feesy
New Member
Posts: 10
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Post by feesy on Mar 29, 2021 6:19:00 GMT
Clue - 9/10
*sniffs, looks at shoes*
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Post by ireallyamsomething on Mar 29, 2021 6:42:49 GMT
Beach Rats (2017) - led by an arresting performance by Harris Dickinson and brilliant direction and cinematography, this was more of a mood piece than a standard coming of age story. Also, the rare film to portray the male body in a interesting way. Liked this more than Moonlight (to be fair, maybe I should revisit that someday, had found it slightly underwhelming).
Read some criticism about a woman directing the story of a gay man. I get that sometimes it can help to get a more authentic perspective but I don't think I totally agree with this notion that only a particular type of director/actor should be involved with particular projects.
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Post by wilcinema on Mar 29, 2021 10:23:55 GMT
The Innocents (1961)
After a very long time, I finally found another horror movie that gets a 10/10 from me. Impeccable direction, fantastic cinematography, music and sound design are *chef's kiss*, the script is incredible, and the acting is phenomenal, not just Deborah Kerr but the kids too. It works on so many levels (sheer horror entertainment, literary adaptation, a story on child upbringing, a story on sexual repression, a story on madness and isolation) that I could watch it again today and observe it from a different point of view. A bonefide classic and one of the greats of the decade. And yes, it scared the sh*t out of me.
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Post by pacinoyes on Mar 29, 2021 13:43:48 GMT
Sator (2019) - 5 / 10Big disappointment - as this came from somebody in my real life movie club based on my recent rave for the Art-Horror Hagazussa: A Heathen's Curse - who usually is pretty reliable in sync with me. To me this was unclear where the other film was mysterious and enigmatic - this either didn't know what it wanted to say or worse had nothing to actually say at all. It also is maddening on a technical level - so are the choices made here which are banal or amateurish. At least with Cosmatos or Strickland you can see the aesthetic choice and its intent......this was to me random and arbitrary.
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Post by stephen on Mar 29, 2021 13:45:35 GMT
My Octopus Teacher: I mean, he really, really wanted to fuck that octopus, didn't he?
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Post by Mattsby on Mar 29, 2021 18:10:27 GMT
The Plot Against Harry (1971 or 1989) Up to 8/10 Michael Roemer wrote and directed masterpiece Nothing But a Man (1964) and then made this long-lost gem later in the decade. From Ebert's review: Roemer, a Jewish refugee from Berlin, who's still alive at 93/yo and taught filmmaking at Yale for over 50 years always told his students, "I can't claim expertise...I once made a comedy and nobody laughed." Here's a guy who might've been a major talent. Nothing But a Man is a landmark maybe best ever movie about black identity. He made it about social, economic, familial pressures, too.... Similar to Harry which is about a Jewish racketeer just released from prison, thrown back into a New York he no longer runs or understands. In one scene there's a noticeable whiskey billboard in the background that says, "Schenley - Always in the center of things." That slogan sarcastically reflects the character who becomes more and more improbably and absurdly the focus, for good or ill, of his family and shady dealings. He's the local scapegoat, quite so in the Biblical meaning. This movie reminded me of A Serious Man, The Sopranos, and Scorsese/Coppola/Mamet....and in the lead actor's small-eyed cosmic screwup way, not to mention the kvetching family, Woody Allen. In its urban doc aesthetic, Roemer's background, it calls to Cassavetes and Shirley Clarke. There are some dreamlike coincidences....and abrupt jumps of time....and the storyline is a little more puzzling than it needs to be.... but everything plays cleverly and dryly thru the protagonist. Very good, slightly off feeling movie that lingers with you. As one reviewer said, "It feels like it was made by a dead man." And nobody laughed.
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Post by wilcinema on Mar 29, 2021 22:25:29 GMT
All The President's Men (re-watch)
I have to watch this movie every couple of years to remind myself how much I love it. I may be biased about it, but to me it's still one of the greatest movies of all time. It takes one of the biggest political conspiracies of the 20th century, but the screenplay (one of the finest screenplays ever) is so good that it is incredibly dense and yet deceptively simple: from the first scene, everything works, everything checks out because one thing follows another, and then another, and then another, and even if one thing may not seem clear at first, immediately comes the clarifying follow-up. This way, through the small details that made the investigation, the viewer gets the terrifying big picture that culminates in the total identification with the Woodsteins and with Bradlee. You fear for their jobs, you fear for their lives, you fear for an entire country. This is what all the movies like this (The Post, Spotlight) attempted but never achieved: the final third of the movie is nerve-wracking, it is incredibly tense, it is gut-churning and blood-chilling, because you realize that the stakes have never been higher, and the movie triumphantly makes its point. Masterpiece on every level: acting (not just the all-timer Robards, but Hoffman, Redford, Holbrook, Warden too), writing, and on a technical level (sound, film editing and cinematography are sensational). This movie is among the ones I always look forward to coming back to, because it reminds me I freaking love movies.
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Post by pacinoyes on Mar 29, 2021 22:50:34 GMT
Irezumi (1966) - It's probably an 8 but I want to go higher than that .......... Has anyone seen this? themoviesinner ? I think I recall you mentioning Masumura but not this picture? @tyler you may like this (or HATE it) with your Japan fascination or you may find it, um, dully pornographic May want to look this film up and read some non-spoiler comments on it.....and that goes for everybody ...... This is by Yasuzo Masumura - who I had seen other films by but this clicked with me for some reason more - a simple story about a girl who gets a spider tattoo on her back and becomes (transforms into?) the almost demonic "spider woman". That simple story is told in an oddly convoluted way and spins into a not wholly believable way either - it doesn't really work as a narrative or character piece but as a series of set pieces and events and colors. ...........and that's where it really works - there is an astonishing death scene here and some astonishing dialog passages too - in a lot of ways this is a feminist (or is that a misogynist?) version of Oldboy (or Lady Vengeance rather)........and yet this is really hard to recommend - the beginning and ending are great but the middle lags and the camera doesn't move (much) this is a very static film - like Bresson directing a Tarantino plot It's the kind of movie you underrate but will never forget .......so I'm overrating it instead......this would be a movie I'd like to ask directors about actually.....surprised this doesn't have a bigger rep or cult.....
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Post by mhynson27 on Mar 30, 2021 4:47:47 GMT
The White Tiger
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Post by themoviesinner on Mar 30, 2021 6:06:36 GMT
pacinoyes I haven't seen Irezumi, but I'm a big fan of the two films I've seen from Masumura (The Blue Sky Maiden & Giants And Toys), so I'll definitely check it out.
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Mar 30, 2021 9:32:10 GMT
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)This felt painfully like a play, and while that gives great opportunities to a great cast, it doesn't make for a great or even good film. It can of course on occasion, but not in this case. All of Boseman's big moments, were really strong, but they just didn't flow right. He was zero to a million in a micro second. A better bit of story telling, might have made those big moments seem less jarring. I know he was supposed to be a hot head, but a bit more of a build might not have gone amiss, especially for his first blow up. Also, why on earth is Davis nominated for lead actress, damn fine work for sure, perhaps one of her best, but was there a shortage of great leading performances last year. 5/10
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
Another film from Sorkin land, where everyone is a hilarious sasspot. I do tire of his writing sometimes, it's awfully full of itself; to the point were sometimes, despite the best efforts of the actors, the characters don't feel real enough. I did enjoy the film quite a lot though. It was well paced and the scenes well structured. It's just a shame about the over the top writing of some of the caricatures. Still, the cast did a great job. Eddie Redmayne didn't even get on my nerves. 8/10
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Mar 30, 2021 20:07:59 GMT
Death of Me - I'm shocked this movie got made in today's environment. With that out of the way, it starts off well in a creepy paranoia kind of way but then it has to go the route that every horror movie has to go to nowadays with a cult presence... yeah. Killer ending, though.
Malevolent - Why is there always a character in a horror movie that has to be all "yeah this seems like a situation where we all might die, but let's keep going guys! Yeah! Well that's this movie for ya. It honestly did nothing for me and was a movie that went in one ear and out the other leaving behind little impression. Wasn't horrible, but I can't really say anything good about it.
The Silence - I actually really liked this. It's A Quiet Place meets World War Z... and even though there was a *sighs loudly* cult presence, at least this one added to a sense of dread rather than some hokey bullshit that writers are so invested in lately. In fact, I'd rate this higher than A Quiet Place.
As Above So Below - I thought I would love this one and it seemed right up my alley (I was expecting something akin to The Descent meets Blair Witch Project) and it starts off that way... then they find a magic rock (I shit you not) and it just goes downhill from there. All the characters had about as much depth as a children's sticker book and did I mention a magic rock??? A MAGIC ROCK IN THE CATACOMBS OF PARIS! This shit isn't Harry Potter! Well at least Netflix can stop recommending it to me. Fucking Netflix recs.
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Post by jakesully on Mar 30, 2021 21:49:58 GMT
The Counselor (re watch) I dig this film and thought Sir Ridley Scott did a good adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy book. It only has a 5.3/10 rating on IMDB which is baffling to me . Does it come close to reaching the heights of No Country For Old Men or The Road??? Hell no but its still a damn good film in my humble opinion. Great cast/acting all around from the leads plus it featured some gnarly/awesome kills that I will not spoil for you (for those that haven't seen it yet) . Overall I would recommend seeing this if you are into dark/gritty films involving drug cartels.
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Post by DeepArcher on Mar 30, 2021 21:59:29 GMT
The Counselor (re watch) I dig this film and thought Sir Ridley Scott did a good adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy book. There's actually no book, it's just a Cormac McCarthy screenplay.
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Post by jakesully on Mar 30, 2021 22:15:49 GMT
The Counselor (re watch) I dig this film and thought Sir Ridley Scott did a good adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy book. There's actually no book, it's just a Cormac McCarthy screenplay. oh shit Imy bad! Noted and I guess you learn something new everyday. Either way I thought Sir Ridley Scott did a good job directing this film.
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Mar 31, 2021 9:57:09 GMT
Mank (2020)
I guess this was probably a tough subject matter to approach, being that Kane is such a cinema classic, but it still feels like Fincher blew it a little, especially in the first half. It really was halfway through this film, when I really started to enjoy it for anything more than how attractive it was. The rest to that point was just fairly serviceable, definitely nothing inspiring. The second half was much superior, with the story, characters and performances really coming into there own. A game of two halves for sure. Solid stuff overall, but nothing I'd ever revisit.
7/10
Dick Johnson is Dead
Very inventive film / doc, and for the most part, really well executed. It was often moving, often funny and occasionally hilarious. The protagonist was such a lovely man, that it breaks your heart to know where his mind was headed, even if we were spared us the worst of it,
8/10
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Post by jakesully on Mar 31, 2021 17:22:25 GMT
Promising Young Woman - Finally got around to watching this to see what the hype was all about (rented it for free at my public library) . Just couldn't get into it at all and found it to be highly overrated (perhaps I was expecting too much ) Mulligan was definitely legit and will probably win the Oscar but thats about it (Thought she was better in Drive to be quite honest with you folks. 6/10
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Mar 31, 2021 19:08:46 GMT
His House - This was really fucking good. Wasn't particularly scary but I thought it handled the ideas of losing one's culture in a new land and doing anything to survive exceedingly well. Helps that the two leads were fantastic. Well done, A+.
The Open House - This was okay. Standard home invasion horror movie that was pretty much a plug and play from so many others before it. Doesn't break any new ground but it was decent enough. Not a waste of time.
Shortcut - I'm going to ignore the ABC Family Presents: ending and say that I liked this quite a bit. The creature was cool, there was an ever present sense of dread, the acting wasn't horrible... all in all good stuff. Just not that ending. Fuck that ending.
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Apr 1, 2021 7:57:28 GMT
Godzilla v Kong - That water fight scene was GREAT... if only the rest of the film was. A lot of my problems consist of spoilers and since this is BRAND NEW (I know, Fish seeing something right off the bat? who woulda thunk it) but this was better than the last Zilla movie. Sadly, unlike that film, this didn't have any performances even worth noting whereas I singled out Watanabe and Chandler from that film. Decent popcorn flick... but the few monster action scenes would not be worth the ticket price. Thank you, HBOmax! Berlin Syndrome - What a slow burn to a FANTASIC last act. For a hot second, I thought they were going to undo what I wanted... but they didn't! Teresa Palmer was pretty incredible and no, this time I'm not talking about all the nude scenes. You lot got filthy minds! I lowkey loved this. Much like Better Watch Out, I never wanted to see a killer get their comeuppance more. Still, this is more thriller than horror... but it's close enough.
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Apr 1, 2021 10:48:20 GMT
His House - This was really fucking good. Wasn't particularly scary but I thought it handled the ideas of losing one's culture in a new land and doing anything to survive exceedingly well. Helps that the two leads were fantastic. Well done, A+. It's was a really top notch film for sure.
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Apr 1, 2021 10:53:22 GMT
Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) Really solid film in almost all regards. It was definitely nothing drop dead great outside of Daniel Kaluuya (why is he nominated supporting ) and Dominique Fishback (why isn't she nominated ). Those two were excellent. Wasn't too impressed with Lakeith Stanfield though, I've neen a fan of his for quite a while now, but I definitely found is work here inconsistent. 7.5/10
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Post by Mattsby on Apr 1, 2021 17:01:06 GMT
Eye For An Eye (2019) - 7+/10 on Netflix2nd movie reviewed in this thread today by Paco Plaza (REC, Verónica) and the second movie this week reviewed here starring Luis Tosar (Miami Vice, Sleep Tight) excellent yet again as linchpin character in a dark, lurid crime story. The pace of this film is like De Palma on cocaine guzzling Red Bull trying to top his most visceral work .....the plot makes Oldboy - which is a clear influence - seem "realistic" ...........put them together it is just blazing to watch. If you can just accept its ludicrous coincidences (there are a ton) and not question it too much, it IS wildly entertaining and this and Verónica are on Netflix and Sleep Tight is on TUBI.........quite a Spanish triple feature of the 2010s and all are recommended. Recent watch of Mondays in the Sun set me off on a little Spanish-cinema streak and I watched three from Paco Plaza! Eye for An Eye was very good.... it gains as it goes, as the elements converge. While not gruesome, there's a startled feel of violence across the movie, in an inevitable way... and that last shot is one of the most poetically disturbing I can think of. Verónica, even better movie, has a similar sort of last shot where death is attached to a "picture" of innocence. I found Verónica really scary - a great rattling climax - and really well shot and well formed as it layers adult pressures into her possession. Also watched the 70m A Christmas Tale, part of Spain's Films To Keep You Awake compilation (To Let remains the best) that I wish other countries would do too. It's too "childish" but has lotta fun with its horror/pop culture callbacks.
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Post by Mattsby on Apr 1, 2021 17:29:08 GMT
Welcome Mr. Marshall! (1953) 7/10 or more - Directorial debut from Luis García Berlanga, Spain's Preston Sturges who specialized in satirizing and mischancing small towns, and keeping them eagerly in wait, with absurd digressions and self-reflexive spots of style, like Beckett or Ionesco. He rejigs some of the gags here and caffeinated them for his later brilliant Placido (1961). It's a light and very funny yet daring movie that surprisingly passed the censors - as it presents a dreaming, shamed Spain and a doubtful, useless America. Edward G Robinson on the jury at Cannes famously tried to ban this from screening as he decried it an 'un-American movie'..... it went on to win Best Comedy and Screenplay at Cannes....
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Post by DeepArcher on Apr 2, 2021 2:39:47 GMT
Ishtar: Pretty damn fun. Certainly parts of it haven't aged well but on the whole it holds up super well as a piece of political commentary; all the stuff with the CIA and Grodin's character in particular is fucking gold. And I actually quite liked Beatty and Hoffman together. I can see why this wouldn't work for some people, but I really don't see anything here that would've warranted all the "worst of all time" claims when it was released. Weird! And I can now confidently say Elaine May has one of my favorite filmographies ever. It might only be four films, but they're all absolute gems.
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Post by Mattsby on Apr 2, 2021 2:53:57 GMT
Ishtar: Pretty damn fun. Certainly parts of it haven't aged well but on the whole it holds up super well as a piece of political commentary; all the stuff with the CIA and Grodin's character in particular is fucking gold. And I actually quite liked Beatty and Hoffman together. I can see why this wouldn't work for some people, but I really don't see anything here that would've warranted all the "worst of all time" claims when it was released. Weird! And I can now confidently say Elaine May has one of my favorite filmographies ever. It might only be four films, but they're all absolute gems. That's the truth!! I put off Ishtar for so long and then watched what's a wonderfully hilarious buddy comedy. Baffled why it was ever hated so much... 4.4 on IMDb is a sick joke. I think I had it as my fav first-watch of all of 2019 and I watch a lot of movies.
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