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Post by Martin Stett on Jul 9, 2018 14:12:48 GMT
What Maisie Knew (2012) -- A bit lacking in nuance, and seeing the film through the eyes of Maisie is a little cheap, because she's a little too much of an angel in the middle of the maelstrom around her. Regardless of the cheap manipulation used, it still works. It isn't over the top in the dialogue or the acting; merely in the situation itself. Excellent acting from Skarsgard and Vanderham too. 7/10
Lady Macbeth (2017) -- Pretty much exactly what I feared it would be; a very VERY predictable suspense movie in its script, helmed by a director that thinks he's making a stuffy period piece and accordingly makes the movie move as languidly as possible. 4/10
Woman in the Dunes (1962) -- I think it gets a little confusing in its themes, but this is a successful nightmare world. I dig it. 7/10
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) -- So I posted some rambling thoughts already, but the condensed version: the dialogue and stabs at humor are groan inducing and kill the movie right there. The movie needed some rewrites to cut down on the four(!) plot threads going on and to develop any characters not named Ren or Rey. And finally, the movie needed to stick by its convictions and actually be gutsy instead of teasing at having a spine. But even if it succeeded with the last one, the other problems would still ruin it. I'd be more frustrated, but after the shitshow of TFA, I really don't care anymore. The Marvelization of Star Wars is now complete. 4/10
The Wind Rises (2013 rewatch) -- Even better than I remembered it. Jiro is one of Miyazaki's most fascinating creations: a man who chooses not to see the world around him at every step of the tale. I can't understand how anyone could come out of this saying that the film condones Jiro's actions. The movie simply does such a job of making him a believable cog in the machine that he never questions his place or what he's doing. And that makes for one of the most tragic characters I've seen in a long time: a man that sold his soul and never even knew it. 10/10
The Human Comedy (1943) -- By golly, what a movie! Isn't America great? Gee whiz! Good thing our American values and apple pie objectively make us the greatest people in the world! Don't you love sitting down with your family that you never argue with at all and singing traditional music to get that national pride flowing just for being in the greatest country in the world, blessed by God himself? I sure do! Gee whillickers, yes I do! 2/10
The Way Way Back (2013) -- This should have spoken to me. As someone who still sees himself as an awkward teenager that doesn't understand all of these adults being far less responsible than their own children, I should have connected with this. But the characters are so one dimensional (I knew I would hate the lack of nuance from the very first scene), the humor so sitcom-ish, the delineation between good (Sam Rockwell likes me so he's a good guy) and bad (Steve Carell doesn't like me so he's a bad guy) so surface level, that I really despised most of the film. 3/10
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Jul 9, 2018 14:24:51 GMT
You Were Never Really Here (2017) 9.5/10
Just brilliant stuff. So great on almost every level. #3 of 2017
Game Night (2018) 6/10
Distinctly average on most levels. So, so ordinary.
The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter (2018) 6/10
Didn't come up to my expectations, but the cast elevated it enough to make it run of the mill.
Jeepers Creepers 3 (2017) 1.5/10
The antithesis of You Were Never Really Here. #93 of 2017, from ninety-four films seen.
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Jul 9, 2018 14:28:23 GMT
The Way Way Back (2013) -- This should have spoken to me. As someone who still sees himself as an awkward teenager that doesn't understand all of these adults being far less responsible than their own children, I should have connected with this. But the characters are so one dimensional (I knew I would hate the lack of nuance from the very first scene), the humor so sitcom-ish, the delineation between good (Sam Rockwell likes me so he's a good guy) and bad (Steve Carell doesn't like me so he's a bad guy) so surface level, that I really despised most of the film. 3/10  |
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Jul 9, 2018 14:59:56 GMT
Southpaw - I like the boxing scenes, and Gyllenhaal really commits to the role and is great, but I can't buy / care for the domestic drama. The stuff with the daughter was fine, but the rest of it had me constantly turning my face. It was just not especially interesting. 6 / 10 I guess.
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada - Great modern day western about betrayal, redemption, and friendship all in one. Jones is subtly terrific in the lead role, and as this film and The Homesman prove, he's a solid filmmaker, especially when it comes to to depicting the West. - 8 / 10
Ant-Man and The Wasp - Lots of fun. It's a good "breather" film between Infinity War and Avengers 4. I laughed a lot (Pena was a standout), and Ghost was a great antagonist as well. The action was really thrilling too. - 7.5 / 10
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Post by mhynson27 on Jul 9, 2018 15:45:25 GMT
The Martian (re-watch)
Sicario (re-watch)
Fight Club (re-watch)
The Incredibles (re-watch)
Shutter Island (re-watch)
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Film Socialism
Based
99.9999% of rock is crap
Posts: 2,557 
Likes: 1,389
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Post by Film Socialism on Jul 9, 2018 18:05:58 GMT
Kuro (Noriko & Koyama 2017) - good if not especially noteworthy slow cinema piece, 7
Pacific Angels (Reese, 2018) - a high ass moment for the letterboxd new wave, big pastiche of genres and moods and textures and i love it a lot, 8
Tongues Untied (Riggs, 1989) - super cool, combines poetics and realism into an essay film format and it's stuck in my mind after a few days, 8
Borderline (Macpherson, 1930) - progressive film not only in terms of race relations but also aesthetics, and i think it's truly commendable because neither of those things have dated. i could see this being made in 2018, 8
2012 (Makino, 2013) - seeing this was truly an aural experience, it's already changed my idea of how cinema can work in the modern era, 9
Tarzan and His Mate (Gibbons, 1934) - pretty much as expected: great effects, campy at times, drags in the non-genre scenes, and extremely racist, 6
Inter View (Makino, 2010) - another quaint work from makino - some beautiful stuff in this one, love his textures and sense of rhythm because he's able to nail down a unique mood after all this time, 8
Tranquil (Makino, 2007) - i had believed it was a lesser film as it's just a well done layering for most of it, but the final sequence is incredible filmmaking that i don't believe anyone else coulda pulled off, 8
The Low Storm (Makino, 2009) - not as much to say on this one but i love how he works with birds and landscapes here, 8
Ghost of OT301 (Makino, 2014) - here it's more of a guitar based soundtrack and there's no physical surety of what's going on though there is substantially more physical movement and imagery, very cool, 8
Love is a Treasure (Ahtila, 2002) - something only the digital age coulda made for us, not something i myself am enamored with but i'm sure this will be something that connects with somebody if they ever take the time to see it, 7
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Jul 9, 2018 18:41:26 GMT
The Incredibles 2 (2018) - gave me a mini existential crisis. 7.5/10Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) - Another delightful WA film, riotously funny at parts 8/10Tender Mercies (1983) - it's determined to move so quietly and tenderly that it barely moves at all. This is one of the first movies I've seen in a while that doesn't even have a pace. The story is a perfunctory succession of events that all get afforded the same significance and reflection so you can't get a sense of evolution of change in the characters. And now I can say with confidence that the 1983 BP lineup was total garbage. 6/10My Favorite Year (1982) - this is the kind of film where you watch it and then forget literally everything about it a week later. 5/10The Draughtsman's Contract (1983) - Where have you been all my life?  9.5/10
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Post by Lord_Buscemi on Jul 9, 2018 18:45:02 GMT
Post Tenebras Lux - 4/10
964 Pinocchio - 7/10
Rubber's Lover - 6/10
Videodrome - 8/10
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - 8/10
Polytechnique - 3/10
Why Don't You Play In Hell? - 7/10
Incendies - 6/10
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no
Badass
Posts: 1,071
Likes: 423
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Post by no on Jul 9, 2018 22:03:32 GMT
| Blue Velvet | (1986) | David Lynch | 9.5 | (rewatch) | | Bag Lady | (2017) | Douglas Reese | 6.5 |
| | The Forgotten Colours of Dreams | (2018) | Johnny Clyde | 9.0 |
| | The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call -- New Orleans | (2009) | Werner Herzog | 6.5 | | | "Buck" | (2015) | Aaron Berry | 5.5 |
| | "Photodiary" | (1986) | Takashi Ito | 7.0 |
| "Spot of the 22nd Ji.hlava IDFF 2018"
| (2018) | Jean-Luc Godard | 6.0 |
| | Evolution of a Filipino Family | (2004) | Lav Diaz | 10 |
| | Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations | (1938) | Leni Riefenstahl
| 8.5 | | | Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty | (1938) | Leni Riefenstahl | 8.0 | | Eyes Do Not Want to Close at All Times, or, Perhaps One Day Rome Will Allow Herself to Choose in Her Turn
| (1970) | Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet
| 8.5 | | | "War of the Ants" | (2018) | Eli Hayes & Douglas Reese | 4.0 | | Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels
| (1975) | Chantal Akerman
| 9.5 |
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Jul 9, 2018 23:13:28 GMT
Last Flag Flying
Sicario: Day of the Soldado
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter
Roman J. Israel, Esq
Antman and the Wasp
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Air Buddies
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Post by Mattsby on Jul 10, 2018 1:23:01 GMT
The Russia House (1990) — actually well made, visually and even the patterned editing style, but the narrative isn’t strong enough, the mystery recedes and folds into a rote romance thing that doesn’t really work; Connery/Pfeiffer are fine. 6/10
Love Field (1992) — starts well but grows into a ridiculous melodrama; the idea is solid (and Don Roos shows some range with this coming out the same year as his Single White Female), the character (Jackie meets Marilyn) is kinda fascinating, Pfeiffer delivers too, a great performance of whipped-up confidence and fashionable airs to gull a guarded grief. 5ish/10
Mississippi Mermaid (1969) — Hitchcock lite and very inconsistent in terms of pacing and style, but Truffaut doesn’t completely muck it up, it gets better as it goes on, right up to the excellent final shot. 6 or so/10
The Story of Adele H (1975) — Truffaut’s much better examination of obsessive love! Both this and MM have similar themes, they similarly open with a quick history lesson, and even share some stylistic devices (they’re far more effective here). Adjani is stupendous, conveying such desperate longing and mad-busy worship. Around the ending when her well-meaning temerity has far disintegrated and she’s wandering in a fugue state, taking the tone of an elegant promenade, the film achieves some kinda rare and bare power. At least 7.5/10
The Legacy of the Whitetail Deer Hunter (2018) — a dud, lacking a variety of sense, lacking any semblance of humor, it’s only painfully stupid. 4/10
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Post by JangoB on Jul 10, 2018 8:07:14 GMT
Blockers - I just knew this was not going to be as funny as the trailers made it seem. Despite some quite hilarious bits here and there, I mostly found it to be pretty damn bland. It's shot like pretty much every R-rated comedy out there (poorly), it doesn't distinguish itself from the rest of the 'raunchy' pack (there's even an obligatory 'hey, dicks and balls are funny' scene, how goddamn lazy) and of course it also wants to be heartwarming and sappy which is pretty annoyingly done. It mostly works because of the good cast but I just wish this either went more for the laughs or was more sophisticated as a character piece. It just kinda did an average job with both. "Bridesmaids" remains the best example of how to do a consistently hilarious comedy which is also a really strong character movie. This ain't close to that.
Thelma & Louise - REWATCH. The worst spot in "Blockers" was when all of a sudden in the middle of a film they decided to shoehorn in a feminist speech which was just cringeworthy (and which, I guess, guaranteed it its good reviews). So after the unpleasant taste of that I decided to revisit a real feminist film and it was pretty damn awesome. Two terrific performances, a rock solid story, and despite some genre trappings, it remains character-focused throughout. It's a terrific movie. I only have one problem with it - the scene when they decide to mess with the truck driver is really a lot of fun but man, the guy who plays the truck driver gives SUCH a horrific performance, oh boy, I dunno how Ridley agreed to settle on that. I get that he was supposed to be this utterly vile and not too bright but still, there is a line. I just don't get how such acting awfulness was allowed in a film that is otherwise acted extremely well (aside from maybe Stephen Tobolowsky who seemed slightly nervous to be there). But anyway, it's a really excellent film and one that is a feminist classic for a reason.
Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle - A wonderful and rather delightful Eric Rohmer comedy about the friendship of two young women. It's just tremendous to see young people on film depicted so naturally, so without any glossiness and phoniness. All of the film's four segments are excellent but that first one is a real masterpiece. Oh, and I can't tell you just how much I loved Joëlle Miquel.
Pauline at the Beach - An even better Rohmer film, this time an intricately plotted dramedy of intertwining relationships, musings on love, frustrations and observations. Great performances, amazing script, sensitive and smart direction - it's just a fantastic movie. Also I gotta praise Rohmer and Nestor Almendros for the look of the film. I guess Rohmer isn't usually singled out for his visual abilities but the naturalism of how he shows the locations and the weather accounts for a big portion of the film's mood and atmosphere. Can't wait to see more of Rohmer's films (by now I've only seen four so I have a lot of greatness ahead).
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Post by Pavan on Jul 10, 2018 16:38:01 GMT
The City of Lost Children (1995)- 7/10
The Age of Innocence (1993)- 7/10
Cleopatra (1963)- 7/10
Isle of Dogs (2018)- 7.5/10
Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)- 6.5/10
The Perfect Storm (2000)- 7/10
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meowy
New Member
Posts: 159
Likes: 19
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Post by meowy on Jul 11, 2018 19:44:33 GMT
The Post: 8/10
Incredibles 2: 9/10
Sicario: Day of the Soldado: 7/10
Suddenly, Last Summer: 7/10
Lady Bird: 7/10
A Dangerous Method: 6/10
Hitchcock: 6/10
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Post by stabcaesar on Jul 11, 2018 19:47:07 GMT
Mud: 8.5/10
Ordinary People: 7/10
Toy Story: 9.5/10
Toy Story 2: 9.5/10
Downfall: 10/10
Out of the Past: 10/10
Snowpiercer: 7/10
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9.5/10
