so different kind of breed) myself, found quite amusing and while obviously exaggerated I have met the odd fellow, who has to a lesser degree the fever Chuck Tatum suffers from. It's really interesting to see how Wilder builds up this story despite being quite clear where this will lead to. Not his best, but another strong work. 8/10
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Post by pacinoyes on Mar 15, 2020 11:30:46 GMT
Through A Glass Darkly (1961) 9/10 - re-watch Director: Ingmar BergmanThe best Bergman film for me until his great '68 except other than The Virgin Spring (1960) which was his breakthrough in how it balanced visual and narrative elements. But he couldn't keep making that and Through A Glass Darkly is a different kind of breakthrough. Bergman in the 50s was either a great visual stylist ( Seventh Seal) or a compelling but wordy narrative one ( Wild Strawberries). In the 60s he's a much more dazzling and complete writer/director in how he weaves what he's saying with what he's showing. Some might find the ending in this film too simple, but I don't and in this era of #metoo you may also literally balk at the sexual abuser being at least forgiven if not more than that actually - but that would be grossly misjudging what you are seeing here wouldn't it? Harriet Andersson, harrowing and unforgettable and note the image - ominous, not symmetrical, crack in the wall, chair empty, God absent ........maybe not.
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Post by HELENA MARIA on Mar 15, 2020 20:57:24 GMT
Rewatched : outbreak (1995) 7/10 contagion (2011) 6.5/10
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Javi
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Post by Javi on Mar 15, 2020 22:18:06 GMT
1 good and 1 bad... The bad - 3 Days of the Condor (1975) which I saw for Max and he's in it for maybe 10 minutes. Hard to tell what's worse here--the Dunaway/Redford "chemistry" which is like antimatter coming in contact with itself, Redford's "performance", or a screenplay that contradicts what's shown on screen all the time. Dunaway to Redford: "You have great eyes... stern... I could use eyes like that", supposed to be the words of a dreamer-type personality but Dunaway might as well be playing a mechanic, and steeliness is one thing Redford doesn't have. Then there's the "artistic" sex scene, utterly perplexing... a failed homage to the Nouvelle Vogue? (I sure as hell don't recall editing that bad anywhere). We'll never know. Oh, and this guy who's supposedly so intelligent literally takes the entire movie to figure out that Middle East + Venezuela = Oil-related? The good, very good and potentially great actually - The Missouri Breaks (1976), Arthur Penn's fascinating spin on the West. Nothing is quite what it seems here, but then again, some things are and that's part of the point: there's no denying the simple human decency of Harry Dean Stanton's rustler, for instance. Nicholson gives a great, varied performance--the rogue he plays for his friends vs. the lonely, shockingly conventional ambition he keeps to himself. And Brando... well, few performances have made me happier than this. If this is the beginning of his "decadence", all actors should be lucky to go down this way. There's a freedom to his acting that I haven't seen anywhere else, not even Burn! or The Nightcomers or Last Tango. Maybe he's experimenting or maybe he doesn't care as much, but the result is the same... a genius on the loose, a most magnificent bastard and a performance that suggests the mental state of the West if everyone wasn't so busy holding grudges... and that's a scary, funny, deeply troubling place to be.
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Post by pacinoyes on Mar 15, 2020 22:22:43 GMT
The good, very good and potentially great actually - The Missouri Breaks (1976), Arthur Penn's fascinating spin on the West. Nothing is quite what it seems here, but then again, some things are and that's part of the point: there's no denying the simple human decency of Harry Dean Stanton's rustler, for instance. Nicholson gives a great, varied performance--the rogue he plays for his friends vs. the lonely, shockingly conventional ambition he keeps to himself. And Brando... well, few performances have made me happier than this. If this is the beginning of his "decadence", all actors should be lucky to go down this way. There's a freedom to his acting that I haven't seen anywhere else, not even Burn! or The Nightcomers or Last Tango. Maybe he's experimenting or maybe he doesn't care as much, but the result is the same... a genius on the loose, a most magnificent bastard and a performance that suggests the mental state of the West if everyone wasn't so busy holding grudges... and that's a scary, funny, deeply troubling place to be. Literally, if he only had his amazing entrance scene in this movie and the scene where he's feeding his horse the carrot - he'd be the GOAT just on that alone.
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Javi
Badass
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Post by Javi on Mar 15, 2020 22:44:24 GMT
The good, very good and potentially great actually - The Missouri Breaks (1976), Arthur Penn's fascinating spin on the West. Nothing is quite what it seems here, but then again, some things are and that's part of the point: there's no denying the simple human decency of Harry Dean Stanton's rustler, for instance. Nicholson gives a great, varied performance--the rogue he plays for his friends vs. the lonely, shockingly conventional ambition he keeps to himself. And Brando... well, few performances have made me happier than this. If this is the beginning of his "decadence", all actors should be lucky to go down this way. There's a freedom to his acting that I haven't seen anywhere else, not even Burn! or The Nightcomers or Last Tango. Maybe he's experimenting or maybe he doesn't care as much, but the result is the same... a genius on the loose, a most magnificent bastard and a performance that suggests the mental state of the West if everyone wasn't so busy holding grudges... and that's a scary, funny, deeply troubling place to be. Literally, if he only had his amazing entrance scene in this movie and the scene where he's feeding his horse the carrot - he'd be the GOAT just on that alone. Those 2 plus the way he says "Adios Amigo!" to the drowning rustler are clearly all-timers
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Mar 16, 2020 3:45:55 GMT
Sideways and 45 Years rewatches. Been 4-5 years since I saw 'em and needed to do a double-take. More convinced than ever that they're both masterpieces. Also decided that I do actually prefer Thomas Haden Church over Phil Davis and Morgan Freeman and that Tom Courtenay is supporting (and my new winner in that category, yup--this is his best performance). Speaking of career-best performances, holy shit Charlotte Rampling. Enough said. Would have more to say if I was less lazy. Today was a movie day. Also caught the Nadia Murad doc On Her Shoulders. Tough and important subject but not a particularly well-crafted doc.
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Post by TerryMontana on Mar 16, 2020 6:37:07 GMT
Manhattan Night (2016)
5/10
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Post by jimmalone on Mar 16, 2020 8:34:21 GMT
1 good and 1 bad... The bad - 3 Days of the Condor (1975) which I saw for Max and he's in it for maybe 10 minutes. Hard to tell what's worse here--the Dunaway/Redford "chemistry" which is like antimatter coming in contact with itself, Redford's "performance", or a screenplay that contradicts what's shown on screen all the time. Dunaway to Redford: "You have great eyes... stern... I could use eyes like that", supposed to be the words of a dreamer-type personality but Dunaway might as well be playing a mechanic, and steeliness is one thing Redford doesn't have. Then there's the "artistic" sex scene, utterly perplexing... a failed homage to the Nouvelle Vogue? (I sure as hell don't recall editing that bad anywhere). We'll never know. Oh, and this guy who's supposedly so intelligent literally takes the entire movie to figure out that Middle East + Venezuela = Oil-related? The good, very good and potentially great actually - The Missouri Breaks (1976), Arthur Penn's fascinating spin on the West. Nothing is quite what it seems here, but then again, some things are and that's part of the point: there's no denying the simple human decency of Harry Dean Stanton's rustler, for instance. Nicholson gives a great, varied performance--the rogue he plays for his friends vs. the lonely, shockingly conventional ambition he keeps to himself. And Brando... well, few performances have made me happier than this. If this is the beginning of his "decadence", all actors should be lucky to go down this way. There's a freedom to his acting that I haven't seen anywhere else, not even Burn! or The Nightcomers or Last Tango. Maybe he's experimenting or maybe he doesn't care as much, but the result is the same... a genius on the loose, a most magnificent bastard and a performance that suggests the mental state of the West if everyone wasn't so busy holding grudges... and that's a scary, funny, deeply troubling place to be. It's exactly the other way around for me. 3 Days of Condor is a great tense thriller while Missouri Breaks is just ridiculous. It's also the only Brando performance I dislike I think. Funny thing is that the way he delivered it was cause he and Arthur Penn didn't get along on the set (despite having worked together earlier) and he tried to make Penn angry - which worked. The result is a movie, which I think hadn't any director.
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Post by pacinoyes on Mar 16, 2020 12:44:38 GMT
Tony Takitani (2004) 7.5+/10 - rewatch - maybe too soon to be in this thread but........ Japanese "love story" whose very value is in the fact that it's so anti-American as a film style and in other ways too. In the IMDB days I think I rated this higher - maybe much higher then - but this time it struck me that I wanted to grab the central character and shake him and yell "Snap out of it, dude". On the other hand, you know, it's a movie so you can't really do that and it is exquisitely made and played - and precise - visually this film dovetails with the narrative and boy does it ache........slowly. It's a fine line between showing loneliness and romanticizing that loneliness but that's part of the film's pull and there are certain people for whom the 1 to 10 scale will not be high enough and for others well....... it'll be so subtle to the point of somnambulism. I was reminded of the lyrics of Husker Du: "I love it, I hate it, I love it, so how about you? Can you tell me 'Cause I don't know. Why don't you tell me? Why is it so ........ confusing?!?!?!"
All those blank spaces:
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Post by HELENA MARIA on Mar 16, 2020 14:18:55 GMT
THE INVISIBLE MAN (2020) : 8/10 Elizabeth Moss is my current Best Actress winner
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Post by jakesully on Mar 16, 2020 17:25:19 GMT
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (re watch) - I forgot how much I loved this. Mara is just a boss level actress. What a fierce performance by her in this!
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Post by pacinoyes on Mar 16, 2020 19:01:22 GMT
Angel Face (1953) - 8.5/10 re-watch Director: Otto PremingerNoir classic with Robert Mitchum as the guy who gets mixed up with the wrong woman - Jean Simmons - as one of the most memorable girl your mom warned you about in this genre. Directed brilliantly by Otto Preminger with sex underneath every scene and angles all suggestive and inevitable. In that league with In A Lonely Place or Sunset Boulevard as one of those "yeah that's how it is" films....and it feels very modern too.
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Post by Mattsby on Mar 16, 2020 19:06:54 GMT
Angel Face (1953) - 8.5/10 re-watchDirector: Otto Preminger Noir classic with Robert Mitchum as the guy who gets mixed up with the wrong woman - Jean Simmons - as one of the most memorable girl your mom warned you about in this genre. Directed brilliantly by Otto Preminger with sex underneath every scene and angles all suggestive and inevitable. In that league with In A Lonely Place or Sunset Boulevard as one of those "yeah that's how it is" films....and it feels very modern too.
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Mar 16, 2020 20:02:13 GMT
Luce (2019) 5/10
I feel like a great film about race and favouritism in the highschool environment was lost in among this weak sauce psychological thriller. When this touched on it's more interesting themes, the film was pretty solid; but in slipping back into its plot of can extreme childhood trauma be overcome, the filmed slowly failed. The question itself in relation to childhood trauma is interesting, but the way this film handled it was so poor and vague that it was ultimately dragged down by its own efforts to be intriguing. Solid cast work saved it, and massive points as ever to Octavia Spencer, who continues to be the best thing about most things she's in. Perhaps one days she'll get to lead a film worthy of her massive talent.
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Mar 16, 2020 23:38:31 GMT
Bloodline (2019) 7/10
Not too shabby psycho / slasher / thriller. Wears the influences of a couple of generations of horror on its sleeve and its all a little too easy and convenient at times; but it's a fun ride all the same.
Dale Dickey is a pro as usual and Seann William Scott gets to shine as a man with uber mommie issues who hasn't a hint of Stifler in him.
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Post by pacinoyes on Mar 17, 2020 19:09:57 GMT
The Virgin Spring (1960) 10/10 - re-watch
Director: Ingmar BergmanIn 1960 this may have been the best movie made up to that point - period. It may also be the most profoundly spiritual, the most horrific, have the most emotionally affecting conclusion and be the most beautifully composed. It also distanced Bergman from his flashy peers - no one seemed this wise or serious - and 60 years later it holds up so well as to be a miracle itself. This is where Bergman started linking behavior to psychology taking the lead from Kurosawa and pre-dating Polanski - now it's not just showing you something but you knowing the why behind it too. Never before had his characters seemed as real - you feel Karin's terror her mother's anguish and her father's conflict now - his jump in delineating characters has taken a quantum leap. I can't imagine you can truly get this film unless you would see what it would lead to - it must have seemed like a stunt then - it looks better looking back on it. By the same token I can't imagine you could truly get it unless you've spent a lot of time in a church......or at least alone and contemplating God.
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Mar 17, 2020 19:38:33 GMT
Doctor Sleep (2019)
So this was better than I expected it to be, but having said that, my expectations were pretty low. This is one of the King books I haven't got to yet, but even if the almost two and a half hours of length was justified from an adaptation perspective, that time was not utilised well here. Noteworthy portions of this film could easily have been cut, as it really just came across and self indulgent on occasion. Honestly, if you have this much time, do something with it or cut the useless excess if you cant. Leaving that to one side though, it was a more than solid and mostly entertaining film. 7/10
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Post by jimmalone on Mar 17, 2020 20:23:32 GMT
Re-watch The Trouble with Harry How do you like/rate it? I remember from the "overlooked work" directors thread, that you mentioned it there.
For me: Advise and Consent by Otto Preminger (1962)
This is one kind of film I really like. A political drama with elements of thriller (not enough here maybe) and here even courtroom stuff. It has great dialogues and as often with Preminger a sharp criticism for the system, but it would have been more powerful by not portraying such a high percentage of politicians as rotten. So there are a little bit too many caricatures in it to cope with the actually very serious and dark tone. For the time it was made it was very brave to include the topic of homosexuality, but therefore it misses the great chance to take a condemning stance on McCarthyism, despite laying the rails there already. Still I'd give it a lower 8/10.
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Post by Viced on Mar 17, 2020 21:16:03 GMT
Damn fine thriller... but a bit too much of a slow burn. This thing easily could've been tightened by 20 minutes and gotten a lot stronger as a result. Impressive '70s filmmaking from the old school Fred Zinnemann though... in some ways it reminded me (a tiny bit) of Hitch's Frenzy. 7.5/10
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Post by jimmalone on Mar 17, 2020 21:43:54 GMT
Damn fine thriller... but a bit too much of a slow burn. This thing easily could've been tightened by 20 minutes and gotten a lot stronger as a result. Impressive '70s filmmaking from the old school Fred Zinnemann though... in some ways it reminded me (a tiny bit) of Hitch's Frenzy. 7.5/10Similiar rating by me. I have to say I did like it less first, but it improved on a rewatch. The book is excellent though.
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Post by Mattsby on Mar 18, 2020 1:16:16 GMT
Lady in a Cage (1964) 6.5/10 - “I’ll pay you to stop this animal orgy!” Despite the size of its metaphors, this is at times excitedly made, like the crashing opening credits, and seeps its home invasion premise with a lot of suggestion: the delinquents realize their perversions and violent potential, the raddled middle aged two (one of which Ann Sothern gives perhaps the best most convincing perf, with her candid self-criticisms) are just sad and humiliated people, and Olivia de Havilland’s poetry is only in her head. Havilland gives a fidgeting perf, game for where this goes. NYT called it “irresponsible and downright dangerous.” Well, not really, bc its partly the point, but at the same time not pretending to be important. At least nobody is left undamned—except the opening character (the son) whose departure is its own coup. All those tunnel-visioned people and cars rushing by the house, heedless of help, right to their unenthused reaction to a crawling, disheveled Havilland. The opening radio program asks, “What have we done about the devil?” - the question isn’t whether it exists. One really nagging thing: she figures out how to open the f'n elevator doors and wouldn't risk a three foot drop??
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