Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate it | {Insert Appropriate Seasonal Greeting Here}

[Chili]

News of the World-2020

A travelling reader of the news from town to town in the old west finds a young girl in the wilderness. She had been raised by the Kiawa who had taken from her German family. Now without either family, Captain Kidd sets out to take young Johanna to her nearest relatives which means a dangerous journey. Tom Hanks in his first western and he's good. Find he's best when he plays something close to his personality. The young girl, Helena Zengel, is a revelation, the two bond well. It's a simple tale of loss and survival, beautifully shot and well told.

He Who Gets Slapped-1924 (intertitles)

A scientist is fooled by his wealthy patron who takes credit for his discoveries and steals his wife to boot. Disheartened, he becomes a circus performer, 'He Who Gets Slapped'. Features three of the biggest stars of silent films, Lon Chaney, Norma Shearer & John Gilbert. Ironically, the first appearance of the Lion in the new MGM logo, as a real lion plays a key role in the film itself. It's a well told Greek style tragedy.

The Tree of Life-2011

Intriguing subject, the tree of life, from the earliest roots of creation to present day conceptualized through some thought provoking images. As most of Terrence Malick's films it's visually stunning. The story within the story, of a family (Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain & their boys) was a bit hard to follow. Probably needs to be watched a few times to appreciate. Felt like a Stanley Kubrick film at times.

My Own Private Idaho-1991

Life on the street, turning tricks for a living for young Mike (River Phoenix) and for Scott (Keanu Reeves) in defiance of his father. Mike is a narcoleptic, he tends to fall asleep when something triggers a painful memory. Scott, the mayor's son, looks out for Mike. It's a road film with seemingly many homages to other films from Midnight Cowboy to Orson Welles' Falstaff/Chimes at Midnight and a Hitchcock type cameo from the director Gus Van Sant. The depth of River Phoenix's performance reminded me of James Dean in East of Eden. His real life friend Keanu is very good too, they had real on screen chemistry. Some quality cinematography from Idaho to Rome, Italy. Offbeat story, quite the range of music, script, content probably not for all tastes but gets better each time I've seen it.

 

[Ceremony]

Have you seen the 1962 version of Cape Fear with Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck? I saw the newer version first, so I wonder if you got to experience them chronologically.

I did not know there was an original version.

You know what? HF is the only site this happens on. I'm not deleting these posts any more.

 

[kihei]

That's a spot-on description of Scorcese.

I never remember his dialogue or his sets as all that memorable but they're often such well-rounded films.

 

[Ceremony]

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I like the Raging Bull better and I get that both are ultra famous (something like Goodfellas has a million quotes too) but I just meant for me generally. Even in Taxi Driver, I think a lot of its appeal comes down to DeNiro's acting as opposed to the word themselves.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Waterloo Bridge (1940) - 7/10

Pretty good first half but crumbles a bit into self-pity tragedy in the second. Not the same sad love story that A Brief Encounter or Letter From An Unknown Woman were but a bit of a similar melancholic mood. It's just that the tragedy felt a bit forced by the end and the love story never as strong.

A Bittersweet Life (2005) - 7/10

I'm too old for violent gangster flicks trying to be cool. Some decent shootout and action scenes but kind of falls apart once you break it down a bit and doesn't have the same twists and turns as a Korean thriller like Oldboy or the entertaining journey of Memories of Murder.

 

[shadow1]

Friday the 13th Part 3 [3D] (1982) - 6/10

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) - 7/10

Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985) - 6/10

Continuing on...

No change to my feelings about Part 3. Solid entry, Christine and Rick suck, Shelly and Vera are awesome. This is the first entry to have comic relief characters (the shop owners, the hippies), which would only get more over-the-top in later entries. Richard Brooker's Jason is a big upgrade over clumsy tater sack Jason in Part 2.

@OzzyFan said it best in their review of Part 4 with the use of the word lean. It's both lean on story and fat, with Jason getting to work quickly in this one. I always complain how Part 2 speeds by, but Part 4 doesn't have that issue; it's lean and mean, if that makes sense. Always a treat to watch Part 4 due to the great atmosphere and kills, and Ted White's quick and tactical Jason may be my favorite.

Part 5 is the weakest of the first five entries, but I still think it's solid. It's the trashiest (gratuitous nudity) and most over the top of the earlier movies, with Ethel and Junior in particular being obnoxiously campy. I think this movie's story is decent, but the execution of said story is really poor ("You talkin' to me, Sheriff?"). But still, some memorable kills (though they sadly cut away quick) and a memorable third act make this one I still enjoy going back to every time.

When I rewatch these films, I enjoy checking out Youtube videos of fans visiting the filming locations. There are lots of videos for the first three films, but not so much for Part 4. There is a great video of director Joseph Zito and star Erich Anderson though, which you can watch here if you're as big a nerd as I am.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

John Wick Chapter 4.

I'll tell you one thing I didn't expect to get out of a John Wick movie, which was a perfect encapsulation of my thoughts on the afterlife.

Spoiler

"You think your wife can hear you?"
-"No."
"Then why bother?"
-"Maybe I'm wrong."

 

[ItsFineImFine]

A Brighter Summer Day (1991) - 6.5/10

Not as good as Yang's Yi Yi imo because it just doesn't have the same quality of outdoor/urban shots or colour usage and the pacing is a bit more one-note too. I couldn't really care much about the prolonged high school gang rivalry shown here and the most interesting bits were the ones not focused more upon....everything surrounding the young protagonist rather than the protagonist. It's a well made film but a test of patience at 4 hours and I deduct marks for that as well as it's not a movie that says much beyond the superficial after those 4 hours nor does it make much of an emotional impact minus a brief scene here or there.

Jewel Robbery (1932) - 7.5/10

The perfect 70 minute antidote to the 235 minute Brighter Summer Day. The second Kay Francis film I've seen from 1932 and while it isn't as polished as Design For Living was, the script is equally as sharp albeit less sentimental and more focused on just delivering line after line of good dialogue from Powell and Kay Francis. They have solid chemistry, there's a bit of screwball flavour addeed but not over-done, and it's just a really good simple well-paced film. Cinema is simple, good script and a combo like Kay Francis + William Powell are really all you need.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Three by J. Lee Thompson.

Thompson is a director who has sorta fascinated me. He made a couple of bona fide classics in the original Cape Fear and The Guns of Navarone. I subjected the movie club to the candy-colored musical What a Way to Go! (they wished it gone). He became a hired gun in the 70s helming two Planet of the Apes sequels and by the 80s he was basically a house director for Cannon/Golan-Globus with a particular affinity for Charles Bronson revenge flicks and bad borderline offensive Indiana Jones rip-offs. There's a lot that's not very good, but it was a very busy and interesting path.

Yield to the Night. A 60s black-and-white thriller/drama. A woman murders another woman in cold blood in a stylish opening scene. From jail where she waits on death row we flash back through the circumstances to that built up to that decision. A low-frills, nicely made character study with a strong performance Diana Dors.

Happy Birthday to Me. Early 80s slasher where snobby rich kids keep disappearing around a boarding school and our protagonist has a wonky memory and just might be crazy ... Very familiar in many ways, but has a few enjoyable tricks up its sleeves. A good time. Iconic VHS cover art.

10 to Midnight. Now this is more of a piece with Thompson's last 15 years or so. Grimy Charles Bronson avenger thriller where a cop has to break the rules to get the killer because the system is broken. You know the drill. The Simpsons ruined post-Death Wish Bronson for me. Every serious line out of his mouth just generates peals of laughter from me. Perhaps better made than comparable trash, but not particularly good. The butt-ass-nude killer gimmick is certainly memorable though.

Randomness: In both Birthday and Midnight, characters go to a movie and briefly discuss what they saw — High Noon in the former, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid in the latter. It jumped out to me on the back-to-back watches. I wonder if he worked this into his other later career movies. Though not enough to actually find out myself ...

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Past Lives (2023) - 8/10

Now here's a movie that knows how to use its cityscape to elevate it. Too many useless directors these days not getting proper cinematography done in their films but this film uses its cities, especially New York properly to make it look good. Doesn't use any expansive wide shots but doesn't waste time on character close-ups either and shows the background without colour muting or anything. It's a very sentimental and idealistic film at heart even when it tries to be practical. The dialogue is mediocre but the acting is strong and humane especially from the male Korean lead. The big time jumps are not something I'm a big fan of in these sort of dramas but they serve well as a lead-up to the second half of the film. Not fast paced but holds attention really well too.

No Hard Feelings (2023) - 6.5/10

The 2000s raunchy comedy always feels a bit empty calorie to me. This one is saved because it has some laughs but not enough to make it memorable the way the better 2000s ones were. Jennifer Lawrence gets to play a strong role here which she's really good in but the rest is fairly basic humour with a bit of forced character growth/sentimentality attached to wrap it up neatly. Interesting millenial vs zoomer dynamic in some parts of the film though.

The More the Merrier (1943) - 7/10

Jean Arthur sublets her apartment to a man who then sublets it further and hi-jinks ensue followed by a male lead falling in love with Arthur as usually happens in these. Nothing too impressive here but it keeps moving along nicely and settles on a couple quieter scenes when it needs to.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

^ Eternals is the best looking Marvel film but a complete waste of talent. Poor script and the usual CGI battle at the end, I had high hopes for it considering they went into a new direction with the director.

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) - 9/10

One of those essential films for the history and civics lesson it covers. It does it tastefully too. It's hard to cover a several month-long trial within 3 hours but it never drags and it never tries to add any Hollywood glitz. It gives earnest and humane performances from everyone involved in a long-gone era....the Alec Baldwin remake later on for example tried to shoehorn in a love story.

The Misfits (1961) - 7/10

Ah so Marilyn Monroe apparently can act. She's given a weird maniacal role here which is almost biographical but she gives it a lot of life next to an aged Clark Gable. It starts off as a bit of a hangout film, finds its groove eventually, and then settles into a general disatisfaction about life almost as if it was a late-60s/new Hollywood film instead of something from the beginning of the decade.

 

[OzzyFan]

Crash (1996)
3.20 out of 4stars

“After getting into a serious car accident, a TV director discovers an underground sub-culture of scarred, omnisexual car-crash victims who use car accidents and the raw sexual energy they produce to try to rejuvenate his stale sex life with his wife.”
A great erotic psychological thriller about fetishism and the evolution of sex. If you buy into the plot and subject matter/go into the film with an open mind, this controversial film is quite rewarding. Sensual, cold, shocking, and creepy all in one. Based on the book, this film delves into interesting questions about sex “itself”, without spelling it out for the audience. Right out of the gate, the film connotates the difficulty of keeping long term monogamous relationships sexually gratifying (or at least the act itself up to par), leading to intimate emotional detachment. We are then thrown into a world exploring sexuality to various extremes, of which includes fetishes, exhibitionism, voyeurism, pornography, taboos, “replication”, and descriptive fantasizing. Whether developed, innately uncovered, or created through association, we see the highs in which arousal can be taken to. Extremes, through risk and/or illicitness and/or diversity, that can become life controlling or threatening. Sex becomes an addiction, not only turning the pleasurable satisfying act into an animalistic compulsive need but destroying one’s being and care for life. The film is very thought provoking beyond this as well. Sex is many different things to many different people: highly emotional to emotionally disconnected, infinitely open to specifically confined, and indispensable to irrelevant. Because the brain is the most powerful and important sex organ, limits and limitations as well as evolutional capacity seem endless. There also seems to be a possible existential parallel about the mundanity of life and it only being worthwhile with excitement and pleasure recurring in it, and a metaphor about technology becoming the death of us and/or technology being the next step in sexual evolution. I’m quite surprised and disappointed with myself for putting off this movie from David Cronenberg (a director I regard very highly) for so long.

Midnight Cowboy (1969)
3.10 out of 4stars

“A naive hustler with hopes of being a gigolo travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune. Lost, he unwittingly finds a friend in a homeless con man.”
A great drama condemns urban society while highlighting the struggles of its 2 homeless persons. The main themes are poverty, loneliness, sexuality, and conformity. Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight deliver 2 different styled Best Actor nominated performances in the “co-leads” (honestly Hoffman should have been nominated and arguably awarded for Supporting Actor, but I’m not knowledgeable of the background of how this occurred otherwise) of this socio-political film. These 2 performances are what makes the film work, bringing moving earnest sympathy to 2 corrupt “good-for-nothing” men and a chemistry filled heartfelt bond. Both men are homeless due to their circumstances, and do deviously what they do “just to survive”, a survival that’s dim and made dimmer by their setting. The urban concrete jungle in which they live is shown to be filled with rude, hostile, aggressive, tough, paranoid, weird, unforgiving, and altogether contemptuous behavior. Overcoming their setting, the men fight off their loneliness and band together in hope with humanity, overlooking each other’s flaws, and create a powerful reciprocal friendship in this Best Picture Oscar winner. Quite ironic, something like this sounds Oscar-bait-esque, but made 54 years ago, this was controversial, ground breaking, dark, and X-rated material. Quite the exact opposite of Oscar-bait.

Who Saw Her Die? (1972)
3.15 out of 4stars

“Between a four-year gap in the murder of a young girl, the daughter of a well-known sculptor is discovered dead, and her parents conduct an investigation, only to discover they are much out of their depth.”
A great giallo horror with superb camera work, suspense, thrills, and a haunting Morricone score. A Morricone score that includes a persistently used main theme of mixed children choral vocals with an echo/overlay effect that chills. Ranked #6 in Pranzo’s Gialli thread, and as Pranzo already stated, this is a film with an amazing first half or third. Showcasing (female) childhood innocence, wonder, and free spirited-ness alongside an overarching creepy male presence with vulnerability and helplessness. Of which is made stronger with the contrasting to the eversweet father-daughter relationship. The main theme seems to be about the sexualizing and controlling of women by men, starting off through a horrifyingly pedopheliac threat surrounding a prepubescent female child. It’s quite clever and brings corresponding realization to the subject matter. The film graduates into a whodunit one third through and loses some thematic steam but delivers on a suspenseful mystery filled with shady suspects and surprises. There are a few questionable choices, but lots of great scenes as well, specifically one set at an abandoned building. Some clear and subtle symbolism and reflexivity make this film deeper and more appreciated by the conscious viewer. Of note, the film shares similarities to Don’t Look Now but was made a year prior to it.

The House with the Laughing Windows (1976) (subtitles)
2.85 out of 4stars

“Stefano, a young restorer, is commissioned to save a controversial mural of Saint Sebastian located in the church of a small, isolated village in Commachio Italy that was once drawn by a painter obsessed with death.”
A great horror mystery with giallo elements that builds a strong eerie mood with solid suspenseful tension. Setting the tone with its opening scene, the viewer witnesses a hang-tied man in an unfiltered focus being deeply stabbed repeatedly, while we hear the victim’s screams and another man’s psychopathically poetic narration of the event. Ironically, that is one of a few murders we will actually see on screen, as this film is very restrained in gore and sex aspects. This is one of those films that is about a town with secrets, and an enjoyable one at that. Aside from some overlong romance bits, the protagonist’s journey is well creepy with a backstory unraveling and investigation that includes a lot of unsettling and ominous material. Some good twists and a solidly haunting score top it off, and I shall say no more to avoid spoilers.

 

[Chili]

Midnight Cowboy (1969)
3.10 out of 4stars

“A naive hustler with hopes of being a gigolo travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune. Lost, he unwittingly finds a friend in a homeless con man.”
A great drama condemns urban society while highlighting the struggles of its 2 homeless persons. The main themes are poverty, loneliness, sexuality, and conformity. Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight deliver 2 different styled Best Actor nominated performances in the “co-leads” (honestly Hoffman should have been nominated and arguably awarded for Supporting Actor, but I’m not knowledgeable of the background of how this occurred otherwise) of this socio-political film. These 2 performances are what makes the film work, bringing moving earnest sympathy to 2 corrupt “good-for-nothing” men and a chemistry filled heartfelt bond. Both men are homeless due to their circumstances, and do deviously what they do “just to survive”, a survival that’s dim and made dimmer by their setting. The urban concrete jungle in which they live is shown to be filled with rude, hostile, aggressive, tough, paranoid, weird, unforgiving, and altogether contemptuous behavior. Overcoming their setting, the men fight off their loneliness and band together in hope with humanity, overlooking each other’s flaws, and create a powerful reciprocal friendship in this Best Picture Oscar winner. Quite ironic, something like this sounds Oscar-bait-esque, but made 54 years ago, this was controversial, ground breaking, dark, and X-rated material. Quite the exact opposite of Oscar-bait.

Whenever I hear Glen Campbell singing `Everybodys Talkin` I think of that film. Elvis could have been in it, singing songs too but guess Col Parker nixed that idea based on the content. Saw it at a drive-in with Alice`s Restaurant back in the day. Ground breaking film.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Oppenheimer - thumbs up

I’m always a fan of Christopher Nolan’s direction, but this might’ve been his best work to date. Long movie that didn’t ever feel like it dragged on, and the movie was a borderline master class on scene composition, building tension, and keeping a clear narrative despite using Nolan’s propensity to play with time. The audio was always clear, which is admittedly rare for him for some reason, and basically everybody brought their a-game. They did my boy Truman a bit dirty with some oversimplification, but not like they could dwell too long there. Murphy and Downey should absolutely get some Oscar consideration, as well whomever did the makeup other than the aged up version of Edward Teller.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Crash (1996)
3.20 out of 4stars

“After getting into a serious car accident, a TV director discovers an underground sub-culture of scarred, omnisexual car-crash victims who use car accidents and the raw sexual energy they produce to try to rejuvenate his stale sex life with his wife.”
A great erotic psychological thriller about fetishism and the evolution of sex. If you buy into the plot and subject matter/go into the film with an open mind, this controversial film is quite rewarding. Sensual, cold, shocking, and creepy all in one. Based on the book, this film delves into interesting questions about sex “itself”, without spelling it out for the audience. Right out of the gate, the film connotates the difficulty of keeping long term monogamous relationships sexually gratifying (or at least the act itself up to par), leading to intimate emotional detachment. We are then thrown into a world exploring sexuality to various extremes, of which includes fetishes, exhibitionism, voyeurism, pornography, taboos, “replication”, and descriptive fantasizing. Whether developed, innately uncovered, or created through association, we see the highs in which arousal can be taken to. Extremes, through risk and/or illicitness and/or diversity, that can become life controlling or threatening. Sex becomes an addiction, not only turning the pleasurable satisfying act into an animalistic compulsive need but destroying one’s being and care for life. The film is very thought provoking beyond this as well. Sex is many different things to many different people: highly emotional to emotionally disconnected, infinitely open to specifically confined, and indispensable to irrelevant. Because the brain is the most powerful and important sex organ, limits and limitations as well as evolutional capacity seem endless. There also seems to be a possible existential parallel about the mundanity of life and it only being worthwhile with excitement and pleasure recurring in it, and a metaphor about technology becoming the death of us and/or technology being the next step in sexual evolution. I’m quite surprised and disappointed with myself for putting off this movie from David Cronenberg (a director I regard very highly) for so long.

One of the nicest and smartest detail of that movie is how every single fetishizer ends up in the arms of the others (i.e., each possible match is achieved) as a borderline knee-jerk reaction without ever drawing too much attention to it. It understood its subject matter. Physique and personality never went into it.

 

[Ceremony]

Walk the Line (2005) Man becomes famous musician so he can meet and marry his childhood celebrity crush. Absolutely remarkable singing all round and very watchable.

Ali (2001) The Fresh Prince gets a job as The Greatest. I had seen this before a long time ago and had the vague recollection that it was a mediocre film with some very good performances in it. I was right. I don't think it's possible to make a film about someone like Muhammad Ali with the social backdrop of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King being assassinated. There's just too much stuff to put on screen, and this suffered from trying. Even just a word or two on screen about names, dates, locations. That or a guidebook handed out in the cinema.

Heat (1995) Is there any other film that has as many people in it doing as many different things that manages to be as engrossing and sympathetic to all of them as this? I don't think so. My favourite part of this film is the setting - LA barely gets a look-in with all the Acting going on but this oppressively endless backdrop of lines of blue lights seems like a cage keeping everybody in line as they try to fight against what's keeping them in place. I feel like this film is also something rare - a thing from the 90s with an unquestionably 90s aesthetic (Moby covering Joy Division, come on) that hasn't aged a day. I look forward to watching it again in another five years and having a similar reaction.

Skyfall (2012) Bond does some advertising work for Caterpillar construction equipment, Volkswagen and Macallan whisky before doing a bit of Home Alone cosplay. You forget how highly stylised so much of this film is. For a film series that's been defined by showing you exotic locations it's impressive how this manages to maintain that in an age of the internet. Silhouetted hand to hand combat atop a Chinese skyscraper with a giant blue jellyfish on a screen in the background was my highlight. Actually it wasn't, the highlight was obviously the various scenes where assorted Scottish hills and valleys dwarf everyone moving through them. Again, while I'm hardly an authority on Bond I don't think it's a stretch to call this the best one. Posts about Spectre and No Time To Die will be following in the next few weeks, and although I've seen them both (once) before I think Skyfall is a bit of a watershed moment, where "yes we know he's old but he's still relevant" goes from being a subtle yet measured depiction into ludicrous self-parody. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

 

[Chili]

Ordinary People-1980

A family dealing with the tragedy of losing a son. The other son (Timothy Hutton) attempted to take his own life and is now back with mother (Mary Tyler Moore) and father (Donald Sutherland) after months in hospital. How does a family move on from losing someone close? Each person faces their own challenges. Thoughfully written and portrayed by all, touches on the emotional impact of loss and resulting guilt felt. Very well done film.

Rushmore-1998

Back to school! Those three lovely words (or haunting words depending on ones point of view). This looks like a film that most folks have seen but was new to me. Max (Jason Schwartzman) is a student who gets involved...with everything. And a widowed teacher. Which gets him in hot water but he is nothing if not resourceful and resilient. Like seeing Bill Murray in some serious roles, here as Max's wealthy friend. Some fun stuff.

Three Days of the Condor-1975

Joe Turner (Robert Redford) works for the CIA in a small building with 7 others, his job is combing through everything in print. He goes out one day to pick up lunch for the gang and when he gets back his nightmare begins. Jason Bournesque type thriller but Joe must survive here with his wits rather then brawn. Excellent cast including Faye Dunaway, Max Von Sydow & Cliff Robertson. Great plot twist in the story and an ambiguous ending. Well done.

La Strada (The Road)-1954 (subtitles)

A barnstorming strongman, Zampanò (Anthony Quinn) literally buys a girl, Gelsomina (Giuletta Masina) from her family to accompany him on the road. They go from town to town performing as Zampanò slowly brings her into his act. He bullys the girl, which she meekly accepts. It's a delight watching Giuletta on screen, she says so much just from her expressions. Believe she would have excelled in silent films too. Her own cheerful personality comes through in several scenes, including imitating a tree. Richard Basehart plays Fool (Il Matto), another travelling artiste. He usually plays very serious characters in films, he's good here in a mainly comedic role, taunting Zampanò and befriending Gelsomina. Simple story, great film, enjoyed the music & location shots, the three leads all shine.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Full Circle. The only thing more impressive to me than Steven Soderbergh's work ethic is the fact that everything he cranks out almost always works. He's about as reliable as they come. This series is no exception. I don't know if it's an official or unofficial adaptation of High & Low (itself an adaptation of an Ed McBain novel), but the basic components are the same — rich family, kidnapping, street level criminals, complications, etc. Sprawling and tight may feel like contradictory ideas, but not here. There's a key cast of about a dozen people (high and low) that the story shifts between but the plotting is precise and propulsive. There might be one more small world coincidence than needed and the socially awkward lead investigator character is a bit of a tough hang (I get what they're doing with this well-worn trope but I'm not sure I liked it). But otherwise this is akin to that un-put-down-able book. I flew through the six episodes in a day.

Also finally caught up with the latest season of Black Mirror. I really appreciate the series' ability to jump all over the place tonally from the full-on comedic satire of Joan is Awful to the bleakness of Loch Henry. This newest batch of five leans more toward horror. Mazey Day felt like a Tales from the Crypt episode with a bigger budget (I instinctively waited for the Crypt Keeper's cackle after the perfect last line is uttered). That's a small criticism only in that I expect a little more from Black Mirror. It's a series that is capable of "saying something" when it's at its best. Not every episode pulls it off, but I also love Tales from the Crypt and was entertained when it veered in those directions, which it did a few times this season. Beyond the Sea felt like classic what Black Mirror does best. Demon '79 with it's very nicely calibrated balance of horror and humor felt like it could've been released in theaters and would've been among the better horror movies of the year.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Big Wednesday. John Milius, the writer-director best known for aggressive, uber-macho, man vs. stories like Apocalypse Now, Conan the Barbarian, Red Dawn, Extreme Prejudice, etc. wrote and directed a shocklingly gentle and wistful surfing movie about three friends and their evolving lives from the early 60s thorugh the early 70s. The acting holds it back, but the sentiments are nice and the surfing action is pretty good. But I'm also a bit of a sucker for surfing movies.

The Park is Mine. Tommy Lee Jones struts in a drawling proto-the-TLJ-we'd-come-to-love way as a surly Vietnam Vet who takes over Central Park in New York to make a point about ... stuff. Vet treatment? Gangs? Yes! What else ya got?? It's a fun performance if you enjoy TLJ, but the script is a mess of well intentioned stupidity and cliches (though I do love a good montage of TV news asking regular folk what they think of the movie's events. Spoiler: They're in favor).

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Niagara (1953) - 7/10

This might be an underrated one. It's a really well-shot film in technicolour and I was pleasantly surprised that it actually showed off its Niagara setting (Canadian side) rather than just relying on a few shots and the rest done in a studio. The location ends up being quite central to the whole slightly noir-esque film. Dialogue is a bit of a weakpoint, doesn't have the same sharp wit as a noir but the plot is simple and the pacing is good. Also Marilyn Monroe was hot AF and doesn't act like a blonde ditz here.

The Magnificent Seven (1960) - 7.5/10

I know this gets compared to Seven Samurai but I think The Wild Bunch is a more apt comparison. The Wild Bunch has the better action scenes, this one has a better dynamic between characters. I do think that it feels a bit rushed at times though as we don't see the same build-up which made Seven Samurai so good and the western setting is a bit bland looking too but it's a decent action film in the end.

 

[shadow1]

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) - 7/10

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) - 6/10

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)- 4/10

Jason Lives is such a blast. Did I mention how much I love Sheriff Garris? He's a hardheaded jerk to Tommy for a lot of the movie, but is probably the only character in the franchise to actually experience character development. The characters in this one have more to do in general, whereas in most entries they're just waiting around to be killed. Harry Manfredini's score is great, by the way; lots of original new music. Fun, well written movie.

The New Blood is decent, it's on the edge of a 5/6 rating for me. It has a certain crap factor to it, similar to Sleepaway Camp 3 (1989), in which there are way too many scenes of people running through nondescript woods. In a series where most entries have very distinctive settings, the first thing that comes to my mind with The New Blood is tree branches. Jason is cool looking though, and the film does its job well enough as a slasher.

I dislike Jason Takes Manhattan more and more with each viewing. You know you're in trouble right away when the familiar black background/white text opening credits are replaced with shots of New York(/Vancouver) and accompanied by generic 80's rock music. Part VIII has below average everything, and by far the worst acting of the series. This one is on the edge of a 3/4 for me, and felt like a chore to sit through this go around.

 

[Bounces R Way]

The Pope's Exorcist(2023) - 5.5/10

Fairly standard exorcism movie, but this time they're raising the stakes again one more time for keeps.

Crowe plays Gabriele Amorth, the prideful head exorcist for the Catholic church and an actual real life demon fighter. He does a fairly good job of it. Really all the performances I thought were quality, definitely the film's strongest aspect. Rather than the usual dithering around the possession we kind of just hop right into it with maybe 20 minutes of setup. I understand that choice for the director since it's really about the Priest uncovering Spanish Inquisition history and fighting the King of Hell, but it also didn't do a whole lot to add tension and maybe led to the actual possession of the child being less impactful. It's hard to make effective horror, you need a lot of ingredients mixed the right way. I would say this movie got about half of them. Disturbing visuals, cool demon backstory with lots of God v Evil stuff, convincing possessed boy, devil women brought on by the sins of the past, frightened bystanders. Just didn't get there as far as being actually scary. As far as a classic Jesus vs the Devil thing I've seen worse and I've seen better, I did think the historical tie in with the church was well executed. Not a complete waste of time if that sounds up your alley but if it doesn't go ahead and skip it.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Dinner At Eight (1933) - 7.5/10

Interesting pre-Hays code drama. I guess the joke is that the entire film is focused on the lead-up and the characters invited to the dinner rather than showing a single scene from the dinner. There's some heavy and tragic stuff here but with 0 melodrama and some comedic one-liners. There are multiple storylines going and it feels a bit anthological but they're all fairly well done and it's an easy watch. But anyways here's Parker Posey ordering a falafel with hot sauce and a side order of Baba Ganoush.

 

[OzzyFan]

Requiem for a Dream (2000)
3.40 out of 4stars

“Four drug addicts' lives are shattered when their addictions run deep.”
An excellent psychological drama that stylishly showcases the reality-disconnected living nightmare drug addiction can become. Incredibly effective without ever feeling truly implausible. Takes the audience on a problematic floaty high before creating an escalating and intense hell in the second half of the film. Aronofsky conducts this film with mastery. Seemingly with all elements working synchronistically to max efficacy creating a real experience. The specific way he tells this with all his choice techniques, tools, tricks, pacing, edits, and such throw you into the characters’ perspectives while feeling everything he wants you to feel and culminating into such a magnificently chaotic conclusion. And the musical score has such raw power, it’s piercing and haunting, and the main theme so great that it’s been recycled many times since this initial creation. Burstyn is the clear standout with an iconic award worthy turn imo, livingly portraying all the difficult varied levels of her situation with excellence and remarkable depth. Drug addiction is a terrible terrible thing that can be rapidly destructive with consequences of death, or things arguably worse than death. Drug addiction is a black hole that can destroy one’s essence, destroy one’s life, and harm everyone attached to them. Of note, for all the deservedly polarizing attention Aronofsky gets, he has made some unquestionably top tier films with Requiem for a Dream here, Black Swan, and The Wrestler.

Days of Heaven (1978)
3.15 out of 4stars

“In 1916, a young girl’s hot-tempered farm laborer brother convinces the woman he loves to marry their rich but dying boss so that they can have a claim to his fortune.”
A great art romance period drama that is an allegorical tale with very beautiful Oscar winning cinematography. There’s at least a handful of scenes one wouldn’t mind capturing and throwing on their home wall as an art piece. It’s a simple story, told with little dialogue, and an intentional emotional detachment, but it works. Usually I have trouble absorbing and appreciating Terrence Malick’s films as those that hold him in very high regard do, but here I didn’t. The visually purposeful and attractive, slow minimalist approach was effective. My interpretation of this film seems to be along the lines of a biblical-esque God, nature, and man relationship, especially given his christian background. Nature is powerful, strong, and synchronized with no inherent good or badness to it alongside its animal inhabitants. Nature and animals are constantly altered by man being man in the world, “man is radical”. God created man out of loneliness, God wants both love and obedience from man to inherit his kingdom of heaven, man does not like being tested or living a life full of abstinence and work and hardship to earn heaven, man is a selfish and ignorant and hasty breed that has problems with authority, man’s sin causes his own demise, God’s wrath is brought on from man’s sin, man is forever lost and disconnected from God and heaven because of this. That’s what I got. Overall it’s a sad tale about how humanity on Earth can get a taste of heaven, but that’s all they will ever truly achieve given their own inherent nature and God’s ultimately unachievable requirements to get there.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
3.05 out of 4stars

“The legendary tale of a barber who returns from wrongful imprisonment to 1840s London, bent on revenge for the rape and death of his wife, and resumes his trade while forming a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett.”
A great musical drama horror that tells a dark sorrowful revenge tale with vigor, joyful madness, and humor, fittingly incarnated by Tim Burton. Tim Burton again infuses his signature stylish display of monochromatic color that matches perfectly with the gloomy tones of the film. Not for the squeamish, as the second half of the film has enough kinetic blood spilled to fill a kiddie pool (among a couple of other gruesome things). The tone setting songs are successfully grim, funny, despairing, peppy, and romantic. The film covers a spectrum of emotions as we journey with a battered soul whose light and purpose has all but disappeared. Themes in the film are corruption, justice, class differences, revenge, and love. Most specifically the corrosive nature of revenge and the abuses of those in positions of power and positions of trust. And of mention, Johnny Depp’s chameleon ways continue here as he shows quality performance singing capabilities with his seemingly limited voice, winning himself a Golden Globe.

The Intruder (1989)
2.75 out of 4stars

“The overnight stock crew of a local supermarket find themselves being stalked and slashed by a mysterious maniac.”
A great slasher horror that is…..surprisingly really good fun given its circumstances. It’s a guilty pleasure-esque low-budget film that fans of the subgenre should definitely enjoy. Pretty bloody and at times very graphic, which is a plus or minus depending on the viewer. Great kills, camera-usage/direction, special effects, and a lot of dark humor (and some purposely cheesy humor thrown in as well). The isolated supermarket setting is well used and there is decent suspense once the killings start. Written and directed by the co-writer of Evil Dead 2, which you can definitely understand after watching. And even Sam Raimi, his brother Ted, and Bruce Campbell have small cameos in the film. A nice horror ending as well.