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

[Chili]

Jesse James-1939

Parson: 'I had a big house, 2 barns, 3 outhouses until that gawl dang railroad hornswoggled me'

Jesse (Tyrone Power) and Frank James (Henry Fonda) in another of the memorable films of that year, beautifully shot in technicolor. A number of facts here mixed in with the fictional parts. One of the chases on horseback was impressive, a frontal shot of the getaway at close range at the gallop. Before Butch & Sundance jumped off a cliff to escape capture, Jesse and Frank were performing a similar stunt, only with horses (this was painful to watch) It feels like a John Ford film, was actually directed by Henry King (Twelve O'clock High, The Gunfighter, The Sun Also Rises). Leads and support cast are top notch both friends and adversaries including Randolph Scott, Brian Donlevy, Jane Darwell and Henry Hull. As someone said, 'Special film, special cast, just not a history lesson'.

The Return of Frank James-1940

A sequel to the 1939 film, Henry Fonda returned as Frank as well as a few others. He returns from his new life when he learns of Jesse's fate, seeking to make things right. But he is still a wanted man. The highlight for me was the court scenes and Henry Hull's passionate defence of Frank. Facts again are at a premium but it's still a good film. Gene Tierney's first film and another interesting name as director, Fritz Lang.

The True Story of Jesse James-1957

The film starts with the famous Northfield Minnesota raid. Then flashs back to how Frank and Jesse came to a life of crime. Something like Brad Pitt's portrayal in 2007, Robert Wagner as Jesse is not a very nice dude, including to his gang and brother. For a train robbery scene, footage from 1939 film was used. The raid footage at the beginning of the film is repeated later on. Didn't seem to add alot to the story told in 1939, just corrected some of the fiction. Curious film for Nicholas Ray, may have been different if one of his choices for Jesse had been available (i.e James Dean or Elvis Presley).

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford-2007

Brad Pitt takes a turn as Jesse James and plays him with a nasty side. This one appears to be more historically accurate then others. It's slow and plodding at times. I'm not a fan of narrated films in general and here there is distracting background music during narration. And pouring rain and music at the same time? I did appreciate that the film goes further in telling the story beyond the climax. Much of the film is focused on Robert Ford's story (played by Casey Affleck). Interesting movie but the most entertaining for me is still the 1939 film.

According to wiki, there are 31 different films on this story. I have seen three of the others: Kansas Raiders about the Quantrill raiders angle, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid and The Long Riders with four sets of brothers playing the roles, the Keachs, Quaids, Carradines and Guests. From memory, thought all three films had some merit.

Seems like one of the most filmed stories in the history of film, this side of Wyatt Earp.

Nomadland-2021

Fern (Frances McDormand) has had major setbacks in her life, her husband passing away, the gypsum plant where she worked closed and the town where they had settled subsequently died. Now she's living out of her van,working when she can find it, like at an Amazon distribution plant. As she says 'I'm not homeless, just houseless'. Interesting that many of the characters were real life nomads. There is a scene where she returns to her now deserted town, reflecting on what was. Beautifully shot as she travels around, making transient friends. A well done human story.

Summertime-1955

A film of Venice, Italy and an American tourist's visit. Beautiful shot of Jane (Katherine Hepburn) arriving by train into the city on water to start the film. She experiences the canals, gondolas, historic architecture, outdoor cafes, a nighttime concert with some well placed fireworks. And a bit of amore when she meets a local merchant, Signor Renato di Rossi (Rossano Brazzi). There is a scene where Kate falls into the canal, reminded me of what a strong swimmer she was. I know I have seen other movies filmed in Venice but this one is hard to top.

David Lean's favorite film with his favorite actress Katharine Hepburn (from Kevin Brownlow's biography of DL). His goal was that one of his favorite cities would be the star of this film. Jack Hildyard won the Oscar for cinematography (edit: a year later for Bridge on the River Kwai, don't know why he wasn't nominated for this film?). Magical & memorable, much more than a romance story. O sole mio.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

According to wiki, there are 31 different films on this story. I have seen three of the others: Kansas Raiders about the Quantrill raiders angle, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid and The Long Riders with four sets of brothers playing the roles, the Keachs, Quaids, Carradines and Guests. From memory, thought all three films had some merit.

Seems like one of the most filmed stories in the history of film, this side of Wyatt Earp.

I went on a big Walter Hill kick about a year ago. The Long Riders has its moments, but it is crippled by the odd decision to give the most compelling character (Jesse) to the least compelling actor (James Keach). The Keach brothers co-wrote the script so they got to call their shot, but it's hard not to look at that cast and imagine Stacy Keach or Dennis Quaid as a much better Jesse.

Hill's recreation of the Northfield raid is memorable though. Clearly influenced by The Wild Bunch which he'd then repurpose again in the excellent Extreme Prejudice a few years later.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Napoleon three ways:

Napoleon. Joaquin Pheonix plays Napoleon as a weird loner crippled by his sexual hang-ups. (Big year for him on that front with Beau is Afraid as well.) I was lukewarm on the movie, but one thing I did like was something I didn't expect — it's deliberately funny. Didn't expect real jokes and real laughs. It'd be pretty boring without that occasional spice. But it's not as funny as ....

Time Bandits. Ian Holm plays Napoleon as a tempermental height-obsessed moron driven by basic and child-like urges. "That's what I like! Little things hitting each other!" At least he has an accent. But that still isn't as funny as ...

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Terry Camilleri plays Napoleon as a Ziggy Piggy.

 

[Unholy Diver]

Dune Pt 2 - 8.5/10

I enjoyed in quite a bit, saw it in the XD bigger and louder theater, and it looked and sounded great, I just hope it isn't a long wait til the next one

 

[Nakatomi]

Poor Things - 8/10

A fascinating movie. I was thoroughly entertained. It has a couple of slower parts I thought could've been trimmed down but that's a go-to refrain from me in a world of 2+ hour movies.

I frankly found this much superior to Barbie if comparing them as two movies about a naive woman going out into the real world. I laughed more at this, found it overall more engaging and interesting, and I thought the sets and little details were more fun. That last point would be the closest to a tie for Barbie.

Anyway, I'd recommend this one to anyone on the fence. It's quite interesting and Emma Stone has a ton of fun with the character.

 

[Nakatomi]

Have any of you seen Smooth Talk from 1985? It is story about a teenage girl, played by a young Laura Dern, who is all about catching the eyes of boys at the local mall or sneaking to the beach with her friends. I wasn't too enthralled but there is some 80s nostalgia to be had for those craving it.

However, and I don't want to give anything away, but the movie takes quite a tonal shift about 2/3 of the way in and....turns out I can't figure out spoiler tags so I'll just say the scene starting after Dern's family goes to the cookout has stuck with me since.

 

[Sad People]

Watched the 2nd Sicario film today and thought it was pretty bad compared to the 1st film.

 

[The Macho King]

Decided to rewatch The Big Lebowski for the 100th time.

Jeff Bridges not getting a Best Actor nomination for this is a God damned travesty. Philip Seymour Hoffman kills every line delivery. Goodman and Buscemi are wonderful. Julianne Moore is ridiculous in her few scenes.

Honestly a perfect film. Depending on my mood it may be my favorite Coen with a half dozen others. I'm a sucker for a shaggy dog story. 10/10

 

[Osprey]

I just started to watch The Zone of Interest. This is a movie, right? It feels like a test of patience.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I feel like I've been watching a lot of good, highbrow movies lately. Needed to cleanse the palate.

America 3000. A movie that has enough of a sense of fun to score a battle scene to the 1812 Overture but not the decency to actually edit the explosions to the music. What's the point? Another post-apocalyptic 80s movie that raids the costume department of some unsuspecting studio. It's shooting for satire not seriousness but it's not funny or clever enough to hit. That said, the last five minutes of this (right up until its freeze frame ending) had me HOWLING. I can't in good conscience say the journey is worth the destination BUT I really had to think about that.

Gigli. I don't like the Razzies. It's never been particularly inspired movie commentary. Mostly lame jokes, pot shots and stomping on low hanging fruit. It's fun to poke fun at Hollywood. But I'd prefer it to, you know, actually be funny. Finally watched this famed JLo and Ben Affleck disaster and it has me thinking maybe the Razzies do have a place. I will say one positive and that is that JLo is genuinely pretty charming in this, at least before her character arc goes off the rails about midway through. But Justin Bartha, JFC this guy should be in jail for his performance.
(Edit: also the guy who played Napoleon on Bill & Ted, which I just watched and praised, is in the opening scene of this. One of those weird small world things.)

 

[The Macho King]

I feel like I've been watching a lot of good, highbrow movies lately. Needed to cleanse the palate.

America 3000. A movie that has enough of a sense of fun to score a battle scene to the 1812 Overture but not the decency to actually edit the explosions to the music. What's the point? Another post-apocalyptic 80s movie that raids the costume department of some unsuspecting studio. It's shooting for satire not seriousness but it's not funny or clever enough to hit. That said, the last five minutes of this (right up until its freeze frame ending) had me HOWLING. I can't in good conscience say the journey is worth the destination BUT I really had to think about that.

Gigli. I don't like the Razzies. It's never been particularly inspired movie commentary. Mostly lame jokes, pot shots and stomping on low hanging fruit. It's fun to poke fun at Hollywood. But I'd prefer it to, you know, actually be funny. Finally watched this famed JLo and Ben Affleck disaster and it has me thinking maybe the Razzies do have a place. I will say one positive and that is that JLo is genuinely pretty charming in this, at least before her character arc goes off the rails about midway through. But Justin Bartha, JFC this guy should be in jail for his performance.

Poking fun at movies and Hollywood's obsession with itself is good and fun. The Razzies has just so many colossal misses and mean for the sake of meanness embedded in them that I'd rather they just stopped existing all together.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Poking fun at movies and Hollywood's obsession with itself is good and fun. The Razzies has just so many colossal misses and mean for the sake of meanness embedded in them that I'd rather they just stopped existing all together.

100%

The concept is fine. But the execution has always been pretty dumb and juvenile.

Except for Gigli. Gigli deserves it.

 

[The Macho King]

Ready to join the discourse with Oppenheimer.

Murphy and RDJ are great. Also really liked Damon. Visually looks great. It's... very Nolan. And I don't love Nolan.

This *is* probably my favorite of his films, but I still felt like he misses something in the soul of the thing whenever he covers something. He got tremendous performances from basically everyone. The subject is interesting. And honestly it's paced really well and despite it's length it doesn't feel like 3 hours. But it never... elevates for me. It's the John Tavares of movies - great tools, does exactly what it sets out to do, but never gives you that extra oomph.

A few things that really stood out to me. I like the score and sound design. The cast is full of "hey it's that guy!" in the best way.

7/10

 

[The Macho King]

So tonight is a movie night.

Francis Ha

Man im having a hard time not hating the main character. She kind of feels like every boomer meme about millennials. It feels like it's the point, but there's an amazing lack of self reflection of someone that demands to be pitied for her lot in life that is entirely of her own making.

There's a slight bit of redemption/development at the end, but... idk it isn't aspirational but it's supposed to be relatable and I just hate her? It's like the main female character in Chungking Express but without the charm?

Still a fun watch though. Well made. 6.5/10

 

[kihei]

Ready to join the discourse with Oppenheimer.

Murphy and RDJ are great. Also really liked Damon. Visually looks great. It's... very Nolan. And I don't love Nolan.

This *is* probably my favorite of his films, but I still felt like he misses something in the soul of the thing whenever he covers something. He got tremendous performances from basically everyone. The subject is interesting. And honestly it's paced really well and despite it's length it doesn't feel like 3 hours. But it never... elevates for me. It's the John Tavares of movies - great tools, does exactly what it sets out to do, but never gives you that extra oomph.

A few things that really stood out to me. I like the score and sound design. The cast is full of "hey it's that guy!" in the best way.

7/10

Good points all around. My pet peeve is that as good as the movie is I wish there were way less of the RDjr subplot. To me, the importance that it is given is not commensurate with its value to the story.

 

[The Macho King]

Good points all around. My pet peeve is that as good as the movie is I wish there were way less of the RDjr subplot. To me, the importance that it is given is not commensurate with its value to the story.

Oddly I think that was my favorite part. It felt like the actors actually got to really do something there.

I've thought about this more and I've landed on Nolan relies on elevated concepts to do a lot of the directing for him. This contrasts with directors I think that can elevate banal concepts into something more. That's why he feels so mundane to me despite the frankly interesting premise. Credit to him doing interesting topics, but it feels mechanical instead of inspired.

 

[Nakatomi]

The Little Things : Rami Malek looks like he is always trying to quietly eat a potato chip or prevent a frog from leaping from his mouth.

The movie had all the pieces to be good but the third act was just garbage. Very lame.

 

[Unholy Diver]

Kung Fu Panda 4 - 8/10

Fun family fare with Jack Black and Awkwafina voicing the main characters and Viola Davis as the "Big" bad guy, some decent chuckles, and a gem of a Tenacious D cover song in the closing credits

 

[KlausJopling]

Poor Things

I would say you need to be in the right mood for it, like all Lanthimos films. Stone is amazing, but I think the supporting cast holds their own which is impressive. Probably my favorite Lanthimos film and right there with my favorite of the last year.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Decided to rewatch The Big Lebowski for the 100th time.

Jeff Bridges not getting a Best Actor nomination for this is a God damned travesty. Philip Seymour Hoffman kills every line delivery. Goodman and Buscemi are wonderful. Julianne Moore is ridiculous in her few scenes.

Honestly a perfect film. Depending on my mood it may be my favorite Coen with a half dozen others. I'm a sucker for a shaggy dog story. 10/10

When it comes to the Coen brothers, I'd probably have Miller's Crossing, No Country for Old Men and A Serious Man all equal. The latter is a seriously underrated film.

They have a hell of a resume though. So many quality films.

 

[Chairman Maouth]

Dirty Grandpa (2016)

Robert De Niro
Zac Efron
Zoey Deutch
Aubrey Plaza
Julianne Hough
Dermot Mulroney

About 5 minutes into this film we are treated to a scene of Robert De Niro masturbating. I just about quit right there. That was just too much to take in. I love De Niro. He is arguably the greatest actor of all time, but to see him polishing the flagpole? No, thank you.

But I soldiered on.

Every scene was a new juvenile vulgarity seemingly intended only to shock the audience. Indeed, in this film, juvenile vulgarity is a substitute for quality dialogue and multi-dimensional characters.

This film has no redeeming value whatsoever, and at the 27:27 mark, I threw in the towel and surrendered. The premise sucks, the script sucks, and the actors are hindered by the shit script. If it weren't for the fact that for over 50 years De Niro has banked massive credibility and accolades for his acting ability in some of the greatest films of all time, I might never care about watching another De Niro film again.

The saving grace is that this is a 2016 film, and De Niro has since returned to his old form in more Martin Scorsese collaborations. One might surmise though that Marty Scorsese felt sorry for De Niro when he saw Dirty Grandpa and threw his old friend a bone when he saw his old friend romancing the bone.

 

[SniperHF]

I'm sure I'm not alone in seeing a few of these that are now on subscription streaming for free.

Killers of The Flower Moon.
So a few things off the top. 1. It's too damn long. 2. I don't really understand some of the more over the top praise for Lily Gladstone, she was fine but it wasn't a very rangey performance and half the movie her character is in a stupor. 3. I thought De Niro killed it actually, his best performance in a long long time.

I really liked the historicity of it though, the attention to the detail in the sets and affect of the characters if perhaps a little over the top at times. There's about an hour and 45 min good movie in there somewhere but they went for the epic tragedy and outkicked their coverage. The last hour is a mess.
Conclusion: A well executed mess of a script that needed harsher editing.



Napoleon
So it's a Ridley Scott historical flick, they are gonna skip over some stuff don't worry about it too much. Aside from that I found it kind of the opposite of the prior movie. Much more poorly acted and directed but a much better script (again historical liberties and brevity noted). Phoenix was the right man for older Napoleon but is laughable as the younger. No other actors are really worth mentioning. There's barely any supporting cast in this film every historical figure is kind of a drive by that only serves to advance the narrative. (someone needs to make a Talleyrand movie)

It's a very compact film given the potential depth of the subject, that doesn't outstay its welcome so I found it very watchable. But I'd never watch it again.
Conclusion: Aim small miss small? Lol. Is it better to be Killers of the Flower Moon, aiming high and ending up kinda messy middle brow or Napoleon that doesn't aim very high at all?

 

[Chairman Maouth]

I'm sure I'm not alone in seeing a few of these that are now on subscription streaming for free.

Killers of The Flower Moon.
So a few things off the top. 1. It's too damn long. 2. I don't really understand some of the more over the top praise for Lily Gladstone, she was fine but it wasn't a very rangey performance and half the movie her character is in a stupor. 3. I thought De Niro killed it actually, his best performance in a long long time.

I really liked the historicity of it though, the attention to the detail in the sets and affect of the characters if perhaps a little over the top at times. There's about an hour and 45 min good movie in there somewhere but they went for the epic tragedy and outkicked their coverage. The last hour is a mess.
Conclusion: A well executed mess of a script that needed harsher editing.



Napoleon
So it's a Ridley Scott historical flick, they are gonna skip over some stuff don't worry about it too much. Aside from that I found it kind of the opposite of the prior movie. Much more poorly acted and directed but a much better script (again historical liberties and brevity noted). Phoenix was the right man for older Napoleon but is laughable as the younger. No other actors are really worth mentioning. There's barely any supporting cast in this film every historical figure is kind of a drive by that only serves to advance the narrative. (someone needs to make a Talleyrand movie)

It's a very compact film given the potential depth of the subject, that doesn't outstay its welcome so I found it very watchable. But I'd never watch it again.
Conclusion: Aim small miss small? Lol. Is it better to be Killers of the Flower Moon, aiming high and ending up kinda messy middle brow or Napoleon that doesn't aim very high at all?

I have it saved in a 20 GB file. I just haven't been able to put aside a day to watch it yet.

 

[The Macho King]

When it comes to the Coen brothers, I'd probably have Miller's Crossing, No Country for Old Men and A Serious Man all equal. The latter is a seriously underrated film.

They have a hell of a resume though. So many quality films.

I mean - the only wrong answer with the Coens if asked what your favorite movie is would be The Ladykillers.

I'm probably in the Big Lebowski, Fargo, Hail Caesar! camp, but there are no wrong answers here. I think they play silly so well, and that's a trait that like... no other filmmaker really nails quite as well.

As an aside I need to watch Inherent Vice - I've heard of it as "PTA tries to make a Coen Brothers film" and I'm interested to see how that goes. Also I really like Pynchon.

 

[kihei]

Four Daughters (2023) Directed by Kayouther Ben-Hania 7A (documentary)

This hybrid documentary will put viewers through a lot of emotions. Four Daughters is a lesson in family history and dynamics concerning a Muslim clan consisting now of the mother and two daughters. Two other, older daughters have joined the Islamist State. Their roles are taken by actors. Most of the time this mix of family and actors casually recreate experiences from the lives of the mother and the two children. Despite the often emotionally charged material, there is much humour and warmth in this approach with most of the scenes being more like chatty rehearsals than anything more polished than that. The subject matter is devastating, however. The two younger daughters talk about how they were sexually abused by their hateful father and by a lover that the mother took after the father left. Worse, the mother often contributed to abusing her children, beating them when they tried to show any sign of freedom or rebellion, which the girls were clearly interested in doing. Finally, the documentary recounts how the two eldest daughters left home to become radical jihadists, and are now serving long prison terms in Libya.

The women draw many conclusions from their reenactment of their family's story. There is much anger, but there remains love, too. The mother bemoans how people who are abused can become guilty of abuse themselves, passing such trauma on from generation to generation. Four Daughters also underscores the fact that many Tunisians resisted the liberal revolution that came with the Arab Spring preferring the certainties of sharia law and religious extremism to personal freedom. In this instance, in the most liberal Arab country in the world, Muslim society comes off as a veritable hell for women and girls--a cauldron of bigotry, brutality and ignorance in which men have to answer for almost nothing as long as their victims are women. Can't say the documentary does much for religion or patriarchy in general--which, of course, is one of its great strengths.

Note: Four Daughters was Tunisia's submission for consideration for an Academy Award in the international film category. Tunisia's cultural ministry or whoever was responsible for that decision deserves praise on that score.

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