|
Post by TylerDeneuve on May 15, 2024 1:28:53 GMT
Louisiana Story (1948) - So... in the first ever Sight and Sound poll (taken in 1952), this was rated as the fifth greatest film of all time! ![:eek:](//storage.proboards.com/6692321/images/cbungJltNj775_PictjM.gif) It's all but forgotten today, though it was lovingly restored by the Library of Congress not too long ago and was Oscar-nominated for its screenplay... This is in large part because it was financed by Standard Oil in an effort to create good press around its oil drilling in the wetlands of Louisiana... ![:uhoh:](//storage.proboards.com/6692321/images/c8bbBnLz3a98Jzy_29H2.gif) Scientifically and morally dishonest, yes, wildly so... but nevertheless appealing in its Huckleberry Finn approach... The bayous are rapturously lensed by documentarian Robert Flaherty, and he manages to draw convincing performances from a non-acting Cajun family. The score is stunning, invigorating the high concept story... Could make an interesting double-feature with Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)... ![](https://www.filmlinc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Louisiana-Story-1600x900-c-default.jpg) ![](https://core-cms.bfi.org.uk/sites/default/files/styles/responsive/public/2023-05/louisiana-story-1948-boy-with-raccoon.jpeg/1504x846-cropped/louisiana-story-1948-boy-with-raccoon.jpeg)
|
|
|
Post by Pavan on May 15, 2024 18:08:19 GMT
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)-
A decent film with a solid storyline that's focused on world building and character development. I did like the slow burn approach but the director's utmost reverence to the world and its past kept the film from leaping forward and when that time comes it comes to a temporary halt showcasing a vague route map for potential sequels. The future does look promising. I hope the writers and director infuses some energy into the proceedings. The CGI is as usual darn good- 7/10
|
|
|
Post by Brother Fease on May 16, 2024 1:43:18 GMT
Hundreds of Beavers - What an experience. Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton would be proud. 8/10.
|
|
|
Post by mhynson27 on May 17, 2024 6:12:01 GMT
Wonder Woman 1984 Finally finished watching this after starting it on a flight last year. All that needs to be said really ![:laugh:](//storage.proboards.com/6692321/images/30ulL7PvEvGt97femFHx.gif)
|
|
|
Post by mhynson27 on May 17, 2024 7:21:42 GMT
The Pirates! Band of Misfits Aardman never fails to entertain man. Thanks ibbi for unintentionally reminding me this exists!
|
|
|
Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on May 17, 2024 13:55:37 GMT
8 Million Ways to Die (1986). On paper this looked like a slam dunk to be something I’d love. Unfortunately it’s an incoherent mess. Bridges has some really nice moments at least.
|
|
|
Post by Brother Fease on May 18, 2024 20:18:34 GMT
American Fiction - 9.5/10. Wonderful, wonderful film. Great performances from everybody in the cast. Pretty much everything felt right here -- writing, directing, score, editing, cinematography. Nothing about this film dragged. I have two more Best Picture nominees to watch, and this one is my favorite of the bunch. I rank this just as high as Killers, Oppy, Maestro, and The Holdovers. I will say, the first trailer for the film is a bit deceptive. This is more of a drama than it is a comedy. The focal point is not about Monk's book, but his family drama.
|
|
|
Post by mhynson27 on May 19, 2024 0:58:57 GMT
Lost in Translation (re-watch) April can't come soon enough ![:iloveu:](//storage.proboards.com/6692321/images/UGAf7oTgrfqTraTpcIEe.gif)
|
|
|
Post by Brother Fease on May 19, 2024 1:12:55 GMT
Lost in Translation (re-watch) April can't come soon enough ![:iloveu:](//storage.proboards.com/6692321/images/UGAf7oTgrfqTraTpcIEe.gif) Loved LIT. I left the theater in tears.
What do you think they said to each other at the end?
|
|
|
Post by mhynson27 on May 19, 2024 1:54:47 GMT
Lost in Translation (re-watch) April can't come soon enough ![:iloveu:](//storage.proboards.com/6692321/images/UGAf7oTgrfqTraTpcIEe.gif) Loved LIT. I left the theater in tears.
What do you think they said to each other at the end? Don't know, and don't care. It isn't the point.
|
|
|
Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on May 19, 2024 3:02:05 GMT
The Chase (1966). There’s a very good film somewhere in there but the final result is way too jumbled and overstuffed. I get that this was supposed to be a chaotic town but these citizens are mostly alcohol crazed lunatics. Too many irrelevant side characters as well. But Brando and Redford are solid and Fonda and Dickinson ![:iloveu:](//storage.proboards.com/6692321/images/UGAf7oTgrfqTraTpcIEe.gif)
|
|
|
Post by taranofprydain on May 19, 2024 23:04:43 GMT
Restoration (1995). Tepid. Very tepid.
|
|
|
Post by Tommen_Saperstein on May 20, 2024 0:52:31 GMT
The Moon Is Blue (1953) -- watched for Maggie McNamara's Oscar-nominated performance and she's a pure delight, but I loved just about everything else about it too! An Otto Preminger romantic comedy of manners dealing frankly with scandalous topics like virginity, affairs, and seduction. McNamara has incredible chemistry with William Holden and Diven Niven is deviously charming as the middle-aged cad who comes between them, but McNamara's self-possessed sweetness and candor holds the film together and prevents it from sliding into either sleaze or stuffy old-fashionedness. This was my first exposure to McNamara that I know of, and she reminded me a lot of Audrey Hepburn. She's constantly talking and the words flow musically out of her mouth at a satisfying rhythm and cadence, with Mid-Atlantic enunciations which hint at her characters' ambitions of acting. You can hear the confident smile in her voice. Though largely a chamber piece, the movie is light on its feet with constant witty jokes and jabs, and although it's all quite tame through a contemporary lens, it's always a joy finding an old movie dealing frankly with sex and relationships that's THIS funny and charming. ![https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMGU0ODNlY2ItZGFmZi00YzE2LTkwODQtNDYyMDU1NzM5MTBiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTk2MzI2Ng@@._V1_.jpg](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMGU0ODNlY2ItZGFmZi00YzE2LTkwODQtNDYyMDU1NzM5MTBiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTk2MzI2Ng@@._V1_.jpg)
|
|
|
Post by Martin Stett on May 21, 2024 0:10:12 GMT
2006 Scavenger Hunt #5
Omkara (Director: Vishal Bhardwaj) ![](https://indiancinema.sites.uiowa.edu/sites/indiancinema.sites.uiowa.edu/files/2020-04/Omkara%252017.jpg) I discovered Vishal Bhardwaj's Haider through my 2014 Scavenger Hunt, and it has grown in my mind ever since as a possible masterpiece. By transplanting Shakespeare's Hamlet to 1990s Kashmir, he was able to use a well-tested structure of a classic story in an exploration of Kashmir's political and cultural history. As a random white guy on the East coast of the United States, I was sometimes confused by the cultural specificity of the movie, but always fascinated by what it was willing to dive into. But it was actually the third part of an unofficial trilogy. Bhardwaj had made two previous Shakespeare adaptations before: 2003's Maqbool (Macbeth) - which remains unseen by me - and 2006's Omkara (Othello). After seeing the heights he would reach with Haider, I'm the teensiest bit disappointed that this isn't as culturally specific: this is no deep dive into religion, propaganda and the ugly nature of spycraft. It is really more of a straight adaptation of a scheming monster (Saif Ali Khan, a lovably evil rogue) convincing his best buddy (Ajay Devgan) that his fiance is cheating on him. Lots of lies and violence ensues. And it's all really damn good. I don't know what to say here. It's Othello. It is a really good rendition of Othello. The acting is top notch, the dawning horror of it all is handled with great restraint, and it all pretty much rocks. The updates to modern times - making Othello, Cassio and Iago into a politician's assistants/muscle, primarily - set things in the modern day without adding or detracting from anything, and even if I find that slightly disappointing after what Haider accomplished by changing its scenery, that is no slight on this movie. Every piece works as a genre exercise. I dig it a lot. P.S. CRITERION COLLECTION: IF YOU ARE READING THIS, BHARDWAJ'S SHAKESPEARE TRILOGY WOULD BE A BRILLIANT ADDITION OF A RELATIVELY UNKNOWN FILMMAKER INTO THE COLLECTION. CONSIDER IT.
|
|
|
Post by stephen on May 21, 2024 0:16:46 GMT
The Moon Is Blue (1953) -- watched for Maggie McNamara's Oscar-nominated performance and she's a pure delight, but I loved just about everything else about it too! An Otto Preminger romantic comedy of manners dealing frankly with scandalous topics like virginity, affairs, and seduction. McNamara has incredible chemistry with William Holden and Diven Niven is deviously charming as the middle-aged cad who comes between them, but McNamara's self-possessed sweetness and candor holds the film together and prevents it from sliding into either sleaze or stuffy old-fashionedness. This was my first exposure to McNamara that I know of, and she reminded me a lot of Audrey Hepburn. She's constantly talking and the words flow musically out of her mouth at a satisfying rhythm and cadence, with Mid-Atlantic enunciations which hint at her characters' ambitions of acting. You can hear the confident smile in her voice. Though largely a chamber piece, the movie is light on its feet with constant witty jokes and jabs, and although it's all quite tame through a contemporary lens, it's always a joy finding an old movie dealing frankly with sex and relationships that's THIS funny and charming. McNamara is such a delightful presence and it really is a shame that we didn't get too much of her.
|
|
Drish
Badass
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star_skyblue.png)
Posts: 2,024
Likes: 1,757
|
Post by Drish on May 21, 2024 1:18:02 GMT
2006 Scavenger Hunt #5
Omkara (Director: Vishal Bhardwaj) ![](https://indiancinema.sites.uiowa.edu/sites/indiancinema.sites.uiowa.edu/files/2020-04/Omkara%252017.jpg) I discovered Vishal Bhardwaj's Haider through my 2014 Scavenger Hunt, and it has grown in my mind ever since as a possible masterpiece. By transplanting Shakespeare's Hamlet to 1990s Kashmir, he was able to use a well-tested structure of a classic story in an exploration of Kashmir's political and cultural history. As a random white guy on the East coast of the United States, I was sometimes confused by the cultural specificity of the movie, but always fascinated by what it was willing to dive into. But it was actually the third part of an unofficial trilogy. Bhardwaj had made two previous Shakespeare adaptations before: 2003's Maqbool (Macbeth) - which remains unseen by me - and 2006's Omkara (Othello). After seeing the heights he would reach with Haider, I'm the teensiest bit disappointed that this isn't as culturally specific: this is no deep dive into religion, propaganda and the ugly nature of spycraft. It is really more of a straight adaptation of a scheming monster (Saif Ali Khan, a lovably evil rogue) convincing his best buddy (Ajay Devgan) that his fiance is cheating on him. Lots of lies and violence ensues. And it's all really damn good. I don't know what to say here. It's Othello. It is a really good rendition of Othello. The acting is top notch, the dawning horror of it all is handled with great restraint, and it all pretty much rocks. The updates to modern times - making Othello, Cassio and Iago into a politician's assistants/muscle, primarily - set things in the modern day without adding or detracting from anything, and even if I find that slightly disappointing after what Haider accomplished by changing its scenery, that is no slight on this movie. Every piece works as a genre exercise. I dig it a lot. P.S. CRITERION COLLECTION: IF YOU ARE READING THIS, BHARDWAJ'S SHAKESPEARE TRILOGY WOULD BE A BRILLIANT ADDITION OF A RELATIVELY UNKNOWN FILMMAKER INTO THE COLLECTION. CONSIDER IT. SO glad you're watching VB's Shakespeare trilogy. While I love Maqbool the most, Haider is very close. Omkara is so good too but kinda lags behind when compared to the masterworks that are the other two. Really curious to see what you think of Irrfan and Tabu in Maqbool. They're SO good!
|
|
|
Post by Martin Stett on May 21, 2024 1:29:27 GMT
2006 Scavenger Hunt #5
Omkara (Director: Vishal Bhardwaj) SO glad you're watching VB's Shakespeare trilogy. While I love Maqbool the most, Haider is very close. Omkara is so good too but kinda lags behind when compared to the masterworks that are the other two. Really curious to see what you think of Irrfan and Tabu in Maqbool. They're SO good! It may be a while, as I didn't really intend to view the trilogy. I watched Haider serendipitously and when I found out Omkara was around while looking at 2006 movies, it rocketed to the top of my list. If I hit 2003, I'll be checking out Maqbool. I also have Khufiya on my watchlist for 2023, but it seems to have a much more muted reception.
|
|
|
Post by mhynson27 on May 21, 2024 3:38:00 GMT
Mrs. Doubtfire
Crazy how hard one man can carry a film.
|
|
|
Post by The_Cake_of_Roth on May 21, 2024 3:57:53 GMT
Unfrosted (2024)
Silly and stupid, but my kind of silly and stupid. To me it didn't seem that far removed from the absurd humor found in the last couple seasons of Seinfeld, so I was probably already primed to like this.
|
|
|
Post by Tommen_Saperstein on May 21, 2024 16:49:13 GMT
McNamara is such a delightful presence and it really is a shame that we didn't get too much of her. agreed! I looked up her wiki and apparently I had seen her in Cardinal and Three Coins too but she didn't get a chance to shine in those like she did in The Moon Is Blue, and she was barely in anything else. Her story is so tragic (apparently she refused to take revealing pin-up shots for the studios and that really affected her career)
|
|
|
Post by stephen on May 21, 2024 16:52:29 GMT
McNamara is such a delightful presence and it really is a shame that we didn't get too much of her. agreed! I looked up her wiki and apparently I had seen her in Cardinal and Three Coins too but she didn't get a chance to shine in those like she did in The Moon Was Blue, and she was barely in anything else. Her story is so tragic (apparently she refused to take revealing pin-up shots for the studios and that really affected her career) Yeah, I went on a Maggie kick over a decade ago when I first saw her performance in The Moon is Blue (where she is so close to my win against eventual winner Audrey Hepburn, and she really was a dead ringer for Audrey to the point that I wonder if Hepburn's meteoric rise really did overshadow McNamara who could've played a lot of Hepburn's '50s run just as well as Audrey did), and there's just not enough of her out there which is a real shame because I think she had a sweet melancholia that Hepburn didn't really have (not that she needed it), and I look at Maggie as a forerunner to Elizabeth Hartman in that regard.
|
|
Archie
Based
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star_lavender.png) ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star_lavender.png)
Eraserhead son or Inland Empire daughter?
Posts: 3,864
Likes: 4,510
Member is Online
|
Post by Archie on May 22, 2024 16:32:07 GMT
Total Recall (first watch in like 18 years) - 10/10
When people talk about "movie magic", this is what they mean. Fucking magnificent.
|
|
|
Post by taranofprydain on May 23, 2024 1:23:09 GMT
I'm doing the last three....
True Believer (1989) -- The idea of James Woods playing a lawyer with 60s radical leanings is quite ironic from today's standpoint where he is an arch-conservative, but regardless of what one thinks of him offscreen, his exceptional, committed performance, considerably better than the film around him, provides just about all the juice this film has. Robert Downey Jr is good as his young assistant, but the film itself is overly busy, increasingly melodramatic, kind of nonsensical, and suffers under the weight of an overbearing musical score. The direction is pretty smooth though and helps to make the script seem a bit better than it otherwise would be.
Mother Night (1996) -- Based on a Kurt Vonnegut novel, this film tells a very dark tale. It's the story of an American (Nick Nolte) living in Germany who is recruited by the Allies to pretend to be a Nazi by stating the most hateful Anti-Semitic statements on radio trasmissions that actually served as coded information for the Allies. But then after the war, America refuses to acknowledge him as a spy, leaving the man without a country, surrounded by Russian moles, hunted by authorities as a war criminal, with German sympathizers as the only ones who will tolerate his presence, and with him haunted by the evil words he spoke so forcefully on those radio transmissions. It's a very disturbing story, with all sorts of discordant moods, but it is extremely well acted by Nolte and also by supporting players Sheryl Lee and John Goodman. It's definitely one of the bleakest films I can recall.
Veronica Guerin (2003) -- I'm not the world's biggest Cate Blanchett fan, but she is ideal in this film as the determined Irish journalist who ended up giving her life to break open corruption. In fact it might be her best performance. The film is bleak and shattering, and I was honestly crying by the end of this one.
|
|
|
Post by mhynson27 on May 24, 2024 3:04:52 GMT
Total Recall (1990)
This shit was so much fun. Low-key surprised by how much I liked it.
|
|
|
Post by Brother Fease on May 24, 2024 23:26:17 GMT
Total Recall (1990) This shit was so much fun. Low-key surprised by how much I liked it. I have a soft spot for Arnold in the 80s and early 90s.
Any thoughts on the "performance" from Lycia Naff? She plays the famous prostitute with a triple threat.
|
|