Finding these lesser known movies of popular directors is super fun. Someone should make a list
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Movies You've Seen Recently | December 2018
- Thread starter Divius
- Start date
The Feels - Loved it, small indie film with a touching story and great message.
Eighth Grade - It was better and less romanticized than I expected, school shooting prep scene had me shook.
Teenage Cocktail - This movie was annoying. A father's response to learning his daughter is doing cam work on the internet is to immediately picture her in underwear. Gross stuff.
Eighth Grade - It was better and less romanticized than I expected, school shooting prep scene had me shook.
Teenage Cocktail - This movie was annoying. A father's response to learning his daughter is doing cam work on the internet is to immediately picture her in underwear. Gross stuff.
The Favourite: If Barry Lyndon got drunk and had a threesome with Mean Girls and a Skinemax flick, it might look a little something like this! Ruthlessly funny throughout and far more briskly paced than you might expect out of a period piece, the verbal sparring that all the actors engage in is a a real treat, and the period setting means you get some rather nice production design, costuming and photography to go along with the humor. Of course, it's not a laugh-a-minute film by any stretch, but it surprised me at how much of a crowd-pleaser this turned out to be on its own terms, especially with director Yorgos Lanthimos being so well-known for far more absurd and abrasive humor on his other films. It's really hard to find any kind of major faults with this, especially with how well it sticks its landing with a chilling yet satisfying ending, so I guess I won't!
If Beale Street Could Talk
This is the last movie I'll see in 2018. And it did not disappoint. The cast is great and I especially loved the music in this. Part of me wishes I saw more of the women in Alonzo's family past their lone scene, but I think that scene alone was enough from them. This will be in my Top 5 for sure
This is the last movie I'll see in 2018. And it did not disappoint. The cast is great and I especially loved the music in this. Part of me wishes I saw more of the women in Alonzo's family past their lone scene, but I think that scene alone was enough from them. This will be in my Top 5 for sure
How'd you feel about the VO? Only part that didn't work for me.
made an effort to get back into film this year after I pretty much stopped entirely a few years back due to complicated family stuff. did 159 which isn't too bad for my first year back, though I would have liked to have hit 200. anyway here's my top 20 from this year:
1. Liz and the Blue Bird (Yamada, 2018)
2. Whiplash (Chazelle, 2014)
3. Before Sunset (Linklater, 2004)
4. Song of the Sea (Moore, 2014)
5. Before Sunrise (Linklater, 1995)
6. Before Midnight (Linklater, 2013)
7. Dr. Strangelove (Kubrick, 1964)
8. Mirai (Hosoda, 2018)
9. Blue Velvet (Lynch, 1986)
10. Double Indemnity (Wilder, 1944)
11. I Was Born, But... (Ozu, 1932)
12. The 400 Blows (Truffaut, 1959)
13. The Breadwinner (Twomey, 2017)
14. Apocalypse Now (Coppola, 1979)
15. Dog Day Afternoon (Lumet, 1975)
16. Kramer vs. Kramer (Benton, 1979)
17. After the Storm (Koreeda, 2016)
18. The Red Shoes (Powell/Pressburger, 1948)
19. Sunset Boulevard (Wilder, 1950)
20. Diabolique (Clouzot, 1955)
Might remember to start posting more in these threads next year since I basically watch 1-2 films every day now.
1. Liz and the Blue Bird (Yamada, 2018)
2. Whiplash (Chazelle, 2014)
3. Before Sunset (Linklater, 2004)
4. Song of the Sea (Moore, 2014)
5. Before Sunrise (Linklater, 1995)
6. Before Midnight (Linklater, 2013)
7. Dr. Strangelove (Kubrick, 1964)
8. Mirai (Hosoda, 2018)
9. Blue Velvet (Lynch, 1986)
10. Double Indemnity (Wilder, 1944)
11. I Was Born, But... (Ozu, 1932)
12. The 400 Blows (Truffaut, 1959)
13. The Breadwinner (Twomey, 2017)
14. Apocalypse Now (Coppola, 1979)
15. Dog Day Afternoon (Lumet, 1975)
16. Kramer vs. Kramer (Benton, 1979)
17. After the Storm (Koreeda, 2016)
18. The Red Shoes (Powell/Pressburger, 1948)
19. Sunset Boulevard (Wilder, 1950)
20. Diabolique (Clouzot, 1955)
Might remember to start posting more in these threads next year since I basically watch 1-2 films every day now.
Honestly, I thought it was alright. It felt so monotone most of the time, which could probably be off-putting but given the nature of the character, I didn't mind it
Aquaman - I felt the movie was perfectly functional and I did enjoy most of it. But man, that movie just keeps going sometimes. It feels like they had scripts to possible Aquaman 1 and 2's, and just said "fuck it" and tried to do both at once, usually to it's detriment. Characters are a bit of hit and miss too. I think they 100% should have just split Aquaman 1 with Black Manta, and a potential sequel with all the Ocean Master stuff.
Mary Poppins Returns
I am not much a fan of the original (tbh I think it's a little boring). I liked this movie more, largely because of the Banks' kids' story, which is by far the most interesting part of this movie. I'm also a sucker for these "decades later" sequels, that explore the passage of time between their predecessors and now. Ben Whishaw and Lin Manuel are the highlights imo; I liked Emily Mortimer too but Jane has a lot less to do in this movie. There are a few sequences in here that run too long (the animated chase, the lamplighter dance) and I think Streep's whole scene was so bad and plainly only in the movie to get her another undeserved Oscar nom. But overall I liked the movie. The weak link for me is Mary Poppins herself, though not because of Blunt, who I thought did a good job with the role, more so because I think Mary Poppins is kind of a jerk.
7/10
Suspicion
Hitchcock must be the best director with the worst endings. This guy cannot end his movies for shit. The first 20 or so minutes of this film really drags, but once we get into the meat of the, ahem, suspicions Joan Fontaine carries about her new husband -- and the escalating tension and implications of those suspicions -- the movie really gets going. Then, as per usual, Hitch ends the film on such a flat, anti-climactic note. Sigh.
6/10
BlacKkKlansman
Spike's best movie in years. Washington (whose voice is a dead ringer for his dad's, goddamn) and Driver are great, both individually and together, and there's a really strong supporting cast around them too. The premise feels a little contrived (why does Ron need to be the one talking to Duke and Felix over the phone, opening the possibility for him and Driver's character not always being on the same page?) but that never really gets in the way of how tense and engrossing the film overall can be. The climax really encapsulates this:
I also really dug the music! Gave me a lot of Inside Man vibes, which really took off when Spike ended the movie on an actual track from Inside Man. :lol Great great movie.
8/10
I am not much a fan of the original (tbh I think it's a little boring). I liked this movie more, largely because of the Banks' kids' story, which is by far the most interesting part of this movie. I'm also a sucker for these "decades later" sequels, that explore the passage of time between their predecessors and now. Ben Whishaw and Lin Manuel are the highlights imo; I liked Emily Mortimer too but Jane has a lot less to do in this movie. There are a few sequences in here that run too long (the animated chase, the lamplighter dance) and I think Streep's whole scene was so bad and plainly only in the movie to get her another undeserved Oscar nom. But overall I liked the movie. The weak link for me is Mary Poppins herself, though not because of Blunt, who I thought did a good job with the role, more so because I think Mary Poppins is kind of a jerk.
7/10
Suspicion
Hitchcock must be the best director with the worst endings. This guy cannot end his movies for shit. The first 20 or so minutes of this film really drags, but once we get into the meat of the, ahem, suspicions Joan Fontaine carries about her new husband -- and the escalating tension and implications of those suspicions -- the movie really gets going. Then, as per usual, Hitch ends the film on such a flat, anti-climactic note. Sigh.
6/10
BlacKkKlansman
Spike's best movie in years. Washington (whose voice is a dead ringer for his dad's, goddamn) and Driver are great, both individually and together, and there's a really strong supporting cast around them too. The premise feels a little contrived (why does Ron need to be the one talking to Duke and Felix over the phone, opening the possibility for him and Driver's character not always being on the same page?) but that never really gets in the way of how tense and engrossing the film overall can be. The climax really encapsulates this:
why do Felix and co. pull up, of all places, right next to the car that's actually packing the bomb? It's too convenient, but at the same time, doesn't rob the urgency or tension of the scene as both Washington and Driver (literally) race into action.
8/10
Paths of Glory: This movie is something else, trying to take a hill that's extremely difficult to do, and then being branded a coward because you're being sensible. There's the insane general who's like someone you'd see in M*A*S*H. It doesn't go where you'd think it would, and it shows the corruption of war and the chain of command. How do you deal with that?
Bird Box was pretty good. Reminded me a lot of A Quiet Place only that they had to be cautious about a different sense this time around. I only found it strange that they could afford to hire Sandra Bullock and John Malkovich but couldn't
Oh and the scene with the
Still it was a solid flick and I didn't get bored despite a 2hr runtime.
show more of the creatures, leaves being lifted in the air wasn't nearly enough to satisfy my curiosity of what was happening
rapids was pretty strange how both of the children survived
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Minding the Gap: I'll give this documentary credit: the spills and bailouts during the skateboarding montages are by far the least painful things that occur. The rest is an painful portrait of four people connected through skateboarding, with their deeply troubled pasts that haunt them well into their uncertain yet grim futures, filled with choices that will not go down well for many. Not an easy watch by any stretch, but the film's unflinching depictions ultimately serve as crucial first steps in a kind of cinematic therapy for the subjects, as being unable to run away and finding refuge in bad habits might just be the thing that they all needed to start making their lives better. Very powerful stuff and a hell of a way to cap off 2018, even at the risk of continuing to play catch-up on the rest of 2018 releases this month may not produce something even half as moving as this was.
Last one for the year.
Weird Science: Boy, this movie is just insane in parts, namely the creation sequence and the biker scene. But really, this movie hasn't aged well. Lisa is just a living robot who can alter reality at a whim, like a weird sort of Mary Poppins. Gary and Wyatt's work to stand up to authority is mostly done for them, and they get chicks in the end because...they had a nice party and stood up to insane mutant bikers? It's not quite Revenge of the Nerds bad in hindsight, but this is a real product of its time.
Weird Science: Boy, this movie is just insane in parts, namely the creation sequence and the biker scene. But really, this movie hasn't aged well. Lisa is just a living robot who can alter reality at a whim, like a weird sort of Mary Poppins. Gary and Wyatt's work to stand up to authority is mostly done for them, and they get chicks in the end because...they had a nice party and stood up to insane mutant bikers? It's not quite Revenge of the Nerds bad in hindsight, but this is a real product of its time.
This is my least favorite time of year as a film lover.
This is when everyone is making lists of the best films of the year and i can't watch all the ones I haven't seen because there's literally no way for me to do it. Not in theaters, and if they are they aren't playing here in Indianapolos, not on streaming services, can't even torrent them.
I really want to watch Shoplifters and Burning.
Everything should just go straight to VOD. What's the point of limited releases in theaters?
This is when everyone is making lists of the best films of the year and i can't watch all the ones I haven't seen because there's literally no way for me to do it. Not in theaters, and if they are they aren't playing here in Indianapolos, not on streaming services, can't even torrent them.
I really want to watch Shoplifters and Burning.
Everything should just go straight to VOD. What's the point of limited releases in theaters?
The Heartbreak Kid was my first movie of 2019, and it was pretty much garbage through and through.
The book didn't offer anything to satisfy your first spoiler. It was supposed to be left up to the imagination.
The book didn't offer anything to satisfy your first spoiler. It was supposed to be left up to the imagination.
I just watched it two days ago too. Wow, what a great movie. The only thing that bothered me was the part near the end when he was cutting back and forth between all of the characters having some sort of a breakdown with the super dramatic music playing on top. That felt kinda cheap. Other than that, It was great and i'm excited for what Bing Liu does next
