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Post by Ryan_MYeah on Jan 21, 2023 20:50:55 GMT
I have a lot of problems with The Son. I plan to give this one a full rant.
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Post by Martin Stett on Jan 22, 2023 0:16:40 GMT
Mickey Reece Deep Dive #4
Suedehead (2015)"My life is a bad movie with a predictable plot and ridiculous characters doing stupid fucking things. You've seen it a hundred times before, but for some reason you can't pull your dumb ass up out of the couch and turn it off because it's so pathetically and laughably bad."Fresh out of a ten year stint in prison, Kenny finds himself adrift. Life has moved on without him: his girlfriend has married some loser and has two kids, his band - the "Fuckheads" - have hired a tween as their front man and are doing chillwave, his sister is now a teenaged cheerleader that is giving him an awkward erection, and he's stuck working as a mall cop (his mother left off the ex-con thing when she filled out his job application) with a guy that can't stop gushing over Transformers 4. Life moved on without him and turned into an endless hell of humiliation. The cringy awkwardness of the setting is done well, and although this is definitely minor Reece, it has a lot of that Red Rocket energy of dead-end hopelessness fueling its humor. Let's call it Red Rocket for normies instead of critics losing their minds over subtext, actually. It's all pretty straightforward, and fairly entertaining. The problem is that there isn't much too this: what you see is what you get. Reece couldn't be bothered to write a cohesive emotional or thematic throughline, and the movie just sort of stops instead of tying anything up. But in a way, it's fitting for a movie about a dead-end life working a dead-end job in a dead-end existence to stop at a dead-end and just give up on trying to tie itself up. It still has some good laughs and feels real in its evocation of setting. On the production side, this is the earliest Reece I've seen, and DEFINITELY the cheapest looking. Although his movies were definitely indie before, he clearly didn't know anything about lighting at this stage of his career. But eh, the writing is what counts, and it works well enough for what it is.
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Post by stabcaesar on Jan 22, 2023 15:05:55 GMT
Holy Spider - Incredibly chilling, especially the ending. I wish the journalist's character had been more fleshed-out though. I find her a bit thinly-written and I was expecting something really rich given the Cannes best actress prize. Zar Amir Ebrahimi was good, but the role is a bit limiting. The killer on the other hand has a lot more depth to him.
Having also seen Till recently, I find it extremely ironic that the spider killer who killed prostitutes in Iran was hung while Emmett Till's murderers were never brought to justice. One of them is still fucking alive today, even.
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Post by PromNightCarrie on Jan 22, 2023 15:26:47 GMT
The Father - 10/10 Good Lord, this movie for me was horrifying. I'm used to being the observer, not the sufferer. I need to watch something else to recover from it. The changes of place especially screwed with me. The acting by Anthony Hopkins is brilliant, the best I've seen in years. But equally brilliant, I think, is the script. Now I need to escape to another Sunday movie because I need to kick this out of my head. :'
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Post by wilcinema on Jan 22, 2023 17:35:13 GMT
The Night House: Great start and a great lead performance, from then it's a waste of good ideas until the... dumbest third act in a horror movie ever?
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Jan 22, 2023 22:06:30 GMT
Violent Night. Well this was a ton of fun.
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Post by mhynson27 on Jan 24, 2023 7:38:19 GMT
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Just reminded me how little Cage films I've actually seen.
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Post by DeepArcher on Jan 24, 2023 23:40:08 GMT
Broker (2022): As a pretty big Kore-eda fan, this probably ranks among the year's bigger disappointments for me. Not to say that I disliked it. At this point, I'm not sure he could make something I outright reject. His usual formula is very much present, but it doesn't land the way it has in previous iterations. I typically enjoy Kore-eda's brand of melodrama, but this feels flimsy and convoluted at times, particularly the gangster/murder aspect of the plot feels almost entirely uncalled for. And even for my taste, the dialogue is way too treacly at times, e.g. the "umbrella" motif that has the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Its more underspoken moments are where it resonates the most, and there's a plethora of them down the stretch that really moved me. Kore-eda working with great Korean actors like Song Kang-ho and Bae Doona is of course a huge plus here, and the two of them are as good as always, though the real standout of the cast is IU. As someone who doesn't even slightly follow the K-pop scene I'm not at all familiar with her persona, but it's an incredibly sincere and winning performance from a young actress I'd like to see more of. Nice PTA homage in here too, which is not something I'd ever thought I'd say about a Kore-eda movie.
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Post by mhynson27 on Jan 25, 2023 0:35:08 GMT
I actually liked Broker a lot more than Shoplifters.
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Post by Martin Stett on Jan 25, 2023 0:48:41 GMT
2021 Scavenger Hunt #1
Black Box (Director: Yann Gozlan) An airliner with 300+ people crashes, and the investigation begins! Will our intrepid hero (Pierre Niney, who is secretly Andrew Garfield dubbed with a French voice) cut through the lies and deception to expose the CONSPIRACY(!?!?!?!?) at the heart of the matter? So yeah, pretty straightforward conspiracy thriller here. At 130 minutes, it's around 40 minutes too long, and the ending is downright idiotic. But it's still intense enough, and the movie does a good job - perhaps too good - of planting the seeds that maybe we're just watching a crackpot hatch crazy theories that have no basis in reality. It's all standard stuff, but it is a low ambition movie that can get by with "serviceable," and that's what it does. If only just barely.
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Post by stabcaesar on Jan 25, 2023 7:34:48 GMT
To Leslie - It's kind of nothing special. The script is weak, Allison Janney and Marc Maron's characters are in particular really poorly-written. It's basically discount Red Rocket without the sex and pedophilia. Riseborough has some really strong moments and is overall quite consistent, but I wouldn't call it anywhere near the stratosphere of hyperbole like her parade of copy pasters described it to be. I would rank her above Williams and de Armas, but that's about it.
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Post by pacinoyes on Jan 25, 2023 12:10:06 GMT
Wedding in Blood (1973) - rewatch
One of those odd duck Chabrol movies that was popular and considered "typical" of his genius but like This Man Must Die (1969) isn't quite as quirky and fully engaged with his wit to quite rank in his upper tier which really is genius. This movie though is however effective and also winningly funny in a cool, detached way - the cemetery borders the town and of course the murderous pair never thought of leaving the town - I mean it has everything right there for them......why should they leave? One of his most expressly specific "banality of evil" movies where a man poisons his wife and then cheerfully says "good morning" to passers by ..........where the resolution of the case comes not from the police but by familial bad luck, by blind chance......if you're blind to it. Not essential if you're going to watch only his "very best" ........but if you watch his best ........you want to see more of course and this one isn't one to miss either. Also has some bravura shots - the brutal murder / car accident for one seems both shockingly poorly thought out and joltingly appropriate - I mean what did you think murder looks like?
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Post by stabcaesar on Jan 25, 2023 19:53:36 GMT
Turning Red - It's cute, the pandas in particular are incredibly animated. Unfortunately I feel like I've seen this movie a thousand times from Pixar/Disney, just with an Asian cast this time. The over-the-top generational trauma resolving in 2 seconds without much buildup Pixar/Disney has been doing in the past few years is starting to get old imo. Luca, Coco, Encanto all have a somewhat similar message, and EEAAO this year is literally about the same thing, except it goes a bit deeper into it imo.
I also am not a fan of the characters' design in this one. They look, for lack of a better word, ugly to me.
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Jan 26, 2023 13:46:44 GMT
The Sting. Was inspired to rewatch from the other thread in it because it’s been ages since I’ve seen it. Still fantastic and holds up quite well for the most part. Redford and Newman are just effortlessly charming and that’s all they need to be. The entire supporting cast is aces and Robert Shaw is the perfect antagonist. And apparently my wife has some quite strong feelings about how “devastatingly handsome” young Robert Redford is.
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Post by Pavan on Jan 26, 2023 18:51:26 GMT
Resurrection (2022)-
A decent psychological thriller with a pretty good Rebecca Hall performance for most part until it takes a detour and becomes quickly, needlessly grisly leaving me bewildered- 6/10
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Jan 26, 2023 19:53:43 GMT
Emancipation. Didn’t totally work for me but had some very strong sequences. Smith was pretty great though and probably would have taken Mescal’s Best Actor spot is “the slap” never happened. Ben Foster plays a typical Ben Foster role that he could do in his sleep, although I did really like his quieter moment during the camp fire.
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Jan 26, 2023 22:59:14 GMT
The Marshes Basically an Aussie The Hills Have Eyes. Built up some really nice tension in the first two acts, but then it falls flat in the third.
Soul to Keep Ohhhhhh boy, where do I begin with this one? No. I'm not wasting it for this. Basically girl hatches plan to summon demon. Demon is summoned. Girl is shocked when demon does demonic things. Then all those demon things get undone because of some spell.
Unhuman NOW THIS MOVIE... no, Fish. Don't do it. Save your energy... So what could have been a pretty okay zombie comedy turns into a fucking anti-bullying PSA. Then pair that with a girl power ending that would make both even Death Proof blush. Seriously, a girl drops her weapon to fight a super zombie with her bare hands because... ??? SHE HAD A FUCKING MACE! Breathe... breathe...
Big Legend Ehhh... this didn't have anything truly egregious, but it was also very blah.
616 Wilford Lane GAAA! At least the one girl was in sexy lingerie for most of it...
Beneath Okay The Descent ripoff. Not the worst way to spend 90 minutes. Burning Bright If you got rid of the damn kid, I would have liked this movie a whole lot more. Sadly, it has the kid and all I wanted was for him to get eaten by the tiger.
No Way Out No, not the Kevin Costner one... this film is the aborted fetus of filmmaking. It is truly terrible. I'd rather suffer the plague than watch this film ever again.
Don't Grow Up I still don't know what the meaning of this film was supposed to be. There HAS to be some subtext that I am completely lost on. Doesn't mean I liked it. It was so bland.
The Moth Diaries It's a whole lot of nothing until the last 15 minutes or so. It tried going for a Heathers feel, but it's the Greater Value version of it.
All Eyes I liked it! A disgraced podcast host goes out into the country for a story about a monster... I liked it! I LIKED A MOVIE GUYS!
Exeter I did not like this. The Pact 2 The first one was okay, so I figured why not. Bad twist aside, this was also okay.
Silent Fear I had to break this up into two separate sessions because I couldn't fathom a horror movie that lacks horror again.
Night of the Living Deb Had some funny bits, but leans REAL hard into "he he I'm quirky!" that got annoying after a while.
Stalked This was cool. It's like the latest The Invisible Man meets Most Dangerous Game. Invisible Man was better, but still. I'll take a W when I can get it.
Uncanny This was not cool. You are a lame Ex Machina wannabe.
Caged So the dude killed his wife and goes insane in prison... but he still proclaims innocence... and the judge believes him???
The Occupant Apparently it's also called The Whooper Returns. I would not have watched this had it been the title on Amazon Video. Shot by an idiot, acted by idiots, and written by the biggest idiot.
The Hills Have Eyes 2 I just thought this would be Aliens with mutants... it was, in fact, not Aliens with mutants. Sad.
Old Man This could probably work as a stage play, but as a horror film, it doesn't work.
Inner Demons Cool idea, bad execution. Also, the idea of the camera man falling in love with the 16 year old drug addict was a little fucking creepy.
Beyond the Gates I liked it. It's very similar to Rent-A-Pal.
Road Games Anyone with 6 brain cells to string together can guess exactly where this movie was going.
Submerged I'm kind of glad that almost all the characters died.
Hillwalkers Bunch of dudes in the woods are sadistic killers because ??? I don't know, they don't really explain it.
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Post by Ryan_MYeah on Jan 26, 2023 23:33:45 GMT
theycallmemrfish, you have to get out of this slump. For God’s sake, watch something from Cuaron!
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Jan 27, 2023 0:11:28 GMT
theycallmemrfish, you have to get out of this slump. For God’s sake, watch something from Cuaron! It's almost like an addiction. I can't stop it.
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Jan 27, 2023 2:19:54 GMT
The Mule. Still think this is pretty solid but it’s still beyond hilarious to me that Eastwood gave himself 2 threesomes in this. Th 2nd one makes sense in it’s context but the first one inexplicably makes no sense.
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Post by mhynson27 on Jan 27, 2023 4:18:38 GMT
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
CIAO PAPA GET OUT OF MY HEAD
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Post by Ryan_MYeah on Jan 27, 2023 4:32:33 GMT
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio CIAO PAPA GET OUT OF MY HEAD Ahem. “My dear father used to say-“
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Post by mhynson27 on Jan 27, 2023 4:40:25 GMT
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio CIAO PAPA GET OUT OF MY HEAD Ahem. “My dear father used to say-“ I think I'd prefer that tbh
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Post by MsMovieStar on Jan 27, 2023 19:52:42 GMT
Oh honeys, some movies I'll never tire of re-watching. The restoration 4K copy comes out in 2024. L'Atalante (Jean Vigo 1934) 9/10
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SZilla
Badass
Posts: 1,464
Likes: 997
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Post by SZilla on Jan 28, 2023 19:40:26 GMT
The Black Cat (1941) - Doesn't reinvent the wheel for these old dark house murder mystery-comedies, but Oscar winner Broderick Crawford stands out as a straight man/goofball trying to get down to the bottom of the mysterious happenings at the Winslow mansion. Like the 1934 Black Cat, it is barely based off of Edgar Allan Poe's original story, but this iteration is written by Rinaldo & Lees, who would go on to write some of Abbott & Costello's funniest films. The film boasts a strong supporting cast including Basil Rathbone, Gale Sondergaard, Alan Ladd, Gladys Cooper, an underutilized Bela Lugosi, and Hugh Herbert as Crawford's bumbling associate, although he works best in smaller doses. As a Universal film, The Black Cat has the wonderful (if expected) atmospheric production design courtesy of Russell A. Gausman and cinematography from Stanley Cortez. Sharing the same title as the earlier and more iconic 1934 Universal outing puts this film at a disadvantage, but it is definitely worthy of attention, especially from lovers of classic horror & Abbot & Costello. It's also got a great gag where Basil Rathbone's smarmy Montague Hartley makes an incorrect conclusion about a clue, leading Crawford to crack "he think's he's Sherlock Holmes." Love it.
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