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Post by Martin Stett on Apr 23, 2018 14:54:13 GMT
The Look of Silence (2014) -- Like The Act of Killing, I can admire the film... but just because it deals with serious subject matter tastefully doesn't necessarily make it compelling. Like Oppenheimer's companion piece, I never really got emotionally involved. As a document, it works very well, no complaints there. But it lacks the spark to make me more than intrigued. 7/10La chienne (1931) -- It's pretty and very well directed, and always interesting. However, every character is so vile that I found myself wondering why I was bothering. 6/10 because I never lost interest in the plot. Brooklyn (2015 rewatch) -- *Swoon* I'm too tired to go into detail, forget it. Just *swoon* 10/10To Be or Not to Be (1942) -- This essay does a pretty good job of explaining just how well the film works as both a comedy and as an angry call to arms against Hitler. I think the movie is a little slow in its opening act, but once it starts moving, it demolishes everything in its way with both gutbusting humor and chilling realism. 8/10
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Post by stephen on Apr 23, 2018 14:57:32 GMT
Brooklyn (2015 rewatch) -- *Swoon* I'm too tired to go into detail, forget it. Just *swoon* 10/10 I rewatched this last week. Saoirse is as luminous as ever (and even though I love Larson's win, she would've been a sublime choice that year), and the first half of the film is so beautiful and genuinely delightful . . . but then that second half happens and everything when she gets back to Ireland feels so contrived and phony. Ronan really elevates the hell out of it, and she does have good chemistry with Gleeson, but I can't empathize with Eilis at all when I don't see any real reason why she would ever be struggling to choose between Tony and Jim. I think if it were any other actress in the lead, it would rate at a 5/10 or thereabouts from me (fantastic first half, terrible second), but Ronan earns it a good two points at least. |
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Apr 23, 2018 14:59:35 GMT
A Quiet Place - A very intense almost dialogue free horror film, that relies more on the characters constant state of fear, and strong performances to carry it. Krasinki's direction is great, and along with Blunt does a superb job at carrying the film. It's early, but it's pretty easy to predict this'll end up on my top ten of the year. - 9 / 10
Adam's Rib - 7.5 / 10
Beauty and The Beast (1946) - Quite excellent, really helped by the black and white atmosphere as well.- 9 / 10
Algiers (1938) - 5.5 / 10
The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford - First time watching this all the way through. It's a bit long, but overall pretty compelling and quite good. Casey Affleck is great, but I especially found Pitt's understated performance to be of note. Also Deakins cinematography is as usual, terrific. - 8.5 / 10
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Post by Sharbs on Apr 23, 2018 15:01:17 GMT
Brooklyn (2015 rewatch) -- *Swoon* I'm too tired to go into detail, forget it. Just *swoon* 10/10 I rematched this last week. Saoirse is as luminous as ever (and even though I love Larson's win, she would've been a sublime choice that year), and the first half of the film is so beautiful and genuinely delightful . . . but then that second half happens and everything when she gets back to Ireland feels so contrived and phony. Ronan really elevates the hell out of it, and she does have good chemistry with Gleeson, but I can't empathize with Eilis at all when I don't see any real reason why she would ever be struggling to choose between Tony and Jim. I think if it were any other actress in the lead, it would rate at a 5/10 or thereabouts from me (fantastic first half, terrible second), but Ronan earns it a good two points at least. I definitely looked at it as Tony vs. Ireland |
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Post by stephen on Apr 23, 2018 15:03:08 GMT
I rematched this last week. Saoirse is as luminous as ever (and even though I love Larson's win, she would've been a sublime choice that year), and the first half of the film is so beautiful and genuinely delightful . . . but then that second half happens and everything when she gets back to Ireland feels so contrived and phony. Ronan really elevates the hell out of it, and she does have good chemistry with Gleeson, but I can't empathize with Eilis at all when I don't see any real reason why she would ever be struggling to choose between Tony and Jim. I think if it were any other actress in the lead, it would rate at a 5/10 or thereabouts from me (fantastic first half, terrible second), but Ronan earns it a good two points at least. I definitely looked at it as Tony vs. IrelandI think it would've worked a lot better (or, really, at all) if we'd gotten some sense of a relationship with Jim beyond a simple girlhood crush that we're told about in passing. By the time we're introduced to Jim, we've already met Tony and been exposed to the most wonderful chemistry between two young actors since Jack and Rose, so why would I give a shit about this interloper, even if he is a nice dude? |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2018 15:32:26 GMT
Mom and Dad - a lot of fun with a wonderful Cage performance. 7.5/10.
Ready Player One - also a lot of fun, visually immersive, and very impressive in general. But the story/characters were not interesting at all and it was way too long. Overall I thought it was okay, like a 6/10. I haven't read the book, but based on the movie, I don't plan to. The only interesting and fun parts were entirely visual or aural.
My Bloody Valentine - I've been on a slasher kick for the last couple weeks, and this is among the best I've seen in that time (although the standard isn't exactly high). It's fun, creative, entertaining, and has an ideal claustrophobic setting. My biggest problem was how much these grown adults acted like high schoolers. Idk, that just got on my nerves. 6.5/10.
Terror Train - decent premise, but for the most part it was cliched, dull, and predictable. The Copperfield magic was kinda cool tho. 5/10.
Prom Night - This is a weird one. There's like four or five fairly intriguing plot lines going on simultaneously, but by the end, four of the five completely fizzle out... which was disappointing, but I weirdly admired it. And the characters feel like real people for a change (sort of).. the writing isn't half bad either. But the actual slasher elements are toned down heavily and make up a small portion of the running time. So... It's difficult to rate but I give it a solid 6/10 and honestly wouldn't mind watching it again.
Citizen X - a great story with great characters, great performances and great writing. It drags in the middle a bit, and the budget restraints impede it slightly, but I liked it a lot anyway. 7.5 or 8/10.
Mississippi Burnings - well made with great performances. I really enjoyed (probably not the right word) it while watching, but after less than a week I've almost completely forgotten it. It left no impact. A light 7/10, because it a very well done film.
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Post by Martin Stett on Apr 23, 2018 16:50:23 GMT
I definitely looked at it as Tony vs. IrelandI think it would've worked a lot better (or, really, at all) if we'd gotten some sense of a relationship with Jim beyond a simple girlhood crush that we're told about in passing. By the time we're introduced to Jim, we've already met Tony and been exposed to the most wonderful chemistry between two young actors since Jack and Rose, so why would I give a shit about this interloper, even if he is a nice dude? I never really saw it as any sort of "Whatever vs. Whatever Else." Eilis is now two broken halves of a whole. She used to be Irish, but now she is an immigrant. She is no longer truly Irish (as all of her Irish friends point out to her, not unkindly), but she is not American either. She is a wanderer without a home. What the final act represents is a return to (what she sees as) her true self; the Irish girl in Ireland. Jim is part of that, as the representation of what a normal life would be like. She wants that, desperately. Life in America, with Tony, is uncertain. And so she finds herself hiding things about her immigrant identity, trying to return to the comfort of home. What she fails to realize is that in America, she can have a new, better home, if she wants to. |
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Post by mhynson27 on Apr 23, 2018 17:22:59 GMT
Isle of Dogs
Great Expectations (1998)
Super Dark Times
Disturbia
Little Miss Sunshine (re-watch)
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 23, 2018 19:37:13 GMT
Chappaquidick - 7.0-7.5 - Sort of the big screen answer in some ways to Paterno - in Paterno he pretends he did all he could, here he pretends he didn't do anything at all.
Well, that's not quite true but he's immediately trying to put it behind him and then revising and re-structuring it......some of the things in the script are laid on too thick especially early on (did Teddy really speak that much and in such grand pronouncements about his brothers - I doubt it) but that's ok because it has to lay the foundation and the rest is on target - sort of a privileged, entitled, but generally decent man who feels the weight of history on his shoulders and who has gotten away with a lot (you assume) but has never been in anything like this moral predicament before and it overwhelms him. He has seen horror in his life, but, now he's caused it.......
Clarke and Ed Helms are quite good here.
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Post by cheesecake on Apr 23, 2018 23:35:34 GMT
Man, I feel like I haven't been in a thread like this in years. I saw Isle of Dogs which was a disappointment, followed by a huge piece of shit called This World, Then the Fireworks (1997) that is essentially the Ben & Arthur of noir films.
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