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

[kihei]

For the life of me, I don't even understand where the potential of liking something more because it's in a foreign language would come from. How could anyone give a shit? Novelty? If anything, there's probably some really nice inflections and intonations that make a voice which a non-native speaker of a film's language might miss. But thinking about it, that might just be a fair and natural reaction from someone whose first language is the world's dominant one.

For example, I'm utterly convinced that a non-French speaker misses a lot when they watch a film like La Haine.

I agree English-speakers, especially single language misfits like me, miss a ton of nuance, tone, meaning, irony, cynicism, wit, and so on in most really good non-English language films.

But it's not that I like something because it is in a foreign language that is the issue. Rather it is more like after being exposed to the quality of so many great foreign language movies, I almost certainly have a tendency to give such movies the occasional benefit of a doubt when something is included, say an unnecessary degree of melodrama, that would normally raise a red flag for me in an English-language movie because it occurs so often in such films. So "Would I like this movie as much if it were an English-language Hollywood movie?" has little to do with actual language differences and much to do with Hollywood's tendency to oversimplify themes and play to the lowest common denominator. Cinema Paradiso is a good example. Basically it plays by the same rules of oversimplification and sentimentality that mar so many English-language films. Therefore it deserves no benefit of a doubt despite containing some well done scenes and memorable moments.

 

[Chili]

The Horse's Mouth-1958

How far can charm, wit, artistic talent and a devil may care approach to life get someone? Another great comedy from Alec Guinness (who wrote the story and stars) and what a contrast from Colonel Nicholson in Bridge on the River Kwai. Here AG is a recognized but penniless painter, his focus on his work gets him in hot water. Several amusing characters including his sidekick Nosey, his nagging girl friend, a sculptor and his patrons. Good fun.

A Thousand Clowns-1965

Ever been in a job where you felt you were just going through the motions and wanted to pack it in? Murray Burns (Jason Robards) decides to do just that, giving up his writing job for a children's tv show to just enjoy life. He lives in a one room apartment with his nephew (Barry Gordon who is very good here). Things get complicated when the children's welfare come to visit. Original story which was a play, some fine performances, beautiful shots of NYC. Enjoyed it.

Garden State-2004

Returning to his hometown after many years for his mother's funeral, a young man reconnects with some friends & acquaintances ...and he meets a girl. Interesting story of dealing with the past, has comedy, drama and romance. Strong cast, Natalie Portman especially is excellent. Some passionate dogs steal a couple of scenes. Good film.

Stray Dog-1949

A pickpocket steals a police officer's handgun on a crowded bus. The officer tries to chase him down but loses him. The hunt is on to try to track down the weapon, as the trail leads towards a desperate criminal. Really enjoy the director, Akira Kurosawa's pace as the officer (Toshiro Mifune) relentlessly follows each lead. Can sense the searing heat by the look of the characters, which was apparently real. Mifune and Takashi Shimura (as the veteran detective in charge) have nice on screen chemistry. Real good mystery noir.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Death in Venice, Visconti

Beautiful visuals but I found the whole pedo incessantly gazing at an underage boy storyline too creepy to be enjoyable. Don't have anything else to say about this movie beyond that. I think I need a shower....

If it's of any solace, the novella is such a tedious affair that Mann manages to kill anything fiery about its subject matter.

 

[kihei]

If it's of any solace, the novella is such a tedious affair that Mann manages to kill anything fiery about its subject matter.

I think book and movie are both misunderstood. Aschenbach is a writer/composer who has hit a dry spell. For him the boy represents an object of transcendent beauty, so pure that the ideal may not be achievable in art. In other words, the relationship isn't as pervy as it might first appear but deals with questions of aesthetics as much as simple physical attraction.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I think book and movie are both misunderstood. Aschenbach is a writer/composer who has hit a dry spell. For him the boy represents an object of pure beauty, so pure that the ideal may not be achievable in art. In other words, the relationship isn't as pervy as it might first appear.

Perhaps but from my recollection, the book is around 110 pages long of which the first 40 are dedicated to a description of the main character's artistic regimen through some really tedious prose. The rest of the book, though it has some good moments, simply doesn't make up for that major mistake. Death in Venice is the only Mann work I've read and its execution might be the most boring I've had to read from a classic. I didn't bail it on it so there's that. The structure and perspective can all make sense but it has to be fun to read.

 

[Fiji Water]

I think book and movie are both misunderstood. Aschenbach is a writer/composer who has hit a dry spell. For him the boy represents an object of pure beauty, so pure that the ideal may not be achievable in art. In other words, the relationship isn't as pervy as it might first appear but deals with questions of aesthetics as much as simple physical attraction.

While I have not read the book, it is hard for me to give Visconti the benefit of the doubt when you read about his inappropriate behavior toward Andreson (having him strip during his audition, taking him to a gay night club, etc).

 

[kihei]

Perhaps but from my recollection, the book is around 110 pages long of which the first 40 are dedicated to a description of the main character's artistic regimen through some really tedious prose. The rest of the book, though it has some good moments, simply doesn't make up for that major mistake. Death in Venice is the only Mann work I've read and its execution might be the most boring I've had to read from a classic. I didn't bail it on it so there's that. The structure and perspective can all make sense but it has to be fun to read.

Worth trying: The Magic Mountain, for sure; also, Buddenbrooks
Highest degree of difficulty: Doctor Faustus

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

The Departed. A fun, entertaining movie that despite its awards and accolades isn't among the 10 best Scorsese movies. That's more of a testament to his greatness than it is a real criticism of this though it does play like Scorsese karaoke at times. The use of music (often a strong suit) is almost trolling level funny by him. Nicholson seems to take a lot of flak for his over-the-top performance, but I enjoy it. I think it's the difference between viewing the movie as FUN and seeing it as IMPORTANT. Dicaprio is better than I remember but Damon does the real work.

The Breaking Point. A Michael Curtiz adaptation of Hemingway's To Have and Have Not, I actually thought more about the former than the latter. This is in some ways a dark mirror version of Casablanca. Harry is in some ways Rick with fewer breaks, trying to maintain himself as he's pushed further to the edge in a tumultuous world. Probably doesn't hurt to have a chubby criminal sweating in a light suit lurking in the background as well. Patricia Neal brings some sparks. Phyllis Thaxter unfortunately is saddled with a doting wife role common to the time though she has a moment of real steel in bar showdown with Neal. But this movie is John Garfield who carries every slight, every failure just beneath the surface. He's a fraying rope. I wish it ended about 5 minutes before it does. It would cut out a small bit of poignant tragedy but I think the rest of the coda kind counteracts that anyway.

Poser. A well-told version of an old obsession chestnut. Wannabe artist becomes obsessed (even infatuated) with a real artist and gradually begins to assume their life. Filmed in my hometown so I have a little bit of a bias here since there's an inherent coolness in seeing the streets, restaurants, community that I know well. But I thought it was genuinely stylish and well done. Good music. Acting is a tad rough in parts — the lead is good, not sure the object of her affection is quite on par. But the directors show some real visual flair. Almost more of a scene than much of a story. Worked on me though. Because of or in spite of my biases, I'm not sure. But I think it's worth checking out.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Oh well.... I don't feel like I've much to say about any of this... my last few weeks:

Creed - 4/10
Creed II - 3.5/10
Morbius - 2.5/10
Barbarian - 5/10 (the first part was great)
The Watcher (series) - 2/10
Memory - 3.5/10 (I'm giving it a 0.5 boost because I think I originally had something positive to say about this one-million-too-many Liam Neeson flick, but I can't remember what)

 

[kihei]

Tar (2022) Directed by Todd Field 5B

Lydia Tar (Cate Blanchett) stands astride the classical music world like a colossus. Incredibly gifted with an impeccable pedigree she is the Principal Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. At the height of her powers her career is one that could only be envied, and she is fully cognisant of her gifts. Away from the podium, she is briskly efficient, occasionally condescending, self-centred, distant, and, almost above all, imperial in her relationships including with her wife and their daughter who seems more an afterthought than a desired offspring. Slowly, through a series of deliberately vague but damning scandals, her reputation is rightly or wrongly in danger of being compromised.

Blanchett is in complete control of this complex character from her first line of dialogue and its ever so slightly haughty delivery. On screen for virtually the entire nearly three hour movie, she creates a wholly believable character in which the actress basically disappears into the role. It is a bravura performance of the first order, and a difficult one because Tar is a character to envy much more than to like. Tar also has an agenda, though, that gets in the way of the character study sometimes, a sort of ongoing critique of woke culture and identity politics that doesn't play fair with some of the interesting ideas it brings up. We see everything from Lydia's point of view, so the case presented is one-sided. And the movie is so vague on the salient details of Lydia's supposed transgressions, it becomes impossible to know how seriously we should take any of the allegations lodged against her. Maybe that is the point, but it is not convincingly presented.

The question then becomes for me is this is a great performance in a great movie (think Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia) or is this a great performance that makes a movie seem better than it actually is (think Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood)? I'm leaning toward the latter.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Finally made it back into theaters a few times this week.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. As with the best of the MCU movies, the personal touches are the most effective. In this case that's the very real death of star Chadwick Boseman, the emotional (and political) fallout from which drives the best parts of this movie. The moments centered on loss and grief and revenge hit the hardest. Angela Bassett exudes gravitas in her sleep, but Letitia Wright more than aptly bears the brunt of that weight as well. Namor is a memorable villain thanks largely to the charisma bomb that is Tenoch Huerta (you want to hear crazy? Make THIS DUDE James Bond ... I kid ... I think). Where the movie misses is in the typical places MCU movies stumble in my mind — chaotic, cartoony fights and connective tissue characters and sideplots that are distractions more than organic additions. Yet another introduction of an uninteresting, undeveloped Avenger Baby.

The Banshees of Inisherin. A fable of stubborness and creation and pain and revenge you could imagine an elder imparting to youth (though in much more sanitized language). Boy I felt this. The conflict between kind, but dull Padraic and his sudden ex-friend Colm who decides he wants something different from life was remarkably resonate. I didn't see outside relations, I saw an internal struggle. What's a life well lived? It's a big question and I'm not sure there's an answer here but there's plenty to ponder. I'm still thinking about it days later. As with some of Martin McDonagh's other work (namely In Bruges) this is often wildly funny, but there's a melancholy heart beating just beneath the surface. There's a loss here that hit me as hard as anything in recent memory, as does the fallout from it ... I'd love to see all four principal characters receive award love when the time comes, particularly Colin Farrell who continues a great 10-15 year run of being an incredibly versatile and interesting actor.

 

[kihei]

Moonage Daydream (2022) Directed by Brett Morgen 7A

No movie bio could do David Bowie justice--he is far too complex, mercurial and ever-changing. But Moonage Daydream comes close. In the documentary we take a musical and, equally important, philosophical journey throughout Bowie's impossible-to-encapsulate career. The movie is filled with snippets from his concerts, experimental footage, art works and installations that he created, in addition to various sized bits of about 40 of his songs, all of which have been carefully remastered. Of equal emphasis are numerous Bowie voice overs or excerpts from his many interviews. Even early in his career, the Ziggy Stardust phase, he would be invariably polite, forthcoming and patient with even the most condescending interviewers. Bowie's life was one long quest for self-discovery and rather than this being merely an egocentric indulgence, he took his audience along for the ride with him as much as he could. He early on realized that the only constant is change and learned to see chaos as a valuable contributor to his art. Moonage Daydream shows how he incorporated so many different forms of art into his music--mime, Kabuki theatre, high fashion, dance, painting, electronic music--all of which became central to his creativity for a time, and then he would move on. He was a nomad both symbolically and literally who never owned a house until his late-in-life marriage to Iman. This movie shows how he allowed himself to become his own canvas--one of the great creative minds in the history of Western music.


Best of 2022

1) Decision to Leave, Park, South Korea
2} Aftersun, Wells UK
3) No Bears, J. Panahi, Iran
4) Hit the Road, P. Panahi, Iran
5) Everything Everywhere All at Once, Kwan/Scheinert, US
6) Moonage Daydream, Morgen, UK
7) Vortex, Noe, France
8) Mad God, Tippett, US
9) Official Competition, Cohn/Duprat, Spain
10) Argentina, 1985, Mitre, Argentina

 

[Fripp]

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. As with the best of the MCU movies, the personal touches are the most effective. In this case that's the very real death of star Chadwick Boseman, the emotional (and political) fallout from which drives the best parts of this movie. The moments centered on loss and grief and revenge hit the hardest. Angela Bassett exudes gravitas in her sleep, but Letitia Wright more than aptly bears the brunt of that weight as well. Namor is a memorable villain thanks largely to the charisma bomb that is Tenoch Huerta (you want to hear crazy? Make THIS DUDE James Bond ... I kid ... I think). Where the movie misses is in the typical places MCU movies stumble in my mind — chaotic, cartoony fights and connective tissue characters and sideplots that are distractions more than organic additions. Yet another introduction of an uninteresting, undeveloped Avenger Baby.

Totally with you on this review 100%. I loved this flawed movie because of the top-tier actors and the emotional weight. While the fights were mostly blah, it was nice to have a large scale again, and to back with a very well developed Wakandan culture.

 

[Langdon Alger]

To Die For - 1995

Worth watching for Nicole Kidman’s performance, which is very good. I would call it a good, not great movie, but it’s certainly enjoyable. It also features a young Joaquin Phoenix and young Casey Affleck.

7/10

 

[Pink Mist]

Lapland Odyssey / Napapiirin sankarit (Dome Karukoski, 2010)

Janne (Jussi Vatanen) is a deadbeat from Lapland who has been dating the same girl for nine years and she just about finished putting up with his ways. After he spends her money at the bar when they were supposed to have a date night she gives him an ultimatum: buy a digital conversion box so they can watch Titanic on the television or they’re breaking up. So Janne sets off with two of his other deadbeat friends on an odyssey to track down a new digibox in the barren landscape of Lapland before her 9am deadline. Lapland Odyssey is typical road comedy not unlike the teen/young adult road comedies pumped out by Hollywood – although there are some nice sprinkles of Finnish black humour throughout. Its fun, and at 90mins it doesn’t overstay its welcome much, but its pretty generic and uninspired. By no means amazing, but there are worse ways to kill time inside on the first snowfall of the year.

Apparently there are four of these Lapland Odyssey films so I think it is a less raunchy Finnish equivalent to the Hangover series

 

[Langdon Alger]

Bringing Out The Dead - 1999

A Martin Scorsese film that I don’t think a lot of people saw. Nick Cage, Patricia Arquette, John Goodman and Ving Rhames star. Cage gives a good performance here as a New York City Paramedic.

7/10

 

[kihei]

The Wonder (2022) Directed by Sebastian Leilo 7A

In mid 18th century midlands Ireland, Elizabeth (Florece Pugh), an English nurse, is hired by a village committee to observe Anna. an eleven-year-old girl, who has not eaten for months. Is a miracle taking place or is something more sinister going on? It is Elizabeth's job to find out, and gradually a story emerges, though it is not one that the parents of the child nor the townspeople necessarily want to hear. Still, it is a very compelling story that leaves Elizabeth is a quandary about what to do next. In its slow burn way, The Wonder touches a lot of different bases--superstition, religion, guilt, delusion, desperation, wilful neglect, and, ultimately, responsibility. An unsettlingly errie score gives the film something of the feel of a horror movie. In a way it is a horror movie, but definitely not in the usual sense. The horror is in the situation, in the excesses of faith made manifest, and in what Elizabeth discovers. Florence Pugh in an awards' worthy performance, makes it all work beautifully. In an odd framing device, the movie starts on a soundstage, and a big deal is made out of the notion of stories in general. What story was I going to be told among all the stories to be told? What makes The Wonder a little special is that it suggests how many different ways this tale could have unfolded, how stories are subject to chance and the whims of fate, and, especially, how much we should value those that have happy endings as they may achieve their ends by the slimmest of margins.

Netflix


Best of 2022

1) Decision to Leave, Park, South Korea
2} Aftersun, Wells UK
3) No Bears, J. Panahi, Iran
4) Hit the Road, P. Panahi, Iran
5) Everything Everywhere All at Once, Kwan/Scheinert, US
6) Moonage Daydream, Morgen, UK
7) The Wonder, Leilo, Ireland
8) Vortex, Noe, France
9) Mad God, Tippett, US
10) Official Competition, Cohn/Duprat, Spain

 

[OzzyFan]

Onibaba (1964) (subtitles)
3.70 out of 4stars

“In mid-14th century during the Japanese civil war, a woman’s son is away at war. Said woman and her daughter-in-law survive by killing samurai who stray into their swamp, then selling whatever valuables they find. Complications arise when a neighbor man comes back from the war and interacts with them.”
An excellent drama horror parable/folktale that is as infinitely metaphorical/symbolic as it is minimalistically beautiful. Where to start. Existential, period implicative, survival, morality, psychology, eroticism/temptation, desire, civility vs primal urges, aging, selfishness/need, fear, war/violence, consequences of sin, the black market, spirituality/Buddhism, etc. Eerie and awe-inspiring cinematography and mood throughout. A bleak grim tale about humanity’s need and influence on one another as well as one's internal dilemma in dealing with such circumstances.

The Face of Another (1966) (subtitles)
3.35 out of 4stars

“An engineer is disfigured by an explosion in an industrial accident and wears bandages to cover the burns. Feeling isolated and rejected, a doctor makes an immaculate new-identity prosthetic mask for him, but that mask starts altering his personality.”
An excellent psychological drama horror about the importance and meaning of facial appearance and identity. It asks the question if our looks affect the way people treat us and the way we treat others alongside the grander shaping impact on our lives from this, while also delving deeper. Cleverly denotes the notion that plastic and prosthetic surgery is in itself a form of psychological therapy because of the mental effects it has on patients. The film suggests facial appearance does matter, but not in all the ways one would naturally expect. Self-esteem and strangers’ interactions seem to be the most obvious and notable ways looks have meaning. But to important friends, coworkers, and family in our lives, looks become mostly superficial. Facial appearance changes/differences seem to have more of an impact on the expressions and freedoms of our personality, actions, and self-worth/self-view of ourselves than they do on outsiders looking in, or at least in meaningful ways (barring extreme examples, which I think the outliers on both ends do have significant impacts beyond those realms). It’s not the way we look that changes us, it’s the way we look and feel that brings out different wavelengths of our personality to light. One’s mask or shell may change, but inside we are still who we originally were, beliefs and internal characteristics in all. The facially-scarred woman in the independent side story gives perspective on how a woman would be affected by such an affliction. At least in the past, 80years ago or so here, it would be incredibly debilitating given women’s standing in Japan or even American society. Shame, rejection, pity, loneliness, depression, anxiety, and a possible empty future are all seen as effects of one’s looks being severely tarnished. Lots of great questions are brought up on the dangers of a face-changing society including but not limited to crimes, relationships/families, invisibility, clean slates, morality, existentialism, etc. And sometimes it’s better to be safe than sorry, or even wrong than right. Even the tidbits on make-up and facades put on regularly by people is an interesting insight. Some interesting camera shot usages here as well. Also apparently metaphorical about post-world war 2 Japan. Oddly similarly premised, but very different storyline to Seconds released the same year.

Timecrimes (2007) (subtitles)
3.00 out of 4stars

“Nacho Vigalondo's time-travel thriller opens with Hector spying on a beautiful woman undressing in the woods near his property. Investigating, he finds her assaulted and he in turn is attacked by a man whose head is swathed in bandages. Fleeing, Hector encounters a scientific facility where a scientist persuades him to hide in a time machine. Traveling back in time just a few hours, he observes himself.”
A sci-fi thriller mystery that is a fast paced, fun, twisty, and an often funny time travel loop film. It appears surprisingly free of special effects. The story is all about filling in and expanding on the gaps created from the “first person point of view” right as the story immediately opens. It’s a clever non-stop adventure that’s always amusing. And with many time travel films, it also brings up the idea of fate versus choice. The main storyline feels multi-interpretable, from something as simple as the dangers of curiosity to the more sinister implications of infidelity or acting on desire, or anything between and around. Personally, I felt a message of caution in helping strangers too. It feels like there are a couple of minor holes in the plot altogether, but nothing deal breaking.

The Menu (2022)
3.00 out of 4stars

“A young couple travels to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.”
A great dark comedy satire horror that points out the differences between the wealthy customers of and workers at high end restaurants, or the hospitality industry altogether. Very funny biting extremist satire, even if it beats you over the head with its sometimes obvious messages. Pretty much a story that tells you how the rich mindlessly take delight off the backs of driven and hardworking underappreciated middle to lower class citizens. Goes a bit deeper by pointing out niche sub-columns on the customers side, and most specifically the food industry ties and subject matter present. Brings to light some good stuff, but nothing groundbreaking. And there are a few sentiments I don’t totally agree with by the end that the movie tries to sell, albeit I won’t ruin the film by pointing them out.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022). B+
Easily Martin McDonagh's most restrained (and Irish) film he's made, factors that directly result in his funniest film. It's a welcome change of pace after the relative bombast of Three Billboards and Seven Psychopaths. Some flicks you can watch, enjoy, and then they're mostly out of sight, out of mind (see: the two I just mentioned), but I suspect Banshees will be marinating for quite some time.

The setting and pace all help to "soften" McDonagh's writing, in that here, it feels much more naturalistic and of-the-world (and most importantly, by extension, part of the characters as well). Sometimes with writers, the characters feel secondary -- mere empty vessels for the writer to overtly convey their ideas and opinions (again, see: the two films I mentioned).

Yes, I realize that is what writing is in a nutshell, but it's much more palatable to process when it's not aggressively didactic. i.e., I know this is what's being done going in, but I don't want to be thinking about it while I'm watching. When a film's approach is more direct, it often results in a "look-at-me" effect coming from the writer ('sup later-era Sorkin). By my count, there was exactly one instance of this in Banshee, which all things considered is a triumph by McDonagh's standards.

 

[kihei]

Finally made it back into theaters a few times this week.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. As with the best of the MCU movies, the personal touches are the most effective. In this case that's the very real death of star Chadwick Boseman, the emotional (and political) fallout from which drives the best parts of this movie. The moments centered on loss and grief and revenge hit the hardest. Angela Bassett exudes gravitas in her sleep, but Letitia Wright more than aptly bears the brunt of that weight as well. Namor is a memorable villain thanks largely to the charisma bomb that is Tenoch Huerta (you want to hear crazy? Make THIS DUDE James Bond ... I kid ... I think). Where the movie misses is in the typical places MCU movies stumble in my mind — chaotic, cartoony fights and connective tissue characters and sideplots that are distractions more than organic additions. Yet another introduction of an uninteresting, undeveloped Avenger Baby.

I just never got into it. I kept thinking, "well, there are interim managers and interim coaches, I guess this is an interim movie." It just seemed like a space-filler, a stop-gap, to me. Especially in the first hour and a half, I found the movie disjointed, tangent-filled, not even looking for a rhythm that would tie its parts together. So much could have been axed without much effect at all--the college girl genius bits and the Martin Freeman bits, like do they really need a token white guy? I mean, why else is he there?. All the way through the movie, I was thinking, "Why didn't they make an alliance in the first place?" The loss of Boseman was bound to have a cataclysmic effect on whatever sequel they came up with, but it sort of feels like, "damn, we have to put out something, so here is the best we could come up with because our hearts aren't really in it." There will surely will be more Black Panther movies, finances dictate that, but it is hard not to conclude that the franchise will never survive the death of Boseman.

 

[Langdon Alger]

The Fan - 1996

Robert De Niro plays an obsessed fan of a San Fransisco Giants baseball player played by Wesley Snipes. An entertaining movie, but nothing that great. De Niro is good of course.

6/10

 

[Osprey]

Timecrimes (2007) (subtitles)
3.00 out of 4stars

“Nacho Vigalondo's time-travel thriller opens with Hector spying on a beautiful woman undressing in the woods near his property. Investigating, he finds her assaulted and he in turn is attacked by a man whose head is swathed in bandages. Fleeing, Hector encounters a scientific facility where a scientist persuades him to hide in a time machine. Traveling back in time just a few hours, he observes himself.”
A sci-fi thriller mystery that is a fast paced, fun, twisty, and an often funny time travel loop film. It appears surprisingly free of special effects. The story is all about filling in and expanding on the gaps created from the “first person point of view” right as the story immediately opens. It’s a clever non-stop adventure that’s always amusing. And with many time travel films, it also brings up the idea of fate versus choice. The main storyline feels multi-interpretable, from something as simple as the dangers of curiosity to the more sinister implications of infidelity or acting on desire, or anything between and around. Personally, I felt a message of caution in helping strangers too. It feels like there are a couple of minor holes in the plot altogether, but nothing deal breaking.

I watched this last night and liked it. It's fairly clever for being as simple of a premise as it is. It was a good idea for a low budget movie, since the actors and locations could be re-used and no special effects were required, as you noted. A few things were predictable, especially early on, but being proven right was sort of satisfying and I suspect that Vigalondo wanted you to think and try to figure things out, rather than keep you in the dark so that he could surprise you. The story turns are slowly revealed rather than suddenly, which was refreshing. I found it easier to follow and more enjoyable than Primer, another low budget time travel film from the mid 2000s. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, though. Thanks for the recommendation. If anyone else is interested, it can be watched for free at Plex (on Android, it played without issue; on Windows, I had to right click and block the element to fix the video).

 

[OzzyFan]

I watched this last night and liked it. It's a fairly clever, simple concept and a good idea for a low budget movie, since the actors and locations could be re-used and no special effects were required, as you noted. A few things were predictable, especially early on, but being proven right was sort of satisfying and I think that the movie wants you to try to figure things out, rather than keep you in the dark in hopes of surprising you like most movies. I found it easier to follow and more enjoyable than Primer, another low budget time travel film. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, though. Thanks for the recommendation. If anyone else is interested, it can be watched for free at Plex (on Android, it played without issue; on Windows, I had to right click and block the element to fix the video).

Agreed and definitely easier to follow then Primer. Yep, the movie fills in the gaps as you try and fill in the gaps along the way. The main character being a bit of a doofus is the film's strong suit also. A rather fun play on the time travel concept. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[Puck]

Where the Crawdads Sing, Directed by Olivia Newman, 7.0

Summary: "Young Kya Clark watches in dismay as her beloved Ma walks out of the marsh carrying a suitcase after her most recent beating by Kya’s abusive, alcoholic Pa. The young girl will gradually be abandoned by her older siblings and even her father, yet she survives, even flourishes amidst the natural beauty she calls home. But when the popular former quarterback Chase Andrews is found dead, the people of Barkley Cove, North Carolina all turn toward the strange marsh girl as the likeliest suspect in “Where the Crawdads Sing.”

Based on the book that spent over a year on the NY Times best sellers list, the film was picked up and produced by Reese Witherspoon's film company Hello Sunshine...and it has done well at the Box Office. The author of the book is a zoologist and conservationist that was involved in a murder investigation in Zambia, where she is still wanted for questioning (she's not a murder suspect though). The protagonist in the story is probably an avatar of her own persona and sense of self, sprinkled with the usual pixie dust fiction. Crawdad is probably this year's CODA, a coming-of-age film of predictable machinations and clichés that will do better with a general audience than with more discerning cinephiles. The author does better telling the soapy tale of the main character's love affairs, capturing her sense of loneliness and her interests in zoology but is not remotely credible on the police investigation or the courtroom drama scenes IMHO. The author does well on topics she knows (zoology, the Marshlands area), less well on those she doesn't (criminal matters). I did enjoy the film and gave it a 7.0 but it's not a complex film, it's YA fiction that will do very well with its intended audience. Nice story that pulls on the heart strings but can be tone deaf on other dimensions.

Where the Crawdads Sing | Rotten Tomatoes

From the best-selling novel comes a captivating mystery. Where the Crawdads Sing tells the story of Kya, an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina. For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" haunted Barkley Cove, isolating the sharp and resilient...

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[KirkAlbuquerque]

i think the last movie I watched that wasn't a documentary was Lolita (1962) as I slowly make my way thru all of Stanley Kubrick's films.

It was of course excellent, but somehwat depressing and leaves you feeling uneasy. Great performances from some classic Hollywood legends in James Mason and Peter Sellers.