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

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Jackasses 1-3. "Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into an exploding port-o-john, he is responsible for everything he does. It is up to you to give life a meaning." -- Jean-Paul Sartre.

These still have moments that reduce me to painful, idiotic laughter.

 

[guinness]

Jackasses 1-3. "Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into an exploding port-o-john, he is responsible for everything he does. It is up to you to give life a meaning." -- Jean-Paul Sartre.

These still have moments that reduce me to painful, idiotic laughter.

Homer: Barney's movie had heart, but Football In The Groin had a football in the groin.

These movies are unbridled joy, just people getting hurt to provide entertainment and laughter.

 

[Fiji Water]

Rashomon (1950), Kurosawa

Rashomon is a story in which the murder of a samurai and the rape of his wife is recalled from the perspective of four different individuals. To be honest, I was a bit let down by the film and believe it is significantly overrated in relation to Kurosawa's other films, such as Seven Samurai and Ikiru. While I appreciate the innovation in storytelling on display here and its clear influence on modern films, I believe the execution fell a bit flat.

Kurosawa supposedly intended the film to be an examination of the fleeting nature of truth and how people's egos often lead them to recall events in a manner that paints their actions in a more positive light. The main issue I have with the film is the fact that two of the four characters who are recalling the events (the wife and the bandit) were on trial for the alleged crimes of murder and rape, while the woodcutter had also committed a crime by stealing the wife's dagger. Because of this, I didn't buy that these individuals had different recollections of the events because of their egos or the relative nature of reality. Instead, the more logical explanation is that they are painting their actions in a positive light in order to avoid being convicted of a crime. Said more simply, I do not think the story Kurosawa told matched the message that he was trying to convey.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Cold War (2018) - 2/5

Got tricked into watching a bland musical which tries to be a drama. You know what's worse than music forced on you in a film? Singing without any backing music forced on you in a film. Some nice black & white scenes but an embarrassment that this is what makes headways nowadays from the same country that had Kieslowski & Polanski. It was thankfully short-ish.

 

[guinness]

I've never seen a Kurosawa film but have seen several knockoffs of Seven Samurai.

I've seen more Ed Wood, and thanks to MST3K, Colman Francis movies.

Haven't watched the Godfather either. I know all sorts of good movies exist, but I generally gravitate to bad ones. Or dead actresses.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Have you seen This Happy Breed? It's also quite British, I caught maybe the last half hour of it on TCM but was impressed by what I saw of it.

I liked Celia Johnson, very British, but a different trope, compared to American actresses of the period. .

I haven't seen it but I'll put it on the list! Thanks for the suggestion, friend!

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I've never seen a Kurosawa film but have seen several knockoffs of Seven Samurai.

I've seen more Ed Wood, and thanks to MST3K, Colman Francis movies.

Haven't watched the Godfather either. I know all sorts of good movies exist, but I generally gravitate to bad ones. Or dead actresses.

It goes without saying, but Seven Samurai is absolutely a must-see, especially if you've seen Magnificent Seven... or even A Bug's Life.

I'm only half-kidding about A Bug's Life.... lol

 

[kihei]

Kurosawa is one of only three directors (Satyajit Ray and Jean Luc Godard being the other two) who I can imagine actually having a personal top ten great movies. In my case:

The Seven Samurai
Yojimbo
Ran
Throne of Blood
Roshomon
Ikiru
The Hidden Fortress
Stray Dogs
High and Low
Red Beard

 

[PocketNines]

I was watching one of my YT subs today and had no idea that Nightmare Alley was a remake of a previous movie, but that version is also available for free on YT. I've downloaded it (JIC) but haven't watched it yet.

Nightmare Alley (1947) - IMDb

It did not do well at the box office back, apparently partially because the audience was confused about Tyrone Power playing such a dark character and they didn't know what to make of the movie itself. But like the current Nightmare Alley, the visuals look really interesting. Coleen Gray appearing in it doesn't hurt the visuals either.

Edit: I didn't notice until after my post that Kailo already mentioned the previous film, I just thought it was honestly an original with neo-noir visuals. I still want to see it, and remakes in Hollywood are nothing new, but I can also be Mr. Oblivious sometimes - I think I just skimmed about the mixed reviews, but great visuals.

And nothing against del Toro either, he loves his noir and horror movies.

But if anyone is still interested, the 1947 version is available on YT.

Another good place to find older movies for free is archive.org.

I'm fortunate to come at Nightmare Alley from another angle. Last March I started a meticulous and ambitious top 100 doom noir film ranking project, which is now close to finished. I had never heard of the 1947 Nightmare Alley before I started, but by the time the del Toro remake was announced that film was already solidly planted inside my all time top 40 and I was so excited because that's the right director to remake the right noir. I can't wait to see this remake in a few hours tonight. I've gotten my partner to watch over 50 of my list films including 36 in the top 50 and this is one of her favorites to the point she is independently excited to see the remake.

For me what makes the original so great is the visceral rise and fall doom of the intelligent hustler. I find Night and the City to be the #1 all time noir of this arc (and a top ten all time doom noir) but Nightmare Alley is right up there. One of the reasons the genre is very much alive is there are films that are hidden gems here and several of the ones that are always cited are kind of overrated. People didn't see Nightmare Alley for about 6 decades until it could be re-seen in 2007. Los Tallos Amargos (1956) was just restored last summer. Then there are unbelievable masterpieces that are just sitting there for the discovery like Cutter's Way (1981), the best noir of the 1980s even above Body Heat, Blue Velvet and Blood Simple.

 

[Martinez]

Nightmare alley
7.5/10
Liked this one quite a bit. The first half gave me Carnivale vibes and then the second half went it’s own direction. Good story, good acting and for a longer movie I was hooked the whole time.

Jackass Forever
10/10
I love all the Jackass movies and this one lives up to all of the others. I was laughing non stop the entire movie.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Sonatine (1993) - 18/10. I'd challenge anyone to find a bad cut/shot in this film. A masterpiece in both context and sentiment. Flawless, second best film of all-time, IMO. Greatest score of all-time (Joe Hisaishi) + greatest suicide scene of all-time.

 

[Pink Mist]

Another Round / Druk (Thomas Vinterberg, 2020)

I am a passionate defender of the Dudes Rock ethos and Another Round is just pure uncut footage of dudes rocking – put that shit right into my veins. Four friends, who are male teachers at a high school, conduct an experiment where they will microdose drinking alcohol in their day-to-day life to see if it gives their life more vitality and confidence. The four leads (Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Lars Ranthe, Magnus Millang), who are staples in Danish cinema and in Thomas Vinterberg’s films, ooze chemistry and Mikkelsen in particular puts in a fantastic performance as a guy who regains his joie de vivre through his male friendships. The first half and the end are really strong, though the middle, the resulting hangover of alcohol abuse and alcoholism was a little predictable and dragged (though I suppose that is a little fitting like a real hangover). The ending is a real highlight with Mikkelsen putting his real-life dance training to use with a euphoric dance number. Another Round isn’t Vinterberg’s best work, but it is his most fun work and you can tell him and his collaborators had a great time making it (which obviously gives the production of the film some parallels to the real-life circumstances which led to its creation).

 

[Fiji Water]

PlayTime (1967), Tati

There is very little in the way of plot here, but that didn't matter to me one bit. Just an absolute joy to watch from start to finish. An extremely clever take on the absurdity of modernism. The visuals of the film are absolutely stunning and do a very effective job of conveying the "coldness" of modern life and architecture. The nightclub scene instantly became one of my top 5 movie scenes of all time. Definitely a film that warrants repeat viewings given how many things are going on in the screen at one time.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) - Macbeth, an exemplary general, falls in love with three witches' premonition that he's bound for something bigger. Reluctant, he's egged on by his power-thirsty wife and 187s the King of Scotland. He takes power and but never had the mental fortitude to live with what he's done. Paranoia and hijinks ensue.

It was very good but leaves me with the same feeling that I get every time I watch an adaptation of Shakespearean art: I'd rather be reading it. This isn't a fault on Coen - or any other director. But the impeccable rhythm and construction to Shakespeare always makes me wish I had a little more time to spend with the words instead of following along on the screen. Besides, I'm 29 and not an academic. I could use the time purely on a comprehension level.

With that said, the rest is done well. It's not an offbrand reimagining, but I thought the coloring and cinematography were very effective. More then that, I think the standout are the set designs. Plain and hermetic, the latter quality complements the film's dialogue and themes very well. The former, aesthetical beauty aside, permits to keep the focus on where it should be: Shakespeare's words and action.

Ultimately, probably not the most memorable of films, but a very, very good one, especially in terms of craft.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Kimi. I was JUST rambling about the joys of streaming and the access that has created all in the comfort of one's home. Lo and behold I get up this morning, turn on my telly to catch up on Peacemaker and there's a brand new damn Steven Soderbergh movie just sitting there on my HBOMax. I follow the movie industry pretty close and am a total Soderbergh homer and I have to admit I didn't even know this thing existed. But of course it's only been six months since his last movie so the poor guy probably thinks he was slacking.

Forgive a shoddy sports metaphor (and not even the right one for these forums) but Soderbergh almost always gets on base. He hasn't hit a home run in a while (though I'm a big fan of High Flying Bird among his recent work, which might be an inside the park home run) but he can step up and crack doubles all day with consistency. The speed and efficiency with which he works is nuts. This is one of his classic tight, small cast, minimal locations deals. A Rear Window/The Conversation riff set amid Covid and with Alexa (or "Kimi") standing in for Jeff''s binoculars and Harry Caul's bugs. It ain't nearly as great as those predecessors but it does the job just fine, putting our heroine through all the expected steps of just such a wringer. Predictable in many ways, but still plenty enjoyment to be had. Uses modern technology well as both a crutch and aid throughout. I particularly liked the last 15 minutes or so. My one big knock is Zoe Kravitz in the lead role ... she's fine but her agoraphobia at times almost plays like cliched autism spectrum tics. I just feel like awkward standoffish pixie-hair tech girl has been done a bunch. When she's not steering into that though, she's good.

Also, to anyone who watches this ... Andy Daly and David Wain definitely pop up here right? Didn't see them listed in the credits I'm like 98% sure they both have small roles.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Now that I praised Soderbergh, I must balance the scales a bit because I also happened to (oddly) crave a rewatch of his two-part Che, which really is a rare miss for him. It's by no means a waste. Benicio Del Toro is excellent in the lead role and Soderbergh's lean, guerilla-style filmmaking lends itself well to a story that for long stretches is about guerilla fighters. The climactic urban warfare fighting at the end of Part 1 really is some of Soderbergh's best filmmaking.

But this venture is a classic example of "good on paper." The overall approach is almost journalistic. Taken from Che Guevara's own diaries the whole five hour ordeal maintains a pretty low pulse and a kinda "just the facts" detailing. The personal irony here for me is that I often bristle at biopics in large part because of how exaggerated and overly emotional they often are. Here's one that never really rises above a whisper (despite the fiery characters and subject matter) and I'm being Goldilocks. This porridge is too hot. This porridge is too cold.

What can I say? We're human. We're complicated.

The structure is, again, good on paper. Part 1 follows the successful campaign to take Cuba. Part 2 follows the failed campaign to replicate that in Bolivia. If you're curious, Part 1 really does have it's moments. Part 2 is a fitting and arguably necessary followup, but the reality is that it's a lifeless slog.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

This Happy Breed (1944) - 8/10

Sort of like The Best Years of Our Life but far more British and far better. The techinicolour though slightly rough doesn't hurt either. Handles most subject matter in a cheery British way including the heaviness and the family drama, doesn't get too political and plays the standards well. Good acting too and not very dated at all imo.

I will say one thing though, f*** the Royalty. This movie was made in a generation when people had a lot of respect for the monarchs and I'm sure the same shit will happen when that current old Hag passes on but at least a lot of people today have knowledge of the evils of that family rather than worshiping them.

 

[Sentinel]

Green Knight (2021). The worst movie I've seen all year, and it's only February. It tries hard to out-Tarkovsky Tarkovsky but, luckily, we have the fast-forward option. This movie is over two hours long but it took us half an hour to finish it. Stupid, ridiculous, and boring throughout. 2/10

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Green Knight (2021). The worst movie I've seen all year, and it's only February. It tries hard to out-Tarkovsky Tarkovsky but, luckily, we have the fast-forward option. This movie is over two hours long but it took us half an hour to finish it. Stupid, ridiculous, and boring throughout. 2/10

I haven't seen the movie, but I'm sure it can't be worse than this comment.

 

[Sentinel]

I haven't seen the movie, but I'm sure it can't be worst than this comment.

"Can't be worst"?

 

[Sentinel]

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) - Macbeth, an exemplary general, falls in love with three witches' premonition that he's bound for something bigger. Reluctant, he's egged on by his power-thirsty wife and 187s the King of Scotland. He takes power and but never had the mental fortitude to live with what he's done. Paranoia and hijinks ensues.

It was very good but leaves me with the same feeling that I get every time I watch an adaptation of Shakespearean art: I'd rather be reading it. This isn't a fault on Coen - or any other director. But the impeccable rhythm and construction to Shakespeare always makes me wish I had a little more time to spend with the words instead of following along on the screen. Besides, I'm 29 and not an academic. I could use the time purely on a comprehension level.

With that said, the rest is done well. It's not an offbrand reimagining, but I thought the coloring and cinematography were very effective. More then that, I think the standout are the set designs. Plain and hermetic, the latter quality complements the film's dialogue and themes very well. The former, aesthetical beauty aside, permits to keep the focus on where it should be: Shakespeare's words and action.

Ultimately, probably not the most memorable of films, but a very, very good one, especially in terms of craft.

Yet to see it. It's not on Netflix, FIOS-on-Demand, or Amazon Prime.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Yet to see it. It's not on Netflix, FIOS-on-Demand, or Amazon Prime.

Apple TV. I'm sure you can risk the computer's health for it too. I've done it a million times for different flicks through illegal streams.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Haven't watched the Godfather either.

It insists upon itself.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Triumph: Rock 'n' Roll Machine

with Triumph. And various other people who are mostly still hardcore Triumph fans, apparently unaware of what decade this is.

Quick: who's a legendary power trio from Toronto that got its start in the 70's and is still inescapably played at hockey games and on classic rock radio stations to this day? No, the other one. Yeah. Triumph. Remember them? Poodle hair, massive onstage pyro, relentlessly positive and uplifting lyrics? Right, them. Well, someone did a documentary about them a year or two ago. Not bad, actually.

We start in the early 70's when Gil Moore, Mike Levine and Rik Emmet were all very young, very hairy lads making their bones in the Toronto music scene and move to the present, when they're getting back together for a big fan event at the studio they built after early album sale successes, and Gil Moore still runs today. It's a pretty tame ride as rock and roll bios go; one might imagine more debauchery at a Mormon junior high dance. But it's an entertaining enough stroll down memory lane if you were a rock/metal fan during the 70's and 80's; apparently there are still enough hardcore Triumph superfans for an actual event. I mean, it was held in a studio not Wembley stadium or anything, but the attendees were all clearly glowing with enthusiasm. Along the way, we get the story of how the boys got together, some of the bumps and bruises along the way, tons of concert footage and old videos, and learn tidbits of info like their first big breakthrough was in San Antonio of all places, and for some reason Gil Moore thought Abernathy Shagnaster was a good band name before forming Triumph. Ugh.

More of a puff piece than anything else, but it's okay if you are or were a fan back in the day. Also informative to learn just how comprehensively my shit was not together when I was a (barely) working musician.

Behold: the blank stare of AOR greatness.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Green Knight (2021). The worst movie I've seen all year, and it's only February. It tries hard to out-Tarkovsky Tarkovsky but, luckily, we have the fast-forward option. This movie is over two hours long but it took us half an hour to finish it. Stupid, ridiculous, and boring throughout. 2/10

I reviewed this awhile back and still haven’t made up my mind if it was well done or a flaming bag of shit.

I usually enjoy dialogue heavy movies and stylistic period pieces, but something about Green Knight doesn’t sit well with me.

Ultimately, anyone who watches it should be aware that it’s not an action movie, but more of a deliberate, slow paced parable about honoring one’s word.