SZilla
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Post by SZilla on Nov 19, 2022 17:13:11 GMT
Les Miserables (1995) - Just finished this epic retooling of the classic story from Claude Lelouch after finally finding it on rarefilmm. It's absolutely brilliant. Set during WWII, Jean-Paul Belmondo stars as Henri Fortin, a simple man from a hard upbringing whose life and the lives of all the people he encounters parallel that of Jean Valjean and the rest of the cast of characters in Hugo's Les Miserables. 10/10
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Post by mhynson27 on Nov 20, 2022 10:16:24 GMT
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Good shit. Definitely in the upper levels of Phase 4.
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Post by mhynson27 on Nov 20, 2022 10:25:30 GMT
The Bob's Burgers Movie
An extended episode of the show pretty much, and I ain't complaining.
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Post by Martin Stett on Nov 22, 2022 2:00:13 GMT
2014 Scavenger Hunt #2
Haider (Director: Vishal Bhardwaj) Kashmir, 1995. A doctor treats a militant hunted by the government. His house becomes a battlefield, and the good doctor disappears. His college aged son (Shahid Kapoor) returns home to the bombed out ruins of his home, to find his mother (Tabu) in what seems to be a romantic relationship with his uncle (Kay Kay Menon)... Yep. It's Hamlet, transplanted to a modern war zone and injected with a heavy political angle. Is it good? Weeeeell... It takes a while to get going: there is A LOT of setup before a "ghost" appears, as the film needs to lay the groundwork as Haider is no prince and his father was no king - instead, the uncle is a politician campaigning against government policies of "disappearing" militants whilst secretly working as an informant to the Polonius character (a soldier for the Indian army), giving the film a very different power dynamic than Shakespeare's work. And that setup is, admittedly, slow. Too slow. But once the ghost delivers its message to Haider, this movie lights up into an unstoppable frenzy of action and bloodshed backed by a smartly written putdown of Indian policies in policing Kashmir. There are some pacing problems early on and I'm not a fan of the songs stopping the action (the one exception being the gravediggers' introduction in a musical number), but the reimagining of Hamlet, Claudius and Gertrude as figures in a much larger - and unabashedly outspoken - landscape of politics and guerilla warfare, makes the pros outweigh the cons.
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Nov 22, 2022 2:32:07 GMT
She Said. Pretty meh overall. It was ok enough but felt pretty heavy handy and just didn’t pack en emotional punch. Mulligan was by far the standout performance and I would not mind at all her getting a Supporting Actress nom.
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Post by mhynson27 on Nov 22, 2022 5:01:29 GMT
She Said. Pretty meh overall. It was ok enough but felt pretty heavy handy and just didn’t pack en emotional punch. Mulligan was by far the standout performance and I would not mind at all her getting a Supporting Actress nom. Do you think it would be fraud??
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Nov 22, 2022 13:45:49 GMT
She Said. Pretty meh overall. It was ok enough but felt pretty heavy handy and just didn’t pack en emotional punch. Mulligan was by far the standout performance and I would not mind at all her getting a Supporting Actress nom. Do you think it would be fraud?? I don’t. I think she’s borderline for her between co-lead and supporting. I can see a case for either ht don’t think it would be egregious to put her in supporting. Feels like Kazan is driving the story for much of the time.
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Post by finniussnrub on Nov 24, 2022 3:11:31 GMT
The Glass Onion, if only I liked Rian Johnson's writing as much as Rian Johnson does.
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Post by Ryan_MYeah on Nov 25, 2022 6:22:08 GMT
Good Night Oppy - Why did a hunk of gears make me sad?!
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Post by pacinoyes on Nov 26, 2022 9:36:09 GMT
This Man Must Die (1969) - RewatchI have said many times - too many actually - that Hitchcock - while monumental, and very great - often disappoints modern audiences because of what he could not show..... Chabrol, Polanski, De Palma, Argento "beat" him at his own game simply with what they were permitted to do in their best movies .....at times.....not that they are better - that's a different argument - rather they more speak to what the world became and is.....they are less quaint so to speak.... Well This Man Must Die - a huge film for Chabrol - but not one of my particular faves - opens with a sequence that Hitch could never show (the Death of a child, in close-up) all over the opening credits (!) this is not a spoiler - it's the plot....... Hitch did show this in a masterful sequence in Sabotage but not as graphically and certainly not in the first 5 minutes....... Chabrol's staggering sequence also ties into a subsequent "film" scene capturing the child's father watching home movies of the boy - so "film" (what we see, what he sees) is the source of horror and comfort....... which ironically increases the horror An example of how this movie might have been different in many ways if Hitchcock directed it......you can have a lot of fun doing that with movies of the late 60s that are called Hitchcockian by other people (this movie.......The Bride Wore Black etc) This Man Must Die is a more "easier to get / simpler Chabrol" movie - which I think ties into its high place in his filmography but I would say it is the LEAST interesting of his great-ish 6 movie run in this era - but also the least off-puttingly perverse too
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avnermoriarti
Badass
Friends say I’ve changed. They’re right.
Posts: 2,390
Likes: 1,274
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Post by avnermoriarti on Nov 26, 2022 21:42:11 GMT
a few 2022 movies I've seen lately:
The Wonder. The more times passes by the more I think it is Sebastian Lelio's best. All his films tackle the risks of close-minded thinking and the courage required to break through this kind of thinking but the difference with his latest is the main character understands where the determinant "blindness" comes from, from grieving and guilt and more importantly is compassionate with these characters knowing they won't answer back to any kind of reproach, the nurse's empathy is bigger than her need for the others to see reason. Niamh Algar at one point says "we all need stories" probably referring to the way of influence in someone else's life consist of entering their story and propose a twists in it.
Pacifiction. Albert Serra goes "mainstream" exploring the morbidness that defines his films, is about the last glimpses of colonialism, watching these moribund creatures dominating (or to at least try while they can before realising a system is the one who truly rules above) the last corner of the world, a place that is equally beautiful, hypnotic and poisonous. The movie constitutes of meetings, negotiations and nightclubbing but always rendering the natural habitat, the sound of the wind, waves, birds and constant music invade the brain leading to madness, making it impossible to even have a congruent conversation. Is a place where opulence only leads to misery. Should've won something last May at Cannes
Miracle. I'm a big fan of romanian cinema, is like watching docs about my country without any of the parts involved selling their dignity to film festival audiences exploiting the misery of someone else, this one is differet though.... While watching it it felt like a slap in the face and almost a kind of lecturing experience but as times passes by, the more I admire what the movie is doing, not even the most grimmest entries in the Romanian New Wave prepare for what Miracle is up to. And it's perhaps its sense of freedom and need to detach the narrative from that movement and amplifying the themes to a more universal level what differentiate it from the rest. Diving the film in two halves allowing perspective and reflection about the nature of social behavior and the contrast between past and present, old beliefs and the thrust of reason as well as people who seem to be ruled by hypocrisy, that appear to be something they're not, within all that the young protagonist remains as a symbol of purity, almost serving as guidance by those driven by rage. If none of that comes off as trivial is because of the constant rhythm in which everything is introduced, even in the most shocking moments where different narrative elements come into place invite for reevaluation of the nature of the story. The film holds back a lot of information, even from the way it is framed and yet the moment where the Miracle happens is as eloquent as it can be.
Triangle o Sadness. Thematically it's not saying anything that hasn't been discussed, shown, satirized on every single media platform for the last decade particularly because every character presented has been an easy target but within the reasons why it never had me rolling my eyes was because for every predictable back and forth there's always a third punchline that goes to unpredictable places or continues stretching the joke from a different angle, and Östlund going back to his glorious days of Force Majeure never presents his characters, despite all their flaws, as the joke and the whole cast does an outstanding job to provide an understanding of where they're coming from, if anything, what's missing is to challenge the familiar image in which they're seen and analyse their strengths and weaknesses. For all I've read ever since its premiere at Cannes, it's seems such a baffling movie to generate negative reactions given how everything is presented with a cool, laid back attitude and despite its running time is a breezy experience.
Tár. On paper I find refreshing that a movie that is so in tune with 2022 was made at all, I was just as baffled, bewildered and ultimately bored by it, it just makes me think our times as not interesting to make a movie about (unless you're Park Chan-wook and deliver the movie of the year). There's something about this movie that smells sort of bad. I was entranced by the first scene, it has a disgustingly pristine aesthetic, so meticulously conceived, shot quite well in an unusual way, particularly loved the way the character is introduced, it's just what the movie was that I'm against, despite the chilling and titanic effort Blanchett is doing the movie doesn't care and just reads as an empty stunt, it should've been credited as "based on shoddy media suppositions", scenes where she's "confronted" as set up for her so easily, her fake speeches might be amusing but by the end the argument is a so what? high brow is where is at ? I admire Lydia's conviction and way of look at her craft and what represents but the movie definitely favors her therefore there's no payoff.
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Post by pacinoyes on Nov 26, 2022 21:52:09 GMT
a few 2022 movies I've seen lately: Miracle. I'm a big fan of romanian cinema, is like watching docs about my country without any of the parts involved selling their dignity to film festival audiences exploiting the misery of someone else, this one is differet though.... While watching it it felt like a slap in the face and almost a kind of lecturing experience but as times passes by, the more I admire what the movie is doing, not even the most grimmest entries in the Romanian New Wave prepare for what Miracle is up to. And it's perhaps its sense of freedom and need to detach the narrative from that movement and amplifying the themes to a more universal level what differentiate it from the rest. Diving the film in two halves allowing perspective and reflection about the nature of social behavior and the contrast between past and present, old beliefs and the thrust of reason as well as people who seem to be ruled by hypocrisy, that appear to be something they're not, within all that the young protagonist remains as a symbol of purity, almost serving as guidance by those driven by rage. If none of that comes off as trivial is because of the constant rhythm in which everything is introduced, even in the most shocking moments where different narrative elements come into place invite for reevaluation of the nature of the story. The film holds back a lot of information, even from the way it is framed and yet the moment where the Miracle happens is as eloquent as it can be. Marvelous commentary here ^ ........this has been my number 1 all year and the movie is so rich and nuanced you can talk about it endlessly and not even mention the performances which to me are among the best of year. This is the 2nd in a loose trilogy - and the other film - Unidentified is more prosaic but also quite good.....this director Bogdan George Apetri is a real guy to watch - can't wait to see how he wraps the trilogy up.......
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avnermoriarti
Badass
Friends say I’ve changed. They’re right.
Posts: 2,390
Likes: 1,274
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Post by avnermoriarti on Nov 26, 2022 22:06:07 GMT
a few 2022 movies I've seen lately: Miracle. I'm a big fan of romanian cinema, is like watching docs about my country without any of the parts involved selling their dignity to film festival audiences exploiting the misery of someone else, this one is differet though.... While watching it it felt like a slap in the face and almost a kind of lecturing experience but as times passes by, the more I admire what the movie is doing, not even the most grimmest entries in the Romanian New Wave prepare for what Miracle is up to. And it's perhaps its sense of freedom and need to detach the narrative from that movement and amplifying the themes to a more universal level what differentiate it from the rest. Diving the film in two halves allowing perspective and reflection about the nature of social behavior and the contrast between past and present, old beliefs and the thrust of reason as well as people who seem to be ruled by hypocrisy, that appear to be something they're not, within all that the young protagonist remains as a symbol of purity, almost serving as guidance by those driven by rage. If none of that comes off as trivial is because of the constant rhythm in which everything is introduced, even in the most shocking moments where different narrative elements come into place invite for reevaluation of the nature of the story. The film holds back a lot of information, even from the way it is framed and yet the moment where the Miracle happens is as eloquent as it can be. Marvelous commentary here ^ ........this has been my number 1 all year and the movie is so rich and nuanced you can talk about it endlessly and not even mention the performances which to me are among the best of year. This is the 2nd in a loose trilogy - and the other film - Unidentified is more prosaic but also quite good.....this director Bogdan George Apetri is a real guy to watch - can't wait to see how he wraps the trilogy up....... oh, I'm already trying to find Unidetified under rocks but nothing yet....
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Nov 27, 2022 15:21:04 GMT
Men. Garland is still 2/3 for me at least.
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Post by Ryan_MYeah on Nov 30, 2022 20:58:24 GMT
Jurassic Park III (rewatch)
So a lot of you may know I used to have incendiary thoughts on Jurassic Park 3. In fact, some knew me for an epic 3,000 plus word takedown of the film, which in turn was nominated for Best review at the (thankfully long buried) Buzzers Awards.
It didn’t deserve it, because looking back at that review, it’s one of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever written: a hodgepodge of performative anger and incessant nitpicking, whipping myself into a frenzy like those AVGN wannabe ranters I grew to hate. And it’s also hilariously out of date, because even when I rewatched it earlier this year, I felt like I was forcing myself to think of it as a horrible movie. Forcing myself to hate it more than I actually did.
Now… I just think it’s dull. Don’t get me wrong, it is not good. It’s still loaded with logic gaps - Grant’s fossil expedition is strapped for cash, and yet he plays to packed audiences and his assistant can 3D print a velociraptor’s vocal chamber (patent it if you’re that desperate), and characters seem to be oblivious to hulking dinosaurs surrounding them. Characters who at best are flat, and at worst are morons (Leoni and Nivola embody this).
But really, it’s harmless. It’s safe, and it’s not what I hyped it up to be. And as far as turning it into a monster movie, by stripping the dinosaurs of personality or animal nature, that I drastically overhyped. I still dislike the Spinosaurus, because it’s still a glorified slasher villain, but the dinosaurs still feel like animals. They still show personality, and the velociraptors actually have some of their most badass moments in this movie. I feel like this is one area where I was so desperate to get upset, I either overhyped things that were there, or invented things that weren’t an issue.
So, yeah. It’s not horrible, and that’s an upgrade. Honestly, I’d actually take it over The Lost World, because while Spielberg may be better at creating moments, and at handling CGI (some of the effects here are wonky), this isn’t as sloppy or nearly as mean-spirited in comparison.
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Post by Pavan on Dec 1, 2022 18:45:18 GMT
The Northman (2022)-
A fairly straightforward revenge plot until a revelation comes later in the story. Skarsgard gives committed performance but its Eggers' unflinching depiction of the legend and the landscape here that its worth watching- 7.5/10
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Post by pacinoyes on Dec 1, 2022 22:18:29 GMT
Black Test Car (1962) - (Yasuzo Masumura) A sharp dissection of ruthless capitalism, droll sexuality and humor. A lot of the directorial touches he'd exhibit in later films are already in full effect. Whips by in a little over 90 minutes - some of this in its camera angles, moral relativism and the layering of details on what goes into creating the car(s) evokes a Scorsese like level of specificity......good stuff - I like everything I've ever seen of Masumura tbh
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SZilla
Badass
Posts: 1,471
Likes: 1,002
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Post by SZilla on Dec 4, 2022 23:28:48 GMT
The Ballad of Narayama (1983) - No where near as good as the original from Kinoshita, whose stylistic Kabuki influenced visuals were a standout. The first half of this latter film is a depiction of the ugliness that living in lower classes can bring, which Imamura has already covered better in the earlier Profound Desires of the Gods, splashed with ill-fitting and tired blue "comedy" and excessive sex. The second half is the trek itself, which never feels as treacherous as Kinoshita's. Imamura has been very hit and miss with me and unfortunately this was decidedly a miss. 4/10
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Post by Ryan_MYeah on Dec 5, 2022 5:00:00 GMT
Violent Night - I found a new tradition for Christmas. If you have an itch to see David Harbour as a boozy Santa, in Die Hard meets Home Alone, bashing mercenaries’ heads in with a sledgehammer, this should scratch it.
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Post by Pavan on Dec 5, 2022 19:00:31 GMT
Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)-
I did not expect this much singing. A weird yet thoughtful comedy special. Occasionally funny and sometimes profound commentary on social media and the times we are living in- 8/10
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Dec 5, 2022 22:11:11 GMT
Scarecrow. Hard to believe there was a 70’s film stating 2 of my favorite actors of all time and I’d never seen it. Pretty great character study. Hackman and Pacino were both quite excellent, but Pacino’s arc and performance in the final 3rd was especially heartbreaking.
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Post by mhynson27 on Dec 5, 2022 22:35:22 GMT
Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)- I did not expect this much singing. A weird yet thoughtful comedy special. Occasionally funny and sometimes profound commentary on social media and the times we are living in- 8/10 First exposure to Bo??
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Post by Martin Stett on Dec 6, 2022 1:29:07 GMT
2014 Scavenger Hunt #3
The Blue Elephant (Director: Marwan Hamed) Satoshi Kon found dead in Cairo. On its surface, this is pretty much a standard 1990s style thriller about a psychiatrist named Yehia (Karim Abdel Aziz) trying to determine if his friend and fellow psychiatrist Sharif (Khaled El Sawy, chewing every bit of scenery he can) is indeed schizophrenic or just faking it after murdering his wife. Lots of pretty standard plot twists and weird stuff happening that makes Yehia (and the audience) doubt his own sanity. And in truth, looking back on it... it really isn't anything more than that. And yet I had a blast, because this is such a great visceral experience. This has some of the best jump scares I've ever seen (interestingly, the movie sets you up to expect them and then gives you a jump scare, but from a different place, in a way different way - when you think a creepy shadowy figure is gonna appear in frame, A SNARLING CGI DOG JUMPS AT CAMERA OUT OF NOWHERE AND RIPS YOUR FUCKING THROAT OUT - which is a really cool way of discombobulating your audience), a wonderfully twisty plot that dips its toes into satanic horror, some surreal sequences that are truly unsettling, and VERY LOUD NOISES. It uses every trick in the DTV horror playbook and does it all with so much fury and enthusiasm that I got swept along. Does it make one bit of sense? Bugger me if I know. Did I have a grin on my face the whole time? Ooooooohhh yeah. Gotta recommend this bad boy.
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Post by Pavan on Dec 6, 2022 6:13:39 GMT
Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)- I did not expect this much singing. A weird yet thoughtful comedy special. Occasionally funny and sometimes profound commentary on social media and the times we are living in- 8/10 First exposure to Bo?? Yes.
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Post by mhynson27 on Dec 6, 2022 10:21:35 GMT
Makes sense then. His stand-up always involves a lot of music.
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