Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Mid-Spring Edition. Happy Beltane!

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

2 Tsai's on there. Interesting.

Personally, I love Vive l'armour, but it is more in the top 100 range.

No surprise, the only film from your top-10 that would be in my top-50 is Solaris - and I've seen them all!

I added Nostalghia to my list, pushed Passion to the HMs... I need to just stop this now!
(this should have been its own thread)

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I'll throw in a few honourable mentions, too, in alphabetical order:

Alice in the Cities, Wenders
Charulata, Ray
La Chinoise, Godard
The Exterminating Angel, Bunuel
Ivan, the Terrible, Eisenstein
Loveless, Zyagintsev
The Maltese Falcon, Huston
The Rules of the Game, Renoir
Still Life, Zhan-ke
Tokyo Story, Ozu
Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Weerasethakul

On any given day, one of these could pop up in the #9 or #10 spot pretty easy.

I've seen you reference The Exterminating Angel a few times and always wondered why. I mean, I like it, but there's at least 3 or 4 other Bunuel films that I prefer to it (all 9/10 to me, though now I want to add one to my HMs....... must.... resist....). What makes it your favorite?

 

[nameless1]

No surprise, the only film from your top-10 that would be in my top-50 is Solaris - and I've seen them all!

I added Nostalghia to my list, pushed Passion to the HMs... I need to just stop this now!
(this should have been its own thread)

Yeah, my list is not that unique.


I really care about plot and the writing. That is mainly why Chinatown is on my honourable mention, because it is often said to have the perfect screenplay, and I cannot argue with that.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Yeah, my list is not that unique.


I really care about plot and the writing. That is mainly why Chinatown is on my honourable mention, because it is often said to have the perfect screenplay, and I cannot argue with that.

I had a screenwriting class once. On the first day, the professor said that Ghost was the perfect screenplay, and lost all credibility. But yeah, writing is of uttermost importance, but writing for film - my favorite films are all written with images in mind (might be a little less true about Rien sur Robert, Bonitzer first being a dialogue expert).

Anyway, I was wondering... Army of Darkness? And I used to love Naked. Kind of faded away with time, I should watch it again.

 

[nameless1]

Anyway, I was wondering... Army of Darkness? And I used to love Naked. Kind of faded away with time, I should watch it again.

Sorry, it is supposed to be Army of Shadows, by Melville. I continue to get the two titles mixed up.

 

[kihei]

I've seen you reference The Exterminating Angel a few times and always wondered why. I mean, I like it, but there's at least 3 or 4 other Bunuel films that I prefer to it (all 9/10 to me, though now I want to add one to my HMs....... must.... resist....). What makes it your favorite?

I rate Bunuel very highly and like and respect a lot of his films. The Exterminating Angel is my favourite (The Milky Way is probably second). I think it provides a perfect cinematic metaphor for the indifference of the rich to the plight of the poor. I think the execution could not be improved upon, one of those movies that I can watch again and again and be entertained by.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Sorry, it is supposed to be Army of Shadows, by Melville. I continue to get the two titles mixed up.

This is disappointing.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I, Madman (Takacs, 1989) - If there is such a thing as a perfect b-movie (the terms seem contradictory), this must be real close to it. It drags a little at the end, and the stop-motion animation ain't that great (ironic, since the guy who plays the madman and is in charge of special effects went on to win 3 oscars for his role as animation designer and supervisor on the LOTR films), but otherwise, what a brilliant little piece of pulp - and a beauty too, playful with style. I won't say anything about the R word, but just look at that poster! I had it at 7, I'll push it at 7.5/10

* @KallioWeHardlyKnewYe - if you haven't seen it, I think you'd like it a lot... I can send it your way

 

[Fantomas]

I don't have a top-10 list, but just want to say that I Am Twenty by Marlen Khutsiev is a great, upper-tier film that everyone should see.

A young Andrei Tarkovsky has a small role in it.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Tenet

with: ????????????????

Anyone want to tell me what the f*** that was?

 

[Chili]

Came up with a top ten several years ago, so it`s probably dated a bit. My criteria is films that i have enjoyed several times and will enjoy watching again. In date order...

All Quiet on the Western Front -1930
The Grapes of Wrath -1940
The Wild One -1954
The Graduate -1967
Once Upon a Time in the West -1968
Easy Rider -1969
Goin` Down the Road -1970
The Blues Brothers -1980
Trust -1991
El Mariachi -1992

Could alternate with some of these...

The Kid -1921
City Lights -1931
Modern Times -1936
Treasure of the Sierra Madre -1948
On the Waterfront -1954
The Pink Panther -1964
Hell in the Pacific -1968
Emperor of the North -1973
Papillon -1973
The Motorcycle Diaries -2004

HM list would be real long, have alot of favorite actors and directors. Not many subtitled films above, haven`t watched many, have been getting into silent films though so may start watching some.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Death Warrant (Sarafian, 1990) - A cop from Quebec (which should explain his weird accent, but they named him Louis Burke, so who knows?) is sent to prison, undercover, to investigate on a series of inmates' deaths. The IMDB summary adds: "What he finds is a struggle of life and death tied in to his own past", but as usual this has nothing to do with the movie. It has to be the weirdest prison you'd find: the rules don't make sense (the inmates wear jeans and belts, a guy can go from isolation to marrital trailer privileges in a matter of minutes, and the guards are vastly outnumbered, the inmates ending up doing most of everything, without supervision) and the layout is even more absurd (with lower levels where transvestites have their kingdom, and somewhere a multi-level industrial boiler section). Also very interesting is how the young female assistant who poses as Burke's wife is treated in the film: ignored when JCVD is introduced to the team, everybody is really rude to her, including our hero ; and after she's been sexually abused by the guards, he comforts her with his [hello], after smelling her hair while she explains something. Weird film. A real gem at times, like this first dialogue in the film:
JCVD: I think he's inside, I'm gonna check it out.
Radio: Burke, wait for backup.
JCVD: He killed my partner, I'm not waiting.
Radio: Listen Burke, this is L.A., not Canada, we have procedures here!
But it's not always funny. Always dumb and lousy though. Not deserving of a "so bad it's good" mention. 2.5/10

It's always interesting to check what the people who have made such films got to do afterwards. The director went on to be very busy working on every tv-series - Buffy, Lost, The Exorcist, Swamp Thing, and so many others. Even more surprising, Death Warrant was David S. Goyer's first screenplay, who went on to become one of the darlings of the superhero genre.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

For some strange reason, I watched some widely acclaimed 90s romantic comedy, and I cannot shake how creepy they are nowadays.


Sleepless in Seattle made a killing at the box office, and it helped to establish Meg Ryan as one of America's Sweetheart, but has anyone actually thought about the plot? Ryan's character heard a lonely man's confession on a radio show, and she decided that he might be the one. Even though she has a fiancee, she still decides to fly to Seattle from the East Coast where she was based just to see what he looks like. In any era, that is stalker behaviour, and she would have gotten a restraining order against her. Seriously, how did this idea get greenlit? Is Hollywood so morally bankrupt, that they consider this to be romantic?


Four Weddings and a Funeral is another example. Again, it got great box office, and it helped to establish Hugh Grant as a leading man, but he is essentially a creep. He had a one night stand at a wedding, and when he meets her again, she is engaged, but that does not stop him from sleeping with her again. She gets married, but at his own wedding, when he learns that she is single now, he leaves his future bride at the altar, and this cheating couple ends up together. Again, how is this romantic? He humiliates someone at her own wedding, and yet, he got a happy ending. It is not as bad as the previous example, where the action is likely criminal, but at the very least, it is morally bankrupt. There is also a homophobic element to the movie when the partner of a gay couple was referred to as a "friend" at the eulogy, even though everyone knew their sexual orientation, but it was different times, so I see it more as a time capsule of how 90s attitudes towards gay people are.

While these are the two most prominent examples, I remember that My Best Friend's Wedding is borderline problematic, and while I have not seen Runaway Bride, the plot already sounds pretty bad, when Robert's character leave people at the altar multiple times. Frankly, the 90s is a weird times, and seems downright dangerous. Romance, according to the movies, often involves criminal to borderline criminal activities.

What an amazing post.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Big Trouble In Little China (1986) - 7/10

There's a collection of action-ish blockbuster type films, usually cheesy ones from the 80s, overrated by dudes that are now either older millenials or Gen-Xers who say them when they were young maybe, I dunno. I was expecting this to be along those lines (*cough Back To The Future). What I got instead was something truly truly bizarre. Kurt Russell is fun, Kim Catrall can't act, and everything else is just batshit insane. It looks good, it often makes no sense, and it moves along at a fairly decent pace. Decently fun idiocy helped by how it looks.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

For some strange reason, I watched some widely acclaimed 90s romantic comedy, and I cannot shake how creepy they are nowadays.

Serendipity from 2002 is another bad one, maybe it's easy to overlook because it has Kate Beckinsdale and John Cusack being charming but what an awful premise that movie becomes.

 

[OzzyFan]

Alien
3.85 out of 4stars

"After a space merchant vessel receives an unknown transmission as a distress call, one of the crew is attacked by a mysterious life form and they soon realize that its life cycle has merely begun."
Easily one of the greatest Sci Fi and Horror films ever made. From the circumstances and setting to the story and character building (and acting) to the nightmarishly scary creature designs/characteristics/actions (from prenatal to adult form and everything inbetween) to the set-designs to the story twists/tone. It covers all bases necessary with excellence.

Aliens
3.20 out of 4stars

"After floating in space for 57 years, Lt. Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver) shuttle is found by a deep space salvage team. Upon arriving at LV-426, the marines find only one survivor, a nine year old girl named Newt (Carrie Henn). But even these battle-hardened marines with all the latest weaponry are no match for the hundreds of aliens that have invaded the colony."
Smart change of direction from the original. Cameron made a really fun, and differently tense, highly quotable sci fi action shoot em up with previously stated horrific creature enemies vs human "alpha minded" military forces.

The Exorcist (1973)
3.30 out of 4stars

"When a 12-year-old girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her."
To me, this works because it is almost forcefully realistic with all of the events and side stories surrounding this possessed girl, while also creating such sympathetic and good natured 'broken' main characters. You combine that with the mood throughout and shock elements of the possession scenes, and everything is amplified with a truly sinister tone.

Sisters (1972)
2.50 out of 4stars

"A small-time reporter tries to convince the police she saw a murder in the apartment across from hers."
Psychological Thriller/Horror/Mystery from De Palma, who clearly idolizes and borrows from Hitchcock here. Quick moving with a couple decent twists, ideas, and style.

The Terror of Tiny Town
2.00 out of 4stars

"An evil gunslinging midget comes to terrorize the good little people of Tiny Town. The townspeople organize to defeat him, and zany antics ensue."
An all midget western from 1938' had caught my attention. It's got a few laughs here and there while also being an interesting sight to see on film. And quite short at 62minutes long, no put intended.

Those Who Wish Me Dead
2.25 out of 4stars

"A teenage murder witness finds himself pursued by two assassins in the Montana wilderness with a survival expert."
When Taylor Sheridan's name is attached to a movie, there are high expectations. Sadly this movie does not come remotely close to them. Bits and pieces of this movie feel like his signature, but definitely not all of it. Twas a mediocre thriller that had potential. I hope this, Sicario 2, and the cowriting on the recent Tom Clancy's Without Remorse isn't a sign that Sheridan's already peaked and his prime might be fading.

 

[Pink Mist]

Pink Mist, Spring in Fiala, Pranzo, Kallio, Osprey, Puck, Chili-- curious about all your top tens. Put your cards on the table

I find it hard to do a definitive top 10 since my favourites shift a lot, but here's a quick one off the top of my head (in no particular order)

400 Blows (Truffaut)
Day for Night (Truffaut)
Cléo from 5 to 7 (Varda)
Victoria (Schipper) (I guess I like the idea of films in real time)
Before Sunrise (Linklater)
Stalker (Tarkovsky)
Rear Window (Hitchcock)
Ikiru (Kurosawa)
La Haine (Kassovitz)
Aguirre, The Wrath of God (Herzog)
Nosferatu (Murnau)

EDIT: Just realized that's 11 films but whatever it's a good overall reflection of my taste

 

[Chili]

I find it hard to do a definitive top 10 since my favourites shift a lot, but here's a quick one off the top of my head (in no particular order)

(I guess I like the idea of films in real time)

Impressive film I saw not long ago, in real time, called The Set-Up with Robert Ryan if you haven't seen it.

 

[Pink Mist]

Impressive film I saw not long ago, in real time, called The Set-Up with Robert Ryan if you haven't seen it.

I have not, thanks for the recommendation!

 

[kihei]

Happy for the inclusions of Goin' Down the Road and Victoria. Love both lists.

 

[Chili]

Happy for the inclusions of Goin' Down the Road and Victoria. Love both lists.

You may know this...Bruce Cockburn performed the music in Goin' Down the Road but apparently would never sing the title song in concert because the lyrics didn`t go with his beliefs. Catchy tune.

Edit: I guess he did start performing the song at some point explains it here:

Bruce Cockburn: 'I’m not particularly given to looking back'

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Women On The Verge of A Nervous Breakdown (1988) - 7.5/10

You can criticize its deadpanedness for leading to a lack of emotional weight with every scene being one-tone but it's colourful, passionate, melodramatic, and hilarious in a throwaway kind of way. Probably the best of the three Almodovar films I've seen so far because it takes itself far less seriously than the others.

Have to absolutely watch this in good HD quality though, film would probably lose its edge on a dull CRT TV in the 80s or 90s.

 

[sr edler]

Saboteur (1942) by Alfred Hitchcock – 8/10

I thought I wasn't in the mood to watch a whole feature film, but this one still managed to entertain me the whole 108 minutes, surprisingly. It's pretty silly and really far-fetched a lot of the time, but it's like you don't even care.

This film bears a ton of resemblance with North by Northwest, which came out 17 years later. Not only in its theme with a wrongfully accused man, and its climatic end scene, but also in a lot of the settings, like the bare intermediate landscapes of nowhere land for instance, when the suspect makes his way from Los Angeles to New York. There's even an embryo here to the great auction scene in North by Northwest, which is my favorite scene of that film.

 

[kihei]

You may know this...Bruce Cockburn performed the music in Goin' Down the Road but apparently would never sing the title song in concert because the lyrics didn`t go with his beliefs. Catchy tune.

Edit: I guess he did start performing the song at some point explains it here:

Bruce Cockburn: 'I’m not particularly given to looking back'

I completely forgot Cockburn was involved. I've seen him at least a half dozen times in concert, and he has never sung that song.

I love Bruce Cockburn. Great songs, a surprising muscular political stance given his religious beliefs (If I Had a Rocket Launcher, The Trouble with Normal, for example), and just a wonderful guitar player. One of my desert island albums is Lord of the Starfields. I have a ton of respect for him.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

One of my desert island albums is Lord of the Starfields.

Now that's new! ;-)

10 album deserted Island collection

Isolated Island: 5 movies, 5 TV series, 5 books and 5 songs