I was a little confused by this at first, but then realized that I was thinking of Serbia. There's nothing subtle about Serbian film. Of course, I've seen only one, but that was enough.
Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate it | {Insert Appropriate Seasonal Greeting Here}
- Thread starter ProstheticConscience
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I was a little confused by this at first, but then realized that I was thinking of Serbia. There's nothing subtle about Serbian film. Of course, I've seen only one, but that was enough.
About Elly / درباره الی (Asghar Farhadi, 2009)
Elly is a young kindergarten teacher who is brought along by one of her children’s parents to have a holiday at a beach villa – in part it is also a ploy on the parent to try to set up the teacher with a visiting friend from Germany. While holidaying, Elly for a moment is responsible for watching over some of the children at the beach when a child gets caught in the riptide – miraculously the child is saved but after the rush to save him it is realized that Elly has gone missing. About Elly is a powerful drama that is uniquely Iranian. Until the event, the film is not unlike other films that investigate the educated middle class in any country, with a subtle class critique running through the film. But when the crisis occurs it becomes clear that this is not a universal critique of the middle class, this is an interrogation of the Iranian middle class, particularly the country’s gender politics. Farhadi seems to be fairly non-judgemental about where the blame is for the crisis and there aren’t any villains or heroes in this story, just a bunch of flawed beings trying to cope with the mysterious disappearance. It’s really well done, mystery films about missing persons aren’t new territory but the added flavour of Iran’s societal laws allow it to be told in a different way, and at times it is as compelling as a thriller. Although many of the revelations may be trivial to a Western audience, in Iranian society they are catastrophic and ruinous. The rescue scene of when they rescue the boy from the sea and then begin a frantic search for Elly when they realize she is missing too is extremely thrilling, shot primarily on hand-held cameras to create the panic and fear of the situation; an exceptionally executed scene. A thriller that is not really a thriller and a masterpiece of the flaws of humans in crisis.
Elly is a young kindergarten teacher who is brought along by one of her children’s parents to have a holiday at a beach villa – in part it is also a ploy on the parent to try to set up the teacher with a visiting friend from Germany. While holidaying, Elly for a moment is responsible for watching over some of the children at the beach when a child gets caught in the riptide – miraculously the child is saved but after the rush to save him it is realized that Elly has gone missing. About Elly is a powerful drama that is uniquely Iranian. Until the event, the film is not unlike other films that investigate the educated middle class in any country, with a subtle class critique running through the film. But when the crisis occurs it becomes clear that this is not a universal critique of the middle class, this is an interrogation of the Iranian middle class, particularly the country’s gender politics. Farhadi seems to be fairly non-judgemental about where the blame is for the crisis and there aren’t any villains or heroes in this story, just a bunch of flawed beings trying to cope with the mysterious disappearance. It’s really well done, mystery films about missing persons aren’t new territory but the added flavour of Iran’s societal laws allow it to be told in a different way, and at times it is as compelling as a thriller. Although many of the revelations may be trivial to a Western audience, in Iranian society they are catastrophic and ruinous. The rescue scene of when they rescue the boy from the sea and then begin a frantic search for Elly when they realize she is missing too is extremely thrilling, shot primarily on hand-held cameras to create the panic and fear of the situation; an exceptionally executed scene. A thriller that is not really a thriller and a masterpiece of the flaws of humans in crisis.
Pranzo Oltranzista
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Yes! I Can like stuff again, gimme some good posts!!
"The Northman" - Robert Eggers (2022)
A retelling of the Hamlet origins from Eggers and Icelandic poet/lyricists Sjon with Alexander Skarsgard as the vengeance seeking Amlath. It's dark, it's grimy, and gory as well. There is no romanticization of Viking culture or the time period. It's all in on nearly everything is hardship and the moments of levity are rare snatches of physical indulgence. Plenty of animal imagery and metaphor with enough similarity to sword-and-horn type productions of recent years to have an earie level of familiarity.
I'd give it 83/100.
A retelling of the Hamlet origins from Eggers and Icelandic poet/lyricists Sjon with Alexander Skarsgard as the vengeance seeking Amlath. It's dark, it's grimy, and gory as well. There is no romanticization of Viking culture or the time period. It's all in on nearly everything is hardship and the moments of levity are rare snatches of physical indulgence. Plenty of animal imagery and metaphor with enough similarity to sword-and-horn type productions of recent years to have an earie level of familiarity.
I'd give it 83/100.
You Are Not My Mother (2022) Directed by Kate Dolan 5A
Horror movies with feminist implications directed by women have recently led to some pretty interesting and pretty fresh takes on the genre: Relic; The Babadook; A Girl Walks Home at Night; Saint Maude; and Revenge, to name a few. You Are Not My Mother is another entry in this sub-genre. Schoolgirl Char's mother goes missing. When she returns, Char just knows it is not really her. Char has to figure things out for herself and quick, and come to think of it Grandma has been acting a little strange lately. Two things set this film apart from the other examples. First, the incorporation of Irish folklore into the events taking place is a nice touch; secondly, the movie has a kitchen-sink vibe reminiscent of Ken Loach (imagine Kes as a horror movie) and Mike Leigh, not something one expects in a scary movie but welcome However, there is a massive downside. Despite some creepy chills along the way and fine performances, the storytelling in You Are Not My Mother leaves a lot to be desired. Too many loose ends and unanswered questions ultimately make an initially promising movie a frustrating experience.
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KallioWeHardlyKnewYe
Hey! We won!
- May 30, 2003
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- 3,703
Lethal Weapon 2. Might be the most classic textbook example of sequel strategy. Take stuff from one. Do again, but more. Gibson's Riggs is more zany. Glover's Murtagh is more weary. Bigger explosions. Bigger stunts. It's all fine. Arguably a good example of this exact sort of thing. The thing that actually pushes this to slightly better than average to me is the addition of Joe Pesci whose happy comic energy elevates every scene he's in. I always forget he did this the year before Goodfellas.
Wall Street. I'm tempted to say this is a movie that's just aged poorly. It's not the message or story. It's Charlie Sheen. It's hard to see him as either 1) innocent(ish) and 2) smart. This role needs you to buy him as both. With so much actual evidence to the contrary, it's a tough sell. A dog with fleas, in the movie's parlance. Setting my baggage aside, I also flat out don't think he's very good in it. That said, Michael Douglas (in an Oscar winning role) is fantastic and deservedly iconic. Lots of great supporting performances in the margins too — Martin Sheen, Hal Holbrook, John C. McGinley and James Spader particularly (funny enough he probably would've been a better choice than Sheen).
The Addiction. Abel Ferrara tries his hand at a grounded vampire story in ways that only he really could. Gorgeous and ominous black-and-white New York footage. Rap soundtrack. Nasty bursts of violence. Stellar lead performance from Lili Taylor who I feel often plays weak or mousy characters, but gets to really unload in some moments here. Christopher Walken stops in for a memorable glorified cameo. Has some thoughtful enough musings on power and violence and eternity.
Wall Street. I'm tempted to say this is a movie that's just aged poorly. It's not the message or story. It's Charlie Sheen. It's hard to see him as either 1) innocent(ish) and 2) smart. This role needs you to buy him as both. With so much actual evidence to the contrary, it's a tough sell. A dog with fleas, in the movie's parlance. Setting my baggage aside, I also flat out don't think he's very good in it. That said, Michael Douglas (in an Oscar winning role) is fantastic and deservedly iconic. Lots of great supporting performances in the margins too — Martin Sheen, Hal Holbrook, John C. McGinley and James Spader particularly (funny enough he probably would've been a better choice than Sheen).
The Addiction. Abel Ferrara tries his hand at a grounded vampire story in ways that only he really could. Gorgeous and ominous black-and-white New York footage. Rap soundtrack. Nasty bursts of violence. Stellar lead performance from Lili Taylor who I feel often plays weak or mousy characters, but gets to really unload in some moments here. Christopher Walken stops in for a memorable glorified cameo. Has some thoughtful enough musings on power and violence and eternity.
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
Interesting. I thought Charlie Sheen was great as Bud Fox. Played brilliantly off of Douglas' Gordon Gecko.
Pranzo Oltranzista
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- Oct 18, 2017
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Mile 22 (Berg, 2018) - I remember Peter Berg as the cool kid in Shocker, always kind of funny to watch stuff by him because of that. This one's a pretty banal action film with a few twists. Ain't too bad, but I've watched it just a few days ago and I don't remember much already. It has Ronda Rousey - who I like for some reason (certainly a better actor than GSP) - and she's not there to fight. 3/10
Most Dangerous Game (??, 202?) - I've seen this re-edited as a movie, but I see it was first a series. I had fun watching it, it kind of made me want to watch all the other running men movies (most are very bad, but some are worth a watch - thinking of stuff like The 10th Victim, but also of absolute gems like Gymkata - even some of First Blood should be considered part of the subgenre), but that was enough as it was and I wouldn't want to see the whole show. 3.5/10
Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much (Wallis, 2017) - I wish the subject of this film was the mental affliction of its main participant. He is weird. I don't know if it's because the director couldn't do better, but it really feels as if the guy solely defines himself through a single appearance on The Price Is Right. Every single minute he was in that studio is retold as life-defining experiences that would give him some kind of weird importance - like the time he got a kiss from his favorite model, or that time he was the very first to step on the wheel's brand new rug. When they say he took some time off of studying the show to concentrate on other hobbies, I was expecting a shot of him eating his feces or torturing animals. Oh, and spoiler alert: he didn't know too much, the film is mostly about everybody not giving a f*** about him yelling numbers from the audience. 2.5/10
Most Dangerous Game (??, 202?) - I've seen this re-edited as a movie, but I see it was first a series. I had fun watching it, it kind of made me want to watch all the other running men movies (most are very bad, but some are worth a watch - thinking of stuff like The 10th Victim, but also of absolute gems like Gymkata - even some of First Blood should be considered part of the subgenre), but that was enough as it was and I wouldn't want to see the whole show. 3.5/10
Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much (Wallis, 2017) - I wish the subject of this film was the mental affliction of its main participant. He is weird. I don't know if it's because the director couldn't do better, but it really feels as if the guy solely defines himself through a single appearance on The Price Is Right. Every single minute he was in that studio is retold as life-defining experiences that would give him some kind of weird importance - like the time he got a kiss from his favorite model, or that time he was the very first to step on the wheel's brand new rug. When they say he took some time off of studying the show to concentrate on other hobbies, I was expecting a shot of him eating his feces or torturing animals. Oh, and spoiler alert: he didn't know too much, the film is mostly about everybody not giving a f*** about him yelling numbers from the audience. 2.5/10
It was pretty much what I thought it'd be. My expectations were low and was surprised it was better than expected. Still, it was another dark, depressing, humorless DC movie. It was like they took Nolans version and said, "lets take out all the humor and color, add 75 percent more rain and darkness...and add emo Bruce Wayne." Did he even smile once? All he did was brood, nothing else. Back to the rain, my god did they get their monies worth with the rain machines. The entire movie was just one rainy scene after another, NO SUNSHINE. Does the sun ever rise there? No wonder everyone is misserable in Gotham, there's no sun! Wright was good as Gordon and kept the movie from going straight into the dark abyss, and carried his part well. Kyle/Cat woman was ok, sometimes good, sometime she tried too hard.The one joke, and I'm not sure everyone got it was when they left the Penguin with his hands and feet tied up and made him walk back.That made me laugh. Overall, it was alright, and you could tell who they are setting up to be Robin, should they continue making them. I hope the next one doesn't open up with the overly violent blunt force trauma scene. That went on longer than needed. 3 out of 5 stars
You summarized it well. I was curious about Pattinson as Batman, but I never thought he would just channel his Twilight character to create Emo-Batman. One would have thought the studios would have learned from Spiderman 3, because I was ready to give up about an hour in and had it at a 3/10 at that point. To the filmmakers' credit, the script and performances get stronger, and it ends up fine, but I really question the choice to cast Pattinson now.
I am also not sure about the decision to introduce the Riddler in this fashion, because this is clearly an adaptation of the Long Halloween storyline, and the character himself was re-conned to resemble Holiday more than his comic book version. That said, I understand why, because the Riddler is an iconic member of Batman's Rogue Gallery, and the script is strong enough to make the change acceptable, so I got over any misgivings I had.
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KallioWeHardlyKnewYe
Hey! We won!
- May 30, 2003
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The Scary of Sixty First. There's a nice cheapo, grainy VHS feel to this that I liked. The main characters are the sorta folks I find annoying in real life so it was hard for me to feel much fear or sympathy on their behalf. This was further muddled by the fact I'm not sure if this whole thing is a joke or if it's serious. I don't mind some tonal ambiguity but I definitely don't mean it as a compliment here.
Judging from Pattinson's quick exit, I doubt he had much fun. Likely he was stuck with his director's take on the role, not his own.
Pranzo Oltranzista
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- Oct 18, 2017
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No Fun Shogun
34-38-61-10-13-15
The Batman
.... I don't know.... 6/10?
When it's good, The Batman is really fun. There's about an hour in there that's really great. There's also about an hour in there that's just okay. And then there's about an hour in there, almost entirely at the end, that's pretty dumb and not in a good way.
The movie was oddly paced, with the entire final third almost feeling like it was tacked on because the stakes of the first 2/3 of the movie weren't deemed high enough. Batman alternates between being a brilliant detective and a bit of a knob not recognizing simple patterns or clues, the Riddler motivation fluctuates wildly on a whim after about the halfway mark, and despite an almost three hour run time they near last minute introduce stakes that were never even hinted at previously to the point that a lot of the movie feels like a waste of time in retrospect.
Maybe 5/10 as I'm typing this. I might be talking myself down.
But the action was fun, this felt like a much more realistic Gotham than ever before, the acting is pretty good throughout, and while the movie was oddly paced and with false endings it at least never felt like it was tedious, formulaic, or bloated.
Check it out if you like Batman and have HBO, but no need to go out of your way for it.
.... I don't know.... 6/10?
When it's good, The Batman is really fun. There's about an hour in there that's really great. There's also about an hour in there that's just okay. And then there's about an hour in there, almost entirely at the end, that's pretty dumb and not in a good way.
The movie was oddly paced, with the entire final third almost feeling like it was tacked on because the stakes of the first 2/3 of the movie weren't deemed high enough. Batman alternates between being a brilliant detective and a bit of a knob not recognizing simple patterns or clues, the Riddler motivation fluctuates wildly on a whim after about the halfway mark, and despite an almost three hour run time they near last minute introduce stakes that were never even hinted at previously to the point that a lot of the movie feels like a waste of time in retrospect.
Maybe 5/10 as I'm typing this. I might be talking myself down.
But the action was fun, this felt like a much more realistic Gotham than ever before, the acting is pretty good throughout, and while the movie was oddly paced and with false endings it at least never felt like it was tedious, formulaic, or bloated.
Check it out if you like Batman and have HBO, but no need to go out of your way for it.
I think you heard right initially though. I also read the articles that he was not happy with how things went. But 20 million $ and a percentage of gate for a return engagement can also speak loudly about modifying one's motivations.
Petite Maman (2021) Directed by Catherine Sciamma 8A
I don’t think I have ever seen a movie about life from a child’s perspective better than Tomboy, director Catherine Sciamma’s earlier work about an 11-year-old transgender girl trying to figure out her place in the world. However, Petite Maman may be just as good. Nelly is a 9-year-old girl whose grandmother has recently died. Nelly’s mom Marion and her dad are sorting through grandmother’s belongings in her rural cottage trying to figure out to do with all the stuff. Emotions are raw, and Marion leaves for awhile to get a grip on her feelings. Dad and Nelly stay on and Nelly begins to explore the nearby woods. There, she meets a little girl also named Marion. While they hit it off well, it takes Nelly by surprise to realize that Marion is her mother, but now wonderously the same age as she is. Nelly and Marion get to know one another. That's an original premise with tons of possibilities.
None of this is played for science fiction or as a time travel adventure. The approach is closer to magic realism in the service of childhood feelings about family and coping with loss. Sciamma has an incredibly light touch and sure sense of proportion when she focuses on children. Both Tomboy and Petite Maman are perfectly judged works, not a false step anywhere in evidence. And thanks to Sciamma’s well thought out direction, the Sanz twin sisters, Josephine and Gabrielle, one or both who are in every scene, give pitch-perfect performances The end result is a film that is full of little, unforced insights and emotional resonances. Petite Maman is one of those movies that make cinema seem the most mesmerizing of arts.
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Best of 2021
.
1, Memoria, Weerasethakul, Columbia
2. The Power of the Dog, Campion, US
3. Drive My Car, Yamaguchi, Japan
4 Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Yamaguchi, Japan
5. Petite Maman, Sciamma, France
6. The Cloud in Her Room, Zheng, China
7. The Worst Person in the World, Trier, Norway
8. Annette, Carax, US
9. The Lost Daughter, Gyllenhaal, US
10. Nitram, Kurzel, Australia
Turns out, thanks to all the late comers, that 2021 was a vintage year after all.
KallioWeHardlyKnewYe
Hey! We won!
- May 30, 2003
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Dick Tracy. Had a lot of fond memories of this from my youth ... most of which really didn't hold up. There's still a fair amount of fun to be had — the colorful costumes and sets, the borderline grotesque make up jobs on all the quirky bad guys, some appropriately big and silly performances from legends like Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman. A who's who of a cast with the likes of James Caan and Dick Van Dyke popping up in small roles alongside character actors like Michael J. Pollard, Seymour Cassel and Henry Silva. Director Warren Beatty went completely through his rolodex and got a lot of a serious men to commit to being really very silly.
Beatty himself, however, just didn't work for my adult eyes. As a kid I didn't mind him. He's much better as a compromised cad type than a sturdy do-gooder. Though funny enough despite his lothario reputation and his actual real life relationships with Madonna, the duo have zero heat on screen (even for a PG movie) largely due to Madonna being, let's be kind, a pretty limited actress. A breathy Marilyn Monroe clone should really have been a slam dunk for her. But it ain't. The Danny Elfman score sounds so much like bits he probably rejected from his Batman score a year earlier that it's distracting.
This movie is a doughnut. Lots of tasty sugar and frosting on the sides but a big hole in the middle.
Beatty himself, however, just didn't work for my adult eyes. As a kid I didn't mind him. He's much better as a compromised cad type than a sturdy do-gooder. Though funny enough despite his lothario reputation and his actual real life relationships with Madonna, the duo have zero heat on screen (even for a PG movie) largely due to Madonna being, let's be kind, a pretty limited actress. A breathy Marilyn Monroe clone should really have been a slam dunk for her. But it ain't. The Danny Elfman score sounds so much like bits he probably rejected from his Batman score a year earlier that it's distracting.
This movie is a doughnut. Lots of tasty sugar and frosting on the sides but a big hole in the middle.
KallioWeHardlyKnewYe
Hey! We won!
- May 30, 2003
- 15,718
- 3,703
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Short and non-spoilery, if you like Sam Raimi (I do) then you're probably going to like this (I did). Marvel really let him do his thing far more than I would've ever expected and I think a lot of parents with young children excited to see this are going to have to deal with some shit afterward. Elizabeth Olsen is great.
Chili
What wind blew you hither?
- Jun 10, 2004
- 8,725
- 4,820
Alice's Restaurant-1969
A film about Arlo Guthrie's 18 minute song about a real experience (he plays himself and is good). Some funny stuff, gets serious later on , then kind of weird, shorter may have been better. The lyrics of the title song tell the key part of the story. Good soundtrack. They got the real cop and judge (who was blind) to play in the film. I saw this film at a drive in many moons ago, all I remembered was the title tune, which still sounds great. 'You can get anything you want at Alice's restaurant'.
Yellow Sky-1948
A bit of everything in the story: bank robbery by a gang, a cavalry chase, a trek across the desert (filmed in Death Valley), a ghost town, a prospector & his grandaughter, gold, greed and lust. Directed by William Wellman (The Ox-Bow Incident). Believe folks who enjoyed Treasure of the Sierra Madre would appreciate this film. Top notch western.
The Night My Number Came Up-1955
A man has a dream about an aircraft in trouble. He tells the story to some friends. One of them becomes concerned when the details of the dream start to become reality. Film takes awhile to set up the story but pays off later on as tension builds. Well done.
Edit: also watched a documentary called The Champagne Safari, a biography of Charles Bedaux. Born in France, arrived in his late teens in the US with $1 and became very wealthy. In 1934, he organized a trek to the Rockies in Northern BC which was filmed by Floyd Crosby (Academy Award winner & David's dad). Interesting story.
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....excepting Alice.
Alice's Restaurant-1969
A film about Arlo Guthrie's 18 minute song about a real experience (he plays himself and is good). Some funny stuff, gets serious later on , then kind of weird, shorter may have been better. The lyrics of the title song tell the key part of the story. Good soundtrack. They got the real cop and judge (who was blind) to play in the film. I saw this film at a drive in many moons ago, all I remembered was the title tune, which still sounds great. 'You can get anything you want at Alice's restaurant'.
Rodgerwilco
Entertainment boards w/ some Hockey mixed in.
- Feb 6, 2014
- 7,811
- 7,154
I'm guessing this is based off of the Novel "The Most Dangerous Game" where they hunt humans for sport? One of my favorite books growing up, but I can't imagine it translates into a good series.
Pranzo Oltranzista
Registered User
- Oct 18, 2017
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That's the thing, yes. It has translated, officially and unofficially, into a whole lot of movies already. I consider all other running men as variations on it. It's very far from the original story, but it kept the crazy rich m(e)n hunting humans (it's not of the "game show"/competition variation), and the title.
Spring in Fialta
A malign star kept him
The Northman (2022) - I liked it. It kinds of toes that line between Hollywood and Auteur pretty well, though I didn't love some of the casting choices. I like Hawke and detest Kidman but both of their accents struck me as terrible and I generally disliked Kidman's entire performance, finding it a bit too overtly venomous for my taste. Didn't always like the CGI either, as I find it kind of jarred with the rest of the film's aesthetic, as it looked kind of cheap and corny while the naturalistic feel of reality struck as as expansive and appropriate.
I did really like the camerawork though, especially the rapid motions. The structure of the narrative was cool too. Maybe it's me and I'm an idiot but I found the unexpected ambiguity as to whether Ahmlet's quest was a noble one/whether his uncle was truly the bad guy to have been a nice touch that was handled without the bombast that other films may have used.
I don't think it comes close to The Lighthouse, but definitely worth a watch.
I did really like the camerawork though, especially the rapid motions. The structure of the narrative was cool too. Maybe it's me and I'm an idiot but I found the unexpected ambiguity as to whether Ahmlet's quest was a noble one/whether his uncle was truly the bad guy to have been a nice touch that was handled without the bombast that other films may have used.
I don't think it comes close to The Lighthouse, but definitely worth a watch.
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Can anyone tell me if War and Peace is worth a watch? Not normally a question I would ask, but we are talking about an 8+ hr movie here.
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