|
Post by Mattsby on May 13, 2020 17:49:00 GMT
The New Babylon (1929) - 7/10. Soviet pic about the Paris Commune. Its politics are bluntly, abruptly outlined, and it lost me a bit - but as far as style, between the Shostakovich music and the exhilarating visual flair, it's mostly an impressive, bursting-at-the-seams movie.... Curious if other silent fans have seen it, stephen idioticbunny
|
|
|
Post by Mattsby on May 13, 2020 17:55:05 GMT
The Singer (2006) 6/10. Depardieu's Danny Collins? This goes a little too long, and for no reason Cécile de France gives a weird, scary performance. But for the most part, a solid pic on aging and peripheral fame with a wonderful, charismatic Depardieu perf.
|
|
|
Post by DeepArcher on May 14, 2020 4:42:36 GMT
Joint Security Area (2000): Great early Park Chan-wook film that doesn't get talked about enough for whatever reason ... and features a top-form Song Kang-ho before any of his Bong collaborations. Gets off to a pretty rough start, introducing the story as an investigative procedural, the first 30 minutes feel like an episode of CSI or something. Was on the verge of dismissing it and then suddenly it becomes great at a point when most films would stumble, specifically as it opens up into its extended flashback sequences recounting this tragedy that has occurred to set the plot in motion; it suddenly becomes immensely compelling, both intense and sorrowful all at once. Hugely recommend this as I think it is still pretty underseen.
|
|
|
Post by pacinoyes on May 14, 2020 14:30:51 GMT
House of Wax (1953) 7/10 re-watch"There is a pain beyond pain" Vincent Price says ominously here and he's probably referring to the script which gives him one wtf-ish line after another. I always say this but put any GOAT actor in his roles and you'd see them flop around like a fish and Price is at his sad, sophisticated and creepy best here......first he's at his best because he doesn't burst out laughing......but still. The ending of the movie where he falls into a big vat of really pink cotton candy and becomes absolutely eternally delicious is one of the most misunderstood of all horror endings.......oh nevermind Things a man does to get ahead:
|
|
|
Post by idioticbunny on May 14, 2020 18:42:52 GMT
The New Babylon (1929) - 7/10. Soviet pic about the Paris Commune. Its politics are bluntly, abruptly outlined, and it lost me a bit - but as far as style, between the Shostakovich music and the exhilarating visual flair, it's mostly an impressive, bursting-at-the-seams movie.... Curious if other silent fans have seen it, stephen idioticbunny I haven’t seen this but definitely adding it to the list! Soviets dominated the silent era for me so I’ll definitely be taking a look!
|
|
|
Post by Tommen_Saperstein on May 14, 2020 20:25:52 GMT
The Girl without Hands (2016) - hand-drawn French animation lifted from a Grimm fairy tale. Jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Loved it.
The Grey (2012) - forgettable survival piece about a bunch of stereotypical swingin' dicks against the elements cloaked in fortune cookie existentialism (that poem is laugh-out-loud basic, something I imagine a 12 year-old wrote). Not good at all.
|
|
|
Post by Tommen_Saperstein on May 14, 2020 20:38:06 GMT
Apocalypto (2006): I don’t know ... a mix of Hollywood sensationalism and relentless brutality that’s really not for me. I really enjoyed it when it become just a straight footchase through the jungle — and while that is when it’s at its most sensationalist, it is at least in service of something suspenseful and at times exhilarating. That said a lot of the supposed intent — depicting a once great civilization collapsing to inevitability, the hope of a new beginning in the wake of that collapse — didn’t come through for me. Though good on Gibson for making a Hollywood film entirely not in English with an entirely native cast that doesn’t feel the need to have some white savior protagonist or something ... and appropriately depicting European colonialism as this ominous existential threat of destruction. I did love the sheer poetry of that ending at the time I watched this. What I like a lot less is hindsight is the bad faith causality Gibson seems to have been implying by tying the ending to the opening Will Durant quote--if not justifying the ensuing colonialist genocide than sort of lazily rationalizing it by suggesting that the Mayans were in effect "asking for it", especially given the blanket inaccuracy with which he depicts the civilization at that time. It has practically no foundation in reality, which makes the thing feel so very hollow.
|
|
|
Post by DeepArcher on May 14, 2020 21:37:40 GMT
Apocalypto (2006): I don’t know ... a mix of Hollywood sensationalism and relentless brutality that’s really not for me. I really enjoyed it when it become just a straight footchase through the jungle — and while that is when it’s at its most sensationalist, it is at least in service of something suspenseful and at times exhilarating. That said a lot of the supposed intent — depicting a once great civilization collapsing to inevitability, the hope of a new beginning in the wake of that collapse — didn’t come through for me. Though good on Gibson for making a Hollywood film entirely not in English with an entirely native cast that doesn’t feel the need to have some white savior protagonist or something ... and appropriately depicting European colonialism as this ominous existential threat of destruction. I did love the sheer poetry of that ending at the time I watched this. What I like a lot less is hindsight is the bad faith causality Gibson seems to have been implying by tying the ending to the opening Will Durant quote--if not justifying the ensuing colonialist genocide than sort of lazily rationalizing it by suggesting that the Mayans were in effect "asking for it", especially given the blanket inaccuracy with which he depicts the civilization at that time. It has practically no foundation in reality, which makes the thing feel so very hollow. Yeah I agree, I had a real “oh brother” eyeroll moment when that epigraph first came up ... I’m not sure the text or the film itself seemed to be getting at a “they were asking for it” message, especially given the way that ending is framed, but the implications of starting with that quote were off-putting to say the least.
|
|
|
Post by Mattsby on May 14, 2020 22:20:25 GMT
Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (1978) - 7.5/10 rewatch. Around an hour into it, I'm thinking I'm watching a classic comic masterpiece. Then the stuff with the boy isn't only unfunny but drawn out and favored for too long over the brilliant duo of Depardieu/Dewaere. Depardieu is a hilarious sweetheart here and ingeniously smooth with how he folds those around him into the pics unique tone. Dewaere is very good too and it's so strangely sad when he laments Mozart's death at age 35 which was his age too when he died. Like Viced said, that duo creates magic. The music and the camera push-ins and the ending shot only help to that effect. And those outfits.....
|
|
|
Post by DeepArcher on May 15, 2020 5:26:56 GMT
A Bittersweet Life (2005): Another stellar revenge flick from Kim Jee-woon. Not operating on any particularly complex level but it's full of great moments -- the lamp-flickering fight is clever -- the gun deal scene is absolutely *brilliant* -- the bloodbath climax is awesome, cool Raging Bull-esque ending too. Impeccable action choreography throughout that just enhances the brutality of it all.
|
|
|
Post by Tommen_Saperstein on May 15, 2020 13:24:20 GMT
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (rewatch) -- third viewing, last was in theaters.
I don't know anymore. There's a lot to like here. Still love everything about Luke's arc and Hamill's performance, still like Rey (this was her best installment), Rey's parents being drunks who sold her into slavery was literally the best, most sweeping and most revolutionary idea to come out of any of these films, still love Bob Ducsay's editing (especially in those fights scenes and ESPECIALLY in Kylo's confrontation with Luke), and although Rose Tico was probably the most enjoyable secondary character we've had in any of these reboot films, her subplot with Fin and mutinous Poe (Poe sucks btw) has become more and more illogical over time, culminating in the coup de grace of absurdity when Rose stops Fin from sacrificing himself for the people he cares about--that moment felt really good at the time but boy has it aged badly... my heart said yes and now my brain is screaming Nooooooooo!
The comedic quips annoyed me more too. There are for sure a few cringey lines in here ("chrome dome" yikes) that often come at surprisingly inappropriate moments, which clashes with the serious and often moving character study of Luke's disillusionment and Rey's search for meaning from a meaningless existence, let alone the dire situation of the Resistance facing down a likely extinction. The bombing sequence also makes no sense to me, and the rapiditiy with which they were all destroyed confirms how bad of an idea that was on both sides of the camera.
dropping my score to a 7.5
|
|
Javi
Badass
Posts: 1,546
Likes: 1,629
|
Post by Javi on May 15, 2020 16:45:01 GMT
The Bad Seed (1956) - Lots of fun. Freud has infiltrated the American household but there's one specimen that slipped by him--a nauseatingly prim little girl with a fondness for curtsying and killing. She's obviously rotten but everyone thinks her charming (her breeding shields her from suspicion). Then again, she's not all that different from most Hollywood kids. Nancy Kelly is captivating as the mother, but Eileen Heckart's mix of alcohol and grief steals the show. The final shot is (literally) a blast.
|
|
|
Post by pacinoyes on May 15, 2020 17:21:33 GMT
The Bad Seed (1956) - Lots of fun. Freud has infiltrated the American household but there's one specimen that slipped by him--a nauseatingly prim little girl with a fondness for curtsying and killing. She's obviously rotten but everyone thinks her charming (her breeding shields her from suspicion). Then again, she's not all that different from most Hollywood kids. Nancy Kelly is captivating as the mother, but Eileen Heckart's mix of alcohol and grief steals the show. The final shot is (literally) a blast. The movie was made at the precise right moment - before psychology was everywhere and God hadn't been replaced in the US culture/movies. The very idea of a child being evil - no need to find out "why she's that way!" - she's that way because she is - and evil exists and God's vengeance so to speak was entirely right, justified and welcomed. In a very short time frame after this - Hollywood and US culture eliminated the notion of "evil" almost entirely - from film and daily life: Life's too complex to be reduced to such a term and let's not talk about "religion or God" - because it makes people uncomfortable or something. The Bad Seed is a throwback story - it could be a Biblical story with some changes in setting - and it got made at the nearly the last point that it was possible to make such a story in the way that it was made.
|
|
Javi
Badass
Posts: 1,546
Likes: 1,629
|
Post by Javi on May 15, 2020 17:35:02 GMT
The Bad Seed (1956) - Lots of fun. Freud has infiltrated the American household but there's one specimen that slipped by him--a nauseatingly prim little girl with a fondness for curtsying and killing. She's obviously rotten but everyone thinks her charming (her breeding shields her from suspicion). Then again, she's not all that different from most Hollywood kids. Nancy Kelly is captivating as the mother, but Eileen Heckart's mix of alcohol and grief steals the show. The final shot is (literally) a blast. The movie was made at the precise right moment - before psychology was everywhere and God hadn't been replaced in the US culture/movies. The very idea of a child being evil - no need to find out "why she's that way!" - she's that way because she is - and evil exists and God's vengeance so to speak was entirely right, justified and welcomed. In a very short time frame after this - Hollywood and US Culture eliminated the notion of "evil" almost entirely - from film and daily life: Life's too complex to be reduced to such a term and let's not talk about "religion or God" - because it makes people uncomfortable or something. The Bad Seed is a throwback story - it could be a Biblical story with some changes in setting - and it got made at the nearly the last point that it was possible to make such a story in the way that it was made. I have to say, I was not expecting that ending but you're right--that was some Old Testament justice right there I also like the way the mother desperately keeps reaching for psychological explanations to bring her peace of mind (the idea of evil is already taboo, at least among her "enlightened" relatives). And of course, the movie exposes the fat Freud fanatic as a hopeless fr aud
|
|
|
Post by therealcomicman117 on May 15, 2020 17:52:52 GMT
Re-watch I know that movie gets crapped a lot on for its Natural Born Killers style editing, but I think it adds to the visceral nature of the football scenes, especially if it you watch the director's cut. Also it's probably Oliver Stone's last truly interesting film (I don't want to push conspiracy theories, but I think 9/11 ruined him), and Pacino's performance is probably the most enthusiastic he's ever been. I think it's just a good cap-off for a great decade of films he did.
|
|
|
Post by jakesully on May 15, 2020 18:08:52 GMT
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Love the shit out of this film. Awesome all star cast led by Gary Oldman with some slick direction. 8.5/10
|
|
|
Post by therealcomicman117 on May 15, 2020 18:20:42 GMT
I know that movie gets crapped a lot on for its Natural Born Killers style editing, but I think it adds to the visceral nature of the football scenes, especially if it you watch the director's cut. It's weird - I'm not a big Stone fan - I do like some of his work - but his directorial style and that flash editing style and scene composition is in some ways perfect for all types of sports and kind of ahead of his time in a way: It looks like ESPN sports center highlights .........actually it looks more like when you first see a play in real time and then you see the sports center replays of it from different angles and realize how much you "missed" - it becomes almost better than realism, it becomes "hyper-realistic". He should have done more sports films dammit - his ice hockey film would be a cross of sports film and war film battle That's actually a great description of what he does with the football scenes. It's like your watching an NFL game in real time or something. Honestly the more I think about it, the more Stone would have been perfect to do a hockey movie or some other sport of that large competitive nature.
|
|
|
Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on May 15, 2020 18:30:14 GMT
The Invisible Man (2020)
After his piss-weak writer-director debut Insidious 3, Leigh Whannell moved on from horror and into sci-fi, with his roundly great second feature Upgrade. The Invisible Man combines the two, but is closer in quality to his debut. In theory this could have been a thrilling and socially conscious update on some elder statesman source material. In practice it was just a little wishy-washy in how it dealt with the abuse side of things, with only the always reliable Moss selling that side of the story. She had to bring the emotional punches, as the page didn't have them. The thrills, or more to the point lack thereof, didn't come off almost any of the time. Being almost devoid of tension is not something I can forgive in a psychological horror / thriller. It seems so far, that when it comes to horror, Leigh Whannell needs to stick to the writing and rely on James Wan to direct it to something good or better.
|
|
|
Post by TerryMontana on May 15, 2020 19:31:25 GMT
Re-watch I know that movie gets crapped a lot on for its Natural Born Killers style editing, but I think it adds to the visceral nature of the football scenes, especially if it you watch the director's cut. Also it's probably Oliver Stone's last truly interesting film (I don't want to push conspiracy theories, but I think 9/11 ruined him), and Pacino's performance is probably the most enthusiastic he's ever been. I think it's just a good cap-off for a great decade of films he did. I did see the director's cut but I can't spot any differences because I had only seen this film once and that was 20 years ago. I kind of liked the editing during the football matches, what I didn't like was all these cliches: Young athlete who is given his first chance to shine and thinks he's better than everyone, the athlete who decides he wants to play despite the danger, the older and experienced player who everyone thinks is finished but he proves them all wrong..... Also many scenes just didn't need to be there. I mean, this guy loses his eye??? Wtf? What for? Back then I was just a little kid and don't remember, but I guess Stone was one of the hottest names in Hollywood back in the mid 90s. He had won 3 Oscars and directed movies like Platoon, Wall Str, the Doors, Born on the 4th of July, JFK, Nixon!!! Unfortunately, it was downhill from there. Imo his last great movie was Nixon (ok, not great but almost). I honestly don't know what happened after that...
|
|
|
Post by therealcomicman117 on May 15, 2020 19:43:58 GMT
I know that movie gets crapped a lot on for its Natural Born Killers style editing, but I think it adds to the visceral nature of the football scenes, especially if it you watch the director's cut. Also it's probably Oliver Stone's last truly interesting film (I don't want to push conspiracy theories, but I think 9/11 ruined him), and Pacino's performance is probably the most enthusiastic he's ever been. I think it's just a good cap-off for a great decade of films he did. I did see the director's cut but I can't spot any differences because I had only seen this film once and that was 20 years ago. I kind of liked the editing during the football matches, what I didn't like was all these cliches: Young athlete who is given his first chance to shine and thinks he's better than everyone, the athlete who decides he wants to play despite the danger, the older and experienced player who everyone thinks is finished but he proves them all wrong..... Also many scenes just didn't need to be there. I mean, this guy loses his eye??? Wtf? What for? Back then I was just a little kid and don't remember, but I guess Stone was one of the hottest names in Hollywood back in the mid 90s. He had won 3 Oscars and directed movies like Platoon, Wall Str, the Doors, Born on the 4th of July, JFK, Nixon!!! Unfortunately, it was downhill from there. Imo his last great movie was Nixon (ok, not great but almost). I honestly don't know what happened after that... The theatrical cut and director's cut are almost exactly the same length, it's just the way the scenes are better arranged that makes the directors' cut stand out more. I agree with you about the cliches and some of the random weird scenes, though I think the cast mostly makes it work. For example Jamie Foxx is really great as the football player who has complicated feelings about the violence of the sport, and the effect its having on him personally. Also it's noteworthy as the movie where people started to take him (Foxx) seriously as a potential dramatic actor. As for Stone, he was still pretty hot at the time, but his hot streak was basically ending by this point. This was follow-up to the disastrous reputation of U-Turn (a movie I'll admit, I kinda enjoy), and after this his movie were just never the same (the 9/11 effect bears repeating). They felt a lot more less conspirator-ish, and strangely more earnest in their execution, World Trade Center for example. Also his color pallet got a lot more gray, and his movies looked more dull as a result.
|
|
|
Post by DeepArcher on May 15, 2020 19:58:50 GMT
A Prairie Home Companion (2006): It's not Bob's best or anything, but it works so nicely as his swan song. There's really not much conflict to this -- other than impending death and the fading away of the good old days -- and the film acts as this one last hangout in the face of all that. The perfect sendoff for his career. Just a fun, comforting film and the cast is great ... so surreal seeing Lindsay Lohan of all people in an Altman film ... and Reilly and Harrelson really ought to do more films together.
|
|
|
Post by pacinoyes on May 15, 2020 20:39:31 GMT
Phantom of the Paradise (1974) 6/10 rewatch Director : Brian De PalmaI really want to love it but ......I just can't - too silly, too jokey, too much of everything but I love a lot of the ideas in it, the look the whole 70s vibe and approach. I really wish he had made this as a ghastly bloody horror - there are elements of this movie that pop up in Carrie, Dressed To Kill and Body Double - his brain must have been on fire judging by this and the ornate Obsession right around the corner.
|
|
|
Post by Viced on May 15, 2020 21:02:51 GMT
Not quite the best mafia film of 1972. Obviously a great true story... but this was so damn dull and uninvolving. A few strong sequences, but mostly a big blah. Was nice to see the great Lino Ventura in an English language role for the first time at least... 5/10
|
|
|
Post by cheesecake on May 15, 2020 21:10:24 GMT
Mirage (1965, Edward Dmytryk). One of those classic who-has-done-this meets mistaken identity/amnesia cases. Written by Charade’s Peter Stone, this isn’t nearly as light as this leans heavy on the noir, but it does share co-stars George Kennedy and Walter Matthau. Peck is good as the lead and I’ve always enjoyed Diane Baker — the two have some nice chemistry here. I think it was a big mistake to have Kevin McCarthy’s character’s name be Josephson though, it’s a mouthful and was repeated so often by the climax it got to be rather amusing. This is also Quincy Jones’s third film score and I really dug it. Solid film over all.
|
|
|
Post by DaleCooper on May 16, 2020 0:02:43 GMT
I rewatched Fight Club - it has been a long time since I saw this. Still good, but I remembered it to have more of a punch. It was fun watching it knowing the big twist - however, again, I still thought the reveal would be more impactful. The absolute final shots, though, with Where is my mind was stunning. I'm pretty sure I had this pegged down as a 10 previously, but an 8 will suffice now (maybe even that a bit generous).
|
|