Movies You've Seen Recently | April 2020

Divius · Apr 1, 2020

Welcome
Hello and welcome to the monthly Movies You've Seen Recently thread. The place to hang out with fellow movie lovers!

Thread rules
1. Be nice, be civil, use common sense
2. Respect the opinions of other members, no matter how wrong they are
3. Use spoiler tags accordingly
4. Have fun, we're all here because we love movies

DO NOT just post the title of the movie you watched. It isn't conducive to the kind of discussion & communication we want to engender here, because it tells us nothing of you, the movie, the impact of the latter on the former. Post scores, descriptions, essays, poems, gifs, hashtags, whatever provides you the best outlet for personal expression, you unique little digital snowflake. - icarus-daedelus

Want to introduce yourself?
New to the Movies You've Seen Recently community? Let us know a bit about yourself:
1. What's your favorite Movie?
2. Who's your favorite director?
3. Who are your favorite actors/actresses?
4. Favorite Genre(s)?
5. What's your favorite performance in film?

- Post your top 5 new viewings from the previous month!

Useful external links:
Letterboxd
ICheckMovies
IMDb
Rotten Tomatoes
Metacritic

Also check out the official Film Era discord!

Hidden content

List of Movies you've seen recently members on letterboxd said:
Flow
BaronOfBarons
Ampersands
daydreamDE
omgkitty
kevin1025
Ridley327
JOKERACN7
Lordxar
ViewtifulJC
Halo 2
Fancyclown
Icolin
Hoju
Carl
Sterling
Mariachi507
Infernostew
Divius
Messofanego
jett
Borgnine
Angmars
Atraveller
Minishdriveby
PuckBeaverton
NoMoreTrolls
Ventilaator
Steamlord
Nexus
KraftyKrankins
S.T.A.R.S Beret
Spectromixer
Rhomega
Catsel
Foolia
Peco
Window
Overcast
ItRhymesWithDoom
ThatWasAJoke
Boogs31
Pachimari
shane632
VileZero
Slader166
More_Badass
MidnightCowboy
demosthenes
Roberto Duran
ASleepingMonkey
ZombAid
Disco
Double
andrew
Cloudwolf
okayfrog
Mi goreng
Rembrandt
Cripplegate
JetSetSoul
Halo 2
retroman
hipsterpants
sotojuan
Zutrax
Allstar
Darkwing-Buck
Ultimadrago
hydruxo
BringBackSonics
FeedMeAStrayCat
patientzero
InceptionLoop

If you want to be added to the list above, shoot me a PM and you'll be added.

Unsure of what to watch? Just ask for recommendations in here. We don't bite!

Divius · Apr 1, 2020

I've logged 10 entries for films during March 2020

TOP 5 NEW VIEWINGS OF MARCH
5. Birds of Prey
4. Onward
3. The Platform
2. The Invisible Man
1. A Hidden Life

MOST VALUABLE REWATCHES OF MARCH
Contagion

WORST NEW VIEWINGS OF MARCH
None really. Guns Akimbo and The Hunt are the lowest rated but they weren't that terrible.

ViewtifulJC · Apr 1, 2020

Great time to stay inside and watch movies

Landawng · Apr 1, 2020

I watched Richard Jewell yesterday and absolutely loved it. Totally exceeded my expectations. I straight up ugly cried during a few scenes. Kathy Bates is such a legendary actress and she's doing some of her best work in this. She deserved the Oscar imo.

I'm not really a fan of a lot of Eastwood's movies but I feel like he hit a homerun with this one. A few flaws, mainly with the slutty reporter angle, but it didn't really bother me too much. Paul Walter Houser is so goddamn good. I can't wait to see what roles this guy takes on next. He played this part perfectly imo.

4.5/5

Edit: Im somewhat new to these threads so I'll add my picks from the suggested list in the OP:

1. What's your favorite Movie? There Will Be Blood, Memento, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, and The Lighthouse

2. Who's your favorite director? Paul Thomas Anderson

3. Who are your favorite actors/actresses? DDL, Leonardo DiCaprio, Shia LeBeouf, Tom Hardy, Willem Dafoe, Florence Pugh, Kathy Bates, Toni Collete, Jennifer Connolly

4. Favorite Genre(s)? Drama, Horror, Action, Comedy, hell I like it all

5. What's your favorite performance in film? Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood. Some close runner up's: Leo's performance in Whats Eating Gilber Grape and Willem Dafoes performance in The Lighthouse

Sean C. · Apr 1, 2020

25 entries logged for March.

Top 5 new viewings
1. Emma. (2020)
2. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
3. They Were Expendable (1945)
4. Onward (2020)
5. Weathering with You (2019)

Top 5 repeat viewings
1. Paddington 2 (2017)
2. The Seventh Seal (1957)
3. Contagion (2011)
4. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
5. Persona (1966)

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988): Much of this feels like it's meant to be a children's film, but it's also got Uma Thurman imitating Botticelli's "Birth of Venus". Very fun, and with a tall tales feel that is very true to its inspiration (including in a casually Orientalist way that would surely attract a lot more criticism today). The visual effects are truly exceptional. I'd have enjoyed this even more if the Criterion Channel website would stop freezing so much when I plug my laptop into the television, but I guess we can't have everything.

Teenage Fansub · Apr 1, 2020

12 March entries. 8 new watches, 4 rewatches.

New watches, best to worst:
Sunset (2018)
The Telephone Book
Bitter Moon
Lights Out
Fighting with my Family
Bloodshot
3 From Hell
Rabid (2019)

Most of my rewatches were were 35mm prints at my local rep cinema before they shut down:
Eraserhead, Wild at Heart and Once Were Warriors with director Lee Tamahori in attendance for a Q+A.

Then there was a Godzilla: King of the Monsters rewatch, which was 99c on iTunes. Still mostly crud (Rodan was cool)

MidnightCowboy · Apr 1, 2020

andrew · Apr 1, 2020

Best New Watches of April:
5) Duel
4) Something Different
3) Dragged Across Concrete
2) Uncut Gems
1) Some Like It Hot

MidnightCowboy · Apr 1, 2020

Duel is so underrated. Crazy that it was a TV movie.

Moppeh · Apr 1, 2020

Started off today pretty well. Watched both Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and 3 Days of the Condor. Let's just say that my already healthy mistrust of the American government has been greatly amplified!

I'm debating watching another film on the Criterion Channel but I'm not sure if I want to keep this theme going or watch something entirely different.

Rhomega · Apr 2, 2020

Top 5 of March

1. The Invisible Man
2. Superman: Red Son
3. What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
4. Emma.
5. Trolls

Blader · Apr 2, 2020

Best New Watches of March:
A Place in the Sun
The Swimmer
Ford v Ferrari
Harlan County USA
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Best Rewatches:
Stray Dog
Drunken Angel
Blade Runner
Rashomon

One of the few upsides to this quarantine, just having a lot more time to watch stuff after work.

FeedMeAStrayCat · Apr 2, 2020

I've logged 38 entries during March 2020 (though 10 entries were Black Mirror episodes)

in no particular order
TOP 15 NEW VIEWINGS OF MARCH
Mom (1991)
Uncut Gems
Guns Akimbo
Vertigo
A Ghost Story
Rear Window
The Blackcoat's Daughter
Black Mirror: San Junipero
Color Out of Space
Embers
The Platform
Holy Motors
Guava Island
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh
Midsommar (Director's Cut)

7 MOST VALUABLE REWATCHES OF MARCH
Midsommar (Theatrical)
American Psycho
Hereditary
Knives Out
Black Mirror: Fifteen Million Merits
Hot Rod
Ready or Not

WORST 5 NEW VIEWINGS OF MARCH (none of these were actually "bad", i.e. 2.5 or 3 stars)
Critters
Black Mirror: The Waldo Moment
Black Mirror: Shut Up and Dance
I See You
True Fiction

MidnightCowboy · Apr 2, 2020

Straight Story on Disney+ tomorrow.

Deleted member 6769 · Apr 2, 2020

13 for me in March. Have quite a bit more free time since my classes went to online only, hoping to catch up on more in April.

Best New Watches
1. Seven Samurai
2. Sweet Smell of Success
3. Goodfellas
4. Tetsuo: The Iron Man
5. Andrei Rublev
Honorable Mentions: Bullitt, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Mister America

Worst New Watches
1. While We're Young
2. Train to Busan (not bad, just okay)

Best Rewatches
1. Parasite
2. The Matrix
3. Speed Racer (haven't watched it since it came out on DVD, really underrated this before)

MidnightCowboy said:
Straight Story on Disney+ tomorrow.

Wish I didn't use the free trial for Disney+ already, I remember really loving The Straight Story!

FaceHugger · Apr 3, 2020

Hobbs & Shaw. Funny as hell as they exchange insults. Also a really good, turn off your brain action show. Just the kind of movie I needed right now.

Rhomega · Apr 3, 2020

Onward: Better than I thought it would be. I wasn't looking for to this too much, I was more interested in Soul. I still have a problem with the premise: why would I want to trade in magic for technology when magic is free? However, I ultimately feel this movie pulled it off by mixing magic with modern society. The movie looks gorgeous. I love the story of 2 brothers on a fantasy quest and how they do and don't get along. It still has that Pixar charm. It's not in my Top 10 Pixar movies, but I enjoyed it.

FeedMeAStrayCat · Apr 3, 2020

FaceHugger said:
Hobbs & Shaw. Funny as hell as they exchange insults. Also a really good, turn off your brain action show. Just the kind of movie I needed right now.

While I don't have much interest in Hobbs & Shaw (though maybe I should? lol), I completely get turning to a "turn off your brain action show" in times of great stress or sorrow or whatever. I remember being in a pretty bad place during the month Shoot 'Em Up released in theaters. It truly cheered me up bahaha perhaps I don't love it as much as I did back then, but it still holds a place in my heart

MidnightCowboy · Apr 3, 2020

Thunderball

Color me surprised, I was ready to disparage this like everyone else (except andrew), but it's good? Certainly not the snoozer I was expecting, it feels right at home with the previous three. Granted the song is pretty unmemorable (especially after Shirley Bassey's banger), Bond literally blackmails a girl into sleeping with him, the villain is the most boring yet, it's about 15 minutes too long, features animal cruelty up the wazoo....and yet, I think it might be my second favorite thus far? As I've mentioned before, one of the highlights of the series for me is the location shooting, and this mission sees a return to the balmy pleasures of the Caribbean, all blue skies and endless horizons, only this time with an added dose of underwater action. Do they milk the living hell out of it? Absolutely, it feels like the producers held a gun to editor Peter Hunt's head any time the mysteries of the deep were involved; the climactic showdown is so padded you could use it as a mattress. But guess what? It still looks cool! If nameless soldiers are going to die in a skirmish, give me harpoon guns and aquatic knifings over a standard firefight anyday. Goes to show how important cinematography and production design are when it comes to formulaic filmmaking; I know I haven't gotten to the franchise's dark ages yet, but at least the people involved cared about craft. Can you imagine how much more palatable the average Marvel flick would be if Feige actually gave a damn about the cinematic aspect of his so-called Cinematic Universe? As for Largo, thankfully his wet noodle presence helped lend itself to a constant stream of snide insults. Bond takes every opportunity to dunk on him.

And FWIW, because sex appeal is a big part of these movies, holy shit the women are gorgeous.

tulpa · Apr 3, 2020

hi, i don't think i've posted in this thread before.

1. What's your favorite Movie?
Wild Strawberries, dir. Ingmar Bergman
2. Who's your favorite director?
Federico Fellini and Ingmar Bergman
3. Who are your favorite actors/actresses?
not sure, but lately I've been loving Song Kang-ho in every film I've seen him in
4. Favorite Genre(s)?
Hard to say... I love Sc-Fi
5. What's your favorite performance in film?
again very difficult to say, but Victor Sjöström in Wild Strawberries does come to mind, as well as Marcello Mastroianni in 8½ and La Dolce Vita

here's what I've been watching recently:

1. Burning, dir. Lee Chang-dong

Wow. One of my favorite films of recent years. Brilliant, simmering drama that seems to completely transform depending on the angle you look through it. So well-paced, that when its end creeps up on you, you find that you've sat up in your chair, and have moved from listening contemplatively to sitting on the edge of your seat, breathless. Just a wonderful film, I immediately rewatched it and now I've seen it three times. And I can't wait to make that four.

2. Rome, Open City dir. Roberto Rossellini

Rossellini has always been a bit of a blind spot for me, so I've been trying to correct that recently. And wow, I'm so glad that I did. You could never produce a film like this today. The recency of the subject matter means you really feel like you're watching it on screen. You couldn't recreate this with the best special effects and CG in the world. It's just there in the picture. And it's a sight to behold, I loved it. Anna Magnani is heartbreaking.

3. Paisan dir. Roberto Rossellini

A much different approach to the film, and less conventionally 'cinematic,' but this brilliant collection of shorts about the occupation and liberation of Italy during World War 2 produces a tremendous result. The scale is much more sweeping than in 'Rome, Open City', and each vignette feels like a microcosm of that aspect of the war, captured so well. Both films are essential viewing.

4. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, dir. Sergei Parajanov

A totally fascinating film, which seems to capture the Carapanthian Utsul culture in a complete, immersive way. The camera is restless, spinning and moving around each shot in a way that would be irritating in the hands of a lesser director than Parajanov. But he's keenly aware of the frame, and manages to capture the kinetic nature of the scenes in a way that delights rather than annoys. Wonderful color, well-graded, great camerawork. Excited to check out 'The Color of Pomegranates' next.

5. Little Women, dir. Greta Gerwig

Just a lovely film. So full of warmth and joy, well-written for the screen based on the Louisa May Alcott original, Greta Gerwig really demonstrates her range. The narrative device that jumps from past to present to past works so well here, creating the contrast where the women could see the harmony of past with present. Great editing. I was in floods by the end.

Messofanego · Apr 4, 2020

tulpa said:
hi, i don't think i've posted in this thread before.

1. What's your favorite Movie?
Wild Strawberries, dir. Ingmar Bergman
2. Who's your favorite director?
Federico Fellini and Ingmar Bergman
3. Who are your favorite actors/actresses?
not sure, but lately I've been loving Song Kang-ho in every film I've seen him in
4. Favorite Genre(s)?
Hard to say... I love Sc-Fi
5. What's your favorite performance in film?
again very difficult to say, but Victor Sjöström in Wild Strawberries does come to mind, as well as Marcello Mastroianni in 8½ and La Dolce Vita

here's what I've been watching recently:

1. Burning, dir. Lee Chang-dong

Wow. One of my favorite films of recent years. Brilliant, simmering drama that seems to completely transform depending on the angle you look through it. So well-paced, that when its end creeps up on you, you find that you've sat up in your chair, and have moved from listening contemplatively to sitting on the edge of your seat, breathless. Just a wonderful film, I immediately rewatched it and now I've seen it three times. And I can't wait to make that four.

2. Rome, Open City dir. Roberto Rossellini

Rossellini has always been a bit of a blind spot for me, so I've been trying to correct that recently. And wow, I'm so glad that I did. You could never produce a film like this today. The recency of the subject matter means you really feel like you're watching it on screen. You couldn't recreate this with the best special effects and CG in the world. It's just there in the picture. And it's a sight to behold, I loved it. Anna Magnani is heartbreaking.

3. Paisan dir. Roberto Rossellini

A much different approach to the film, and less conventionally 'cinematic,' but this brilliant collection of shorts about the occupation and liberation of Italy during World War 2 produces a tremendous result. The scale is much more sweeping than in 'Rome, Open City', and each vignette feels like a microcosm of that aspect of the war, captured so well. Both films are essential viewing.

4. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, dir. Sergei Parajanov

A totally fascinating film, which seems to capture the Carapanthian Utsul culture in a complete, immersive way. The camera is restless, spinning and moving around each shot in a way that would be irritating in the hands of a lesser director than Parajanov. But he's keenly aware of the frame, and manages to capture the kinetic nature of the scenes in a way that delights rather than annoys. Wonderful color, well-graded, great camerawork. Excited to check out 'The Color of Pomegranates' next.

5. Little Women, dir. Greta Gerwig

Just a lovely film. So full of warmth and joy, well-written for the screen based on the Louisa May Alcott original, Greta Gerwig really demonstrates her range. The narrative device that jumps from past to present to past works so well here, creating the contrast where the women could see the harmony of past with present. Great editing. I was in floods by the end.

Do you have MUBI? If not, they've been doing a Bergman season for the past couple of months. Right now, it's Autumn Sonata, The Rite, and From The Life Of The Marionettes.

Peru · Apr 4, 2020

Emma (2020)

An extremely Very Good adaptation. Are we suddenly seeing Austen adaptations engaging with the source material in an interesting way? It's not Little Women-levels of an adapted screenplay masterclass, but it's getting closer. Managed to capture the complexities of the main character, the political satire and even some of the intricate innovations of form of Austen's novel (although no adaptation can fully convey the magical tricks of the novel's narrator). Mostly, though, just wonderfully cast and written, beautifully sweet when needed, yet not at all simplistically romantic, like the more confused Austen adaptations.

The film definitely zooms in on the character of Emma, above all, and as such can't possibly have enough time left to give Jane Fairfax, Frank Churchill, Miss Bates and so on, but there's enough there to reveal the layers of Emma, and it's better that they get her right than just flatly cover all tete-a-tetes.

tulpa · Apr 4, 2020

Messofanego said:
Do you have MUBI? If not, they've been doing a Bergman season for the past couple of months. Right now, it's Autumn Sonata, The Rite, and From The Life Of The Marionettes.

i don't but that sounds great! i know Criterion has many of them, but i'm not sure how complete their collection is on streaming

andrew · Apr 4, 2020

MidnightCowboy said:
Thunderball

Color me surprised, I was ready to disparage this like everyone else (except andrew), but it's good? Certainly not the snoozer I was expecting, it feels right at home with the previous three. Granted the song is pretty unmemorable (especially after Shirley Bassey's banger), Bond literally blackmails a girl into sleeping with him, the villain is the most boring yet, it's about 15 minutes too long, features animal cruelty up the wazoo....and yet, I think it might be my second favorite thus far? As I've mentioned before, one of the highlights of the series for me is the location shooting, and this mission sees a return to the balmy pleasures of the Caribbean, all blue skies and endless horizons, only this time with an added dose of underwater action. Do they milk the living hell out of it? Absolutely, it feels like the producers held a gun to editor Peter Hunt's head any time the mysteries of the deep were involved; the climactic showdown is so padded you could use it as a mattress. But guess what? It still looks cool! If nameless soldiers are going to die in a skirmish, give me harpoon guns and aquatic knifings over a standard firefight anyday. Goes to show how important cinematography and production design are when it comes to formulaic filmmaking; I know I haven't gotten to the franchise's dark ages yet, but at least the people involved cared about craft. Can you imagine how much more palatable the average Marvel flick would be if Feige actually gave a damn about the cinematic aspect of his so-called Cinematic Universe? As for Largo, thankfully his wet noodle presence helped lend itself to a constant stream of snide insults. Bond takes every opportunity to dunk on him.

And FWIW, because sex appeal is a big part of these movies, holy shit the women are gorgeous.

This is what I'm saying!

The women too. The Connery movies are about having Bond be suave and fight baddies in cool locations in between leering shots of beautiful women and for my money (and having seen up through You Only Live Twice) Thunderball does it best.

Messofanego · Apr 4, 2020

Hot Rod
I realised I don't like Andy Samberg's brand of on-the-nose ironic comedy from Brooklyn 99 to this sports parody comedy, and some of the dialogue jokes don't land. However, the throwaway jokes, other characters, or the physical comedy absolutely land. The whole forest scene from the dancing to the fall, perfection. I laughed most at the paramedic extras as they exit the house:

"I give that man a week."
"Really insensitive, Bob."

The film is blessed with a crazy good cast, Bill Hader, Ian McShane, Danny McBride, and Sissy Spacek. The fight at the end is They Live levels. However, comparisons to Airplane! don't hold up as those were masterclass mile-a-minute visual gags that hit you so fast with a great ensemble and full of imagination. While Hot Rod relies on a lot of tropes, and Airplane! doesn't require you to know the disaster films it's parodying.

Bacurau
This is really a film of two halves, and the transition from off-kilter community humanist drama to Carpenter-influenced neo-western dark comedy is paced at just the right moment. The sci-fi aspects are small but meaningful from the drone to live translations, which are reality now but not to perfection like here.

The Bacurau community are positive (sexually too) likeable such as Barbara Colen's calm Teresa, Thomas Aquino's anti-hero Pacote, Wilson Rabelo's sage elder Plinio, and even Sonia Braga's Domingas (the high-strung doctor), grows on you. Silvero Pereira's Lunga, the efficient wide-eyed killer, is a highlight. Then the hunters come into the picture and it's pure satire of Americans from here on out which makes for a lot of grisly, comedic fun during the hunt.

Had a fear that the odd happenings would be over-explained later but the themes of colonialism and classism/racism leave enough to make sense on your own. The proceedings and ending are plenty satisfying. Looking forward to more Kleber Filho + Juliano Dornelles directing efforts.

Naijaboy · Apr 5, 2020

I already said my piece regarding Onward, so you can check things there. As for the other movie...

Smallfoot

I initially dismissed this movie for looking goofy and not seeing its premise that well in the trailers. Later on, I saw that the reviews were much better than I thought, even more so than Storks which was made by the same people and I watched in theatres. It was this month where I finally got my chance thanks to HBO Now.

This movie floored me.

Not in the sense that it was excellent, but that there was so much more to this movie than I thought. Migos was a nice LG character, loyal to the ideas of his clan, but willing to risk it all in order to prove he was telling the truth. Likewise, our 'Smallfoot' Percy plays an opportunistic nature blogger whom I nevertheless sympathized for nature shows falling out in favor in the wake of social media.

There were a couple of twists that were complete swerves too:

The daughter being the head of the skeptics group was a nice surprise. But it was the leader's reveal of the nature of their jobs blew me away. It put up a nice moral quandary to the situation at hand. Seriously, the Stonekeeper was legit the best character of the movie. That guy was a smooth talker with manipulating everyone. I thought he would go full on villainy, but even that didn't happen. It's arguable whether the humans were too accepting of the yetis in the end, but I'm sure times have changed enough to have their supporters by now.

The voice action is fairly well done for the most part, with Common being the biggest highlight.

The animation was typical of animated movies mande by Sony Pictures... which means it isn't taken as seriously as other studios such as Pixar and DreamWorks. Yet despite a few setbacks, it does help out with the physical comedy of the movie. Sonya's content to do their own thing, and that's fine. I like diversity, and if they can strike gold like with Spider-Verse, than they can keep on doing their thing.

It's a movie I would definitely recommend. 7.75/10.

meowdi gras · Apr 5, 2020

Bunny Lake is Missing (1965)

Fairly amusing for about 3/4ths of its length, primarily due to Laurence Olivier's, Martita Hunt's, and Noël Coward's way with a scene. Not much else to recommend it, besides some good camerawork. The denouement is patently absurd and nonsensical. Keir Dullea is lucky Stanley Kubrick saved his career by casting him in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Otherwise, he might never have worked again with the performance he puts in here.

Otto Preminger keeps winning the Overrated Sweepstakes™ for me with this dud.

Sean C. · Apr 5, 2020

Eyes of Laura Mars (1978): An American attempt at copying the then-popular Italian giallo style, starring Faye Dunaway in her first post-Oscar role, along with a somewhat-less-craggy Tommy Lee Jones, Rene Auberjonois, Raul Julia, and Brad Dourif (indeed, for a serial killer mystery, they've smartly filled the supporting cast with a bunch of suspicious-looking actors). Dunaway plays a famous art photographer known for sexual and violent imagery, who suddenly starts receiving visions where she sees through the eyes of a serial killer who is targeting people associated with her work. The premise is really cool, but there's not enough variation to last for two hours, particularly as by about the halfway point it's becoming clear who the killer is, but the movie doesn't reveal it until the last five minutes. The film is most interesting as a document of late 1970s New York, and especially the photography scene it somewhat satirically depicts.

Also has a killer Streisand deep cut on the soundtrack, a vestige of this having been developed as a vehicle for her.

The Godfather (1972): This movie is good.

It had been a few years since I had last seen it.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000): Another rewatch after a few years. This in some ways feels like a very oddball entry in the Coens' filmography, but it's one of my modest favourites that they've made. I imagine if this was made today there'd be a lot more thinkpieces about how the Coens made a film about the Jim Crow South that relegates black characters so much to the sidelines.

Downton Abbey (2019): This story has, very intentionally, hardly any stakes, the better to be a pleasant catch-up with old friends; the one token dramatic plot is completely resolved by the halfway point, and honestly that feels pretty half-hearted. If you're going to introduce an assassination attempt on King George V, it should be the climax of the movie and involve Carson screaming "noooooo!!!!!" and jumping to take the bullet (because you know that's his one great unfulfilled career aspiration). Otherwise, as I said, solid comfort food. The strong box office for this guarantees we'll be visiting Downton on the big screen again (and frankly, now that we're in the age of regular franchise revivals, I expect we'll be periodically checking in on the Crawleys and their loyal staff in one medium or another for many years to come).

Also, Laura Carmichael presumably got tired of the show insisting that Edith was the frumpy sister compared to Mary and used her leverage in contract negotiations for this to insist on multiple scenes of her in stylish 1920s underwear.

Deleted member 6769 · Apr 5, 2020

The Magnificent Seven - After watching Seven Samurai last month, I wanted to check this out too. Pretty good, but the tourniqueted runtime really hampers the characters. Whereas Seven Samurai takes it's time to develop all it's characters -- at the very least -- a bit beyond some one note caricature, Magnificent Seven just doesn't have the time to do that. It does feel a little unfair to compare them so much, but it's a night and day difference on how well they work. Still a fine watch with a fun finale.

Dogtooth - Pretty wild movie. I had heard that this movie goes places but I didn't know exactly what people meant by that. Boy it, uh, went places. But it didn't feel unearned. Uncomfortable for sure, but it all felt within the realm that the film was working within. An interesting exploration of power dynamics and (probably? I think?) authoritarianism. Full of great framing and great acting, but it still left me a little cold and alienated, presumably on purpose. I've only seen The Favourite from Yorgos Lanthimos, so it'll be interesting to see how he goes from something totally alienating and weird as Dogtooth to something more mainstream and palatable as The Favourite.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire - Really, really, really wish I could've caught this in theaters. A film this occupied with details is just begging to be seen on the biggest screen possible. The curl of a finger. The bend of a corner of a page. The crackle of a fire or scratch of a pencil. Stealing a glance. It's all beautifully portrayed, both from the leads and the cinematography. The use of color in Portrait of a Lady on Fire is almost unreal. It goes from cooler whites and blues to being bathed in the warm orange glow of fire and highlighting the greens and reds of clothing. The green of the grass and the blue of the ocean are almost effervescent. All of this is impeccably framed by Céline Sciamma. She knows exactly when to go from a medium shot to an intimate closeup, really honing in on Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel's faces. Their movements are subtle and full of meaning, but their eyes are what sell the film. Absolutely full of emotion. The final shot of the film wouldn't have worked if the emotion wasn't there, but it is there in spades. The script is also beautiful. It's not superfluous and cuts right to the core of the characters. Though the script is full of references to Greek mythology and some quasi-Shakespearean visions for good measure, it doesn't rely on these tropes, but rather uses them to reflect these specific characters. I've heard great things from just about everyone about this, but Portrait of a Lady on Fire still blew me away. Just end-to-end incredible.

Window · Apr 5, 2020

srsly? said:
Bunny Lake is Missing (1965)

Fairly amusing for about 3/4ths of its length, primarily due to Laurence Olivier's, Martita Hunt's, and Noël Coward's way with a scene. Not much else to recommend it, besides some good camerawork. The denouement is patently absurd and nonsensical. Keir Dullea is lucky Stanley Kubrick saved his career by casting him in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Otherwise, he might never have worked again with the performance he puts in here.

Otto Preminger keeps winning the Overrated Sweepstakes™ for me with this dud.

Not a fan of Laura, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Angel Face, Anatomy of a Murder etc?

Messofanego · Apr 6, 2020

Safe (1995) is a terrifying and depressing film. Really captures the suburban ennui, dread, and paranoia. It's not as intense as Bug but it's more haunting. Ideal watch for these paranoid pandemic times where health hypervigilance and self-isolation is paramount. Julianne Moore's Carol (is Todd Haynes a fan of that name?) struggles to find why she's getting sick, is it due to the LA pollution and she's allergic to the 20th century? Or is she simply not able to cope with the stresses of a modern fast paced life? Does she just need to start loving herself?

The way the cinematography focuses on wide shots of the house for the first hour is masterful where Carol feels small and lonely as a housewife and starts getting sicker and sicker. Ed Tomney's score is the main driver for this oppressive and haunting atmosphere, recalling the work of Angelo Badalamenti's work on Twin Peaks. Julianne Moore picked such intense characters in the 90s with this and Magnolia. The intensity calms down once she's living in this therapeutic, cult-like retreat for the "chemically sensitive" but it seems like a false sense of security as she looks worse for the wear and isolates herself further into an igloo-shaped house. The ending is powerfully ambiguous with a rare close-up of Moore and is guaranteed to stick in my head for a while.

Teenage Fansub · Apr 6, 2020

Entitilitus_Victim said:
I've only seen The Favourite from Yorgos Lanthimos, so it'll be interesting to see how he goes from something totally alienating and weird as Dogtooth to something more mainstream and palatable as The Favourite.

The Lobster and Killing of a Sacred Deer are definitely stepping stones with the same dark and cruel situations/humor as Dogtooth, but involving famous English speaking actors.

meowdi gras · Apr 6, 2020

Window said:
Not a fan of Laura, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Angel Face, Anatomy of a Murder etc?

Laura is good, but that's more due to the script, cinematography, and Clifton Webb. Preminger's direction is solid, but not particularly distinguished or dynamic, IMO. Too many people entering rooms, dropping bon mots while stiffly standing around, then leaving. Had Michael Curtiz directed it, I'm convinced that it would've been a masterpiece.

Anatomy is good, as well, but with too many tedious, clunky spots that Preminger should've smoothed over better. Entertaining and with some good characterizations, but unworthy of its lofty reputation.

Angel Face, after a good start, I just found to be an outright dud. Haven't seen Where the Sidewalk Ends.

Don't get me started on the issues Preminger's "big", bloated '60s films like Exodus, Advise and Consent, The Cardinal, have.

Messofanego said:
Safe (1995) is a terrifying and depressing film. Really captures the suburban ennui, dread, and paranoia. It's not as intense as Bug but it's more haunting. Ideal watch for these paranoid pandemic times where health hypervigilance and self-isolation is paramount. Julianne Moore's Carol (is Todd Haynes a fan of that name?) struggles to find why she's getting sick, is it due to the LA pollution and she's allergic to the 20th century? Or is she simply not able to cope with the stresses of a modern fast paced life? Does she just need to start loving herself?

The way the cinematography focuses on wide shots of the house for the first hour is masterful where Carol feels small and lonely as a housewife and starts getting sicker and sicker. Ed Tomney's score is the main driver for this oppressive and haunting atmosphere, recalling the work of Angelo Badalamenti's work on Twin Peaks. Julianne Moore picked such intense characters in the 90s with this and Magnolia. The intensity calms down once she's living in this therapeutic, cult-like retreat for the "chemically sensitive" but it seems like a false sense of security as she looks worse for the wear and isolates herself further into an igloo-shaped house. The ending is powerfully ambiguous with a rare close-up of Moore and is guaranteed to stick in my head for a while.

Gave this one a rewatch recently for the first time in about 20 years. It's even more irritating and lifeless than I remembered. Yes, it's lit and framed impeccably, but in many respects, that's what kills any emotional impact the film might've otherwise had. Haynes got his start photographing dolls and it shows. He doesn't know how to use actors except as mere marionettes, positioned this way in one shot, posed that way in another. The effect is stifling. (Yes, "That's the point!", blah blah, but it's so easy to embalm material with the resources of cinema; so much more challenging and stimulating to bring it to life.)

Definitely belongs to Andrew Sarris's "Less Than Meets the Eye" category.

Messofanego · Apr 6, 2020

Blood Of A Poet (1930)
One year after Luis Bunuel's Un Chien Andalou comes Jean Cocteau's debut The Blood Of A Poet which is similarly ground-breaking and still impressive in its surrealistic craft while not having much narrative tissue to hold it together other than an overarching thread of a painter not being nice to animated lips and a statue. It might be nonsense, but it's iconic nonsense with unforgettable imagery.

Episodes 1 and 2 are the strongest in their editing and imagination, with the Hotel Of Dramatic Lunacies just being an excuse to have different surreal ideas put to screen behind different doors. A child with jingle bells wrapped around her is whipped by a nun to then climb up to the ceiling, which wouldn't surprise if it went to influence The Exorcist or Trainspotting.

Episode 3 is hilariously over-the-top where a snowball fight becomes a combat sport with injuries and deaths, and then Episode 4 tries to tie it all together with a religious angle. Thankfully, it's short and fun so won't leave you thinking for too long of why every component might not make a lick of sense but gunshots to the head leading to pentagram blood-letting are pretty cool!

MidnightCowboy · Apr 6, 2020

Safe is a masterpiece and I won't hear otherwise. Be gone foul spirit!

shaneo632 · Apr 6, 2020

Trolls World Tour didn't suck. Found the first completely forgettable but this one was actually fine? It had more diverse music and actually seemed to acknowledge how utterly bland and soulless the auto-tuned shitty pop music was in the first one (even if this one also had a few songs guilty of the same).

Blader · Apr 6, 2020

Yojimbo
Rewatched this last Wednesday, for Mifune's 100th. This movie rocks. Mifune is just so cool in this film; right from the first frame, just the way the guy shrugs his shoulders, is immediately iconic. I think this is altogether his defining performance, even if it's not as nuanced or thematically interesting as many of his other films, it just so immediately distills the qualities of the archetypal badass samurai in literally seconds. The movie itself is awesome too of course, even if slightly less so than I'd remembered it -- there's an awful lot of side characters to keep track of, many of them don't feel that important, and I think A Fistful of Dollars actually is a slight improvement on this film in terms of plotting and pacing. I also feel like Tatsuya Nakadai comes off a little ridiculous waving the gun around basically every time he's on screen, and feels less of an intimidating presence compared to, say, Ramon Rojo. But man this is a lean, fun film; the swordplay kicks ass and is definitely the most stylish for a Kurosawa film, save for Sanjuro's ending; and that whole final sequence might be the best piece of action Kurosawa has ever put on screen. Just look at this shit!

9/10

Onward
This movie surprised me. The trailer and premise seemed so lame, and the first 20 minutes or so felt like a caricature of a Dreamworks movie. But it really won me over as it went on and especially in the end. It turned out to be a sweet story about these two brothers, and the way that culminates in the ending was something I was particularly impressed by. It reminded me of Monsters University a bit, in the sense that a potentially hackneyed premise was taken in a surprisingly subversive way.
7/10

The Passenger
The third Antonioni I've seen and the first one I actually liked. 1970s Jack Nicholson and some really gorgeously shot European locales all help (faffing around in Madrid and Germany is nicer to watch than faffing around a boat or some guy's flat), but it's just a more engrossing story too. How did he move the camera through the bars like that?!
7/10

Throne of Blood
Rewatch. Goddamn this movie is good. Some of my favorite production design in a Kurosawa film: the fortress sets, the forest, the armor, the fog! On a long list of beautiful Kurosawa films, this is one of his best looking. It's also I think one of Mifune's best performances, perfectly straddling the line between his more restrained noir performances and his more off-the-wall samurai outings. The whole cast here is so strong; while Yojimbo felt overstuffed with secondary characters at time, every role here matters (and is also just generally easier to keep track of). One of Kurosawa's best written (I know it's Shakespeare but it's so much better than most adaptations), best acted, best looking films. And fuck, that climax is killer.
9/10

More_Badass · Apr 6, 2020

Best new watches of March:

- The Passion of Joan of Arc
- Female Prison 701: Scorpion
- Bacurau
- Zatoichi The Outlaw
- Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41
- The Platform
- Shaolin Intruders
- Stuck
- Eega
- King Kong (1933)

More_Badass · Apr 6, 2020

Been down a western rabbithole last few days, saw The Professionals (1966) and it shot up to my top ten favorite westerns

Richard Brooks' men-on-a-mission western is an exemplary showcase of the formula: the men and the mission. On paper, The Professionals has a fairly derivative set-up of Wild West tropes and stock characters; a team of American specialists are hired to rescue a kidnapped wife during the Mexican Revolution. But in its execution, The Professionals demonstrates exactly why it was nominated for direction and screenplay Oscars. The film was nominated for cinematography as well, and its earthy palette often stood out: a more subdued aesthetic compared to the grander sun-baked look of other westerns I've seen from the era.

The look may be subdued but the pacing wasn't. One foot in the classic mold, another in the revisionist style, The Professionals unfolds with purpose. At times, it felt exceedingly modern, rather than a film that came out the same year as Good Bad Ugly and Django. The first half propulsively builds towards a thrilling and explosive climax, the second half exploring the fallout of those actions during its extended chase. That climactic assault, planned and enacted with brisk precision, was more reminiscent of Melville's heists than the likes of Leone or Corbucci. Similarly, the opening brief is succinct and snappy in its details, both spoken and shown in performance subtleties.

The entire script shares that zing, packed with pulpy macho exchanges, laconic remarks, clever one-liners; the excellent performances add even more hard-edged energy. Lee Marvin plays the steely pragmatic leader to perfection a year before Dirty Dozen or Point Blank, while Burt Lancaster brings the charisma and intensity. Their bond of battle-forged trust anchors the film, but Ryan and Strode as the other specialists also add their own distinct chemistry to the team. That brotherhood dynamic, bound by mercenary goals and cool-headed professionalism, results in a ceaselessly engaging momentum even when machine guns and dynamite arrows aren't erupting. Even the target - played by a fiery Claudia Cardinale - and their bandit opposition add an unexpectedly intriguing wrinkle to the morals of the mission, exposing new depths in these hard driven men.

Lee Marvin playing the taciturn badass a year before Point Blank

Waveset · Apr 6, 2020

I'm new to these threads and will post some favourites but they're always changing as I see new stuff and remember others that I'd forgotten. I don't have the vocabulary to talk properly about cinema or anything intelligent to say, I'm just enjoying the journey. I'm going to use Letterboxd links as I like that site.

Good Time - First watch of April, second film I'm seeing from the Safdie brothers (the other being Uncut Gems, Oneohtrix Point Never does the soundtrack to both these films), now I can feel their style, lots of high-stress action as the protagonists jump from one frying pan into another. Really enjoyed it, one of the Safdie's also puts in a performance as a main character and does a very fine job, Robert Pattinson showing his worth, new respect for him since The Lighthouse. Watched this on Netflix UK.

MidnightCowboy · Apr 6, 2020

It's scary how easy sociopathy comes to Robert Pattinson

Messofanego · Apr 6, 2020

MidnightCowboy said:
It's scary how easy sociopathy comes to Robert Pattinson

Yeah, which is why I recommend watching the cold and weird Cosmopolis, a dark comedy about capitalism. That was his first time exercising non-mainstream roles after Twilight. Paul Giamatti and Juliette Binoche are highlights.

Borgnine · Apr 6, 2020

Hardcore:

7/10. Absolutely hilarious. The first half of this thing feels like Ned Flanders walking around the modern world. I also can't get over the description: "A conservative Midwest businessman ventures into the sordid underworld of pornography in California to look for his runaway teenage daughter who is making porno films in the porno pits of Los Angeles." I'm sorry what the fuck is a porno pit and where exactly are they? They're near La Brea right?
Never Rarely Sometimes Maybe: 5/10.

. There's one great scene in this thing and that's it. And it's so glaringly great that it makes you realize what a waste of time every other second of the movie is.

Interstellar (rewatch): Still 7/10. I admit it hits a little different watching now that I have a child of my own. As always it's fantastic except for all the parts where people open their mouths and words come out. I'm sorry but you poke a hole through a folded piece of paper to explain a wormhole to me you lose a full fucking star full stop.

Clueless: 6/10. No I've never seen Clueless. It was cute. Did anyone else notice that nearly every single actor had blue or light eyes? Like even the black girl. I Always suspected this was some kind of subliminal nazi propaganda.

Bacurau: 5/10. Yep. Saw this film at the Landmark here in Los Angeles. 35mm film, Aaton Penelope 2 perf, ARRI Lt, ST2 perf cameras.

MidnightCowboy · Apr 6, 2020

Between Hardcore, Taxi Driver, and Eddie Coyle, I'm convinced that if Peter Boyle is in the movie, it's great.

swoon · Apr 6, 2020

Borgnine said:
Bacurau: 5/10. Yep. Saw this film at the Landmark here in Los Angeles. 35mm film, Aaton Penelope 2 perf, ARRI Lt, ST2 perf cameras.

Lolol

Anyone up for a pick 3?

ty_hot · Apr 6, 2020

Knives Out: 9/10, quite entertaining.

patientzero · Apr 6, 2020

Borgnine said:
Clueless: 6/10. No I've never seen Clueless. It was cute. Did anyone else notice that nearly every single actor had blue or light eyes? Like even the black girl. I Always suspected this was some kind of subliminal nazi propaganda.

Clueless

John and Craig analyze the iconic 1995 comedy Clueless. A contemporary adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma set in Beverly Hills, Clueless follows protagonist Cher as she tries to do ‘good’ through make-over montages and match-making attempts. We discuss how the movie sets up the characters in the...

johnaugust.com

Rhomega · Apr 7, 2020

Troll 2: "They're eating her, and then they're going to eat me! OH MY GOOOooooOOOD!"

So these trolls are vegetarians. In a rural town. Why don't they just grow vegetables and eat those? Really, the plot falls apart with that question. The acting is bad, the cinematography makes some weird choices, the costumes aren't that great. For goblins trying to disguise themselves as humans, they don't keep up appearances very well since they only sell unrefrigerated Nilbog Milk. Then there's Ghost Grandpa, who can use stop time, use lightning, and summon physical objects. What's his history with the goblins again?

But hey, it's all worth it for that one line.

Messofanego · Apr 8, 2020

Rhomega said:
Troll 2: "They're eating her, and then they're going to eat me! OH MY GOOOooooOOOD!"

So these trolls are vegetarians. In a rural town. Why don't they just grow vegetables and eat those? Really, the plot falls apart with that question. The acting is bad, the cinematography makes some weird choices, the costumes aren't that great. For goblins trying to disguise themselves as humans, they don't keep up appearances very well since they only sell unrefrigerated Nilbog Milk. Then there's Ghost Grandpa, who can use stop time, use lightning, and summon physical objects. What's his history with the goblins again?

But hey, it's all worth it for that one line.

Wait is Ghost Grandpa a Force user? Does he look like Palpatine?

Sean C. · Apr 8, 2020

The Cranes Are Flying (1957): Mikhail Kalatozov reinvents the wheel in Soviet postwar cinema with this gritty depiction of the home front during World War II. We follow a young couple at the time of the commencement of hostilities, through his being sent away to the frontlines and her journeying with his family through various civilian locations as manufacturing gets shifted around. Lead actress Tatiana Samoilova (who comes closer than any other actress I can recall to having a strong resemblance to Audrey Hepburn) largely carries the picture, given the preponderance of focus away from the actual fighting. Well, at least, Samoilova carries the acting; the real stars of The Cranes Are Flying are Kalatozov and cinematographer Sergei Urusevsky, whose camerawork here is legitimately extraordinary; it would be standout today, and by the standards of 1957 it's hard to imagine how revelatory this must have been. There's a few sequences where I can't imagine how hard it would have been to edit on film.

The Godfather: Part II (1974): This movie is also good.

I like that while it's easy to see the parallel storylines as the halcyon period of the Corleones versus the withering of the family under Michael, but the pivotal moment in Vito's storyline where he returns home and gratuitously kills the old mob boss contains the same germ that would eventually undo the family Vito claimed to so value; not insignificant that we're shown this shortly before Michael's decision to kill Fredo.

Movies You've Seen Recently | April 2020

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