What movies did you see last week? (7/16-/7/22)

Blazing Saddles

Sneakers - Such a great enjoyable techno crime thriller comedy. Cast is great, and they play off each well. Horner's score is also one of his best, and the film is really quotable too. "The world isn't run by weapons anymore, or energy, or money. It's run by little ones and zeroes, little bits of data. It's all just electrons." - 8 / 10

Tenacious D: In The Pick of Destiny- 7.5 / 10

E.T. - Big screen viewing experience - 10 / 10

Only Angels Have Wings - This is probably about as well-constructed and as well-paced as a film can get, terrific performances, and it definitely has that terrific old-timey Hollywood feel. Definitely a film I'll be returning to again. - 9 / 10

Infamous - 7.5 / 10

Eat Man Drink Woman - Good family comedy drama. The story is compelling. Also any movie that makes me feel hungry gets an instant 8 / 10 from me.

Sorry to Bother You
Tully
Moana
Truth or Dare

The Aviator's Wife - Oh look, another really good Rohmer movie! Liked it very much although I expected to be a tad more impressed by it considering how highly some of my trusted movie-loving friends regard it. One of the very few times when I felt that some of the (overall excellent) Rohmer dialogue scenes went on for a bit too long, namely the one toward the end. But then the very ending smooths things out in a most powerful way. As always with Rohmer, it's filled with astute observations about people and people's emotions, even if the story itself may seem slight.

Hostiles - Dammit, another disappointment from Scott Cooper. Good things first - I thoroughly enjoyed Bale's performance and Pike was rather good for the most part too (except for some very 'LOOK, I'M ACTING' screaming here and there), the movie was rather well shot and certain separate scenes in it worked nicely. I also appreciate Cooper's desire to make a western that is very deliberately paced. I just wish he had more on his mind to fill the deliberate pacing with, because unfortunately the whole thing ends up feeling kinda empty and rather pompous in its self-seriousness. The narrative is very episodic although it seemed to me that each little segment could've made a properly engaging film of its own, and when we get to what the main character's act is, it ends up being something really predictable. If Cooper wanted to make a film about a character who slowly gets to understand and feel for his enemy, he shouldn't have let the enemy to just stay almost wordlessly in the background for most of the film. This could've been much more interesting.

Andrei Rublev - Finally got around to seeing perhaps the most internationally recognized film from my home country. And what do you know, it's a great one. In many ways it reminded me of "La dolce vita" - it's not necessarily about Rublev himself, but mainly about the time, the place and the people, and just like Fellini's masterpiece this film paints a very powerful picture through several segments. And the film also manages to give us some insights into Rublev himself, albeit in a very non-traditional way for a biopic. There're no obvious bits or cliched scenes, it really is a unique vision on a grand scale, combining the finest traits of classical historical filmmaking with something more sophisticated and hard-hitting. A beautiful film that will probably only get better with time.

The Green Ray - Heartbreaking and just astonishing. Can't quite remember the last time I wanted a character to find happiness as strongly as I did watching this film. An absolute must for everyone who loves naturalism in cinema, who loves subtle character pieces and who loves that type of filmmaking that is very simple on the surface and yet reaches within the depths of your soul.

A Tale of Winter - This damn Frenchman just can't put a foot wrong, can he? A beautiful, beautiful movie which, despite its rather frosty aesthetic, truly warmed my heart.