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Movies You've Seen Recently | February 2020
- Thread starter Divius
- Start date
- Status
Never mind A24 or Lowery, The Green Knight is a Lebron James production. It had a Bron logo at the bottom of the screen at the end too.
edit: okay my bad, all this time I thought Bron studios was his production company. No affiliation apparently :/
I've been catching up on movies that I wanted to see in the last year.
I started on knives out , and then moved on to parasite
While both movies were pretty good ... They weren't anything I would call instant classics after 1 view . In fact knives out I had to ask a friend what movie we watched .... 2 days ago
Next 5 ready to go
Mister Rogers neighborhood
Terminator
1917
Ford vs Ferrari
Uncut gems
I'm hoping uncut is as good as I want it to be
I started on knives out , and then moved on to parasite
While both movies were pretty good ... They weren't anything I would call instant classics after 1 view . In fact knives out I had to ask a friend what movie we watched .... 2 days ago
Next 5 ready to go
Mister Rogers neighborhood
Terminator
1917
Ford vs Ferrari
Uncut gems
I'm hoping uncut is as good as I want it to be
right or wrong...'A24' brings people to your thread. I do think the director is more important. I will hand it to A24, that they seem to know how to select the right movies to distribute. So you feel like if you are watching a movie from there, that you can generally expect quality.
Favorite movie: Jaws, Seven Samurai, The Human Condition trilogy
Favorite director(s): Kurosawa and Scorsese
Favorite Actors: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Olivia Coleman, Cate Blanchett, Joaquin Phoenix, early DeNiro
Favorite genre: Drama, comedy, documentary
Favorite performances: Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver, Ralph Ineson in The Witch, Joaquin Phoenix in The Master, Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice, Robert Shaw in Jaws, Toshiro Mifune in Seven Samurai
Last 5 movies
Matewan 8.5/10
1917 8.5
Ford v Ferrari 8.0
Train To Busan 8.0
Knives Out 7.5
1917 was a masterfully crafted film. I know many criticize the faux single take element but after a while I didn't even notice it. There could have been a more emotional center to the film I suppose.
Matewan is an indie classic from 1987 about the labor movement in the US in the 1920s between coal miners and the all powerful company that runs everything.
I thought Ford v Ferrari was really solid and had really fine performances and stunning racing scenes.
Train To Busan is a great fun ride, a zombie thriller from South Korea with a real sense of humor and surprisingly emotional core.
Knives Out was also a lot of fun and featured some terrific actors having a great time. The mystery itself was so-so.
Favorite director(s): Kurosawa and Scorsese
Favorite Actors: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Olivia Coleman, Cate Blanchett, Joaquin Phoenix, early DeNiro
Favorite genre: Drama, comedy, documentary
Favorite performances: Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver, Ralph Ineson in The Witch, Joaquin Phoenix in The Master, Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice, Robert Shaw in Jaws, Toshiro Mifune in Seven Samurai
Last 5 movies
Matewan 8.5/10
1917 8.5
Ford v Ferrari 8.0
Train To Busan 8.0
Knives Out 7.5
1917 was a masterfully crafted film. I know many criticize the faux single take element but after a while I didn't even notice it. There could have been a more emotional center to the film I suppose.
Matewan is an indie classic from 1987 about the labor movement in the US in the 1920s between coal miners and the all powerful company that runs everything.
I thought Ford v Ferrari was really solid and had really fine performances and stunning racing scenes.
Train To Busan is a great fun ride, a zombie thriller from South Korea with a real sense of humor and surprisingly emotional core.
Knives Out was also a lot of fun and featured some terrific actors having a great time. The mystery itself was so-so.
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Went back to rewatch Heaven Knows What and gat damn what a firecracker of a movie. Definitely my favorite Safdie Brothers film, but their past 3 are all great. Arielle Holmes is magnetic in the role she was born to play (it's autobiographical.) Apparently Josh Safdie discovered Arielle when they were scouting for what was then known as "the Diamond District movie." Similar to Wong Kar-Wai making Chunking Express during the prolonged filming of Ashes of Time, the Safdies fucked around and made a masterpiece on the side. 5/5
Seeing VFW tonight, can't wait.
Safety Last! (1923) - ★★★★
Seems my affinity for silent film and silent comedy leans much more towards Keaton than Lloyd. But I can't deny the pure thrill and filmmaking fun of Safety Last's famous building-scaling finale. It's twenty inventive minutes of obstacles narrowly overcome, nerve-wracking close calls, and stuntwork derring-do. The choice to always have the actual bustling street in view is brilliant, a harrowingly impressive feat of movie magic. From Chan to Cruise, the legacy of Lloyd's stunning sequence threads through the entire genre.
Body Snatchers (1993) - ★★
I guess it's all downhill from here with these remakes. How can this movie have four times the budget of the 1978 film, yet feel so much cheaper and constrained?
There are a few effective moments, such as the classroom and Andy encountering his mother, but most of Abel Ferrara's Body Snatchers is a flat listless waste of the concept.
Setting a remake on a military base could have been interesting, the inherent conformity acting as perfect camouflage and a thematic parallel. But this film rarely makes use of the setting. Besides the finale, you could probably place this plot in a suburban neighborhood and very little would be effected. Everything original that Body Snatchers does is dull, unconvincing, lacking memorable characters or suspense. And everything that Body Snatchers draws from Kaufman's film - from the pod birth to the screech - is rendered a pale imitation.
Safety Last! (1923) - ★★★★
Seems my affinity for silent film and silent comedy leans much more towards Keaton than Lloyd. But I can't deny the pure thrill and filmmaking fun of Safety Last's famous building-scaling finale. It's twenty inventive minutes of obstacles narrowly overcome, nerve-wracking close calls, and stuntwork derring-do. The choice to always have the actual bustling street in view is brilliant, a harrowingly impressive feat of movie magic. From Chan to Cruise, the legacy of Lloyd's stunning sequence threads through the entire genre.
Body Snatchers (1993) - ★★
I guess it's all downhill from here with these remakes. How can this movie have four times the budget of the 1978 film, yet feel so much cheaper and constrained?
There are a few effective moments, such as the classroom and Andy encountering his mother, but most of Abel Ferrara's Body Snatchers is a flat listless waste of the concept.
Setting a remake on a military base could have been interesting, the inherent conformity acting as perfect camouflage and a thematic parallel. But this film rarely makes use of the setting. Besides the finale, you could probably place this plot in a suburban neighborhood and very little would be effected. Everything original that Body Snatchers does is dull, unconvincing, lacking memorable characters or suspense. And everything that Body Snatchers draws from Kaufman's film - from the pod birth to the screech - is rendered a pale imitation.
The Notebook: Seems to be the go-to romance movie these days (even though it's 15 years old), so I thought I'd give it a watch this Valentine's Day. The '40s setting is a good idea for this, especially with the framing device of a doctor reading a notebook to an old woman with dementia. The problem I have with the first half is Noah. He's honestly a jerk, and while the two love each other, they also fight all the time. How is this relationship supposed to work? Then you get the classic "Rich girl vs. poor guy" conflict, and throw in the "other rich guy" on top of that, and you can see where this is all going. Honestly, the real highlight is the framing device and where it ends up. I certainly wouldn't mind watching it on a date night, but my go-to romance would be something like Disney, or at least La La Land.
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon: A movie that pays homage to old fashioned UFO culture, as well as alien movies and TV shows (expect a lot of 2001 and Doctor Who, heck I'm convinced the Farmer is dressed up as Zapp Brannigan). Being essentially a silent movie, this movie does well with its visual humor. The alien is just adorable. You don't get as much of the other sheep like in the first movie. It's such a fun movie for sci-fi fans. Also love the visuals on the end credits. There is a post-credits scene, but don't bother waiting.
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon: A movie that pays homage to old fashioned UFO culture, as well as alien movies and TV shows (expect a lot of 2001 and Doctor Who, heck I'm convinced the Farmer is dressed up as Zapp Brannigan). Being essentially a silent movie, this movie does well with its visual humor. The alien is just adorable. You don't get as much of the other sheep like in the first movie. It's such a fun movie for sci-fi fans. Also love the visuals on the end credits. There is a post-credits scene, but don't bother waiting.
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Very interested in this Scorsese Shorts criterion. Unfortunate it doesn't include Street Scenes too...it turns 50 this year and, far as I can tell, can't be seen anywhere, so you'd think it'd be a shoo-in for a set like this.
Anyone ever had a support animal attend one of their screenings? This chap was sitting in on Parasite B+W. He didn't make a peep :)
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Portrait Of A Lady On Fire's ridiculously prolonged US rollout has made it hard for me to even decide what year of release this thing falls into.
But if it's 2019, a lot of my favorites just got knocked down a spot.
But if it's 2019, a lot of my favorites just got knocked down a spot.
One of the worst instances of a country snubbing its best candidate for the win (even if, as things played out, nothing was going to beat Parasite this year) alongside the time France passed over Blue is the Warmest Colour and the time South Korea passed over The Handmaiden.
Wait, I'm sensing a theme here...
Closer
Shameless melodrama and I am HERE for it. Everyone in this movie is gorgeous, of course they can't stop cheating on each other. I like the elliptical structure, no need to fill in the gaps.
Body Heat
Double Indemnity by way of softcore sex and Southern Florida heat. The derivative quality is undeniable, but I adored practically every second of this hothouse experience. The first half is definitely the stronger of the two, but whatever. Utilizes William Hurt's sexiness just as much as Kathleen Turner's. John Barry's score is prototypical noir jazz, that is to say sublime. BRING BACK EROTIC THRILLERS!
Imitation of Life (1959)
Not as hamstrung by the Hays Code, this is a more fully realized adaptation than the 34 version, propped up by a deeper examination of motherhood (Lora and Susie's relationship is dramatically richer), Sirk's flamboyant mise-en-scène (starts with one of the most elegant, mesmerizing credit sequences I've ever seen), and a more hard-hitting finale. Seriously, the last stretch is just one punch in the gut after another, and I already knew how it was going to end! Mahalia Jackson, ladies and gentlemen. The Steve Archer character is stronger as well, not just because John Gavin is a hunk, but because Sirk uses him to flex his cream of the crop melodramatic muscles. This was his last film before he retired, it has to be one of the great cinematic mic drops. And everything that worked before is back too, which means the racial identity angle is just as anguishing. For a variety of reasons (temporal, societal, racial, gender) I'll never know Sarah Jane's pain firsthand, but as someone of mixed descent, I admire both this and the original for shedding light on the frustrating existential crisis of not feeling like you fit into a box. I'm over it now, but it was certainly on my mind growing up.
Juanita Moore rules.
Shameless melodrama and I am HERE for it. Everyone in this movie is gorgeous, of course they can't stop cheating on each other. I like the elliptical structure, no need to fill in the gaps.
Body Heat
Double Indemnity by way of softcore sex and Southern Florida heat. The derivative quality is undeniable, but I adored practically every second of this hothouse experience. The first half is definitely the stronger of the two, but whatever. Utilizes William Hurt's sexiness just as much as Kathleen Turner's. John Barry's score is prototypical noir jazz, that is to say sublime. BRING BACK EROTIC THRILLERS!
Imitation of Life (1959)
Not as hamstrung by the Hays Code, this is a more fully realized adaptation than the 34 version, propped up by a deeper examination of motherhood (Lora and Susie's relationship is dramatically richer), Sirk's flamboyant mise-en-scène (starts with one of the most elegant, mesmerizing credit sequences I've ever seen), and a more hard-hitting finale. Seriously, the last stretch is just one punch in the gut after another, and I already knew how it was going to end! Mahalia Jackson, ladies and gentlemen. The Steve Archer character is stronger as well, not just because John Gavin is a hunk, but because Sirk uses him to flex his cream of the crop melodramatic muscles. This was his last film before he retired, it has to be one of the great cinematic mic drops. And everything that worked before is back too, which means the racial identity angle is just as anguishing. For a variety of reasons (temporal, societal, racial, gender) I'll never know Sarah Jane's pain firsthand, but as someone of mixed descent, I admire both this and the original for shedding light on the frustrating existential crisis of not feeling like you fit into a box. I'm over it now, but it was certainly on my mind growing up.
Juanita Moore rules.
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The Revenant
Great movie but I am not sure di Caprios performance was Oscar worthy. They just probably thought lets give it to him this year before he never makes a decent movie again because we've already missed so many opportunities.
Anyhow, going to install RDR2 tomorrow. The spectacular landscapes in the movie make me want to play it again.
Great movie but I am not sure di Caprios performance was Oscar worthy. They just probably thought lets give it to him this year before he never makes a decent movie again because we've already missed so many opportunities.
Anyhow, going to install RDR2 tomorrow. The spectacular landscapes in the movie make me want to play it again.
Leo has so many better performances. The Revenant is the peak of his Capital A Acting schtick*, and I guess it worked, but I hope he doesn't feel the need to ever stoop so low again. Not that he's even all that bad in it, it's just that his desire for validation was so evident. It felt oddly desperate.
*I haven't seen J. Edgar
The sequence with Sarah Jane being accosted by her racist boyfriend with her reflection in the store window is a really incredible visual. So much so that it almost distracts from the scene itself.
It's a terrific physical performance, and on its own terms I'm fine with it winning. Every Oscar race, of course, is about who's up that year, not what the best entry in a given actor's filmography is. But yeah, he should at a minimum have won two years earlier for The Wolf of Wall Street. I would also say he missed at least two nominations early in his career (Titanic and Catch Me If You Can) that should have been easy gets for him.
Almost Famous (2000): After that American Idol commercial aired during the Oscars, I decided it was time to rewatch this movie, as I hadn't seen it in a number of years. This is the "Bootleg Cut" that brings it fairly close to three hours, which is a long sit, but it's so worth it, and this is the kind of movie that benefits from all the additional detail and atmosphere. Cameron Crowe has continued to make films (though it's been a few years, as of this writing), but from twenty years' distance this feels more and more like the point where he had said everything he had to say as an artist. And he won his Oscar for this great work of semi-autobiography, so that's a great high point for any career. Some of the casting for the minor roles stands out in retrospect, with Zooey Deschanel and Jimmy Fallon both performing outside the style that would come to define them (in Fallon's case, especially, while his character has some jokes, this is fundamentally a serious role). Also, Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet has a fun bit as a hotel clerk.
Silver Linings Playbook (2012): For Valentine's Day, it seemed as good a time as any to revisit the romantic comedy that David O. Russell successfully passed off as a prestige independent film for awards season, given that its actual genre was by that point in disrepute. With Russell, of course, the characters are legitimately pricklier than would be the standard (Cooper's lead, especially, has an on-the-edge energy that makes his presence unnerving in the early scenes). But the central romance is affectingly told. Jennifer Lawrence was, at this point in her career, regularly playing roles she was technically too young for, but she made it work in this case (it worked less well in her followup with the director, American Hustle). Russell also used Robert De Niro better than anybody else would this decade, other than his eventual reteaming with Martin Scorsese right at the end of it). I also enjoy the esoteric sports movie climax, where rather than winning the couple's realistic goal is scoring a 5/10.
1917 (2019): What a movie, damn! On a directing point of view, I was floored from beginning to end. Those long sequence shots were amazing, I was just floored at how technically difficult it made this movie, and how everything must have been carefully and precisely done, so intricate! I was hooked from beginning to the end, and loved the way it narrated this very simple story, yet done it very intimately and efficiently. Some scenes were so incredibly beautiful, eery and surreal even, and everything blended well together so smoothly. I loved the parallels between the beginning scene and the closing scene, very touching. Honestly, one of my favorite movies from 2019, it broke my top 3 (after Portrait of a Lady on Fire & Parasite!).
I really liked it a lot, despite being yet again another movie about a World War, and I was quite frankly going in a bit exhausted at that fact, cause this particular story isn't all that unique at all, and that particular point of view (white and male), isn't original at all either. I honestly believe there are tons of amazing untold stories from war times from marginalized people, but people aren't willing to make movies about them. However, this particular movie exceeds so well in any other aspects, it made me forget this particular shortcoming, and I ended up thoroughly enjoying it either way.
8/10
However, as an addendum, I am also growing extremely very tired of American & British mainstream cinema industry making movies about World War 1 & 2, and doing so while overwhelmingly presenting American/British soldiers as heroes/main point of views. And they do so while, 95% of the time, completely omitting to include French soldiers in those stories (let alone allow them to be main characters, ahahah), thus erasing them entirely from history, while my country has one of the biggest military death tolls in both wars. We are completely erased from our own stories, about two wars that majorly happened on our own goddamn fucking soil, and it honestly pisses me off thinking about it. No wonder the average ignorant American/International citizen thinks the French military and citizens "did nothing during both wars", and keep stereotyping us as "surrendering cowards", if our voices, experiences and existences are constantly omitted from movies about wars happening in France. Hollywood (and also video game industry, hah) surely is rewriting fucking history here, whether they want it or not. Pretty sure my grandfather would turn around in his grave at the sight of French huge involvement in both wars being grossly erased like that. But I guess that's another debate altogether.
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Apparently it won the grand jury prize at Cannes? Did it get the bump due to its subject matter?
The Whistler: A nice-enough short that definitely feels like a pitch for a feature film. There are some nicely inspired visuals in here, to go along with some rather flat ones before things get all spooky. The story isn't terribly original on the face of it, but it's easy to see how it could be expanded out further if it ever comes to pass.
Hair Love: I will not profess myself to be an expert on the subject, but I'm pretty sure this is the most wholesome film in all of cinematic history, both already made and as yet to be made.
Fritz the Cat: Dated in all the ways that a low-ish budget animated film steeped in the counterculture of the late 60s/early 70s could come across these days, it is neverthless a fascinating glimpse into not only into how the trends of the era get depicted in an animated and decidedly adult manner, but also the obsessions of Ralph Bakshi as he takes a mostly harmless trifle on sex and drugs and flips it right on its head about halfway through when a racially motivated riot gets violent and the tone gets much, much darker for the rest of the film. It's a hell of a shift that if not entirely convincing, certainly does texture the film a lot more coarsely than all the animal penises would have led you to believe.
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (rewatch): What a great little snapshot of the end of a Hollywood era this remains, huh?
Catcalls: There isn't a catcall until the last scene! Grievance aside, this was ho-hum from top to bottom, though it has way more convincing cat person designs than a certain other movie.
First Love: Fans of Miike's more gonzo works might be a tad disappointed at the level of... OK, relative level of restraint that he's operating with here, presenting a surprisingly straightforward romance trapped inside of a surprisingly straightforward gang war kind of yakuza film, but when it's this consistently entertaining with such endearing characters, one can hardly knock it for not getting too transgressive when everyone is having such a ball and how well it manages to juggle the many, many balls it throws up throughout the film and lands damn near every one of them with expert timing. The results here are a genuine delight, that even among all the bloodshed, double crosses, dismemberment, car chases, revenge plots and hastily administered narcotics-based first aid, sometimes a pair of well-meaning kids to root for to make it through one wild and crazy night is just what you need to create an immediately accessible yet deeply satisfying entry into a great filmmaker's canon.
The Golden Glove: As authentic a recreation of the grim, grimy early 70s of any city, let alone Hamburg, to the point where you can almost smell the alcohol, sweat and other bodily fluids coming out of your screen. How far does authenticity take a film of this nature, though? Commendable in its efforts to make absent anything that could give the story of real life serial Fritz Honka a glamor or sex appeal that too frequently gets applied to other serial killer dramas, both real and fiction, it does often run into a separate issue of not offering much of anything than what's on the tin, such as the term applies: a uncompromisingly bleak look at a deeply disturbed individual, circling the drain as his alcoholism and his thirst for blood prove too strong to not indulge. I do find it remarkable that, for as bleak as the subject matter often proves to be that there's shockingly little in the way of exploitative elements, with the violence veering far closer and more often towards suggestion and having the audio design fill in the horrible details in your head, leading to the proper kind of visceral experience that is truly difficult to accomplish even half as well as it's done here. The results then leave me conflicted as to the ultimate value of what was attempted in the telling of this dark spot in history, especially with a finale sequence that tries to have its cake and eat it too by offering a genuine nail-biter of a climax that seems at odds with the decidedly non-genre affectation that the rest of the film operates on, yet I'm not eager to dismiss outright as craft here is undeniable and strong.
Sonic the Hedgehog: A very enjoyable kids film that, much like Detective Pikachu last year, shows nothing but reverence for the source material and nails the personality of our titular hero to crowd-pleasing results throughout. The plotting is dopey in terms of making any kinds of sense, but it moves at a good clip and produces some fun and nice-looking sequences that help the film be able to punch above its weight class for a fun time out with the family. It sure is nice to be able to enjoy something with a 3D Sonic these days, and unironically at that!
Hair Love: I will not profess myself to be an expert on the subject, but I'm pretty sure this is the most wholesome film in all of cinematic history, both already made and as yet to be made.
Fritz the Cat: Dated in all the ways that a low-ish budget animated film steeped in the counterculture of the late 60s/early 70s could come across these days, it is neverthless a fascinating glimpse into not only into how the trends of the era get depicted in an animated and decidedly adult manner, but also the obsessions of Ralph Bakshi as he takes a mostly harmless trifle on sex and drugs and flips it right on its head about halfway through when a racially motivated riot gets violent and the tone gets much, much darker for the rest of the film. It's a hell of a shift that if not entirely convincing, certainly does texture the film a lot more coarsely than all the animal penises would have led you to believe.
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (rewatch): What a great little snapshot of the end of a Hollywood era this remains, huh?
Catcalls: There isn't a catcall until the last scene! Grievance aside, this was ho-hum from top to bottom, though it has way more convincing cat person designs than a certain other movie.
First Love: Fans of Miike's more gonzo works might be a tad disappointed at the level of... OK, relative level of restraint that he's operating with here, presenting a surprisingly straightforward romance trapped inside of a surprisingly straightforward gang war kind of yakuza film, but when it's this consistently entertaining with such endearing characters, one can hardly knock it for not getting too transgressive when everyone is having such a ball and how well it manages to juggle the many, many balls it throws up throughout the film and lands damn near every one of them with expert timing. The results here are a genuine delight, that even among all the bloodshed, double crosses, dismemberment, car chases, revenge plots and hastily administered narcotics-based first aid, sometimes a pair of well-meaning kids to root for to make it through one wild and crazy night is just what you need to create an immediately accessible yet deeply satisfying entry into a great filmmaker's canon.
The Golden Glove: As authentic a recreation of the grim, grimy early 70s of any city, let alone Hamburg, to the point where you can almost smell the alcohol, sweat and other bodily fluids coming out of your screen. How far does authenticity take a film of this nature, though? Commendable in its efforts to make absent anything that could give the story of real life serial Fritz Honka a glamor or sex appeal that too frequently gets applied to other serial killer dramas, both real and fiction, it does often run into a separate issue of not offering much of anything than what's on the tin, such as the term applies: a uncompromisingly bleak look at a deeply disturbed individual, circling the drain as his alcoholism and his thirst for blood prove too strong to not indulge. I do find it remarkable that, for as bleak as the subject matter often proves to be that there's shockingly little in the way of exploitative elements, with the violence veering far closer and more often towards suggestion and having the audio design fill in the horrible details in your head, leading to the proper kind of visceral experience that is truly difficult to accomplish even half as well as it's done here. The results then leave me conflicted as to the ultimate value of what was attempted in the telling of this dark spot in history, especially with a finale sequence that tries to have its cake and eat it too by offering a genuine nail-biter of a climax that seems at odds with the decidedly non-genre affectation that the rest of the film operates on, yet I'm not eager to dismiss outright as craft here is undeniable and strong.
Sonic the Hedgehog: A very enjoyable kids film that, much like Detective Pikachu last year, shows nothing but reverence for the source material and nails the personality of our titular hero to crowd-pleasing results throughout. The plotting is dopey in terms of making any kinds of sense, but it moves at a good clip and produces some fun and nice-looking sequences that help the film be able to punch above its weight class for a fun time out with the family. It sure is nice to be able to enjoy something with a 3D Sonic these days, and unironically at that!
Completely agree. He should've won for Django or most movies before the Revenant but...I'm not the Academy. I would've given it to Fassbender forSteve Jobs.
Lilies of the Field (1963): An itinerant Sidney Poitier starts hanging out with some East German refugee nuns in the southwest, and they nag him into building a chapel for them. Endearingly modest in its storytelling, in a way I'd more associate with a contemporary slice-of-life indie than an old studio production, there's no villain and only very mild character/plot conflict. This being the film that Poitier won his Oscar for imposes a bit of a burden of history on it that doesn't do it any favours (he is, of course, fine, but this would rank fairly low on the list of his most interesting roles).
Top Gun (1986): Yvan eht nioj, yvan eht nioj... Weirdly for one of the canonical examples of a muscular Reagan era blockbuster, the film avoids naming the country that the navy gets into a dogfight with (and given its geographic location, despite the presence of MiG jets it can't be the USSR). I had watched this many years ago on TV, but with the sequel due out later this year, seemed like a good time for a proper viewing. This further reinforces my belief that Hollywood needs to start reinvesting in creating original film soundtracks with more top artists, because Top Gun is just a murderer's row of great pop tunes, as well as strong practical aerial stunts.
To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020): Romance films are among the hardest genre to create compelling sequels for. This is pleasant, and Lana Condor really should be a star (at least get her her own TV show). The best scene in the movie isn't even anything to do with the love triangle, it's between Lara Jean and her ex-best friend, which is the main angle that I think adds something to what came before.
Top Gun (1986): Yvan eht nioj, yvan eht nioj... Weirdly for one of the canonical examples of a muscular Reagan era blockbuster, the film avoids naming the country that the navy gets into a dogfight with (and given its geographic location, despite the presence of MiG jets it can't be the USSR). I had watched this many years ago on TV, but with the sequel due out later this year, seemed like a good time for a proper viewing. This further reinforces my belief that Hollywood needs to start reinvesting in creating original film soundtracks with more top artists, because Top Gun is just a murderer's row of great pop tunes, as well as strong practical aerial stunts.
To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020): Romance films are among the hardest genre to create compelling sequels for. This is pleasant, and Lana Condor really should be a star (at least get her her own TV show). The best scene in the movie isn't even anything to do with the love triangle, it's between Lara Jean and her ex-best friend, which is the main angle that I think adds something to what came before.
Yi Yi (2000) - My introduction to Edward Yang and boy have I been missing out.
Probably the most perfect movie about human beings I have ever seen.
This film is so genuine and raw, I feel like every shot could be analyzed for hours upon hours. Yang put so much care into his characters, the understated performances hit a nerve, emotionally for me. He and the actors just knew how to portray difficult feelings on the screen and I can't stress enough how marveled I was seeing this.
A true masterpiece.
Probably the most perfect movie about human beings I have ever seen.
This film is so genuine and raw, I feel like every shot could be analyzed for hours upon hours. Yang put so much care into his characters, the understated performances hit a nerve, emotionally for me. He and the actors just knew how to portray difficult feelings on the screen and I can't stress enough how marveled I was seeing this.
A true masterpiece.
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It's 2019 for most of the (Western) world except for the USA and the UK.
idk about the UK but if you wanted you could even argue it's a 2019 film in the US. sure it technically didn't even have a "limited release" but it played at something like over a dozen festivals, including ones like AFI Fest that are basically explicitly set up as part of an oscar run-up for that year. The only reason it didn't get a proper "limited release" in November/December in the US is that France went with Les Miserables instead for its submission, but otherwise it played in every major market in 2019 just like it would have in a limited release. Personally I'm counting it as the same gray area as Cold War for 2018/19: it played festivals and small runs in major markets intermittently throughout 2018 but technically didn't have a "release" until 2019, but it was clearly a 2018 film.
but it's absolutely arbitrary so w/e
2019 everywhere but the UK and the USA. And for Film of the year voting rules, you can list it as a 2019 or 2020 film here if you decide to put it on your list.
Watched a lot of fairly unremarkable movies recently but wanted to mention Breaking Away from 1979 featuring hilariously young versions of Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, and Jackie Earl Haley. A coming of age movie about a very specific time and place. Funny and sweet, just kind of feels like the kind of movie they don't make anymore. Although that's probably not true I just don't pay close enough attention. Anyway, recommended.
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Saw sonic today, fun movie, the story actually tries to stay true to the videogames, action and cgi is really good, though sonic himself could be a little better.
The acting is good, I was expecting a bit more of a zaney performance from Carrey but maybe its a good thing his interpretation of robotnic is to crazy.
7/10
Dolittle
Roberts accent is a bit funny, but you grow to accept him as dolittle, this movie is similar to most other blockbuster aimed at kids.
The pacing and story are fine, and is interesting enough for it be entertaining.
Nothing special but not bad.
6/10
The acting is good, I was expecting a bit more of a zaney performance from Carrey but maybe its a good thing his interpretation of robotnic is to crazy.
7/10
Dolittle
Roberts accent is a bit funny, but you grow to accept him as dolittle, this movie is similar to most other blockbuster aimed at kids.
The pacing and story are fine, and is interesting enough for it be entertaining.
Nothing special but not bad.
6/10
Alright fine, youse guys convinced me, it's a 2019 movie.
Sorry Parasite (and almost everything else) you just got bumped down.
Sorry Parasite (and almost everything else) you just got bumped down.
Jerry Maguire (1996): I had forgotten just how many lines in this script have endured; in addition to the most remembered ones ("show me the money!" and "you had me at hello"), there are two others that are in such general usage that I'm not sure they're even necessarily recalled as having been movie quotes ("help me help you" and "you complete me"). Cameron Crowe really was on a roll in this era.
This is an all-around great piece of mainstream entertainment, of a sort that regrettably doesn't have much of a place in the current movie marketplace anymore (and moviegoers have only themselves to blame). Crowe innovates in a number of ways, particularly in how Jerry's arc begins with a realization that would probably be the endpoint of a character arc in most movies, and the central romantic arc has a few unconventional plot beats thrown in as well. And such a great cast (this should probably have been Zellweger's first Oscar nomination).
This is an all-around great piece of mainstream entertainment, of a sort that regrettably doesn't have much of a place in the current movie marketplace anymore (and moviegoers have only themselves to blame). Crowe innovates in a number of ways, particularly in how Jerry's arc begins with a realization that would probably be the endpoint of a character arc in most movies, and the central romantic arc has a few unconventional plot beats thrown in as well. And such a great cast (this should probably have been Zellweger's first Oscar nomination).
Persona
Last seen in 2013. Of course it's influential, but I'd forgotten just how present it continues to be. The Lighthouse is essentially one big Neptunian riff on the movie—it even cribs the foghorn—and the initial mushroom scene in Phantom Thread feels reminiscent of the mushroom scene in this (Alma even shares the same name!). I'd also forgotten how explicit Alma's revelation was, Bergman turned the horny up to eleven there. Gorgeous movie, beautiful hands and faces, but you already know that. Bibi and Liv are absolutely radiant, I was struck by how difficult Liv's silent performance must have been. Acting and reacting and all that jazz. Alma mentions it, but she really does have a baby-like aura to her, at least in the first half. Lastly, this was a good litmus test for how far I've come as a viewer/reader. It's funny to think back to how impenetrable this seemed at age 20; there are some breathtaking avant-garde flourishes here (selfishly I wish it lingered on the cartoon a little more lol), and it's still certainly ripe for analysis, but the plot and thematic material are expressed rather directly. I had a similar feeling upon rewatching Mulholland Drive last year. Instead of mystery, I'm left with understanding. Neat.
Last seen in 2013. Of course it's influential, but I'd forgotten just how present it continues to be. The Lighthouse is essentially one big Neptunian riff on the movie—it even cribs the foghorn—and the initial mushroom scene in Phantom Thread feels reminiscent of the mushroom scene in this (Alma even shares the same name!). I'd also forgotten how explicit Alma's revelation was, Bergman turned the horny up to eleven there. Gorgeous movie, beautiful hands and faces, but you already know that. Bibi and Liv are absolutely radiant, I was struck by how difficult Liv's silent performance must have been. Acting and reacting and all that jazz. Alma mentions it, but she really does have a baby-like aura to her, at least in the first half. Lastly, this was a good litmus test for how far I've come as a viewer/reader. It's funny to think back to how impenetrable this seemed at age 20; there are some breathtaking avant-garde flourishes here (selfishly I wish it lingered on the cartoon a little more lol), and it's still certainly ripe for analysis, but the plot and thematic material are expressed rather directly. I had a similar feeling upon rewatching Mulholland Drive last year. Instead of mystery, I'm left with understanding. Neat.
The Irishman (2019): The movie had me good for an hour and a half, and then it lost me a bit, and then It was just me trying to catch up to it but not feeling involved and barely interested? Like, I appreciated the cinematography, the directing, the photography, the acting, and there are bits here and there that I enjoyed, but there's something that didn't click much here. I don't regret having watched it, but god was it way too long for what it was trying to tell still, jeez. To be fair, mafia movies have never been a genre I had a remote interest in to begin with, so maybe that's partly why I'm overall "yeah ok" about it all. I definitely enjoyed The Wolf of Wall Street way more than this, so that was disappointing to me.
7/10
Uncut Gems (2019): I think I enjoyed this movie enough but then not thoroughly. For starters, I didn't like any characters here, and it was hard to relate to the main character, despite Sandler's great acting (even though his way of speaking really got onto my nerves at times). The tension was mostly nicely done, and the final 15 minutes of the movie with the game, and the aftermath of the game, were definitely a highlight. Still, this movie bored me a bit in the middle. I had no particular feelings about the outcome of the movie, since I mostly didn't care about the characters, so, y'know, same-same to me. It was an interesting watch nonetheless, and I can see why people might have really liked it, but it wasn't mind-blowingly awesome either, and I'll probably have forgotten about it in a few days.
7/10
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019): I was going in hoping for a good time. I was served a mild time with some enjoyable highlights, and average bits all intertwined. I'm usually a good sport for a Tarantino movie, but it's now his second movie in a row that leaves me with an aftertaste of "almost there but not quite". Pitt & DiCaprio are definitely bringing their A game, and both have some good scenes here and there, but the overall movie just wasn't holding together to me. That ending wasn't cathartic to me either, it just felt gratuitous and senseless, since we all know that never happened. I guess Tarantino just loves to rewrite history and place his characters as the saviors of those bad historical moments, but that trick only works so much until it gets tiresome, cliché and quite frankly, a bit too childish for my taste. Robbie was a sight for sore eyes though.
7/10
I don't know what's with me and movies lately, but goddamn, watching those 3 critically-acclaimed movies back to back, and seeing each of them failing me and my expectations one after the other was definitely a huge bummer this week. I expected amazing cinema, I got served average/OK stuff with some interesting bits here and there, but mostly average still. My heart really wasn't in it.
I'm probably going to see Jojo Rabbit Thursday night, I truly hope I'll finally get my heart back.
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That's another potential 7. See a less auspicious palate cleanser like The Beach Bum :)
Thing is, I loved everything I've watched from Waititi (Thor Ragnarok, What We Do In The Shadows -movie & TV Show) so I have some hope there?
In the meantime, I quite disliked the only movie I've watched from Korine (Spring Breakers), which received a good 5/10 from me at the time. So yeah, I wouldn't be too sure, but who knows, maybe McConaughey will transcend it all though.
Sidenote: I need to watch Boy, Eagle vs Shark & Hunt for the Wilderpeople in order to complete the Waititi filmography.
Just saying Martin Lawrence in a ship captain's hat feeding cocaine to a parrot sounds like just what you need after some disappointing 'important' movies!
Basically, what happened was you watched all of these movies wrong. Were they possibly projected upside down?
Time to bring peer pressure ratings back to this community
any rating for portrait of a lady on Fire under 4/5 stars will be filed under "homophobic"
any rating for portrait of a lady on Fire under 4/5 stars will be filed under "homophobic"
I'm not gonna fight for Tarantino ratings, but 7/10 for Uncut and Irishman are definitely peer pressure rating worthy. I'll bring the kneecap threatening baseball bats.
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