BlackCaesar21
New Member
You're barking up the wrong acorn!
Posts: 144
Likes: 104
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Post by BlackCaesar21 on Apr 15, 2021 19:19:39 GMT
Bronson: Rewatch-MUch better than I remember
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Post by Mattsby on Apr 15, 2021 19:54:57 GMT
The Devil's Playground (1976) Very good autobiographical debut from Fred Schepisi. Set at a boys seminary, plotless really... mainly snippets of behavior and routines and discussions among the boys and the priests, but it's made in a well-rounded way, and gives an honest and undamned look at the themes of misguided religious codes and repressed puberty, urges and such. S/o therealcomicman117 who's mentioned the movie before. Retreat (2011) Heavy-handed laming of (especially now) a timely pandemic plot.... That is, until one or two later (interesting, dark) twists make you second-question it. Still, this should've been better. Even the perfs aren't that good from actors I usually like (Cillian Murphy, Thandie Newton).
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Apr 15, 2021 19:58:21 GMT
Tenet (2020)
I shouldn't have to watch an film in the English language with the subtitles on so I can hear what people are saying. If I had been able to watch this in the cinema, I probably would have walked out after an hour. This isn't the first Nolan film I've had this issue with either.
Anyway, it was ambitious and I admire that, but it mostly didn't succeed. The writing is so lifeless and cold and the characters are barely believable human beings; they just read as robots. If you'd told me this was the first film written by a robot, I'd take your word for it. The characters of Inception might not have been groundbreakingly interesting, but at least they were a notch above exposition bots. I wish Christopher Nolan would give a detailed story to a good writer and let them do that part of the job for him.
I do admire the action sequences, which were very strong and again, I give him props for trying to be better than you're average action flick, just a shame he failed to pull it off.
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Pasquale
Full Member
Posts: 540
Likes: 227
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Post by Pasquale on Apr 15, 2021 20:46:50 GMT
Outside The Wire (2021) was pretty unique actually.
*not the last i saw.
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Apr 15, 2021 22:06:20 GMT
Nomadland rewatch. Need to make peace with the fact that this just isn't connecting with me. The narrative is too loose and too sparse. I have a better appreciation for what it's trying to do and who Fern is as a tragic character trapped in a cycle of running away from her loss, but so much of the film is crammed with minutiae. The rough outline is that Fern goes from place to place and has a couple (and I do mean a couple) really lovely interpersonal moments with fellow wanderers occasionally set to Ludovico Einaudi's piano. These brief interactions (I'm thinking especially of the scenes with Swankie and Bob Wells and a young lovestruck Nomad who gives Fern a lighter) aren't enough to sustain interest for 100 sleepy minutes. On my second viewing, I teared up slightly more at the emotional bits but was no less frustrated with the bits about going places and doing things. I just wish there was more here.
I appreciate aspects of the film more than I did on first viewing but am more convinced than ever that the majority of it is quite tedious, so I'd probably bump it down to a 6.5 or 7. This is the Roma of 2020.
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Post by MsMovieStar on Apr 16, 2021 8:31:51 GMT
Nomadland rewatch. Need to make peace with the fact that this just isn't connecting with me. The narrative is too loose and too sparse. I have a better appreciation for what it's trying to do and who Fern is as a tragic character trapped in a cycle of running away from her loss, but so much of the film is crammed with minutiae. The rough outline is that Fern goes from place to place and has a couple (and I do mean a couple) really lovely interpersonal moments with fellow wanderers occasionally set to Ludovico Einaudi's piano. These brief interactions (I'm thinking especially of the scenes with Swankie and Bob Wells and a young lovestruck Nomad who gives Fern a lighter) aren't enough to sustain interest for 100 sleepy minutes. On my second viewing, I teared up slightly more at the emotional bits but was no less frustrated with the bits about going places and doing things. I just wish there was more here. I appreciate aspects of the film more than I did on first viewing but am more convinced than ever that the majority of it is quite tedious, so I'd probably bump it down to a 6.5 or 7. This is the Roma of 2020. Oh honey, you really need to watch it in a mobile home somewhere in the back of beyond to get the most out of it...
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Apr 16, 2021 18:42:43 GMT
Promising Young Woman (2020)
I almost loved this film, but not quite. I'm highly impressed with it all the same. It managed to take a very heavy and serious topic in rape culture, and combine that with another very serious topic in psychological trauma, and deal with them in a darkly comedic way, but without cheapening their severity at all. That's a pretty fine balancing act, and it was nicely done.
I was surprised to a degree in the type of revenge / punishment that was dished out to the shit head characters in the early stages, but then as time passed by and you realise more about Cassie, her intentions and what set her on this path, it started to make more sense. Interestingly, to me at least, the most punishing things Cassie did were to the two female characters (I & II). Perhaps deliberately so on the part of Fennell.
The conclusion was somewhat neat, but I'm not complaining on that one at least. I wanted it. I even wanted more. In the real world I know what probably comes next, and it's likely not as fancy a package with a pretty pink bow as Cassie will have intended. Still, it was gloriously rewarding to see.
Adored the use of colour here, the palette might have been the best thing about the film, if not for Mulligan. She was great. This is not an easy role to pull off. Cassie is an easy character to root for in many ways, but is tough to be fully on board with. There's a kinda selfishness in her actions, or at least a disingenuousness. I don't think her crusade was all about Nina. I think in some ways her revenge was for her self, and what she lost and missed out on in choosing her friend over herself and her future. That of course is a hugely honourable choice to make, but it clearly affected her in the long term. This is a very heavy character under the pink, bouncy haired façade and Mulligan hit all the nails on the head.
It wasn't all great though. As I hinted at earlier, I occasionally found it all a tad too neat, and taking the many pages in that notebook into account, I find it hard to believe she got through that many go arounds of what she does and didn't meet a man who decided he didn't like what this 'crazy bitch' did to him and decided to teach her a lesson, for want of a better phrase. Also Ryan was one of the sorest thumbs in a film in many years, even if Burnham did a fine job with him.
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Post by Mattsby on Apr 16, 2021 19:16:35 GMT
Shiva Baby (2021) Strong debut from Emma Seligman who was 24y/o at the time of filming. The idea (quasi sex worker college girl runs into her "sugar daddy" at a shiva) started as her college thesis project, a short film intended as a proof of concept - the short doesn't really work imo as well as in this little feature (72m). You need the longer flow of beats so it doesn't feel so contrived. Tho I did wonder at times why she couldn't just leave the house on her own but anyway. Well performed by the whole cast, which includes Fred Melamed (A Serious Man's Sy - a useless "You're going to be fine" can be heard here too), Deborah Offner (part of Jewish-classic cast of Crossing Delancey), Dianna Agron (who does a lot with a little), and non-Jewish but best-of-cast Polly Draper (as the schmutz-thumbing mother; didn't realize she's IRL Alex/Nat Wolff's mother). Seligman gives the kvelling gossip a dryly funny, demonic touch by having it envelope the lead. Like the "baby shake" sequence that has a Polanskian stir. Some other noticeable influences (as she said, “I watched Krisha over and over again"). Especially wanna note... the clever use of anamorphic format which is great in how it slightly curves the sides of the frame, a little fringe distortion as psychological clue. And with the wideness, room to foreground the munching and conversing around the lead, as if trapping her. How interesting, and apt, that the brand of lenses they used, Kowa, were originally made for looking at targets during shooting practice. S/o cheesecake - hadn't heard of this before your post.
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Apr 16, 2021 19:49:33 GMT
Lavendar - Casper with sexual abuse and murder. Let me tell ya, that's not a winning combination.
Clinical - Way to let your Dutch angles give it away if you couldn't surmise it from the fact that it's a horror movie and a strange man has waltzed into your life. It was solidly made and Vinessa Shaw holds it all together, so overall it was okay.
Possessor - I really wanted to like this, but I didn't. With such a cool premise where assassins inhabit the mind of another individual who will then do the assassinations for them could have gone so many ways. I'm sorry but weird body horror imagery in neon lighting isn't scaring anyone! I think there was a ton of potential with this film that instead went from the same scene rehashed for the entire picture. Abbott was pretty darned good, though.
Our House - In the middle of our street (I had to)... this is yet another basic ABC Family horror movie. Not so awful that I need to trash it but not good enough for me to give it any sort of praise.
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Post by cheesecake on Apr 16, 2021 20:11:59 GMT
Working through some early Luc Besson and The Big Blue is really good stuff. Loved the opening black and white shots that transitioned to color after a time jump. Some very cool imagery throughout, and it was so great to see Rosanna Arquette and Griffin Dunne back together.
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Post by wilcinema on Apr 16, 2021 21:35:01 GMT
August: Osage County: One of the grossest movies I've ever seen.
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Apr 16, 2021 23:44:01 GMT
Chungking Express. First watch.
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Post by wilcinema on Apr 17, 2021 10:58:30 GMT
Pauline At The Beach: The kind of movie that doesn't really seem that good while you're watching it but that leaves a mark. Great, great movie, and a movie that I could easily see myself rewatching soon.
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Post by stabcaesar on Apr 17, 2021 15:44:26 GMT
The Killing - Felt like a more heavy-handed Elevator to the Gallows. The camerawork was exquisite. 7/10.
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Post by cheesecake on Apr 17, 2021 16:09:32 GMT
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec. Has anyone seen this? I'm fucking GAGGED. Mummy adventure-type film that doesn't make a lick of sense but it's oodles of insanity with killer costumes and holy shit that ending.
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Apr 17, 2021 16:42:27 GMT
cheesecake I've never even heard of it but it looks fun! Isn't it Besson? I guess if I liked it it would be the first Besson I like wilcinema, loooove those 80s Rohmer films. You never think you're going to be captivated by movies about people sitting around and talking but the humanity of those characters and the experiences they're going through always sneak up on you. The Aviator's Wife and Green Ray are my favorites.
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Post by stephen on Apr 17, 2021 16:45:18 GMT
Possessor - I really wanted to like this, but I didn't. With such a cool premise where assassins inhabit the mind of another individual who will then do the assassinations for them could have gone so many ways. I'm sorry but weird body horror imagery in neon lighting isn't scaring anyone! I think there was a ton of potential with this film that instead went from the same scene rehashed for the entire picture. Abbott was pretty darned good, though. I'm gutted.
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Archie
Based
Eraserhead son or Inland Empire daughter?
Posts: 3,674
Likes: 4,369
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Post by Archie on Apr 17, 2021 16:54:57 GMT
California Split (rewatch) - 10/10
Is it weird that I think this is both the best film ever made and yet not even the best film Altman has made? That's weird. Anyway dudes rock.
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Post by cheesecake on Apr 17, 2021 16:56:49 GMT
cheesecake I've never even heard of it but it looks fun! Isn't it Besson? I guess if I liked it it would be the first Besson I like Yeah, it's really weird and I had a blast. Working on a Besson montage right now so I'm suddenly having a blast all over the place.
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Post by wilcinema on Apr 17, 2021 17:00:52 GMT
wilcinema , loooove those 80s Rohmer films. You never think you're going to be captivated by movies about people sitting around and talking but the humanity of those characters and the experiences they're going through always sneak up on you. The Aviator's Wife and Green Ray are my favorites. I have seen and loved The Green Ray, I'm starting to work on his filmography, Mubi has a bunch of them but I need to be quick because they pull them away in two weeks
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Apr 17, 2021 17:35:49 GMT
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
So I wanted to switch off my brain and watch things go smashy smashy. I got what I wanted. No complaints here.
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Apr 17, 2021 18:12:06 GMT
Io - So I put this on super late at night and Netflix had it as "sci-fi / cerebral / creepy" and it had Anthony Mackie so I thought hey, another to add to my collection. Yeahhhhhh, about that... oof. This movie hits every cliché and pratfall you can imagine (including "hey balloon man (yes, Mackie arrives into the film on a balloon, don't ask) I just told you my dad was dead this whole time and that you wasted your trip here and my boyfriend just messaged me that he is going on some suicide mission to the outer reaches of the galaxy, wanna bone?" and that's when I decided to turn it off and go to sleep. I did finish it the next day, but not much changed. ALSO IT WASN'T CREEPY, NETFLIX! You fucking liars.
The Fourth Kind - This sort of thing is right up my alley. I love alien abduction stories (even if I don't believe 99% of them and that 1% I'm usually just me saying, "well that seems a bit more likely") and that's what this was. Very interesting but DEEPLY flawed in all aspects outside of the acting. I don't know why they decided to do the side by sides with the interviews (the acted and the "real") and while it sounds kinda cool, it didn't work most of the time. Should have just let the actors act it out and maintained the story that way. I would very much like to know how much of this was real. That would be a helluva doc to see.
White Noise - Blah. Some decent jump scares but otherwise the film was blah. Blah blah blah. Hmmphh.
1BR - Cult cult cult wanna positive RT make a film about cult cult cults. Seriously what is everyone's fascination with cults nowadays? Anywho, with that out of the way, I really liked this one. Absolutely nothing groundbreaking (you've seen one cult-horror film, you've seen them all) but this one was able to maintain its tense narrative throughout sprinkled with their cooky ideologies. Pretty baller ending too.
EDIT: so apparently The Fourth Kind isn't based off of anything. Well now I feel like a fool. A FOOL!
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Apr 18, 2021 8:25:23 GMT
Starry Eyes - Annnnnndddddd yet another cult film. Yeah, I get it... you're speaking about the sacrifices of fame and success, but can you at least make it scary? This is basically just a film about someone who dreams big and gets upset when it doesn't happen. Also, takes an hour into it before it even becomes a "horror" when the runtime is barely over 90 minutes.
We Are Still Here - YET ANOTHER GOD DAMNED FUCKING CULT FILM! At least this one was pretty good. I honestly laughed when they had their first encounter with the neighbors because I was thinking, "no way I got three in a row" but alas, it WAS three in a row. Thankfully, I sat and watched a good movie. Definitely some annoying things going on (but then again, I'm constantly annoyed by the actions/plot-points of horror films) and still, I was enthralled.
Girl on the Third Floor - . . . another one? Really? REALLY?! While not as in your face about it, there was a definite cult mentality going on. . . . add in some Christian character and you basically have an easy win for critics! *sigh* Gets so much better in the last act, but that doesn't negate me having to fucking watch a dime-store Don Draper going through a haunted house. Weirdly enough, I noticed that at least 3 of the producers on this worked on the We Are Still Here... I'm guessing they weren't around for the beginning of shooting.
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Post by stephen on Apr 18, 2021 13:41:22 GMT
Fish: I swear to God, I am sick to fucking death of cult films. If I have to watch one more cult film, I'm just gonna join a cult so I don't have to watch more movies. Now what's next on Netflix? (It's Always Sunny theme plays) Fish Joins a Cult.
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Post by cheesecake on Apr 18, 2021 14:34:16 GMT
The Fourth Kind - This sort of thing is right up my alley. I love alien abduction stories (even if I don't believe 99% of them and that 1% I'm usually just me saying, "well that seems a bit more likely") and that's what this was. Very interesting but DEEPLY flawed in all aspects outside of the acting. I don't know why they decided to do the side by sides with the interviews (the acted and the "real") and while it sounds kinda cool, it didn't work most of the time. Should have just let the actors act it out and maintained the story that way. I would very much like to know how much of this was real. That would be a helluva doc to see. EDIT: so apparently The Fourth Kind isn't based off of anything. Well now I feel like a fool. A FOOL! My sister saw this in theaters and was so angry when she got home and researched it.
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