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

[nameless1]

Vagabond (1985) - 7/10

Sandrine Bonnaire plays an intriguingly crude if not completely believable vagabond in what's less of a movie and more of a tale of events if that makes sense. I think some people love this sort of narrative structure and find it refreshing, I find it mixed with some good and some poor scenes while maybe not enjoying it as much because of my distaste for watching distasteful characters for long periods.

Varda does not do a lot of fictional narrative work, but I am always more fascinated by those than her documentaries. Cleo from 5 to 7 will always be No. 1, but I really like this one too.

When I first watched it, I just discovered that the library had a trove of Criterion Collection DVDs, so I went on a tear, and this was one of the first films I borrowed. The opening two scenes always stick out to me, where it shows the crime scene of the protagonist's death at the beach, and then immediately goes the real start of the narrative, when she emerges from the sea. That juxtaposition immediately brings to my mind The Little Mermaid, and as a result, I am hooked, and become intrigued by how the film will proceed. In the end, it is indeed a re-imagination of the fairy tale, but unlike the original tale, where eponymous character died by choice, she is simply grinded down by the everyday problems of the world, like poverty, addiction, and homelessness, until there is nothing left of her. Thus, Varda's tale hits a lot harder, because it is a more accurate reflection of our times.

The most impressive aspect of the film is Varda's inspired choice to mix the fictional narrative and a documentary interview style, because since different people have a different opinion of the eponymous character, she becomes a fully fleshed out three-dimensional character, and the audience can fully connect with her, and subsequently, the film.

In the years since the film's release, numerous filmmakers have tried this narrative style, but almost all of them failed to replicate Varda's magic. Ann Hui, another director I deeply admire, tried in 2014's Golden Era, where the main character tells the audience of her death in the first scene, but I basically lose interest immediately. That just makes me realize how hard it is to make this particular narrative where the main character is already dead from the start to work, and as I watched more films in subsequent years, it just makes me appreciate this film even more. Even with Varda's renowned reputation, I truly think that she may even be considered underrated, because even though her films may not always work, she can always make any story interesting, no matter how dull the subject matter can be. There is just something with her control of the narrative style that makes her characters interesting, even if they are rather stoic and do not immediately demonstrate colourful personalities.

 

[Chili]

Pretty much the last time he was.

Have only seen one of his other films (Last Tango in Paris a few times) and I have no recollection of him in that one, although Brando was virtually the whole show. Found it interesting that Léaud ran away from boarding school to audition for the role, which must have went over well with Truffault.

 

[nameless1]

Princess Mononoke is great. The writer/director, Hayao Miyazaki, is generally considered the greatest anime director of all time. He's got about a dozen movies with his writing or directing fingerprints on them that are classics to masterpieces. A more adult targeting anime director I would suggest if you are interested is late Satoshi Kon. One up and coming name who has a new film coming out in North America soon is Makoto Shinkai, whose Your Name and Weathering With You were all around treats. While I'm on the topic, Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies could be the greatest anime I've seen, a tough watch but incredibly powerful. That's enough of me rambling. . We don't get too much anime talk on here, so maybe I just needed to let that out.

I personally prefers Miyazaki's works in the 80s as opposed to the 90s. It is not to say the quality falls off, or perhaps I was just a lot younger those days, but the adventures feels grander, and the characters are more three-dimensional.

Grave of the Fireflies really shook me, because I never knew cartoon can have such emotional depth, and I was 6 when I first watched it.

Years later, I found out the TV version I watched actually edited the beginning and end out,

Spoiler

so I did not realize the main character died,

but the emotional effect remained. That actually impressed me, because even without that knowledge, I was extremely touched, and that just shows how powerful the film was.

Have only seen one of his other films (Last Tango in Paris a few times) and I have no recollection of him in that one, although Brando was virtually the whole show. Found it interesting that Léaud ran away from boarding school to audition for the role, which must have went over well with Truffault.

He played the boyfriend. Honestly, I forget he is even there, but he is not that important anyways. The movie is all about Brando and Schneider, and he is just plot device, at best.

 

[nameless1]

The Four Hundred Blows (Les Quatre Cents Coups)-1959 (subtitles)

My knowledge of the film before watching it was limited beyond reading that it was considered a classic. Believe that's a good way to watch it. A young boy's life in Paris, it's just feels so real as the story unfolds. The lead, young Jean-Pierre Léaud is amazing. Brought back memories of youth, thinking about kids I knew, a couple that ended up as CEO's to others who didn't reach adulthood. The challenges and pressures of growing up. Beautifully shot, great film.

Truffaut becomes more polished as his film career progressed, and there are flaws with this debut work, but the raw energy is just unmatched. Initially, I want to write that it is better for younger viewers, or those who just passed adolescence, but the more I think about it, the more I believe it will connect with any age group. Everyone was young once.

The Swimmer-1968

Ned (Burt Lancaster) decides to hike to some friends place so he can go for a swim. As he looks down at the valley below, he realizes there is a string of neighbour's pools leading to his house. So he decides to swim home, a journey across suburbia. Interesting encounters as he meets his neighbours who all seem to know him, some friendly, others not as much. Slowly the real story begins to take shape. Besides Tarzan, seems pretty rare for the star to spend a film in a bathing suit and barefeet. Burt still had the acrobat bod, showing nice swimming form, vaulting over equestrian jumps, even racing a horse at one point. Loved the originality, memorable film.

This is a very underrated film, and even though it bombed, Lancaster has said that this is one of his personal favourites. Lancaster was in his mid-50s when he filmed this one, and I do not know why, but more than one critic noted how good shape he is in. They were right, of course, but I always find it weird.


Also, I highly recommend the short story the movie is based on. Personally, I think it is even better.

 

[Chili]

Truffaut becomes more polished as his film career progressed, and there are flaws with this debut work, but the raw energy is just unmatched. Initially, I want to write that it is better for younger viewers, or those who just passed adolescence, but the more I think about it, the more I believe it will connect with any age group. Everyone was young once.



This is a very underrated film, and even though it bombed, Lancaster has said that this is one of his personal favourites. Lancaster was in his mid-50s when he filmed this one, and I do not know why, but more than one critic noted how good shape he is in. They were right, of course, but I always find it weird.


Also, I highly recommend the short story the movie is based on. Personally, I think it is even better.

The Swimmer for me was like some memoirs I`ve read, cathartic for the authors going over their life including some painful memories. Burt Lancaster called it `Death of a Salesman in swimming trunks`. He had to learn how to swim for the film, went through 17 pairs of swim trunks. Was reminded of lyrics from a Jethro Tull song `Spin me back down the years and the days of my youth. Draw the lace and black curtains and shut out the whole truth...`. Found the film unique, believe it is better appreciated now.

 

[zombie kopitar]

Midsommar-
It's basically already a cult classic, it was pretty much what I expected, not really too much to say other than the aesthetics were good but I didn't really connect with any characters all that much
6.5/10

 

[Osprey]

Tetris (2023) - 5/10

A video game salesman (Taron Egerton) attempts to secure the international rights to a Soviet computer game, but gets blocked at every turn trying to put the pieces in place. This wasn't the dramatization of how Alexey Pajitnov created and distributed Tetris that I was expecting and looking forward to. He's only a minor character in a story that, instead, centers on a less interesting westerner who bravely goes to Moscow during the Cold War to try to convince Pajitnov's communist bosses that selling him the game rights is a capital idea. He and the other characters (mostly businessmen, politicians and KGB) must've been inspired by the game because they're drawn just as two dimensionally. In contrast, the plot is convoluted and puzzling. Conversations rotate between computer game rights, console rights, arcade rights, handheld rights and who owns which rights in which territories. A great deal of time is spent talking business, and it's almost as exciting as it sounds. At least the dry and humorless subject matter is spruced up with pixel art animations and scene transitions, a game-like soundtrack and a few 80s radio hits. Between the stylish presentation but bland and convoluted subject and thin characters with caricature acting, the whole thing often felt more like a slickly produced and re-enactment-filled documentary than a movie. I also got the sense that it was being increasingly made up as it went along, particularly once it started resembling a Cold War spy thriller, complete with car chase. In spite of all of that, it was interesting and watchable enough because I've loved the game for 35 years, but it relies heavily on such affection to make up for flawed storytelling and execution. It just dropped on Apple TV+.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Been a bit MIA lately, but back on my bullshit ...

Women Talking. Great script. I love a good people-crowd-in-a-room-and-debate movie. But I did find it odd that such a woman-centered story gives as much space to Ben Whishaw's not-all-men character. Good performance, but feels weird he gets as much real estate in the movie as he does.

The Dark Knight Rises. I can't see Tom Hardy's Bane as anything other than a comedic creation, which SHOULD undermine this otherwise very serious movie, but he really is the most watchable and entertaining part of it. Go figure.

Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects. Classic Cannon Group trash. Vengeance-minded Charles Bronson taking on sex traffickers while also dealing with his own prejudices against the Japanese (the 1980s!). Not actually sure what the movie is in favor of or opposed to. A really genuinely funny scene where a character is accidentally killed and Bronson just sorta shrugs "meh."

Bad Boys. No not that one. The early 80s Sean Penn juvie jail one. Gritty and very well-acted. Doesn't pull its punches with its cast of genuinely bad and troubled characters. Doesn't over explain or excuse. The situation's the situation and they have to try to survive it. Good drama.

Quick Change. A very very Bill Murray performance if you like classic Bill Murray. Very dry. Very funny. A bit of an After Hours night/day-from-hell-in-New-York. So much to love about this. Unfortunately there is one thing to really hate ... I have a pretty low tolerance for Randy Quaid already but this may be him at his absolute worst. Endless inane mugging and shouting. Just a brutal brutal performance that nearly undermines an otherwise entertaining movie.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

The Lovers On The Bridge (1991) - 6/10

I'm not really a fan of French films showing a tormented love affair with two characters that often don't have any chemistry because the scenes are so choppy and you're just supposed to believe they have this epic larger than life romance. The strength in this is some of the scenes filmed with great camera movement but the actual romance is just a mess that feels like a strange dragged out event.

The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) - 7/10

Pretty fun film this tbh with a bit of a dated-2000s atmosphere, a modern adaptation would probably be an hour longer and far more serious and more gritty but at least this is mostly light and fun. I suspect my enjoyment of it is probably due to the fact that I haven't read the book and was not distracted by the likely bastardization of the book. All I saw was a decent albeit somewhat predictable revenge tale.

 

[kihei]

For anyone interested, The Quiet Girl is now available to screen on tiff. net digital.

Other titles include:

Aftersun
No Bears
Hit the Road
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Eternal Daughter
Moonage Daydream
Petite Maman
The Worst Person in the World
Another Round
Saint Omer
Close
TAR
Living
Holy Spider
Broker
Triangle of Sadness
Top Gun: Maverick
The Fabelmans
Elvis
The Whale
X
Pearl

The price per rental is usually 6 or 7 dollars.

 

[kihei]

Riceboy Sleeps (2022) Directed by Anthony Shim 8A

When So-young (Choi Seungyoon)'s husband dies, for reasons that become clear later she immigrates from South Korea to Canada with her six-year-old son. On her own, she has trouble adapting to her new culture and her son Dong Hyun, starting first grade in a new land, faces casual and institutional racism as well. He is teased unmercifully, taunted as Riceboy because his lunch is so different from everyone elses. School authorities suggest she change his name to something more North American, like David. Down through the years, So-young and Dong-Hyun, continue to sometimes bicker, but she is committed to making a home for him in Canada. As mother and son's bumpy relationship develops through the years, he begins to fit into secondary school in Vancouver but So-young still struggles with the language. When they argue, which they do not infrequently, she speaks Korean and he responds in English. He wants to know about his father who she has always been reluctant to talk about. Eventually for a very good and serious reason, she relents and decides to take Dong-Hyun for a visit to South Korea.

Riceboy Sleeps is a beautiful, heart-aching movie. On one level, it is a (small) family-in-crisis tale, but the fact that our protagonist is a struggling South Korean immigrant gives the story a very fresh angle. Initially the movie focuses on the great divide between cultures in which even seemingly non-controversial values can clash. But the movie is more than a tale about the difficult and painful plight of a mother and son adapting to another culture. Important though that is. Of equal significance is the nature of family bonds and how important they are in shaping identity. While a portion of Riceboy Sleeps plays like melodrama, director Anthony Shim does wonders with modest resources. So-young's trip to the doctor intercut with her son's after school goings on is a tour de force delineation of charged feelings and developing crises. Choi Seungyoon's performance may well be the best I will see this year (the scene in the doctor's office is unforgettable). I have no idea who she is as this movie is her first screen credit. But it is an absolutely prodigious performance.

mix of subtitles and English


Best of '23 so far

Riceboy Sleeps, Shim, Canada

 

[Pink Mist]

Riceboy Sleeps (2022) Directed by Anthony Shim 7A

When So-young (Choi Seungyoon)'s husband dies, for reasons that become clear later she immigrates from South Korea to Canada with her six-year-old son. On her own, she has trouble adapting to her new culture and her son Dong Hyun, starting first grade in a new land, faces casual and institutional racism as well. He is teased unmercifully, taunted as Riceboy because his lunch is so different from everyone else's. School authorities suggest she change his name to something more North American, like David.. Down through the years, So-young and Dong-Hyun, continue to sometimes bicker, but she is committed to making a home for him in Canada. As mother and son's bumpy relationship develops through the years, he begins to fit into secodary school in Vancouver but So-young still struggles with the language. When they argue, which they do not infrequently, she speaks Korean and he responds in English. He wants to know about his father who she has always been reluctant to talk about. Eventually for a very good and serious reason, she relents and decides to take Dong-Hyun for a visit to South Korea.

Riceboy Sleeps is a beautiful movie. On one level, it is a (small)) family-in-crisis tale, but the fact that our protagonist is a struggling South Korean immigrant gives the story a very fresh angle. Initially the movie focuses on the great divide between cultures in which even seemingly non-controversial values can clash. But the movie is more than a tale about the plight of a mother and son adapting to another culture. Important though that is, of equal significance is the nature of family bonds and how knowing one's past can perhaps help one live in the present. While a portion of Riceboy Sleeps plays like melodrama, director Anthony Shim does wonders with modest resources. So-young's trip to the doctor intercut with her son's after school goings on is a tour de force delineation of charged feelings and developing crises. Choi Seungyoon's performance may well be the best I will see this year. I have no idea who she is as this movie is her first screen credit. But it is an absolutely prodigious performance.

mix of subtitles and English


Best of '23 so far

Riceboy Sleeps, Shim, Canada

Been meaning to check this one out, hope to catch it while its still playing in Toronto

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Spartan. David Mamet has a distinct rhythm. The man loves a good side world/culture populated with hyper-competent people speaking tersely. We may only partially understand, but it's clear THEY understand. Lies, deception. Here he deploys his style on an international kidnapping thriller. It's just the sort of movie folks like Liam Neeson, Mark Wahlberg and Gerard Butler would take on to good financial success just a few years later. But this is Mamet's version so it is smarter and colder. The twisty plot is expertly calibrated and the dialogue flies like the charcters are spitting out pieces of glass. I've always thought it is one of the great underrated/underseen movies of the past 20 or so years. Rewatching didn't change my mind. Fantastic low-pulse (in a good way) performance by Val Kilmer. (Warning: DO NOT watch the trailer, which might be the most egregious example of giving away the entire movie that I've ever seen).

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead. Saw this way back in college and it's always held a weird, small spot in my head for reasons I cannot explain. Dismissed at the time as a Pulp Fiction knockoff largely to its nicknamed characters and its stylized and slang-heavy dialogue (I think that's a little unfair as I believe the script pre-existed Pulp Fiction and its development was somewhat concurrent). It's a weird one in this sense ... I think all the performances in this are good. Some very good, including Andy Garcia's lead character and Treat Williams, Christopher Walken and Christopher Lloyd in supporting roles. But the dialogue, it must be said is A LOT. I don't mind the idea, but wish its cuteness was dialed back about 20% The how and why a key event goes wrong is such an obvious mistake by a character who is supposed to be the smart one that it's hard to shake as a plot point. It also has a clear discomfort with homosexuality that can't be excused as character traits or "the style at the time" but genuinely is uncomfortable if not offensive.

Jesus of Nazareth. 'Tis the season and all. Late 1970s, Franco Zeffirelli takes on the story of Jesus with an all-star cast. The catch here is that this one trades the widescreen epic approach of Hollywood predecessors (King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told) for the length of a TV miniseries. At six hours this is double King and one-third longer that Greatest. So you get an hour of Mary and Joseph pre-birth. Noble perhaps, but meh. You get a little of kid Jesus which is worth it because the blonde-haired, blue-eyed kid is incredibly creepy. But overall, I prefer the grandeur of screen to the, if I'm generous, thoroughness of length. Because it's TV and despite having a famed film director, it's just constrained at all times. Visually dull. Feels more like a lecture than an epic. Though I admit I struggle with most Jesus stories because, like Superman, I think he's a dramatically uninteresting character. It lives and dies (and is resurrected?) on how the world interacts with him. Here, as in many retellings, everone is kinda basic good or bad so it's all kinda inert to me. At least the epics were widescreen. There's always a little entertainment in these cast-of-thousands type ventures ... oh hey there's Ernest Borgnine! is that Christopher Plummer? What's Stacy Keach doing here? LAURENCE OLIVIER AND JAMES MASON ARE DEBATING ANTHONY QUINN??? But a lot of the performances feel a little mailed in (TV was seen as slumming at the time). Ian Holm, Ian McShane and an uber-hammy Peter Ustinov were all pretty memorable though.

 

[kihei]

Spartan. David Mamet has a distinct rhythm. The man loves a good side world/culture populated with hyper-competent people speaking tersely. We may only partially understand, but it's clear THEY understand. Lies, deception. Here he deploys his style on an international kidnapping thriller. It's just the sort of movie folks like Liam Neeson, Mark Wahlberg and Gerard Butler would take on to good financial success just a few years later. But this is Mamet's version so it is smarter and colder. The twisty plot is expertly calibrated and the dialogue flies like the charcters are spitting out pieces of glass. I've always thought it is one of the great underrated/underseen movies of the past 20 or so years. Rewatching didn't change my mind. Fantastic low-pulse (in a good way) performance by Val Kilmer. (Warning: DO NOT watch the trailer, which might be the most egregious example of giving away the entire movie that I've ever seen).

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead. Saw this way back in college and it's always held a weird, small spot in my head for reasons I cannot explain. Dismissed at the time as a Pulp Fiction knockoff largely to its nicknamed characters and its stylized and slang-heavy dialogue (I think that's a little unfair as I believe the script pre-existed Pulp Fiction and its development was somewhat concurrent). It's a weird one in this sense ... I think all the performances in this are good. Some very good, including Andy Garcia's lead character and Treat Williams, Christopher Walken and Christopher Lloyd in supporting roles. But the dialogue, it must be said is A LOT. I don't mind the idea, but wish its cuteness was dialed back about 20% The how and why a key event goes wrong is such an obvious mistake by a character who is supposed to be the smart one that it's hard to shake as a plot point. It also has a clear discomfort with homosexuality that can't be excused as character traits or "the style at the time" but genuinely is uncomfortable if not offensive.

Jesus of Nazareth. 'Tis the season and all. Late 1970s, Franco Zeffirelli takes on the story of Jesus with an all-star cast. The catch here is that this one trades the widescreen epic approach of Hollywood predecessors (King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told) for the length of a TV miniseries. At six hours this is double King and one-third longer that Greatest. So you get an hour of Mary and Joseph pre-birth. Noble perhaps, but meh. You get a little of kid Jesus which is worth it because the blonde-haired, blue-eyed kid is incredibly creepy. But overall, I prefer the grandeur of screen to the, if I'm generous, thoroughness of length. Because it's TV and despite having a famed film director, it's just constrained at all times. Visually dull. Feels more like a lecture than an epic. Though I admit I struggle with most Jesus stories because, like Superman, I think he's a dramatically uninteresting character. It lives and dies (and is resurrected?) on how the world interacts with him. Here, as in many retellings, everone is kinda basic good or bad so it's all kinda inert to me. At least the epics were widescreen. There's always a little entertainment in these cast-of-thousands type ventures ... oh hey there's Ernest Borgnine! is that Christopher Plummer? What's Stacy Keach doing here? LAURENCE OLIVIER AND JAMES MASON ARE DEBATING ANTHONY QUINN??? But a lot of the performances feel a little mailed in (TV was seen as slumming at the time). Ian Holm, Ian McShane and an uber-hammy Peter Ustinov were all pretty memorable though.

Never saw Spartan. Guess I should.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Never saw Spartan. Guess I should.

Have I ever steered you wrong??? (don't answer that)

 

[Babe Ruth]

The Gospel According to St Matthew (1964)

Stuck at home, sick on Good Friday.. so thought I'd check this out. A colorized version of the old Italian movie. Pretty good, seemed pretty faithful to the text of Matthew.
Had one of the most sanitized crucifixion scenes I've ever seen. Basically no blood or guts, and maybe 15 seconds of Jesus' anguish.
Decent movie.. I watched on Freevee, and noticed it's also on Tubi.

 

[Chili]

8 1/2-1963 (lots of subtitles)

The hectic life of a film director (played by Marcello Mastroianni) as he plans a new film. Actors, media, fans, producer, preparation, religion, mistress, wife...alot to juggle. Mastroianni has a rare screen charisma.

Claudia Cardinale lights up the screen, impressive that she was in 8 1/2, The Leopard and The Pink Panther in a short period. Fascinating, probably need to watch a few times to fully grasp. I remember seeing Nine now, probably should watch them together.

The Yards-2000

A sort of Godfather spinoff, with James Caan as the head of a family who has friends in the right places to obtain lucrative contracts. Leo Handler (Mark Wahlberg) just out of prison, follows around his friend (Joaquin Phoenix) who works for Caan which leads him into serious trouble. Great cast, maybe should have been a better film? It's ok, maybe I've just seen too many similar films. I did like Wahlberg's subtle performance.

The Entertainer-1960

Archie (Laurence Olivier) is a long time song & dance man. He leads a show in a small theatre in a beach side amusement park. He has dreams and schemes of how he'll make it big in a London show. It's a sad story but it was worth seeing for Olivier's performance. The highlight is a monologue he gives to his daughter on what it means to be a stage performer. The film is a reminder of appreciating our families. As a mild fan of Olivier, he's really good here with a strong supporting cast.

 

[OzzyFan]

The Great Silence (1968)
3.20 out of 4stars
“A mute gunfighter defends a young widow and a group of outlaws against a gang of bounty killers in the winter of 1898, and a grim, tense struggle unfolds.”

A great spaghetti western that’s violent, bleak, and wrongfully tarnished by a meaningful but controversial ending. Highly unconventional and taking place in snow-capped Utah, the film tells the dark bloody tale of the bounty hunter system, which is shown to be barbaric, unruly, corrupt, sadistic, despicable, and community upending. The plot cleverly tells the story of a mute man who only kills once gun-drawn upon by others, targeting bounty hunters, sometimes even just shooting their thumbs off. Ironically, both the bounty hunters’ act of killing for reward and the silent vigilante’s ‘self-defense’ style killing are both legal forms of murder with very gray areas of morality. One could even call these “acts of capital punishment” as loopholes. The main message seems to be about human nature, how those that can and do take advantage of systems and laws in place do so and flourish in society whereas those who don’t become victims or casualties of government withstandings. Also touched upon were old west race relations, greed, and wealth inequality issues. Well acted by the pair of leads in Kinski and Trintignant as well. Many feel this is to be Corbucci’s best film above Django.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) (silent)
3.10 out of 4stars

“A handsome prince rides a flying horse to faraway lands and embarks on magical adventures, which include befriending a witch, meeting Aladdin, battling demons and falling in love with a princess.”
A great animated fairytale that is fascinating and effective storytelling. Based on tales from The Arabian Nights, its protagonist is taken on an exciting fantasy adventure. The oldest surviving animated feature film uses silhouette animation, the director Reiniger being the pioneer of the style, which is very involved as it took 3years time to complete this film (brings to mind the present day time consumption to produce stop motion films). It’s astounding the power that well detailed cutouts, vibrant and colorful backdrops, solid execution, and some imagination can do. Early movie magic.

Carnival of Sinners (1943) (subtitles)
3.00 out of 4stars

“A struggling French artist buys a devil's-hand talisman with his soul, and it changes his life, until payment comes do 1year afterward.”
A great supernatural horror that’s a well told “Faustian-tale” with atmosphere and depth. This morality tale is told with expressionism style, about the corruption of one’s soul in this life and possibly the life after this with hell awaiting. I won’t get into the fine details/events, but they keep things interesting and make you feel everything that is going on.

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
2.90 out of 4stars

“A Highway Patrol Officer, two criminals and a station secretary defend a defunct Los Angeles precinct office against a siege by a bloodthirsty street gang.”
A great action thriller b-movie that is simple and effective filmmaking. On a $100,000 budget, John Carpenter made an action film that was brutally violent at times, tightly paced once it settled in, well shot and directed, full of tension with quality action, a few shocking sequences, a moody synth-heavy/electronic score, has campy/witty dialogue, and premised so simply but ingeniously (albeit borrowed). I wouldn’t say there are any thorough or purposeful themes here to acknowledge as smart, although one could suggest the injustice of guns and their owners being judge, jury, and executioner with the ability to end lives in an instant as something. If one were to critique the film, they could rip it apart, but that’s not quite the point here or with any action film that aims for surface enjoyment over depth and intricacy, or even refinement. It aims for popcorn entertainment and succeeds. Clearly inspired by, from Carpenter’s own mouth, a mix of Night of the Living Dead and Rio Bravo.

 

[kihei]

Have I ever steered you wrong??? (don't answer that)

Dashiell Hammet dialogue pasted on a rejected Jack Reacher script.

I recognized one scene, when the protege gets shot at the beach house, but had forgotten everything else before or after that scene up until we got to the very end in the airplane hangar. So it was sort of like watching 99% of Spartan (I keep thinking, "Michigan State, Michigan State, Michigan State") for the first time.

"You don't want to go to the desert." It was my favourite line, worthy of Hammett or Chandler. And then what did Mamet do?--bloody hell, he later explained it. Hack move. I was so disappointed. Gotta think Kilmer would have made a very intriguing Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Dashiell Hammet dialogue pasted on a rejected Jack Reacher script.

I recognized one scene, when the protege gets shot at the beach house, but had forgotten everything else before or after that scene up until we got to the very end in the airplane hangar. So it was sort of like watching 99% of Spartan (I keep thinking, "Michigan State, Michigan State, Michigan State") for the first time.

"You don't want to go to the desert." It was my favourite line, worthy of Hammett or Chandler. And then what did Mamet do?--bloody hell, he later explained it. Hack move. I was so disappointed. Gotta think Kilmer would have made a very intriguing Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe.

I'll take it!

Edit: Rare Mamet without Rick Jay though. So I know that's a plus for you.

 

[Puck]

Rye Lane, Directed by Raine Allen-Miller, 7.0+



Two strangers come together by happenstance to get over one another’s exes.

I enjoyed this. Although not the greatest film to ever hit the screen, it might be the best Brit rom-com I've seen since Juliet, Naked (2018). Rom-coms seem to be a dying-breed genre but this one is one of the better ones produced of late. It seems to be this Director's first full length film and it is a good start.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Invasión (1969) - 4/10

This Argentine film was lost in the 70s and restored painstakingly in the 90s.....they should've just let it be lost. A long shitty Twilight Zone episode with awful sound production.

 

[Puck]

Cut Bank (2014), Directed by Michael Stuhlbarg, 7.0

A young man's life is unraveled after 'accidently' witnessing a murder that he filmed in his rural town of Cut Bank.

How did I miss this movie that came out in 2014? This one slipped below my radar. I love eccentric films with quirky characters. This has three good old actors, John Malkovitch, Bruce Dern and Billy Bob Thorton, all in one flick. What's not to like? Plus a great cast of quirky small town people that reminded me a lot of the film Fargo. I checked Stuhlbarg on Google, most of his projects are tv series like Wanda Vision, Game of Thrones, Succession, The Boys. Had not heard of him either until now. Lots of twists in this movie and some great misfit characters. If you liked Fargo, you should also like this one. Mood is very Coenesque.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Muriel's Wedding (1994) - 7/10

Is it possible for an Australian film to be normal? Of course not, this classic Aussie chickflick is filled with a strange surrealism like everything is a bit of a dream backed by Abba songs. Makes it difficult to land emotional moments but also makes it strangely transfixating like a Lynch film.

Save The Tiger (1973) - 6.5/10

Typical 70s cinema with a cynical director telling a cynical story getting a strong performance from a legendary actor (Jack Lemmon in this case who I think won an oscar for this). There's nothing satisfying, the world is shown as going to shit, and the only real lesson is you probably shouldn't worship or learn the names of too many celebrities because when you're middle aged you'll start waxing lyrical about them.

 

[Osprey]

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) - 5/10

A German lad excitedly goes off to war. Sometimes, you just want a fun, uplifting movie. This movie is not for those times. It's a depressing and powerful film about the futility of war. The production, cinematography, acting and direction are all fantastic. It's a very good film. That said, I can't help but be a little disappointed in the changes from the original novel and the 1930 adaptation. A big difference is that it rushes through the beginning and we barely get to know the main characters before the war dashes their spirits. Because of that, I didn't feel like I knew them and didn't feel much for them. Also, the ending was completely changed, to the point that the title even loses its meaning. Ending with a bloody battle will probably satisfy viewers who aren't very familiar with story, but the 1930 film (which is very faithful to the novel) has one of the more memorable endings in film history. It's rather ironic that the first German-made adaptation of the classic German novel is the least faithful. It's an extremely well-made film that still effectively communicates the main point of the story, but I couldn't help but be a little disappointed with the changes.

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) - 7/10

The most dimwitted and boring man on the Irish island of Inisherin (Colin Farrell) can't put a finger on why his smarter, more cultured drinking buddy (Brendan Gleeson) wants nothing more to do with him. He takes it about as well as you would if your best friend suddenly unfriended you on Facebook. When I heard that it was about the falling apart of a friendship, I expected a depressing movie, but it isn't really. I enjoyed how darkly humorous it is, largely because Farrell's character is so slow minded and oblivious. For most of the movie, his face resembles that of a stray dog on your front porch after you've closed the door in its face. The acting is superb from him, Gleeson and Kerry Condon. It doesn't surprise me that all three were nominated for Oscars. The locations and cinematography of the island and coastline are breathtaking. Where the film left me a little disappointed was the rather unsatisfying ending. I was very much on board with the film until that point. Maybe it needed a 15-minute martial arts fight. It might've then won Best Picture. Requires subtitles (unless you can somehow understand what tha feck thar sayin).