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

[Bounces R Way]

Death on the Nile (2022) - 6/10

On a trip in Egypt, a detective investigates a murder aboard a cruise ship.

Kenneth Branagh stars as Hercule Poirot, a famous detective sightseeing in Egypt. Newlyweds Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot) and Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer) are celebrating their honeymoon on this trip, but Simon's lovelorn ex-fiance Jaqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey) has crashed the tour, leaving everyone on edge. Poirot implores both the Doyles and Jaqueline to leave the trip, fearing things will turn deadly. Poirot's fears are proven to be correct when one of the tour-goers ends up dead during an overnight trip on a cruise ship. It's up to the world's most famous detective to figure out who amongst the passengers is responsible...

Death on the Nile was directed by star Kenneth Branagh, and written by Michael Green. The film is based on the 1937 Agatha Christie Novel of the same name, and marks the second film is Branagh's Poirot series. How does it fare?

Meh... it's okay. Death on the Nile has what I consider to be a slog of a first 20 minutes, with sensory overload in a busy scene at a Jazz club, followed by cinematography of Egypt that somehow never looks at beautiful as it should. If you can't keep up with all of the characters, don't worry - one character eventually spoon feeds the backgrounds and motivations of the others to Poirot, including even saying "no one trusts" one particular character. This is at least a half hour before anyone is killed, mind you.

Once the movie settles down from its clunky opening, it becomes decent popcorn entertainment. Death on the Nile is well photographed, and I once again like Branagh's performance as Poirot. Interestingly, the movie tries to give the normally asexual character more of a romantic background, which is coincidentally also the case for the 2004 TV movie, despite it not being a subplot in the book. I thought it worked here, personally.

As for the mystery itself, I've never been the biggest fan of Death on the Nile. It's one of Christie's more well known books, but it feels like a lower stakes version of Murder on the Orient Express. The police board the ship almost immediately after the murder, so the characters don't feel "trapped" with their unknown assailant in the middle of the water. The solution to the crime is one of Christie's most memorable, though I thought the film was a little too obvious with some of the clues.

But to hop on my soapbox and criticize a book that is almost a 100 years old: Poirot is so famous that the paparazzi know him, yet he just happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time for another murder? This became a problem in a lot of later books, with Poirot transitioning from a hired detective to a death magnet, with someone dying in his vicinity every time he walks out the front door. The film does try to justify this and does the best it can within the confines of the story, but you still have to suspend your disbelief that the killer would go through with their plan with Poirot on the ship. Realistically, the killer would take out Poirot, which they have several chances to do in this film.

Overall, Death on the Nile is an okay movie. It's a light 6 for me, doing a decent job adapting the novel, but not standing out in any particular area. Even with my gripes about this entry, I am just happy Branagh is making these movies, and look forward to a likely fourth Poirot film in the near future. Death on the Nile earned $137M against its $90M budget.

Agree with a lot of what you said here. Brannagh the director delivers clunky yet competent storytelling with Death on the Nile but there's only so much you can do with a who dunnit mystery so ridiculous. I enjoyed some of the aged cinematic nuance he put into it but ultimately a little too silly of a narrative. The explanations and extrapolations of the crime become almost farcical. I would maybe go lower on the rating but not by too much either, 5/10 for me.

I will say the Hercule Poirot character is a fun throwback, and I'm glad he didn't abandon it as it led to the making of :

A Haunting in Venice(2023) - 7/10

I can't really remember Murder on the Orient Express, but I think I felt about it similar to Death on the Nile. Decent but flawed B movie with decent but flawed B movie qualities. Not really the biggest fan of Agatha Christie but I do like the concepts and the Poirot character Brannagh has a lot of fun with. He's overdone in places definitely but it's begging to played exactly like that. I likely would not have bothered with these but my gf is a fan of the character.

A Haunting in Venice was my favorite addition to the collection so far. For one the setting was much more rich for storytelling, and the storytelling was done much more cohesively. Brannagh takes bigger and better risks with the direction of this film and I believe for the most part they pay off. The mystery is more sinister and serious and the cinematography/editing reflect that well. Usually enjoy Tina Fey but she seemed a little out of place in this cast, the rest of which I thought were quality. Michelle Yeoh(Everything Everywhere All at Once) was very strong in her role as the psychic communicating with the dead.


Detective Poirot this time is talked out of seclusion by an non-fiction horror author friend of his to debunk a gypsy medium. In this case this fortuneteller was hired to commune with a young newlywed who had recently drowned in the canals of Venice after falling from her 3rd story bedroom balcony. There's a diverse cast of characters that all happen to have perhaps motives in the death of the girl. Poirot is forced to cipher through the layers of deception and subterfuge as things begin to go wrong on a dramatically dark & stormy night. The protagonist's crisis of faith trope is well traveled in cinema but there was something fresh about the way Brannagh depicted it in this.

Several twists and several murders later the film's themes of confusion and paranoia successfully elevate it beyond the usual standard B murder mystery fare. I wouldn't call myself the target audience exactly but I thought it was well done. Convoluted in the right way is definitely a challenge to undertake and where I thought the last two Kenneth Brannagh Hercule Poirot movies didn't nearly get there this one at least comes very close.

 

[kihei]

Beyond Utopia (2023) Directed by Madeleine Gavin 7B (documentary)

Documentaries don’t come much more harrowing than Beyond Utopia, which traces the attempt of a family of five to escape from North Korea and, in another instance, focuses on a mother who is trying to help her son escape from North Korea. Concerning the escape attempts, there is no recreated footage—all such footage is taken at the time of the actual escapes, heightening the tension and sense of realism exponentially. And it’s not like cross a single border and you are safe—people escaping North Korea must first make a long, arduous trip through unfriendly China, then through inhospitable Laos and Viet Nam, before finally finding refuge in Thailand where they will be transported to safety in South Korea. Risking their lives, these desperate souls are helped by Pastor Sengeun Kim, a Christian minister and human rights activist, who financially assists individuals trying to escape from North Korea and, as well, his organization pays for “brokers” (men who look after the escapees on their long journeys, but for a price). In most instances including this one, he actually escorts families to safety from China onward.

Interspersed in these proceedings is a sort of history lesson about what living in North Korea is like. Informative and occasionally jaw-dropping though this was, I felt it detracted a little from the terrifying journey that the family was on and from the increasingly desperate fate of the mother’s son, both accounts of which are not just suspenseful but deeply moving. The doc has a score that I could have lived without, too, but really neither of these blemishes compromises the power of the film. At one point the mother of the son whose fate is uncertain mutters "I was just born in the wrong country." No kidding. Everybody responsible for the making of Beyond Utopia deserves praise as far as I am concerned.

mostly subtitles

Best of '23 so far

1) Riceboy Sleeps, Shim, Canada
2) Anatomy of a Fall, Triet, France
3) Oppenheimer, Nolan, US
4) El Conde, Larrain, Chile
5) Afire, Petzold, Germany
6) Barbie, Gerwig, US
7) Close Your Eyes, Erice, Spain
8) Beyond Utopia, Gavin, US (documentary)
9) Dream Scenario, Borgli, US
10) Talk to Me, Philippou brothers, Australia

 

[shadow1]

To those who've watched The Killer there's something that's been on my mind.

I've read a few things and listened to some podcasts from various film folk who I like and enjoy. And something about this move has come up repeatedly and I just don't agree with it it. Curious what others think ...

Spoiler

Is the protagonist bad at his job?

I've heard and read this point made several times and I very strongly disagree with it. I absolutely agree that he isn't AS GOOD as he thinks he is and the narration certainly paints him as either a liar or someone who doesn't actually understand themselves, which I think is part of the humor.

But there's a gap between being not "as good" and being "bad."

The evidence for him being bad seems to be: 1) he misses the shot 2) he misjudges how long the guy he shoots with the nailgun will live 3) doesn't drug the dog right 4) the brute character gets the jump on him and beats him up.

I'll even admit I kept clocking how often he's sleeping in a car right outside his target's home, which seems pretty conspiculous though that doesn't seem to come to anything.

But I'd counter with this: He wins. Clearly. He succeeds at every single turn. It's not a smooth ride — which I do think is an important point that I'll circle back to momentarily. But he obviously, unequivicolly wins. He vanquishes every villain and loose end except the one he can't, but that's left in a place where the man seems appropriately cowed.

Maybe I'm just being too pedantic about this?

The other thing that's come up in analysis is the reading that it's autobiographical for Fincher himself. He's The Killer. I don't disagree! It's a fun reading. But if you believe both the former and latter, do you then believe Fincher thinks he's bad at his job? I'm sure Fincher would reject any autobiographical reading regardless, but if it is intentional (and there's a case to be made) I can't believe he's saying "I'm actually bad at this." That just doesn't track to me.

If anything, if you want to follow that line of thinking, I think he might be saying the job "i.e. the movie industry" is inherently chaotic and messy and that maybe planning, determination and luck is the best you can do to hope to survive. I think the job is hard and no one gets through unscathed despite best efforts.

P.S. I am not a crackpot.

Spoiler

I have read this too. Like you, I personally disagree.

I think saying the Killer is bad at his job misses the point of the movie. The Killer is really good at his job, but the movie would be boring/pointless if he was as efficient as the Terminator. What makes the character interesting are his mistakes and decisions that conflict with his personal mantra.

The crux of the film is really the whole "one of the few" versus "one of the many" theme. When we first meet the character, I think there is symbolism to him looking down and observing society from his elevated WeWork room, as if he's not a part of it (i.e. one of the few). Meanwhile, the rest of the movie he is flying economy, eating McDonalds, and using Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Instead of spy gadgets and martinis, this Killer shops on Amazon and drinks Starbucks. (Also funny how he uses one of those adjustable height tables from the bankrupt WeWork room as his sniper perch).

I really enjoyed how he struggles with empathy. Despite the whole "weakness is vulnerability" ideal, his entire revenge mission is based on a selfless act by Magdala, whom he cares about. Along the way, he does many cold blooded things, but also shows empathy by making one death look accidental for life insurance reasons, and later by not killing a dog despite it trying to attack him. In the New York portion, while making his victim walk the plank, his inner monologue is broken as he tells himself to forbid empathy, which I thought signified he was struggling with what to do. That was an instance in which it was a good thing he stuck to his mantra, as the Expert was hiding a knife.

I also really enjoyed how the movie wrapped up, and found dark humor in it. In the Chicago portion, the Client doesn't even realize who he is at first. When he finally does, the incident is so far removed from his zeitgeist that he hilariously refers to the lawyer Hodges as "Hedges". There is also cruel irony in the fact that the Billionaire that set everything in motion gets to keep his life, while the least involved person - the cab driver - gets the most cold blooded death of all.

I know I went off on a bit of a tangent, but suffice it to say I did not watch this movie and walk away with the point being "the Killer was just bad at his job".

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Spoiler

I have read this too. Like you, I personally disagree.

I think saying the Killer is bad at his job misses the point of the movie. The Killer is really good at his job, but the movie would be boring/pointless if he was as efficient as the Terminator. What makes the character interesting are his mistakes and decisions that conflict with his personal mantra.

The crux of the film is really the whole "one of the few" versus "one of the many" theme. When we first meet the character, I think there is symbolism to him looking down and observing society from his elevated WeWork room, as if he's not a part of it (i.e. one of the few). Meanwhile, the rest of the movie he is flying economy, eating McDonalds, and using Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Instead of spy gadgets and martinis, this Killer shops on Amazon and drinks Starbucks. (Also funny how he uses one of those adjustable height tables from the bankrupt WeWork room as his sniper perch).

I really enjoyed how he struggles with empathy. Despite the whole "weakness is vulnerability" ideal, his entire revenge mission is based on a selfless act by Magdala, whom he cares about. Along the way, he does many cold blooded things, but also shows empathy by making one death look accidental for life insurance reasons, and later by not killing a dog despite it trying to attack him. In the New York portion, while making his victim walk the plank, his inner monologue is broken as he tells himself to forbid empathy, which I thought signified he was struggling with what to do. That was an instance in which it was a good thing he stuck to his mantra, as the Expert was hiding a knife.

I also really enjoyed how the movie wrapped up, and found dark humor in it. In the Chicago portion, the Client doesn't even realize who he is at first. When he finally does, the incident is so far removed from his zeitgeist that he hilariously refers to the lawyer Hodges as "Hedges". There is also cruel irony in the fact that the Billionaire that set everything in motion gets to keep his life, while the least involved person - the cab driver - gets the most cold blooded death of all.

I know I went off on a bit of a tangent, but suffice it to say I did not watch this movie and walk away with the point being "the Killer was just bad at his job".

Right on.

 

[kihei]

May December (2023) Directed by Todd Haynes 5B

Gracie's (Julianne Moore) claim to fame is that twenty years ago when she was 36-years-old, she seduced Joe, a 13-year-old seventh grader, whom she is now married to in a seemingly happy marriage with three children of their own. Gracie spent time in prison when the affair was found out, but that did not dampen their relationship in the least. Now a movie is being made about her life and Elizabeth (Natalie Portman), the Hollywood actress who will play her, has come to Savannah, Georgia to do research for the part, an arrangement with which Gracie seems comfortable.

That's certainly not an everyday premise. Director Todd Haynes (Carol; Far from Heaven) focuses most of his movies on women in distress in one way or another. Haynes has frequently been compared to Doughlas Sirk (Magnificent Obsession; All That Heaven Allows; Imitation of Life) who specialized in soap opera-like, tear jerking so called "women's movies" in the '50s and '60s. While Haynes certainly is predisposed to similar subject matter, he is not a schlockmeister by any means and his movies stop well short of Sirkian excess. Indeed his films are almost relentlessly tasteful, so it struck me as a bit of a surprise that he would choose a subject as potentially salacious as is found in May December. Not usually a Haynes fan, I was curious. So I watched the movie and the end result is....meh.

Elizabeth comes to town, hangs out with the family, interviews some acquaintances, and maybe starts taking this method acting thing a little too seriously. Some disturbing feelings are reawakened and who knows where they may lead if anywhere. About midway through this flick, about the time my partner was asking me "when does this movie actually start?", the word "lollygagging" came unbidden to my mind. The movie lollygags from one lily pad to the next with nothing much happening along the way. Occasionally, the music kicks in big time to tell me something suspenseful is going on or that we are coming to a climax. But there is nothing suspenseful whatsoever going on and the movie never reaches any of those falsely signaled climaxes. Whatever interested Haynes in this script to begin with, whatever points he wanted to make about this situation, well, answers to those questions don't turn up in the film. In the end, May December is just one great big nothingburger.

 

[Osprey]

It took me several nights to get through, but I finally finished The Killer. I didn't like it at all and feel like I wasted two hours. The pretentious narration rubbed me the wrong way and the protagonist repeatedly slipping up while preaching about how not to slip up wasn't humorous to me. The running gag with his aliases also wore off pretty quickly. There didn't seem to be much of a plot, at least not one that I found interesting to follow, and there was no payoff in the end. I kept with it because I was hoping that it would go somewhere and reward me for its slow and methodical pacing, but it didn't. Finally, I can't believe that it cost $175M to make. Where did all of that money go? Toho's latest Godzilla film cost only $15M, yet is a period piece with a CGI monster, mass destruction, explosions, battleships and fighter planes. This film has a man sitting and waiting, then walking to and from places, usually alone and at night. If I didn't know, I would've guessed that it cost $15M and Godzilla $175M, not the other way around.

 

[Pink Mist]

Mysterious Object at Noon / ดอกฟ้าในมือมาร (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2000)

A camera crew travels all of Thailand asking villagers to invent the next chapter of an ever-growing story. A TV-obsessed boxer, a group of schoolkids, a lonely rubber-tree tapper and feuding food vendors all add to a tale that includes witches, tigers, surprise doublings, and impossible reversals.

The debut film by Thai auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul, a one-of-a-kind director in international cinema. It took me a while to understand what was going on - that the film is essentially told through a parlour game of exquisite corpse wherein the narrative is assembled by a participants adding to the fictional story where the person interviewed before them left off - but once I did it became really engaging. Each contribution by the participants is very revealing of their individual curiosities and imagination. Feels like a rough sketch of things to come from Apichatpong, that would be taken and fleshed out further in future films, but nonetheless a good debut. Lovely 16mm b&w cinematography.



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Afire / Roter Himmel (Christian Petzold, 2023)

Self-important author Leon joins his best friend on a summer holiday near the Baltic Sea to complete his novel. When they arrive, they find their house is already occupied by a carefree woman who challenges Leon to open up. Meanwhile, forest wildfires rage around them and impending disaster looms.

A clear step back from Petzold's incredible run of films in the 2010s (Barbara, Phoenix, Transit, Undine), although there is still lots to like in his latest film Afire, beginning with the performances by Thomas Schubert and Paula Beer. Schubert especially has the tough tole of playing an unlikeable egotistical asshole who sucks all any positive vibes out of any room he's in, but he somehow makes his character just sympathetic enough to make viewers engaged. I was onboard for most of the film but then there are a string of contrived events that happen in the final third that really took me out as it seemed Petzold struggled to come up with an adequate way to wrap up the Éric Rohmer influenced summer vacation in the film. Petzold not at his best, but definitely still worth watching.

Also Petzold was clearly obsessed with the song "In My Mind" during the pandemic as he played it nearly in full at least three times throughout the film (featured in the trailer below too). The song has too much main character energy and seems like something that would be cheaply used in a Netflix drama to elicit emotions in the viewer rather than in an auteur film.



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Enter the Void (Gaspar Noé, 2009)

Oscar is an American drug dealer living with his sister in Japan. Killed during a drug bust, Oscar’s spirit enters the astral plane. His journey through life after death takes him back to the past and through the present neon club scene of Tokyo after dark.

The first twenty minutes of Enter the Void, beginning with the credit sequences up until shortly after the main character's death, are incredible. A visual and technical treat that is equally stimulating and hypnotic. Unfortunately the film continues on for another two and a half hours or so.

The film is technically incredible, however the story is pretty flimsy and after those twenty minutes it just meanders on and on as Gaspar Noé engages with Joe Rogan-like enlightened frat bro philosophy and psychedelia. "Dude have you tried DMT??? "

There's only so much I can watch of Noé swirling the camera around and upside down, going down drains and through walls before I just become incredibly bored by the technical marvels. It literally could have ended anywhere in the last hour or so and it wouldn't have made a lick of difference to the story, and in fact probably would have been an improvement because it wouldn't have ended with me laughing out loud, like I did at that ejaculation and birth scene.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) - 8/10
A supremely uncomfortable film based on a novel of the same name by Lionel Shriver.

Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton) is forced to step away from her job as a travel agent and writer to deal with her troubled child, the titular Kevin (played by Ezra Miller through most of the film). Much of the film focuses on how Eva handles abuse from members of the community due to a horrible tragedy at the hands of her son.

From the time Kevin was an infant it was apparent that he was a deeply troubled child, frequently purposely antagonizing Eva, refusing affection from her, and crying incessantly. However, very manipulatively Kevin acts like an angel child when his father Franklin (John C. Reilly) is around.

When Kevin falls ill as a young child he shows affection to his mother for the first time and she comforts him by reading the story of Robin Hood, which sparks his interest in archery, leading to his father purchasing him a toy bow and arrow.

Eva gives birth to her and Franklin's second child, a daughter named Celia who is basically the opposite of Kevin, a bright and cheery young girl who loves bonding with her parents and seems to love her brother, despite his rough edge. This of course, causes Kevin's hatred for his mother and his life, to spiral even deeper.

Celia has an accident while Kevin was meant to be watching him, ultimately causing her to lose her eye. Eva blames Kevin and her deep distrust in their son leads Franklin to approach Eva with a request to divorce. Kevin overhears the conversation and angrily confronts his parents about it.

These events culminate in Kevin committing an atrocity, which I will not spoil for anyone who hasn't seen the film or read the novel.


As I stated earlier, the film has an incredibly uncomfortable energy throughout. The acting is excellent, the music has some good selections, however it does get a bit repetitive. All in all, a great gripping film.

 

[kihei]

Saltburn (2023) Directed by Emerald Fennel 7C

Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan--the mentally challenged kid in The Banshees of Inisherin), of modest background, enters his first year at Oxford and finds that the higher class students show no qualms about rubbing his face in their sense of privilege and entitlement. When he befriends Felix (Jacob Elordi), one of the landed gentry, with the loan of his bike, Felix returns the favour. When he finds out about Oliver's tragic family predicament, he invites Oliver to his family estate when the spring term ends. What ensues, let's say, is a memorable summer for all concerned, those who survive it anyway.

Saltburn is pretty much a lock to be hands down the most divisive film of the year. There will be something in it likely to shock everyone--you are going to get a regular jolt and I would be willing to bet that at least one of them sticks to the wall. Nasty, acidic, funny, sharp as a poisoned-tip tack, Oliver's adventures among the rich and elite stand as a vicious class satire--though, here's the rub, it's not always clear what class is being pilloried. Certainly, not the working class. But it is a toss up which class is more vilified here--the upper or the middle. On paper, the upper class would appear to be the target but Felix's parents don't seem that bad. Of course, the mom Lady Elspeth needs to be reminded that Liverpool is near water, but she doesn't make a big deal about Felix's uncultured manners either. The posh life is certainly made to look like a very attractive one--an attraction enhanced by the film's beautiful, sumptuous cinematography. Perhaps, Oliver, the needy interloper, symbolizes the real culprit here--a common house fly who has landed smack dab in the lobster bisque and spoiled it. Hard to know, because the movie is fuzzy on these kinds of major details. While Saltburn has been compared to The Talented Mr. Ripley, to me its truer antecedent is Joseph Losey's The Servant (1963) with Dirk Bogarde. The protagonists in both movies show a genuine sense of cunning, even loathing. Love the movie or hate it, Saltburn is a bracing provocation in a bland year.


Best of '23 so far

1) Riceboy Sleeps, Shim, Canada
2) Anatomy of a Fall, Triet, France
3) Oppenheimer, Nolan, US
4) El Conde, Larrain, Chile
5) Barbie, Gerwig, US
6) Close Your Eyes, Erice, Spain
7) Afire, Petzold, Germany
8) Beyond Utopia, Gavin, US (documentary)
9) Dream Scenario, Borgli, US
10) Saltburn, Fennell, UK

 

[Pink Mist]

A rare film list of hidden gems that is appropriately titled, as I actually have not seen any of the films and have only heard of a handful. Criteria are they are films that received just one vote in the recent Sight and Sound survey. @kihei how many of the 101 films have you seen?

101 hidden gems: the greatest films you’ve never seen

 

[kihei]

Monster (2023) Directed by Hirukazu Kore-eda 5A

Saori, a single mom in a society that frowns on single moms, is appalled when her son comes home with physical injuries. She is even more aghast when she learns that the injuries weren't caused by a schoolyard bully, but by a teacher. She marches off to her son's school and demands an explanation. She is met with mostly silence as everyone tries to save face. Eventually a kind of justice prevails, but the movie is only half over. Then Monster switches to the teacher's perspective and we enter a world of swirling possibilities and alternate explanations. The perspective then shifts to two little boys, Saori's son and his friend, and even more issues cloud what seems to have been an open-and-shut case.

As these various ways of seeing things get more convoluted, the plot gets more contrived and more melodramatic. Kore-eda used to be a naturalistic director immune to melodrama, but as he ages, he seems to employ more and more of it with each passing movie. In this case, the shifts in perspective seem less Roshomon-like and more like kindred spirits to Paul Haggis' manipulative Crash. The end result is to make the movie seem like its message could not be more trite: everybody can be a monster from some perspective. The open-ended finale didn't please me either, a lazy way out. This is Kore-eda so there is much that is beautifully done in this movie. However, I think Monster might be his most overrated work so far.

subtitles

 

[kihei]

A rare film list of hidden gems that is appropriately titled, as I actually have not seen any of the films and have only heard of a handful. Criteria are they are films that received just one vote in the recent Sight and Sound survey. @kihei how many of the 101 films have you seen?

101 hidden gems: the greatest films you’ve never seen

Very, very few:

Me and My Gal
Devil in the Flesh
Requiem for a Heavyweight
The Organiser (my favourite of the lot)
An Unforgettable Summer
Viva Riva!

A couple of more seem vaguely familiar, but I might just have read about them, not seen them. Not sure, so not on the list.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Very, very few:

Me and My Gal
Devil in the Flesh
Requiem for a Heavyweight
The Organiser (my favourite of the lot)
An Unforgettable Summer
Viva Riva!

A couple of more seem vaguely familiar, but I might just have read about them, not seen them. Not sure, so not on the list.

I've got three:
The Organiser
The Loveless
Viva Riva!

BeDevil has been on my watch list for a while, but I've yet to track it down.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Dream Scenario (2023) - Cute/funny flick despite the ending. Navigates its points well without letting it take over the story, always remaining on right footing. Obviously the acts are exaggerated (i.e. I don't think Cage's character would suffer such a huge backlash when the nightmare portion begins) but the balance between surrealism/realism is well-played. Not surprised Cage is getting big hype for this one. Feels like something that's not exactly memorable but will bring a smirk or smile when remembered.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

The Mirror Crack'd. An all-star Agatha Christie Miss. Marple adaptation in the vein of the assorted 70s/80s Poirot adaptations. As with those, this has a steady British hand at the helm (Guy Hamilton of assorted Bond movies and one of those Poirots) and an odd mixed bag final result. As with the Peter Ustinov Poirot movies vs. the David Suchet TV movies I found myself drawn to that deep supporting cast, while not totally vibing with our central sleuth. These productions are excuses to dust off some ol' pros, wind them up and let them roll through a scene or two or three. No exceptions to that front here. Rock Hudson carries most of the dramatic/emotional burden with aplomb while Tony Curtis and Kim Novak get the over-the-top fun. Edward Fox's sly inspector also leaves an impression. But Angela Lansbury's Marple leaves me wanting. Too aggressive and brash (comparatively) versus Joan Hickson's much subtler and gentler approach on the TV movies that would come a few years later. There's a budget and depth TV can't match, but it was hard for me not to miss my preferred portrayal. This does open with a fun fakeout and good piece of character table-setting created for the movie I quite liked.

The Counselor. I'd say I'm back on my bullshit, but I've always been here. There's a vocal online minority that defends this mean lil' Ridley Scott flop and I am proud to say I'm a card carrying inaugural member! We have a handshake and secret code and everything! Revisited again and my opinion remains unchanged. It's Ridley doing a Michael Mann movie (or a Tony Scott movie, but I actually think Mann is more apt), but instead of showcasing professionalism and competence, these protagonists are all naively in over their heads. Arrogant, horny, greedy dudes who swagger with the confidence of men in control, only realizing too late that they not only aren't in control, they maybe never were. The plot is some standard issue drug dealer stuff, but what really makes it sing is the cold philosophizing of Cormac McCarthy's script. Everybody speaks in McCarthy's barbbed wisdom, but Ruben Blades in particualr gets a hell of a speech toward the end. An evil man but with the gentle manner of a wisened grandfather sharing an important life lesson to a misbehaving grandchild. One criticism is that Michael Fassbender is too cool a customer to sell the emotion he needs to sell. I can see that, but he's such a surface driven character I kinda feel he's almost acting how he feels he needs to act. But maybe I'm giving too much benefit of the doubt. Cameron Diaz is a lot of fun in this, but I'm not totally sure she pulls off the role. But she doesn't miss by much.

The Queen. One of two celebrated, Best Picture nominated movies I watched this weekend that begat TV series that are more popular and better remembered than the movies that led to them. (The Crown in this case. Gosford Park which led to Downton Abbey is the other). Watched this after watching The Crown's epsiode that also covers the aftermath of Princess Di's death. What struck me in this rewatch of The Queen was how ... funny it is. Might seem odd and my memory didn't hold it in that regard, but rewatching and despite the inciting incident, it's almost this political comedy of errors. The tension at the heart of the story is Queen Elizabeth and the monarchy being stuck in the old/traditional ways and not grasping the reality of the situation vs. the more modern Tony Blair ever so gently trying to help them get to the place they need to be for their own good. But their obstienance and Blair's exasperation plays like humor to me more than drama. I've had a fond memory of it, but even more so now. Could easily be dismissed as stodgy awards bait, but it doesn't play like that at all to me. A much more lively and interesting film.

The deleted scenes for The Counselor are awesome. There's one where some kingpin gives a long monologue about choices to Fassbender that's vintage McCarthy.

 

[kihei]

Leave the World Behind (2023) Directed by Sam Esmail 6A

Amanda and Clay, along with their two teenage children Archie and Rose, rent a beautiful house in Long Island because they want a little vacation from their lives in nearby Manhattan. Soon there is a knock on the door and two strangers, a man and a young woman, announce that they would like to spend the night. Allegedly, George, in tow with his daughter Ruth, owns the house. He has the key to the liquor cabinet, so all seems legit. Amanda, who announces even before the credits that she “f***ing hates people”, recoils at the idea of allowing two strangers to spend the night, but Clay is more understanding, and besides George gives them a substantial rebate on the expensive rent. Sounds like one of those “mystery man” movies where you don’t know whom to trust. However, Leave the World Behind quickly morphs into something else entirely. Strange things are going on all over the place that are freaking out everybody. People need to figure out what is going on and fast.

Leave the World Behind is one of those movies that will split people just about right down the middle…not because it is provocative or controversial, but because it’s as easy to say good things about it as it is to say bad things about it. There are some plot holes and long-winded scenes. But I thought Leave the World Behind was a reasonably engaging and fresh take on an established genre, a movie with some insightful things to say about civility, neighbourliness, the fragility of the social order, and the deterioration of the notion of the common good. Plus, it has a terrific cast in Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, and Myha’la. It was fun to watch a movie where all the high-priced stars actually deliver committed performances. I suppose you could say that A Quiet Place does this sort of number better, and I wouldn’t pick a fight. But let’s put it this way, you could do a lot, lot worse when it comes to Netflix movies.

 

[Osprey]

FYI, until the server admins fix hotlinked images not displaying, you can save them to your computer (ex. to your Downloads folder) and then use the "Attach files" button to add them to your posts. They work that way.

 

[kihei]

The Three Musketeers, Part 1: D'Artagnan (2023) Directed by Martin Bourboulon 7A

The story never gets old. It is 1625 and the young, headstrong D'Artagnan (Francois Civil) rides to Paris to join the King's Guard. Within a matter of hours he has separately offended Athos, (Vincent Cassel), Aramiis (Romain Duris) and Porthos, the famous Three Musketeers. He must duel each of them an hour apart, if he survives the first challenge. Of course, he does, and he and his new friends go on to protect the reputation of the Queen of France and thwart an evil plot by the power hungry Cardinal Richelieu, though at some cost. In so doing, they prove their loyalty to France and its king. The plot is a wonderful collection of crises, romantic interludes and sword play and the cast is uniformly excellent. In short, it is a sumptuous production, well paced and well photographed. The Three Musketeers, Part 1: D'Artagnan demonstrates that there is still something to be said for good old-fashioned story telling, the kind of movies that some people claim aren't made anymore. According to Wiki there have been over 50 adaptations of The Three Musketeers--I have probably seen at least a half dozen of them over the years. With the possible exception of Richard Lester's mischievously irreverent version in1973, The Three Musketeers, Part 1: D'Artagnan leads the field. I look forward eagerly to part two.

subtitles


Best of '23 so far

1) Riceboy Sleeps, Shim, Canada
2) Anatomy of a Fall, Triet, France
3) Oppenheimer, Nolan, US
4) El Conde, Larrain, Chile
5) Close Your Eyes, Erice, Spain
6) Barbie, Gerwig, US
7) Afire, Petzold, Germany
8) The Three Musketeers, Part 1: D'Artagnan, Bourboulon, France
9) Beyond Utopia, Gavin, US (documentary)
10) Saltburn, Fennell, UK

 

[End of Line]

The Deer Hunter (1978) 10/10

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) 8.5/10

 

[Pink Mist]

Hamlet Goes Business / Hamlet liikemaailmassa (Aki Kaurismäki, 1987)

When Hamlet discovers his father’s deceased body, he finds himself pulled into a power struggle as his scheming uncle attempts to secure a monopoly on the Scandinavian rubber duck industry. Will Hamlet avenge his father? Will he become the king of rubber ducks? Does any of it really matter?

Ham... Let me!

Of the Hamlet film adaptations, Aki Kaurismäki's Hamlet Goes Business is among the most unique ones (and there have been many many adaptations). Adapting Hamlet to the modern day and swapping the Kingdom of Denmark for a leading Nordic rubber duckie manufacturing company, this is clearly Shakespeare Kaurismäki style (much like his other literary adaptation of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment). One of his best shot films that I've seen by Kaurismäki, in great b&w cinematography with excellent and creative imagery with touches of surrealism. Also has one of the funniest death scenes I've seen in a long time, involving a radio smashed on someone's head (playing Finnish rock & roll, of course, this is a Kaurismäki film after all). Hamlet Goes Business is a deeply slept on film in Kaurismäki's filmography, I think it's among his best works and it is certainly one of his boldest.



--------------------------------------------------------

The Piano (Jane Campion, 1993)

A mute Scottish woman arrives in colonial New Zealand for an arranged marriage. Her husband refuses to move her beloved piano, giving it to neighbor George Baines, who agrees to return the piano in exchange for lessons. As desire swirls around the duo, the wilderness consumes the European enclave.

Some great performances (although Harvey Keitel's accent is all over the place), and gorgeously shot. However, the sexual politics and the depictions of indigenous people are a little complicated, particularly the latter which borders on offensive at times. For the sexual politics, I get the film is about a woman regaining her agency in man's world but ultimately it is still a story of her getting blackmailed into sex, and I require a lot more to believe that she would develop romantic feelings the way she did with George Baines.



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The Metamorphosis of Birds / A Metamorfose dos Pássaros (Catarina Vasconcelos, 2020)

Filmmaker Catarina Vasconcelos sifts through the memories of her ancestors. Her naval officer grandfather, Henrique, who married her grandmother, Beatriz, on her 21st birthday, spent extended periods at sea, leaving her with six children. This is the beginning of a generational saga.

Blend of documentary and fiction with a novelistic lyricism telling the generational story of a family over beautiful static shots. At times difficult to follow the deeply personal story, and at times overly poetic with its monologues, but almost always well composed with painterly like cinematography that is gorgeous to look at. Reminds me a lot of the work of fellow Portuguese director Pedro Costa (Vitalina Varela)

My cat loved it. She watched every minute of it intently, particularly anytime there bird sounds or leaves and nature.

Full film:


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Dogtooth / Κυνόδοντας (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2009)

In an effort to protect their children from the corrupting influence of the outside world, a couple transforms their home into a gated compound of cultural deprivation. When the father invites a trusted outsider into their home their reality begins to crumble, with devastating consequences.

Fun in its absurdity - I love the way it plays with language - but I don't know, maybe because I've seen other Lanthimos films, as well as many of his contemporaries in the Greek Weird Wave, it feels a little played out and doesn't hold up to its reputation I had heard of? By no means bad, a solid film, but I don't know that I would call it the best film that came out of the Greek Weird Wave, let alone one of the best films of that decade. Still though, I wish I watched in the pandemic because it is the ultimate quarantine movie.



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Strella / Στρέλλα (Panos H. Koutras, 2009)

Yiorgos is released from prison after 14 years of incarceration for a murder he committed in his small Greek village. He spends his first night out in a cheap downtown hotel in Athens. There he meets Strella, a young trans sex worker. They spend the night together and soon they fall in love.

A modern Greek tragedy told through the relationship between a trans sex worker and a formerly incarcerated man. Really loved the first half of the film, I thought the romance/chemistry between the two leads was strong, as well as a great depiction of trans life. However, a twist is revealed in the second half of the film that totally derails the film for me: An incest plot, ends up he is unknowingly the father to her. I saw the foreshadowing for it and was hoping the director was not going to go down that route since it seemed hacky and such a poor representation of trans and queer culture... but yet. I'm not of that identity though, so I'm no authority and I'll leave that debate to others, but to me it seems borderline offensive? Surely there was a better story that could have been told to arrive at the point the film was trying to get to at the end about family bonds. The lead actress, Mina Orfanou was fantastic in it though, it seems like its her only acting role, which is really surprising since she put in a very powerful and professional performance.



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L (Babis Makridis, 2012)

The protagonist, aged 40, lives in his car and receives his family at fixed times. His employer is a rich narcoleptic who can’t drive. The driver provides him with special honey. But when an even better driver comes along, he loses his job and decides to look for another means of transport.

Finishing my run of Greek Weird Wave films with Babis Makridis' L, which in fact is not a prequel to Fritz Lang's M.

Yorgos Lanthimos is often considered to be the king of the Greek Weird Wave, with his run of oddball films from the late 2000s through the 2010s (Dogtooth, Alps) that launched his career in Hollywood beginning with The Lobster. However, I think the real king is probably screenwriter Efthymis Filippou who wrote those early Lanthimos films, in addition to other notable Greek Weird Wave films, including Babis Makridis' L. Like the other Greek Weird Wave films, L is an absurdist deadpan comedy that takes place in a world uniquely its own, in this case where a man, who is a professional driver that lives in his car, searches for identity and meaning among other drivers, motorcycle gangs, and man-bears. Late 2000s/early 2010s was a difficult time in Greek life as they were shook by the debt crisis and their citizens went through unemployment and pointless existences - making it ripe for absurdity to politically point at these tensions and struggles, and that's what is thematically touched on here. If you liked Dogtooth or Alps, you'll like L because its very much of the same vein of absurdity and wackiness.

 

[93LEAFS]

The Holdovers (8.5/10)

Loved the seriousness/depth/theme of the film combined with hysterical moments of comedy. A truly great Dramady and an interesting take on a Christmas film. Of the movies I've seen in theatres this year, I'd say it was probably the most enjoyable alongside Air (that one hit heavy on the nostalgia), just for reference off the top of my head I've seen Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, Air, Guardians of the Galaxy vol 3, and Asteroid City in theatres this year. Alexander Payne delivers again.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Rewatched for the zillionth time:

9/10

 

[Unholy Diver]

Godzilla minus one - 8.5/10

I don't watch many foreign language / subtitled movies, but this was well worth the reading, movie had my undivided attention, much more emotion than I expected from a Godzilla movie, very well done

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Le Mans (1971) - 7.5/10

Pure cinema. It's almost like watching an extended version of the intro of a racing game (and the actual intro is fantastic). Settles into just showing off Steve McQueen, yeah it's a bit dull at times but pure racing. Doesn't have the amount of overtakes or crazy stunts or forced drama of modern racing films but it's got such a good rhythm.

Happening (2021) - 6.5/10

More detached than other abortion films like Never Rarely Sometimes Always and really focuses the main character into the frame for almost every shot (and can actually justify being shot in 4:3 unlike a lot of stuff lately). But for me it doesn't get the balance right between exploitative for emotion and being a film.

Secret Sunshine (2007) - 7/10

Interesting portrayal of grief, more emotional than Burning which this director later did. Not as subtle very visceral, worth a watch.

Afire (2023) - 7/10

Uncomfortable mixed start where some scenes border on something good before moving on to the next moment but settles in to a good film in the final third. I think for the director, it isn't enough to establish the personality of the lead, he really has to show the man's jealousy, insecurity, etc to drive the point which makes the first half more tedious than the more natural parts of the film.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) - 5/10

f***ing wank but not as bad as the last Indiana Jones film. Phoebe Bridge's character is awful, overly smug in an unlikable way and the rest of the film decides to just copy the tiring template of having Harrison Ford run around narrowly avoiding death with over the top villains and everything else, just a tiring pace.

 

[booyakasha]

leave the world behind

f***in ASS!!

so, so bad.