Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Cinema at the End of the World Edition

[Pink Mist]

Licorice Pizza (2021) Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson 5A

I have never been a fan of director Paul Thomas Anderson. My favourite film of his is Junun, basically Radiohead's brilliant Jonny Greenwood jamming with a bunch of Indian musicians, not exactly one of Anderson's primary or even secondary calling cards. (Full disclosure, I also liked Phantom Thread, and, no, I didn't like Punch-Drunk Love). I waver between thinking Anderson quirkily weird or weirdly quirky, one of the two, for sure. Whatever way you cut it I almost never like his movies, though. Set in the still hopeful early '70s, Licorice Pizza has a lot going for it. Not the least, there are brilliant break out performances by Cooper Hoffman (Philip Seymour Hoffman's son) and especially by Alana Haim. Hoffman plays Gary, a charming, confident young entrepeneur and Haim plays Alana (same name) a young woman still trying to find her footing in life. As a result Gary's incessant charm offensive, they begin a relationship, a sweet but stormy one, one in which you root for both characters. But here's the rub: Gary is 15 years old and Alana is 25 years old. Surprisingly, most reviews don't make a big deal about it. But think of the uproar if the genders were reversed and Gary was 25 and Alana 15. It doesn't help that the 15 year old is mature beyond his years and gets Alana pretty much to do his bidding, including in some situations with a high cringe factor. It also doesn't help that Alana seems to bumble through life weakly, lacking self-confidence and agency. Add an unforced error of racist humour and a gay stereotype and it becomes hard to deduce what Anderson thinks he is doing here.

Licorice Pizza is less of a narrative than a string of random vignettes glopped together in place of a plot. These vignettes usually focus on yucky men (William Holder and Barbra Streisand's ex, Jon Peters) and give ample opportunity for big stars to steal a scene or two (Sean Penn and Bradley Cooper, respectively). Cooper is indeed a hoot as the self-centred, volatile former hair dresser, and his vignette contains a superb scene about a truck that has run out of gas but not out of thrills. Lovely cinematography, also. So there is much to like here...and much to simply puzzle over, too.

Sidenote: The odd thing here is that Anderson could have made Gary 18-years-old and the movie wouldn't have skipped a beat. So he obviously wants that edge in there. No doubt there is a double standard here, but it is a weird (or is that quirky?) one. As a 15 year old, I'm not sure many guys would object to being seduced by the right older woman. Just sayin'....

I haven't seen this but I had no idea there was 15 year old having a relationship with a 25 year old in it. You're right to point out that most reviews seem to not point this out age gap, I had figured that he was 18 since that's roughly how old the actor is. You're also right to point out that if PTA reversed the genders in the relationship there would be a pretty big uproar, probably something similar to the whole Cuties controversy last year.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

A man who hasn't murdered in 12 years finally gets out of prison and makes up for lost time. In his film debut, Michael Rooker kills it... repeatedly. He also brings vulnerability to the role and sympathy to a character who just can't seem to settle down because he's always having to leave town in the middle of the night. Henry is a gentleman, because being a sicko is no reason not to have good manners, and eventually falls for Becky, a former stripper who abandoned her young daughter. There's a great message about how, no matter what a terrible person you are, there's still someone out there for you. It's an urban love story like Rocky if Rocky stabbed people instead of punching them. The ending got me choked up. Killer movie.

My wife yelped at the haircomb in the eye, awesome makeup and all.

 

[Osprey]

My wife yelped at the haircomb in the eye, awesome makeup and all.

I was impressed that the actor really sold the pain. Too often, characters who suffer eye injuries act like the pain goes away after a few seconds. Some even begin fighting back. This character did more what I'd expect: stumble into a corner, assume the fetal position and not stop screaming. It was honestly the realistic screaming that disturbed me more than the violence, itself.

BTW, I added it to my list because of your recent review (which I couldn't top, so I didn't try). Thanks... I think.

 

[Osprey]

Sidenote: The odd thing here is that Anderson could have made Gary 18-years-old and the movie wouldn't have skipped a beat. So he obviously wants that edge in there. No doubt there is a double standard here, but it is a weird (or is it quirky?) one. As a 15 year old, I'm not sure many guys would object to being seduced by the right older woman. Just sayin'....

Wow, I thought that you were a lot older. You're wise and learned way beyond your years. Respect.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I haven't seen this but I had no idea there was 15 year old having a relationship with a 25 year old in it. You're right to point out that most reviews seem to not point this out age gap, I had figured that he was 18 since that's roughly how old the actor is. You're also right to point out that if PTA reversed the genders in the relationship there would be a pretty big uproar, probably something similar to the whole Cuties controversy last year.

I always thought Call Me by Your Name got similar goodwill that wouldn't have been there if a heterosexual, older male-female relationship had been portrayed.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

PIG (2021) 1.5/5

Man, what a stupid movie, in my opinion. I found it hard to take seriously, Cage puts in a pretty strong performance, but the plot is just too ridiculous for me. It’s ”Taken”, but with a pig. And the protagonist isn’t badass. He’s a cooking savant who also is a legend at getting punched in the face (???????). And you don’t really know anyone’s backstory or how they even interact among each other.

What a mess, I wouldn’t recommend wasting 92 minutes on this unless you REALLY love Nick Cage.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Psych 2: Lassie Come Home (2020) - 6.5/10

Psych got a bit overly sappy in its older age but the chemistry between the two leads built over years of the show is pretty much impossible to match in films. With that said, the actual mysteries were better flushed out in the shorter TV episodes than this TV film and it gets quite repetitive till the end. A fun watch but also a bit of a bland one.

 

[Osprey]

The Last Duel (2021) - 4/10 (Disliked it)

A rivalry between late Medieval French knights comes to blows when one is charged with raping the other's wife. I really liked the sets and costumes and it was nice to have a big-budget historical film, since they're so rare these days. Unfortunately, I didn't like much else and was annoyed by things that felt inauthentic and unintelligent. For one, not one of the main characters even attempts a French accent. Damon, Driver and Affleck all use their ordinary American accents. Even Jodie Comer, who's British and could probably do a good French accent, puts on an American one so as not to stand out. The dialogue seemed unnatural, as well, and a few of the hairstyles were pretty ridiculous, especially Affleck looking more like Will Ferrell in Zoolander than a 14th-century count. It all made the film feel slightly amateurish to me, like watching a high school production written and performed by a few friends (Damon and Affleck) in wigs and with modern lingo.

The story could've been interesting, but it was told with little mystery or drama. What's the point of telling three competing versions of a story when it's never in doubt what the truth is? It's as if Damon and Affleck wanted to copy Rashomon but totally missed what made its storytelling so ingenious. The three versions are also too similar. The male characters are odious in all three and I disliked them enough by the end that I didn't even care who won the duel. The messaging is laid on so thickly that it felt like sitting through a 2.5-hour lecture on how not to treat women. There's no subtlety or cleverness in the script. I wish that a better pair of screenwriters had penned it and that Scott had learned from his mistakes on Kingdom of Heaven 15 years ago (because he repeats just about all of them).

Overall, I found it to be watchable, especially because there are so few big-budget historical films any more, but rather disappointing that one of the few was executed in this manner and because the poor box office performance probably won't help lead to more. It's now available to rent if you feel intense guilt and shame for skipping it in the theater and contributing to it bombing.

 

[Voight]

Watched Ben is Back last night, decent enough for a drama movie.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

The Last Duel (2021) - 4/10 (Disliked it)

A rivalry between late Medieval French knights comes to blows when one is charged with raping the other's wife. I really liked the sets and costumes. Unfortunately, I didn't like much else and was annoyed by things that felt inauthentic and unintelligent. For one, not one of the main characters even attempts a French accent. Damon, Driver and Affleck all sound like the Americans that they are. Even Comer, who's British and could probably do a French accent, puts on an American one so as not to stand out. The dialogue seemed unnatural, as well, and a few of the hairstyles were pretty ridiculous, especially Affleck looking more like Will Ferrell in Zoolander than a 14th-century count. It all made the film feel a bit amateurish to me, as if it were a high school production written and performed by a few friends (Damon and Affleck) in wigs and with modern lingo.

The story could've been interesting, but it was told with little mystery or drama. What's the point of telling three competing versions of a story when it's never in doubt what the truth is? It's as if Damon and Affleck wanted to copy Rashomon but totally missed what made its storytelling so ingenious. The three versions are also too similar. The male characters are odious in all three and I disliked them enough by the end that I didn't even care who won the duel. The messaging is laid on so thickly that it felt like sitting through a 2.5-hour lecture on how not to treat women. There's no subtlety or cleverness in the script. I wish that a better pair of screenwriters had penned it and that Scott would've learned from his mistakes on Kingdom of Heaven 15 years ago.

Overall, I found it to be watchable, but rather disappointing, especially because there are so few historical dramas these days and its poor box office performance probably won't help that. It's now available to rent if you feel intense guilt and shame for skipping it in the theater and contributing to it bombing.

I saw that Ridley Scott blamed millenials owning cell phones for the film bombing.

 

[Osprey]

I saw that Ridley Scott blamed millenials owning cell phones for the film bombing.

I hadn't heard that, but just found the quote:

I think what it boils down to — what we've got today [are] the audiences who were brought up on these f***ing cell phones. The millennian do not ever want to be taught anything unless you are told it on the cell phone.

It's strange that he's blaming millennials when there are enough moviegoers over 30 that it should've grossed a lot more than just $11M domestically. Evidently, barely anyone from any age group went to see it. Singling out millennials doesn't make sense, but he's 84 and I suppose that blaming the generation that you understand the least is natural.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

The Sparks Brothers. A delightful and likable look at a delightful and likable pair of musical weirdos (who actually don't seem that weird). Hard not to get swept up in Edgar Wright's clear love of the subject. Visually playful. Charming.

Menace II Society. Kinda reductive to call it a dark mirror to Boyz N The Hood, but it still fits. An even meaner Mean Streets is probably a better parallel. I was in high school when this first came out and it was a very big deal to me and my friends. First time watching in 20 years and I have to admit it didn't hold up to my memories. The Hughes Brothers were clearly very talented from the jump. It's vibrant and angry. But the writing and the acting are sloppier than I remember. Not like BAD, but my memories were an A- movie and it's probably a full letter grade lower than that.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

The Sparks Brothers. A delightful and likable look at a delightful and likable pair of musical weirdos (who actually don't seem that weird). Hard not to get swept up in Edgar Wright's clear love of the subject. Visually playful. Charming.

Menace II Society. Kinda reductive to call it a dark mirror to Boyz N The Hood, but it still fits. An even meaner Mean Streets is probably a better parallel. I was in high school when this first came out and it was a very big deal to me and my friends. First time watching in 20 years and I have to admit it didn't hold up to my memories. The Hughes Brothers were clearly very talented from the jump. It's vibrant and angry. But the writing and the acting are sloppier than I remember. Not like BAD, but my memories were an A- movie and it's probably a full letter grade lower than that.

Menace II Society has some funny ass moments.

'Do you owe me some money, motherf***er?'
'Hell no! But here you go!'
* Tosses cash *

Baby Boy is another hood film that, while not a great one, is filled with some really inspired and funny moments. Kind of underrated. Extra brownie points for using Bootsy Collins' I'd Rather Be with You in the soundtrack.


'Girl, that's a pack of condoms. What you doin' with that?'
'Don't try and flip this, Jody.'

A man's awful attempt at flipping the script.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Menace II Society has some funny ass moments.

'Do you owe me some money, motherf***er?'
'Hell no! But here you go!'
* Tosses cash *

Baby Boy is another hood film that, while not a great one, is filled with some really inspired and funny moments. Kind of underrated. Extra brownie points for using Bootsy Collins' I'd Rather Be with You in the soundtrack.


'Girl, that's a pack of condoms. What you doin' with that?'
'Don't try and flip this, Jody.'

A man's awful attempt at flipping the script.

A friend of mine frequently references Jack In The Crack.

Have a soft spot for Baby Boy too. Another friend occasionally answers his phone with "Is this JODY?"

So 90s urban/gangsta movies definitely left an impression on us.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

A friend of mine frequently references Jack In The Crack.

Have a soft spot for Baby Boy too. Another friend occasionally answers his phone with "Is this JODY?"

So 90s urban/gangsta movies definitely left an impression on us.

I find Baby Boy particularly effective because of how hermitical it is. It's hard to imagine a film like it getting released in this day and age. Even MIIS and Boyz in the Hood don't have that same singularity. There's no real statement (besides that violence isn't the answer). Like Ebert rightfully pointed out, it's a movie where Jody's problems aren't a part of some big societal statement but solely his own and correctly seen as soon so by his peers, but without being dickish about it. The stakes just aren't that high. The coloring of the sets is also worth noting. With that said, man are some of the lines and acting worth noting for how cutefully irreverent they are. Words don't do these scenes justice but are utterly memorable:

- Jody complaining/whispering to his friend Sweetpea about how Melvin simultaneously schools/punks him all the time right after the latter walks away because he did it again (Guns and Butter scene).
- Sweetpea trying to be righteous around his girlfriend and her mother, who he mooches off of.
- Snoop Dogg saying to Jody's son 'Good morning, scrub.'
- Melvin choking out Jody while licking his head and saying: 'Yeah, yeah cry for your mama.' while the latter yelps out the word.

I don't think much of Singleton generally, but man did he strike gold on these moments. It's an easy movie to dismiss but good lord, does it have a cool style and a definitive voice. And yes, 90s/early 00s hood comedy/drama is definitely something I've always enjoyed. Really underrated stuff in a self-aware way that you don't see as often today, which makes for some really singular art with a humour that most don't grasp but is so satisfying. Also worth noting: this was Taraji P. Henson's first ever movie role and man did she knock it out of the park.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

And yes, 90s/early 00s hood comedy/drama is definitely something I've always enjoyed.

If you haven’t already, check out Juice (1992) and Fresh (1994).

Two of the best movies from that genre.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

The French Dispatch. Though I am an avowed Wes Anderson fan I was prepared to be pretty lukewarm on this. just a gut feeling. ... And I was totally wrong. The art of writing is inherently uncinematic, but I was impressed at the ways Anderson manages to capture and depict it here. "Clever" is baked into Anderson's DNA, but I think this may be his most "clever" movie. The anthology structure gives him even more room to play than he typically has (and he typically has A LOT of room to play). It's light on character and I suspect that's a turnoff for many and while that's an absolutely fair criticism, it's not something that bothered me. The heart of the movie isn't a person, it's a product -- New Yorker-style literary magazines. That's going to be a tough sell for many — even some of his fans — but its magic worked on me. It's got his droll humor throughout. Even without a real emotional heart throughout, I thought the final scene was one of the more moving ones Anderson has written and shot.

This is probably not going to rank among even the most ardent Anderson fans' favorites but I suspect it'll be among Anderson's personal favorites. Maybe I'm just getting soft, but between this and The Sparks Brothers I've been really taken by labors of love from quirky directors. The affection shows and won me over in both cases.

 

[Arizonan God]

Recently got the chance to see Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master in the theatre. I must say, it's a film I admired more than I enjoyed. A lot of subtext to chew on for certain, but nothing that makes me regard this as the masterpiece many people think it is.

Still, I would rate it a 7 out of 10, because the craftsmanship here is outstanding. PTA really flexed the filmmaking muscles here.

Looking forward to Licorice Pizza, but admittedly a bit uneasy about the central relationship in the film, with a 15 year old boy romantically involved with a 25 year old woman. I'm hoping is not played completely straight.

 

[Pink Mist]

First Name: Carmen / Prénom Carmen (Jean-Luc Godard, 1983)

Carmen (Maruschka Detmers), a terrorist who is the niece of a grumpy eccentric filmmaker (played by grumpy eccentric filmmaker and director of the film, Jean-Luc Godard, himself), robs a bank and falls in love with a security guard at the bank (Jacques Bonnaffé) and uses the funds to finance her uncles next picture. Loosely based off of the famous opera Carmen – which full disclosure, I am not familiar with – and I mean loosely based because it is full of the typical Godardian eye for deconstruction with an extremely fractured and radical plot. I haven’t seen a ton of Godard’s ‘80s films, but this film is similar to a lot of his late 60s works such as Weekend in terms of its fun anarchic style. You know, the type of films Godard made before his politics overtook his artistry in the 1970s. This film is still very political, but importantly it is funny and enjoyable while still keeping Godard’s radical ethos. First Name: Carmen is an overlooked film in Godard’s career that while a tier below his renowned work from the 1960s it deserves to be watched.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

If you haven’t already, check out Juice (1992) and Fresh (1994).

Two of the best movies from that genre.

I have seen Juice, which I didn't like very much. I will look for Fresh.

Fun fact: Tupac Shakur was supposed to play in MIIS but was fired for beating up one of the Hughes Brothers, which he proceeded to brag about on Yo! MTV Raps.

Also, @KallioWeHardlyKnewYe, I laughed a few times by myself today just thinking of some dude answering the phone with 'Is this JODY?' for shits and giggles. Definitely not a bad reference.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I have seen Juice, which I didn't like very much. I will look for Fresh.

Fun fact: Tupac Shakur was supposed to play in MIIS but was fired for beating up one of the Hughes Brothers, which he proceeded to brag about on Yo! MTV Raps.

Also, @KallioWeHardlyKnewYe, I laughed a few times by myself today just thinking of some dude answering the phone with 'Is this JODY?' for shits and giggles. Definitely not a bad reference.

Tupac was a pretty good actor - trying to remember what else he was in that I saw…

Poetic Justice and Above The Rim were pretty good.

I really liked what he did with the Birdie character.

 

[member 51464]

The Last Duel (2021) - 4/10 (Disliked it)

A rivalry between late Medieval French knights comes to blows when one is charged with raping the other's wife. I really liked the sets and costumes and it was nice to have a big-budget historical film, since they're so rare these days. Unfortunately, I didn't like much else and was annoyed by things that felt inauthentic and unintelligent. For one, not one of the main characters even attempts a French accent. Damon, Driver and Affleck all use their ordinary American accents. Even Jodie Comer, who's British and could probably do a good French accent, puts on an American one so as not to stand out. The dialogue seemed unnatural, as well, and a few of the hairstyles were pretty ridiculous, especially Affleck looking more like Will Ferrell in Zoolander than a 14th-century count. It all made the film feel slightly amateurish to me, like watching a high school production written and performed by a few friends (Damon and Affleck) in wigs and with modern lingo.

The story could've been interesting, but it was told with little mystery or drama. What's the point of telling three competing versions of a story when it's never in doubt what the truth is? It's as if Damon and Affleck wanted to copy Rashomon but totally missed what made its storytelling so ingenious. The three versions are also too similar. The male characters are odious in all three and I disliked them enough by the end that I didn't even care who won the duel. The messaging is laid on so thickly that it felt like sitting through a 2.5-hour lecture on how not to treat women. There's no subtlety or cleverness in the script. I wish that a better pair of screenwriters had penned it and that Scott had learned from his mistakes on Kingdom of Heaven 15 years ago (because he repeats just about all of them).

Overall, I found it to be watchable, especially because there are so few big-budget historical films any more, but rather disappointing that one of the few was executed in this manner and because the poor box office performance probably won't help lead to more. It's now available to rent if you feel intense guilt and shame for skipping it in the theater and contributing to it bombing.

I just wanted to respond to your comment on how none of them attempt a French accent. I always found that outlook silly. If they were French people, they'd be speaking French. Having a French accent whilst speaking English doesn't change the fact they are speaking English, haha. So, for me, if it is not the actual language with subtitles, I don't mind if people just speak in whatever accent they sound best in, even if ahistorical as is the case here.

 

[kihei]

Swimming Out Til the Sea Turns Blue (2021) Directed by Jia Zhang-ke (documentary) 7B

At an annual literary conference hosted in his home province, director Jia Zhang-ke takes the opportunity to interview four writers who in common explore modern and contemporary Chinese rural history. For many this shift that has happened from the rural to the urban represents a very real form of physical and psychological displacement. Interestingly while cities have grown expoentially in China, the rural experience still represents for many the very soul of the country embodying the nation's values and traditions in ways that rapid technological growth can't begin to satisfy or embrace. Jia's chosen authors chronicle in one way or another the complexities of living through the massive seismic shifts that have occurred in Chinese society since 1949. Many of the early Communist changes, such as getting peasants to work collectively for the betterment of their crops, had a positive effect on rural communities. But the exceptionally rapid growth and techological development that China has achieved since then has brought with it challenges both social and personal that many families struggle to accomodate and don't always succeed.

If this sounds dry, it isn't, mainly because Jia deals not with the macro-concerns but with the individual lives of writers who are able to articulate their perceptions articulately. The authors primarily comment on their own experience, and their stories are often surprisingly universal despite the cultural specificity of their circumstances. Liang Hong, the only female author represented, discusses her father and how poorly she and her sisters reacted to his second wife, providing the film with its most touching narrative. However, all of the writers interviewed have faced personal struggles that mirror some of the larger social complexities that define today's China. On some level, all Jia's movie are about the effect of rapid, sometimes seemingly uncontrollable technological change and growth on Chinese culture and society. In his fictional films, this presents little difficulty for North American viewers as his stories are universal in appeal. In his documentaries, however, the treatment is by nature more direct and less subtle and can appear of little interest or just dull to some viewers. As in his masterful documentary about Shanghai post-war history, I Wish I Knew, Jia's ability to compose beautiful images to accompany the spoken narratives is a wonderful grace note in itself but also often speaks directly to the commentary being given by his writers. His images bring home in ways that mere words can't the feelings of the people being interviewed. I feel like I found out a lot more about China than I knew before seeing this movie and a bit more about what it means to be human, too.

subtitles

Prime Video (of all places)


Best of '21 so far

1, The Power of the Dog, Campion, US
2. The Cloud in Her Room, Zheng-lu, China
3. Bergman Island, Hansen-Love, France
4. Identifying Features, Valadez, Mexico
5. Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue, Jia, China
6. Red Moon Tide, Patino, Spain
7. There Is No Evil, Rasoulof, Iran
8. The Year of the Everlasting Storm, Panahi, et al, various countries
9. The Green Knight, Lowery, US
10. In the Earth, Wheatley, UK

 

[Osprey]

I just wanted to respond to your comment on how none of them attempt a French accent. I always found that outlook silly. If they were French people, they'd be speaking French. Having a French accent whilst speaking English doesn't change the fact they are speaking English, haha. So, for me, if it is not the actual language with subtitles, I don't mind if people just speak in whatever accent they sound best in, even if ahistorical as is the case here.

It's about suspension of disbelief. When the American actors in this movie spoke, they sounded like they normally do, which made them seem to me like the actors that they are instead of the characters that they were playing. Even though they still would've been speaking in English, trying to get into character with their voices would've put some separation in my mind between the two and helped me to suspend disbelief and buy into the story more. Also, it's not like I minded it so much on its own, but combined with the modern dialogue and hairstyles, it was a bit too much anachronism for me to not be distracted by it.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Blood Red Sky

with German people, mainly. I think one of the bad guys was a psycho henchman in Hanna, but I haven't bothered to check yet.

Nadja is a German woman trying to travel to NYC to receive a bone marrow transplant, and she's brought her son Elias on the flight with her. He's maybe 7, 8 years old, has a teddy bear, and cute as a button. Nadja's actually very sick; she's on some serious meds that knock her around pretty hardcore, but the flight takes a turn for the worst when hijackers (abetted by the copilot) quietly kill the air marshals and take over the plane. These guys aren't messing around, either. Dead bodies pile up quite quickly...including Nadja, who catches a few bullets in the chest. Elias is predictably distraught...but Nadja doesn't stay dead for long. Turns out she hasn't got leukemia, she's a freaking vampire who's trying to be human again, and these psycho hijackers are messing up her schedule. Let the vampire versus hijackers battle commence.

Not bad as monster action goes; ending isn't entirely predictable. Nadja's a more sympathetic character than your average screen vampire, but the hijackers aren't the easy human targets you'd expect. Some notably terrible tactical decisions prolong the movie and provide bodies for the requisite splatter; doesn't help this brand of vampire is the "you turn if you're only just bitten" kind, so it's pretty important to keep the vamping out to a minimum on the plane. That doesn't go quite as well as the humans on the plane would have preferred.

A slight cut above mediocre.

On Netflix

"I said seats in the UPRIGHT POSITION!!!"