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FilmEra |OT| January 2018
- Thread starter Divius
- Start date
Im tired and sick here's some films I saw at Sundance
Mandy: Nick Cage gets covered in blood and there's a penis sword. 8/10
Foxtrot: It's really good. Think it will get a nom for best foreign film.
Eighth Grade: An actual good interpretation of the way 13 year olds act. Bo Burnham does a better job than I thought he ever could.
Pity - Funny at times, but I was often bored of it. I never saw The Lobster though so can't compare there. Someone at the Q&A was very upset with the movie and that made me like it more though.
Sorry to Bother You - It's basically Being John Malkovich with more dicks. 20 mins too long.
The Guilty - Enjoyable
You Were Never Really Here - I don't really know how to feel about it to be honest. Amazing Sound design though.
Mandy: Nick Cage gets covered in blood and there's a penis sword. 8/10
Foxtrot: It's really good. Think it will get a nom for best foreign film.
Eighth Grade: An actual good interpretation of the way 13 year olds act. Bo Burnham does a better job than I thought he ever could.
Pity - Funny at times, but I was often bored of it. I never saw The Lobster though so can't compare there. Someone at the Q&A was very upset with the movie and that made me like it more though.
Sorry to Bother You - It's basically Being John Malkovich with more dicks. 20 mins too long.
The Guilty - Enjoyable
You Were Never Really Here - I don't really know how to feel about it to be honest. Amazing Sound design though.
While Resetera was down for maintenance, I got around to rewatching The Shawshank Redemption. A movie I once considered the best I've ever seen, but then I walked away from that impression as I realized I didn't understand it. It's been a long time since I saw it, and so I'm happy to have put it on again, since I understood more of it, and appreciated it more. In some way it was a beautiful movie ( but also depressing), about holding on to hope and not let go of it. I found Morgan Freeman to be extraordinary, but Tim Robbins was also sublime. Strong movie.
Although, there's still a few things I didn't understand, and am now looking for an explanation.
Although, there's still a few things I didn't understand, and am now looking for an explanation.
[*]How did Andy have any proof that a murder had occurred in prison? The newspaper mentioned this horrific event, but where was his evidence?
[*]In hindsight, Andy could have hidden his hammer in the hole he was digging, instead of risking hiding it in the warden's office. I know the guards could have ripped away his poster and found the hole and the hammer, but he could have just as easily been cast away by the warden and not have access to his office.
[*]Why did Andy dress up in shiny shoes and a nice suit, risking somebody to notice his change of clothes right before his escape? Did he just want to feel good, or piss off the warden?
[*]Did Andy steal all of the warden's id and bank account information in order to get access to his wealth?
Master and Commander: Between this, Return of the King, and Pirates of the Caribbean, 2003 was a really solid year for adventure films (particularly sea faring ones). Master and Commander fairly close in spirit to something like Lawrence of Arabia where it mixes truly grand historic drama but rooted in smaller character moments. It's hard to imagine a 150 million dollar sea-faring blockbuster full of practical naval battles and ocean shooting coming out today, let alone taking the time to have its characters explore the Galapagos for like thirty minutes. It may not have been a hit when it released, but I'm certainly glad this managed to slip through the studio system in the manner it did.
Phantom Thread:
In the space of two brief hours Reynolds Woodcock is alternately a genius, a fool, a monster, a victim, a lover, and a haunted house. Alma Elson, Woodcock's waitress-cum-muse/lover, is just as many things, if not more, alternating audience sympathies like so many discarded dresses. Neither my sympathies nor my conceptions of character have suffered this much whiplash since Park Chan-wook's impeccable work on The Handmaiden.
Those put off by the rather modest marketing for PTA's latest (and very close to greatest) should rest easy knowing that this tale of love is more complicated than it's letting on. And those that are still put off —of which I'm sure there will be many; the "love" that is conceived in Phantom Thread's central relationship is more arsenic than sugar—should at least be content to bask in what is undoubtedly the most beautifully filmed, and scored, movie of the year.
He didn't give himself a cinematographer credit so I'm pretty sure he was ineligible. I also listened to an interview with him and Rian Johnson and he made it sound like he wasn't exactly the cinematographer anyway, it was more of a collaboration with the camera and lighting guys he's worked with for a while in lieu of anyone actually filling in the cinematographer role. But I agree that it was the best shot movie of the year that I've seen. I'm happy that Deakins at least doesn't have to worry about that in competition though. My dude needs to win and Blade Runner is a fine film to win it for.
Phantom Thread:
In the space of two brief hours Reynolds Woodcock is alternately a genius, a fool, a monster, a victim, a lover, and a haunted house. Alma Elson, Woodcock's waitress-cum-muse/lover, is just as many things, if not more, alternating audience sympathies like so many discarded dresses. Neither my sympathies nor my conceptions of character have suffered this much whiplash since Park Chan-wook's impeccable work on The Handmaiden.
Those put off by the rather modest marketing for PTA's latest (and very close to greatest) should rest easy knowing that this tale of love is more complicated than it's letting on. And those that are still put off —of which I'm sure there will be many; the "love" that is conceived in Phantom Thread's central relationship is more arsenic than sugar—should at least be content to bask in what is undoubtedly the most beautifully filmed, and scored, movie of the year.
He didn't give himself a cinematographer credit so I'm pretty sure he was ineligible. I also listened to an interview with him and Rian Johnson and he made it sound like he wasn't exactly the cinematographer anyway, it was more of a collaboration with the camera and lighting guys he's worked with for a while in lieu of anyone actually filling in the cinematographer role. But I agree that it was the best shot movie of the year that I've seen. I'm happy that Deakins at least doesn't have to worry about that in competition though. My dude needs to win and Blade Runner is a fine film to win it for.
Well, that just means you gotta watch some more Zulawski films (especially if you like Jodorowsky)! The Devil, The Public Woman, or That Most Important Thing: Love could be next on your watchlist.
That is a damn good Phantom Thread review, I agree with every word. Well written.
Call Me By Your Name - Intimate and small. Two of my favorite things about this movie. The intimacy of the relationship between these two men, the understated struggle Elio has with his own sexuality, was beautiful to watch. This was a journey that I understood far too well (as someone who also had their first relationship with a man in his twenties when I was seventeen) and seeing all that confusion, the tension, the build-up, the climax, the lust, and the crushing sadness that follows when it is all over is just as heart-wrenching as any relationship. Loved the moment between Elio and his dad before the end, where he tells his son that he was aware of their affair and gives him some of the best father/son advice I've seen. The end credits sequence is still haunting me to this moment as I playVisions of Gideonon repeat. I had to change my avatar because that moment just totally resonated with me. The level and stages of heartbreak that Chalamet expresses is probably my favorite acting "moment" of the year.
Next on the list is either Lady Bird or The Shape of Water.
Next on the list is either Lady Bird or The Shape of Water.
1. idk
2. yes
3. yes
4. the money was in Randall Stephens' name, Andy assumed that identity.
Thought I'd mention as everyone considers their potential top 10 list, or even just wants to watch great movies, January 30th is a plethora of fantastic digital releases:
The Square
The Florida Project
Roman J Israel, Esq.
Wonder
God's Own Country
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women
And if you're feeling especially dangerous, Boo 2!: A Madea Halloween is also coming out that day.
The Square
The Florida Project
Roman J Israel, Esq.
Wonder
God's Own Country
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women
And if you're feeling especially dangerous, Boo 2!: A Madea Halloween is also coming out that day.
Are The Third Part of the Night or The Devil available digitally anywhere, if you know?
Last Year at Marienbad
God this movie is weird, in a good way. It's basically a patchwork of plot points, but the plot almost doesn't matter. Instead, it's a real showcase of camera movement, editing, and sound. I'm digging it and its particular brand of weirdness. The plot is open enough to allow for your own interpretation, but it's not incoherent. It's either a tale of a man's personal hell because the woman he is obsessed with continually forgets him and his presence a la "Waiting for Godot", or that its a twisted romance. Either way, it's a cool movie.
God this movie is weird, in a good way. It's basically a patchwork of plot points, but the plot almost doesn't matter. Instead, it's a real showcase of camera movement, editing, and sound. I'm digging it and its particular brand of weirdness. The plot is open enough to allow for your own interpretation, but it's not incoherent. It's either a tale of a man's personal hell because the woman he is obsessed with continually forgets him and his presence a la "Waiting for Godot", or that its a twisted romance. Either way, it's a cool movie.
I've seen these ones and would recommend all three. Good stuff.
#1 doesn't sit well with me. That seems like a rather huge plot hole, I'm sure I've missed something here. I also can't remember who Randall Stephen was, I don't think I really noticed him, or if he had been mentioned by name.
I'm gonna finish my top 10 list at the start of March, but yeah, I'm definitely gonna check out The Square, The Florida Project, Wonder and Professor Marston and the Wonder Women.
I'm also very happy to say that I finally managed to watch and finish 2001: A Space Odyssey in one go with no breaks. And I have one thing to say, what in the seven heavens did I just watch. I was enthralled and curious on this space trip, and in awe at the visual design and language I was fed by Stanley Kubrick; I don't think I've quite seen anything like it. I'm left amazed and confused all the same. It takes you through the stages, it got a lot to say with a minimal use of words. I'm not sure I quite understood it, yet I feel fulfilled in a rather strange way. One thing's for sure,
HAL-9000 was the creep, and I smell a villain.
Are there any good analysis, explanations or impressions out there on Youtube? I feel like I need perspective on this experience and would love to listen to others impressions.
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Sadly, no. I watched them through other means. But Toufaan and Mondo Vision have his other films on DVD.
OP
OP
That is interesting, also puts the comparison to the the Dutch student film The Space Between Us from 2015 in a different light.
Hmm, I think my goal for February - besides finalizing my top 10 for the voting thread - is to go through all the movies I have watched but haven't recorded in my document.
So films like In Her Shoes, There's Something About Mary, Minority Report, Jurassic Park, Pursuit of Happiness, The Notebook, Seven Pounds and stuff like that of which I have already seen but haven't placed on a ranking list.
I gotta say, it was quite the mouthful going through The Shawshank Redemption and 2001: A Space Odyssey this night but I enjoyed it a hell of a lot. I'm so happy I understood the first mentioned more, and 2001, well, I gotta chew on that one a lot. I'm not sure if I quite like it or rate it that highly, but I was surprised at some of the imagery and visuals and how it was so striking and beautiful. There's many things I like about it, the subject too, but there's something about the whole "from monkey to outer space" that doesn't ring very well with me. It's just not enthralling or interesting to me, at least at the moment.
So films like In Her Shoes, There's Something About Mary, Minority Report, Jurassic Park, Pursuit of Happiness, The Notebook, Seven Pounds and stuff like that of which I have already seen but haven't placed on a ranking list.
I gotta say, it was quite the mouthful going through The Shawshank Redemption and 2001: A Space Odyssey this night but I enjoyed it a hell of a lot. I'm so happy I understood the first mentioned more, and 2001, well, I gotta chew on that one a lot. I'm not sure if I quite like it or rate it that highly, but I was surprised at some of the imagery and visuals and how it was so striking and beautiful. There's many things I like about it, the subject too, but there's something about the whole "from monkey to outer space" that doesn't ring very well with me. It's just not enthralling or interesting to me, at least at the moment.
I am actually kind of a sucker for the dystopian YA wave (enjoyed Hunger Games, read and enjoyed the books afterwards, even quite enjoyed the first Divergent), but Maze Runner was really 'meh' for me. Such an interesting premise, yet so badly realized. Characters, dialogue and story were all such cliché, then there were plot holes and contrivances everywhere. That non-ending didn't help either... didn't bother to continue watching the series after that.
WatchedThe Adventures of Tintin which I have wanted to watch ever since it came out in 2011. My father was big on the Tintin comics but unfortunately I never got to read them myself. I know we got a bunch of the old comic books here, so I think I'm gonna try search for them and hopefully some of them are the ones Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg likes. I do wonder when the next one is gonna come out, if it'll come out at all, since it's been delayed multiple times.
Anyway, this first array into the journalist's world and adventure was a mediocre one. The plot is super thin but I think the most unfortunate thing is, that the treasure is so uninteresting. At least make it an object with a history behind it, but instead it's just very mundane. Even the plot itself is very basic and obvious to some point. It's just not ever that interesting. I think the characters are fine and the voice work and animation is splendid, and the visuals partly hold up to this day, and I really find Tintin and Captain Haddock to be charming and likeable. Even Daniel Craig does well in the antagonistic role. There's some beautiful effects at display when it comes to environments and weather effects like the deep ocean, those hazardous waves and the stunning desert. But other parts, like Snowball looks dated. Although he sure is a charmer, and what would Tintin do without him.
I'm surely a fan of Tintin with this movie, and I can't help for look forward to more adventures, but this first entry was a mediocre one and I do expect more from the likes of Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson.
★★★☆☆
This is probably the biggest reach about the ending, as he probably didn't have any proof beyond reporting what happened. Though I guess you could say that his being accurate about the fraudulent financial transactions would buttress his credibility about the other stuff.
Andy wasn't hiding the hammer in the warden's office. He swapped his Bible for the accounting book in their final session, because he had to put something in the safe.
There was no other way for him to sneak the suit and shoes (which he would need for the outside) into the cell block.
The bank account was in the name of Randall Stephens, a fake person that Andy made up to carry out all the warden's money laundering transactions. This was also the way that Andy arranged for himself to have a means of escaping once he got out, as he had all of the pieces of identification, etc. necessary to pass as Randall Stephens.
Mulholland Drive
I was so sure I knew what was going on. Until Club Silencio, I thought it was just some abstract treatise on finding yourself in a city of corruption and greed where acting becomes an escape from real life or some shit. Pretty standard but presented in a unique way with some non-sequiters for the sake of doing so.
After that... what the fuck lads. Time travel? Dreams? Alternate realities? What's the deal with the ugly lady? What's the deal with the different Camillas? What's the deal with the fucking terrifying old fuckers?
Who the fuck cares? I kinda loved it anyway.
I was so sure I knew what was going on. Until Club Silencio, I thought it was just some abstract treatise on finding yourself in a city of corruption and greed where acting becomes an escape from real life or some shit. Pretty standard but presented in a unique way with some non-sequiters for the sake of doing so.
After that... what the fuck lads. Time travel? Dreams? Alternate realities? What's the deal with the ugly lady? What's the deal with the different Camillas? What's the deal with the fucking terrifying old fuckers?
Who the fuck cares? I kinda loved it anyway.
I don't think it's to the film's detriment; if anything, it improves it because it's so hauntingly and fully realised. Reading a very very good salon.com post on it is clearing things up, but I feel like I didn't need that to think it was brilliant anyway. I kind of want to watch it again immediately in light of the ending; will try and get round to it some time soon.
My first Lynch... I probably could have started somewhere easier :lol. And Naomi Watts is fucking insanely good in that movie, wow.
My first Lynch... I probably could have started somewhere easier :lol. And Naomi Watts is fucking insanely good in that movie, wow.
I had a Mulholland Dr spoiler post saved for just these occasions
Its pretty clear the first two hours are a dream. The first thing we see is us falling down to sleep into a pillow on Diane's bed, and then the dream ends when she unlocks the blue box/Cowboy says "time to wake up pretty girl". She's a failed, possibly drug-addicted actress who's "girlfriend" ditches who for a big-shot movie director and another pretty blond woman. She hires an assassin to kill her former lover, and through a combination of depression, shame, and personal demons she can't escape(personified in that thing in the back of winkies and all those smiling parents who thought she was gonna be a big star), she kills herself.
But in-between the hiring and the killing, she dreams. She dreams of a world where she's a great actress, where everything bad happens to the big-shot director, where her "girlfriend" is hot but kinda dumb and depends on her instead of the other way around, where SINISTER FORCES OF HOLLYWOOD are the reason that pretty talentless blond woman got her roles instead of her, where the assassin she hired is REALLY incompetent in a Coen Bros kinda way so he couldn't kill the woman she loves, and her entire life is kinda like a 1950s Billy Wilder noir.
Things like the blue key its uh...you seen Inception? Its kinda like a totem of her guilt, that guilt that she killed Camilla Rhodes. She hides it in a box and puts it away in the dream. The dream starts to break down partway through the movie, you got those agents like Inception, the mind fighting back telling her to wake up. You got her ugly dead body at her house. She calls "Diane Selwyn" in the dream("Its strange dialing yourself!") and its actually Naomi Watts' voice on the other side, but its kinda hard to here cuz she's its the drugged out suicidal one IRL. It finally breaks down entirely when they go to Club Silencio and its revealed that they're living in a dream world they can't have, and they rush home to open the box.
Lynch uses the dream thing as a really cool method to actually get inside somebody's head and do an intimate character study of Naomi Watts' character of Diane Selwyn. We learn her wants, her dreams, her hopes, her fears, how she views the world and how she views the people in her life. Its also an indictment against all the happy magic bullshit Hollywood feeds you, but at the same time its also a celebration of the power of movies, how they affect our ultimately subjective view of reality, and how they impact our lives.
Its also just a really visceral fuckin' experience with dreamlike cinematography and amazing sound design and crazy direction so that if you didn't get it, you can just enjoy it on a sensory level.
But in-between the hiring and the killing, she dreams. She dreams of a world where she's a great actress, where everything bad happens to the big-shot director, where her "girlfriend" is hot but kinda dumb and depends on her instead of the other way around, where SINISTER FORCES OF HOLLYWOOD are the reason that pretty talentless blond woman got her roles instead of her, where the assassin she hired is REALLY incompetent in a Coen Bros kinda way so he couldn't kill the woman she loves, and her entire life is kinda like a 1950s Billy Wilder noir.
Things like the blue key its uh...you seen Inception? Its kinda like a totem of her guilt, that guilt that she killed Camilla Rhodes. She hides it in a box and puts it away in the dream. The dream starts to break down partway through the movie, you got those agents like Inception, the mind fighting back telling her to wake up. You got her ugly dead body at her house. She calls "Diane Selwyn" in the dream("Its strange dialing yourself!") and its actually Naomi Watts' voice on the other side, but its kinda hard to here cuz she's its the drugged out suicidal one IRL. It finally breaks down entirely when they go to Club Silencio and its revealed that they're living in a dream world they can't have, and they rush home to open the box.
Lynch uses the dream thing as a really cool method to actually get inside somebody's head and do an intimate character study of Naomi Watts' character of Diane Selwyn. We learn her wants, her dreams, her hopes, her fears, how she views the world and how she views the people in her life. Its also an indictment against all the happy magic bullshit Hollywood feeds you, but at the same time its also a celebration of the power of movies, how they affect our ultimately subjective view of reality, and how they impact our lives.
Its also just a really visceral fuckin' experience with dreamlike cinematography and amazing sound design and crazy direction so that if you didn't get it, you can just enjoy it on a sensory level.
Darkest Hour (2017): One of the earliest non-fiction works I remember owning was R.G. Grant's Winston Churchill: An Illustrated Biography, which I received for Christmas at some time during my elementary school years, when I was just becoming interested in history. In the decades since, I've read quite a bit more, and written a fair amount related to Churchill in the course of my history studies, culminating in my Master of Arts thesis being about how American neoconservatives have made use of his example both in their rhetoric and their analytics.
Since I first saw Pride & Prejudice in theaters back in 2005, I have been a great admirer of the work of director Joe Wright, beginning with his two masterpieces (the aforesaid and Atonement) and then more experimental and erratic work in the last decade. If his early work seemed to mark Wright out as the new James Ivory, a label he spent a good while trying to get away from, Darkest Hour is his return to his old pasture.
I am, therefore, doubly in this film's target demographic. And the result is pretty good, indeed, even if it falls short of the transcendent greatness of his first two films. As has increasingly become the standard for biographical dramas, Darkest Hour focuses on a narrow slice of the subject's life -- in this case, a few weeks in the summer of 1940 where Churchill is summoned by King George VI to form a government, and must immediately decide whether to continue the war even as France is being overrun and the British Expeditionary Force seems fated for destruction at Dunkirk. If the King is skeptical, it's nothing compared to outgoing prime minister Neville Chamberlain and Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax, who are both hostile and insistent on peace negotiations that Churchill will have none of.
All of this is broadly in line with the historical record, if varied in the specifics for dramatic effect. It's appropriate for the film to acknowledge many of the errors that had led Churchill to become such a marginal figure prior to his elevation to wartime office, in particular his horribly misguided opposition to reforms to the Indian Empire that had seen him face off against Lord Halifax in a battle where both contemporary opinion and posterity have backed his lordship. Churchill was tenacious to a fault, and if that often served him very poorly, it made him the ideal warlord for this one great conflict, and that overshadows his often reactionary errors before and after.
Gary Oldman seems fated to win the Best Actor Oscar for this performance, which is remarkable in how deeply he transforms into the character, aided by utterly superb makeup (similarly likely to earn Oscar recognition). The film verges on being a one man show for Oldman much of the time, but there are some pretty decent supporting performances allowed in the margins, in particular Ben Mendelsohn as the King (who has had a pretty good decade in pop cultural presentation, between this, Colin Firth in The King's Speech and Jared Harris in The Crown) and rising British star Lily James as Churchill's new secretary Elizabeth Layton.
Behind the camera, Wright and his cinematographer, Bruno Delbonnel, have done their damndest to take what is, on the page, mostly a story of men having conversations in poorly-lit rooms and make it cinematic. Wright has always been known for a propulsive camera and strong scene compositions, and that continues here, even if perhaps he uses the overhead pullback one or twice too many. His regular composer, Dario Marianelli, is also on hand to provide beautiful accompaniment.
Screenwriter Anthony McCarten does good work on the whole, but the one scene in this film in this film that has mostly commonly come into criticism, the underground conversation between Churchill and the ordinary working folk, is a bit of a failure primarily on his end. I like the concept of the scene, as it is common for Great Man biopics (and stories about Churchill in particular) to reduce history to only the actions of a few people, and so the idea of showing Churchill drawing on the strength of the people he's been chosen to lead is a good one. In execution, it's a bit flat, sadly; after an enjoyably awkward/comic lead-in, the serious part of the scene leaves them feeling less like ordinary people than a Greek Chorus.
Since I first saw Pride & Prejudice in theaters back in 2005, I have been a great admirer of the work of director Joe Wright, beginning with his two masterpieces (the aforesaid and Atonement) and then more experimental and erratic work in the last decade. If his early work seemed to mark Wright out as the new James Ivory, a label he spent a good while trying to get away from, Darkest Hour is his return to his old pasture.
I am, therefore, doubly in this film's target demographic. And the result is pretty good, indeed, even if it falls short of the transcendent greatness of his first two films. As has increasingly become the standard for biographical dramas, Darkest Hour focuses on a narrow slice of the subject's life -- in this case, a few weeks in the summer of 1940 where Churchill is summoned by King George VI to form a government, and must immediately decide whether to continue the war even as France is being overrun and the British Expeditionary Force seems fated for destruction at Dunkirk. If the King is skeptical, it's nothing compared to outgoing prime minister Neville Chamberlain and Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax, who are both hostile and insistent on peace negotiations that Churchill will have none of.
All of this is broadly in line with the historical record, if varied in the specifics for dramatic effect. It's appropriate for the film to acknowledge many of the errors that had led Churchill to become such a marginal figure prior to his elevation to wartime office, in particular his horribly misguided opposition to reforms to the Indian Empire that had seen him face off against Lord Halifax in a battle where both contemporary opinion and posterity have backed his lordship. Churchill was tenacious to a fault, and if that often served him very poorly, it made him the ideal warlord for this one great conflict, and that overshadows his often reactionary errors before and after.
Gary Oldman seems fated to win the Best Actor Oscar for this performance, which is remarkable in how deeply he transforms into the character, aided by utterly superb makeup (similarly likely to earn Oscar recognition). The film verges on being a one man show for Oldman much of the time, but there are some pretty decent supporting performances allowed in the margins, in particular Ben Mendelsohn as the King (who has had a pretty good decade in pop cultural presentation, between this, Colin Firth in The King's Speech and Jared Harris in The Crown) and rising British star Lily James as Churchill's new secretary Elizabeth Layton.
Behind the camera, Wright and his cinematographer, Bruno Delbonnel, have done their damndest to take what is, on the page, mostly a story of men having conversations in poorly-lit rooms and make it cinematic. Wright has always been known for a propulsive camera and strong scene compositions, and that continues here, even if perhaps he uses the overhead pullback one or twice too many. His regular composer, Dario Marianelli, is also on hand to provide beautiful accompaniment.
Screenwriter Anthony McCarten does good work on the whole, but the one scene in this film in this film that has mostly commonly come into criticism, the underground conversation between Churchill and the ordinary working folk, is a bit of a failure primarily on his end. I like the concept of the scene, as it is common for Great Man biopics (and stories about Churchill in particular) to reduce history to only the actions of a few people, and so the idea of showing Churchill drawing on the strength of the people he's been chosen to lead is a good one. In execution, it's a bit flat, sadly; after an enjoyably awkward/comic lead-in, the serious part of the scene leaves them feeling less like ordinary people than a Greek Chorus.
Saw Lawrence of Arabia last night in 70 MM. I don't know if it's the most visually impressive movie I've ever scene, but holy shit it's certainly on the shortlist. The way the horizon line is used is beautiful, the sky and the ground perfectly divided in two. Layer in the warped effect of the desert heat, and sometimes the movie straight up looks like an oil painting. I almost laughed during the scene where Sherif rides in from the distance because it was so breathtaking, but I held it in to not annoy the crowd. Luckily, there were other opportunities for me to laugh; the movie is way funnier than I expected.
So, it's almost 4 hours long, and yes, it feels long, there's no way to make something this long feel short, but it's so impeccably paced, it almost does the job. Each scene has purpose, the characters are wonderful (I love everyone, but Sherif was my favorite), the sumptuous visuals are a treat, I just never felt like it was dragging. There's a definite change of tone between the two "halves", with the first providing a more adventurous feel, while the latter goes to some pretty dark places. Seriously, the massacre scene was like...damn.
Anyway, there's not much I can say that hasn't been said. Definitely a true epic, one that's undoubtedly stood the test of time.
Sidenote, I found out the theater is doing a Lady Bird/Frances Ha double feature and Greta is going to be there, but it's sold out. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK
So, it's almost 4 hours long, and yes, it feels long, there's no way to make something this long feel short, but it's so impeccably paced, it almost does the job. Each scene has purpose, the characters are wonderful (I love everyone, but Sherif was my favorite), the sumptuous visuals are a treat, I just never felt like it was dragging. There's a definite change of tone between the two "halves", with the first providing a more adventurous feel, while the latter goes to some pretty dark places. Seriously, the massacre scene was like...damn.
Anyway, there's not much I can say that hasn't been said. Definitely a true epic, one that's undoubtedly stood the test of time.
Sidenote, I found out the theater is doing a Lady Bird/Frances Ha double feature and Greta is going to be there, but it's sold out. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK
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Guys, with the release of both Altered Carbon and Mute next month, and the overwhelming positive response to Blade Runner 2049, I kind of want to make February a celebration of science-fiction. With that I mean, I don't want the usual "recommend me a great sci-fi movie" or "your favorite sci-fi films?" threads but instead make a seudo-OT that not only lists great sci-fi films, but also directs our community toward written pieces that explain these films plots and go in-depth, so that we can also guide each other and help each other understand these plots and subplots and maybe also create more awareness toward lesser known movies of the genre. This community undoubtedly hold it very dear, and I know as an example that there are numerous great pieces that explores Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival to name a few. We could even link to stuff these films were inspired by like books (ex: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep). We could make a header or graphics or a highlight for each movie (not all movies though). Or is this just some dumb and useless idea?
[edit] Never mind, I think it's bad idea, since topics with a general theme most often are forgotten about and ends up inactive.
[edit] Never mind, I think it's bad idea, since topics with a general theme most often are forgotten about and ends up inactive.
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It sounds like I liked the first one a little more than you did, but I did find it the lesser movie of the three despite having the more engaging premise. I think the second movie is probably a little more dividing, some think it's boring and I really ended up liking it, and I think the third movie is a step up over that one.
My cousins were watching Hannah and man I now appreciate that film way more. Such a tight and stylish chase film, I wish I cared for other Joe Wright films aside from Atonement.
ah, thought it wouldn't be eligible till next year. Shame. It was my favorite thing I saw at Sundance.
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Why not do write ups for the site Flow has? I'd be down for sci-fi feb.
best thing I've seen today: Paul Thomas Anderson criticizing Magnolia
"What kind of ending was that!? Nobody cares about her smiling at the end! You're too fuckin' too. You know that Jason Robards monologue was too long, right?"
"What kind of ending was that!? Nobody cares about her smiling at the end! You're too fuckin' too. You know that Jason Robards monologue was too long, right?"
The twist in Drive is super clever but the movie as a whole is unfocused crap that needed an editor. Can't fathom calling this the greatest movie of the 21st century when its essentially Lynch ejaculating all these random ideas and then using his 'reputation' to make the audience interpret it as intelligent. Naomi Watts is good though.
The seconf half of magnolia is way too long, needed an editor and a much more impactful ending e.g.. ending on the Reilly monologue which was an inverse of the one he did at the beginning.
Week 2 of exploring the college library
King Kong '33: Yes, the stop-motion is very jittery for today's standards but the charm of the original is too powerful to overlook
Citizen Kane: Okay, "greatest film of all time". Show me what you got. What did I get? An intriguing character study that is still interesting to this very day. While calling it the all time greatest may be a stretch IMO, it's definitely one of the most important.
Amadeus: My two loves combined as one: film and music, an fascinating document on one of classical music's more interesting figures despite the historical fiction.
American Beauty: I just wanted to get this one out of the way since it's so heavily talked about by my cinephile friends, even more so now.... for obvious reasons. But taking Spacey's controversy out of the equation, I can get why people say it hasn't aged well and the film making being pretentious. It was also rather tedious.
American Psycho: Cruel? Yeah. Horrific? You have no idea. Entertaining? 100%
King Kong '33: Yes, the stop-motion is very jittery for today's standards but the charm of the original is too powerful to overlook
Citizen Kane: Okay, "greatest film of all time". Show me what you got. What did I get? An intriguing character study that is still interesting to this very day. While calling it the all time greatest may be a stretch IMO, it's definitely one of the most important.
Amadeus: My two loves combined as one: film and music, an fascinating document on one of classical music's more interesting figures despite the historical fiction.
American Beauty: I just wanted to get this one out of the way since it's so heavily talked about by my cinephile friends, even more so now.... for obvious reasons. But taking Spacey's controversy out of the equation, I can get why people say it hasn't aged well and the film making being pretentious. It was also rather tedious.
American Psycho: Cruel? Yeah. Horrific? You have no idea. Entertaining? 100%
One thing that occured to me watching Darkest Hour was that 2017 had three movies about Dunkirk, forming a trilogy of sorts because each film tells the story of the event from completely different perspectives. I'm sure that wasn't planned, but it's a weird coincidence in the Armageddon/Deep Impact kind of way.
Just saw I tonya
Margot Robbie deserves the win for best actress and so does Alison Janet for best supporting. The best movie of the year for me. Performances so transformative you won't recognise them both. Powerful stuff and entertaining
10/10
Margot Robbie deserves the win for best actress and so does Alison Janet for best supporting. The best movie of the year for me. Performances so transformative you won't recognise them both. Powerful stuff and entertaining
10/10
Yeah. It's so good. Whenever there was a skating scene I was on the edge of my seat. The performances in this are so much better than anything else out in 2017. Margot Robbie did more with her performance than both Frances and the woman from shape of water.
The Survivalist
★★★★
A minimalist post-apocalyptic thriller, that feels reminiscent of It Comes At Night's subdued and brutal tension but far more raw and realistic. Corpses are compost, bullets are scarce, and trust is scarcer. The titular protagonist lives in hard-scrabble isolation, defined by cautious meticulous routine. It's that routine, and his wary weathered gaze, in those early moments that tell us everything we need to know about his existence and the tone of The Survivalist. The central story of fragile trust, between him and a pair of women seeking supplies, is one of quiet character beats and suspense, and harsh survival presented in lean and unflinching fashion
★★★★
A minimalist post-apocalyptic thriller, that feels reminiscent of It Comes At Night's subdued and brutal tension but far more raw and realistic. Corpses are compost, bullets are scarce, and trust is scarcer. The titular protagonist lives in hard-scrabble isolation, defined by cautious meticulous routine. It's that routine, and his wary weathered gaze, in those early moments that tell us everything we need to know about his existence and the tone of The Survivalist. The central story of fragile trust, between him and a pair of women seeking supplies, is one of quiet character beats and suspense, and harsh survival presented in lean and unflinching fashion
1. Definitely wouldn't work as OT. Too niche for what you are going for. A thread would work.
2. we can definitely make a dedicated sci-fi month here for February. The thing is it needs to be specific. We already have the pick three, and monthly bad movie watch. Oh and can't forget the top 10 to watch in February. What you bring has to stand out amongst though.
3. Shoot your ideas here or through pm and I am sure we can get something ready within the week.
Of course the site is always available for the good stuff.
I don't have anyone writting reviews for altered carbon, mute, or annihilation.
Just watched Call Me By Your Name. Wowwwwww. So beautiful. That ending 1-2 punch of
Amazing.
the father's monologue and then the engagement and Elio crying by the fireplace
