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

[sr edler]

The Big Sleep (1946) by Howard Hawks – 7.5/10

I liked the intensity in this one but didn't really understand the plot. But, I've come to understand (?) that the plot really isn't the point anyways of these noir films. The point is... love, or something...

Right, Humphrey?

 

[kihei]

What are the supernatural elements in either of these films?

I'd add - Saying Don't Look Now is not a horror film is like saying Annie Hall is not a comedy.

Horror doesn't have to be supernatural. War atrocities are a horror--nothing supernatural about those. Dying slowly and painfully of cancer is a horror--nothing supernatural about that either. Realizing in your old age that your love your whole life may have been compromised and/of believing it to be so (45 Years) is a horror. Mercifully smothering the person you have loved all your life (Amour)--that must be a great horror. All these place you in an abyss from which there is no escape or redemption--what is more horrifying than that. And none of it has anything to do with the supernatural.

 

[kihei]

I get that, but saying a film is not horror at all, just like films that aren't horror at all, when it does contain supernatural elements and scares, is false equivalence.

I think we just have different ways of seeing what a horror film is or could be or isn't. I see Don't Look Now not as a horror film but as a tragedy. Just because Macbeth has three witches in an important role who predict the future accurately doesn't make Macbeth into a horror play. There's your equivalence for you.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Horror doesn't have to be supernatural. War atrocities are a horror--nothing supernatural about those. Dying slowly and painfully of cancer is a horror--nothing supernatural about that either. Realizing in your old age that your love your whole life may have been compromised and/of believing it to be so (45 Years) is a horror. Mercifully smothering the person you have loved all your life (Amour)--that must be a great horror. All these place you in an abyss from which there is no escape or redemption--what is more horrifying than that. And none of it has anything to do with the supernatural.

I never said horror had to be supernatural......... I really don't know how to take this comment. You feel you need to tell me what the horror genre is?

I think we just have different ways of seeing what a horror film is or could be or isn't. I see Don't Look Now not as a horror film but as a tragedy. Just because Macbeth has three witches in an important role who predict the future accurately doesn't make Macbeth into a horror play. There's your equivalence for you.

I didn't ask for an equivalence, I said your argumentation was a logical fallacy (the false equivalence), something you fall back on quite often (your MacBeth example is a non sequitur - or a straw man argument since you argue on the premisse that I proposed that the supernatural elements were a horror prerequisite, which I didn't).

 

[silkyjohnson50]

It took a couple of sit downs, but I finally finished A Clockwork Orange. I’m rather neutral on it. Not really my cup of tea but I’m in a bit of a movie rut right now where I’m struggling to find anything that I love. I will say the scene near the end where Alex is getting fed was hilarious. Just the way he was opening his mouth in anticipation. During some of the scenes I couldn’t help but think about how much it’d suck to have to do a million takes that Kubrick was known for though.

I’m probably going to mainly focus on miniseries at the moment. Just started Mare of Eastown and then I want to get around to Chernobyl. The one hour time frames seem more up my alley during this rut.

 

[kihei]

I never said horror had to be supernatural......... I really don't know how to take this comment. You feel you need to tell me what the horror genre is?



I didn't ask for an equivalence, I said your argumentation was a logical fallacy (the false equivalence), something you fall back on quite often (your MacBeth example is a non sequitur - or a straw man argument since you argue on the premisse that I proposed that the supernatural elements were a horror prerequisite, which I didn't).

I think once again, as was the case with pretentiousness in film, we have come to the end of the road of meaningful discussion and all that's left in miscellaneous pedantic nit-picking. Ciao.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

It took a couple of sit downs, but I finally finished A Clockwork Orange. I’m rather neutral on it. Not really my cup of tea but I’m in a bit of a movie rut right now where I’m struggling to find anything that I love. I will say the scene near the end where Alex is getting fed was hilarious. Just the way he was opening his mouth in anticipation. During some of the scenes I couldn’t help but think about how much it’d suck to have to do a million takes that Kubrick was known for though.

I’m probably going to mainly focus on miniseries at the moment. Just started Mare of Eastown and then I want to get around to Chernobyl. The one hour time frames seem more up my alley during this rut.

Don't think it's that great of a film either and nor is it a particularly good book, IMO. The only thing I love about the movie are the scenes in the milk bar. Those are superb. As for miniseries, I've been following Kallio's recommendation and gotten into Godless. It's flawed but pretty good. I'm a recent sucker for Westerns, so take it for what its worth.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Don't think it's that great of a film either and nor is it a particularly good book, IMO. The only thing I love about the movie are the scenes in the milk bar. Those are superb. As for miniseries, I've been following Kallio's recommendation and gotten into Godless. It's flawed but pretty good. I'm a recent sucker for Westerns, so take it for what its worth.

I also think its a subpar Kubrick film. Still kind of interesting in parts, but unequal.

 

[kihei]

The Earthquake Bird (2019) Directed by Wash Westmoreland 3A

Lucy (Alicia Vikander) has moved to Japan permanently where she works as a translator. Shy and introverted, she falls hard for a mysterious photographer. Their relationship quickly deepens. Lucy's not much wanted roommate Lily enters the picture and suddenly things get very complicated. When Lily goes missing, the police question Lucy. There is something just a little off about Lucy, so the cops don't know what to expect and neither does the audience. I started out intrigued and then slowly the air just kept going out of the balloon. A very slow burn that never ignites, The Earthquake Bird wants to be mysterious, but there isn't much of a payoff which, when it arrives, isn't even much of a surprise either. Lucy is never oddball enough or dangerous enough or interesting enough to worry about. Vikander needed to add a jolt of Amanda Plummer to this performance but she doesn't, coming across as mousy and needy, not someone capable of carrying out dark designs. The Earthquake Bird is just another movie with a promising first fifteen minutes that doesn't go anywhere worth following.

Netflix

 

[Chili]

Northwest Passage -1940

Have wanted to see this film for years but not what I expected. Story takes place in upstate New York and southern Québec (beautifully filmed in Technicolor in Idaho). Centers around Roger`s Rangers long trek through the wilds in 1759. Impressive stunts, especially a human chain to ford a fast flowing river. The battle scene where the Rangers exact revenge on St. Francis was a low point, a `turkey shoot`. Interesting there were about 450 natives from 14 different tribes, over 15k extras total in the film. Interesting frontier film.

Edit: This film was based on Book 1 of a novel. The intention was to film Book 2 but don`t believe it was ever made.

The Fugitive-1993

Remember seeing this film in a theatre, was edge of the seat the first time. It holds up well from the real train/bus crash to the scene at the dam to the relentless chase. Reminds me somewhat of the pursuits in The Day of the Jackal and the Bourne films. Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones are both great. A classic thriller.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Army of the Dead (Snyder, 2021) - At some point, one of the tough guys explain how this film could turn into Edge of Tomorrow, or Groundhog Day. That's it. That's the only thing that was anywhere close to being interesting in this borefest. 3/10

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Killer of Sheep (Burnett, 1978) - I watched the film and went right to Google to find me a suitable definition of the blues. Blues songs are lyrical rather than narrative; blues singers are expressing feelings rather than telling stories. The emotion expressed is generally one of sadness or melancholy (Britannica.com). The blues are a lowdown lonesome feeling, a song of abandonment and despair, but they're also a kind of euphoria, a freedom cry of lusty survivorship and deliverance down the open road. The blues are about poverty and bottom-of-the-barrel hard times (Ecyclopedia.com). It says pretty much all there is to say about Killer of Sheep and I can't think of a better way to describe it than as a blues film. One of the character even proposes himself as a blues singer, a brilliant and distanciatory breach in the strong realism of the film where the dialogue starts to rhyme for a brief instant:
I'm out here singing the blues.
Got my money on a horse - can't lose.
I always told you to keep a spare.
But you's a square.
Now how we gonna get there?
The film is composed of vignettes of mostly three general types: musical montages that are poetic and beautifully framed and composed ; daily life moments that also show an amazing flair for composition and rythm ; and very poor kitchen scenes. These poorer moments, the only ones that rely on more conventional film language, betray the lack of basic directorial skills of Burnett (staging dialogues, spatial construction, timing), and the weakness of his amateur cast - the film really could have done without most of them and they kind of ruined it for me at times. The cast isn't more experienced in the daily life scenes, but these moments - including the numerous furtive glances at the camera - only reinforce the realism and quasi-documentary feel of the film. As relevant American films go, Killer of Sheep feels like it's in a class of its own, and its aesthetics are most of the time sublime, and clearly were an influence (or a precursor) to the first few (and best) Harmony Korine films. I feel it's a film I'll want to revisit later on with a better score, but as of now I'll have it at 7.5/10

A 1000 thanks to @Spring in Fialta for the recommendation

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Don't think it's that great of a film either and nor is it a particularly good book, IMO. The only thing I love about the movie are the scenes in the milk bar. Those are superb. As for miniseries, I've been following Kallio's recommendation and gotten into Godless. It's flawed but pretty good. I'm a recent sucker for Westerns, so take it for what its worth.

I’m limited to HBO Max right now so it looks like Godless is a no go for me. I appreciate the recommendation though. I’m enjoying Mare so far.

 

[kihei]

Host (2020) Directed by Rob Savage 7A

Oh, clever little horror movie, this one. Director Rob Savage combines Zoom technology, pandemic isolation, and generalized anxiety to make a scary movie about a teleconference seance gone horribly wrong. Five university-age girls and a male pal meet via a Zoom call and are joined by a woman who will lead the seance. So basically we are looking at a screen that resembles a Zoom or Skype call. There are as many as seven people in separate little rectangles at one time, each seemingly safe at home. The male friend drops out for awhile and the seance leader exits fairly quickly, so usually we are looking at five rectangles each containing a terrified woman sitting in her own apartment trying to figure out with her friends what is happening. I thought this format for a horror movie was brilliant, a variation on the too familiar found footage routine, yet a method capable of providing similar jolts of adrenaline. Sometimes it is a hard call to know just where to look as reactions can be as intense as whatever else is going on. Some entity is either confused or really pissed off and there is no safety in numbers as they are nowhere near one another. There are several false alarms, and then the false alarms stop....and things get serious. There are some good jumpscares, and some more subtle chills provided by what is going on in the background behind the girls or just out of camera range, not to mention what happens when they start exploring their environment. At 57 minutes, Host never lingers long enough to wear out its welcome. I guess one could say this is a horror movie made for the times we live in. It uses the technology of the day, the isolation that beleaguers us, and the fears of the moment to create a horror movie that could exist in no other time and place than this one.

 

[Spawn]

Host (2020) Directed by Rob Savage 7A

Oh, clever little horror movie, this one. Director Rob Savage combines Zoom technology, pandemic isolation, and generalized anxiety to make a scary movie about a teleconference seance gone horribly wrong. Five university-age girls and a male pal meet via a Zoom call and are joined by a woman who will lead the seance. So basically we are looking at a screen that resembles a Zoom or Skype call. There are as many as seven people in separate little rectangles at one time, each seemingly safe at home. The male friend drops out for awhile and the seance leader exits fairly quickly, so usually we are looking at five rectangles each containing a terrified woman sitting in her own apartment trying to figure out with her friends what is happening. I thought this format for a horror movie was brilliant, a variation on the too familiar found footage routine, yet a method capable of providing similar jolts of adrenaline. Sometimes it is a hard call to know just where to look as reactions can be as intense as whatever else is going on. Some entity is either confused or really pissed off and there is no safety in numbers as they are nowhere near one another. There are several false alarms, and then the false alarms stop....and things get serious. There are some good jumpscares, and some more subtle chills provided by what is going on in the background behind the girls or just out of camera range, not to mention what happens when they start exploring their environment. At 57 minutes, Host never lingers long enough to wear out its welcome. I guess one could say this is a horror movie made for the times we live in. It uses the technology of the day, the isolation of that beleaguers us, and the fears of the moment to create a horror movie that could exist in no other time and place than this one.

I found Host to be such an interesting piece of film making. It's not just the characters/plot impacted by the realities of the pandemic, the film itself was shot during the height of lockdowns in Britain. A lot of the scares were set up using practical effects by the actors in their own homes because they weren't allowed have the production in person.

When a future generation asks what the pandemic was like I almost feel like this movie is the perfect piece of media to show them lol.

Not to mention it's damn effective as a horror film. Certainly the spookiest movie I saw last year.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

L'amore conjugale (Conjugal Love, Maraini, 1970) - Dacia Maraini is a prized feminist writer. She made a few film essays and documentaries, but this is her only fiction feature film, an adaptation of a short story by her then life partner, Alberto Moravi. Moravi is an important novelist, maybe mostly known today through the adaptations of two of his other books, Godard's Le mépris and Bertolucci's The Conformist. He also inspired numerous others cineasts, more importantly (to me), Damiano Damiani and Tinto Brass. Maraini's film is a lot closer in themes to her partner's work than her own. It never feels like the material really matters, except in those few clips where she adapts imagery from the book within the film (at some point, the struggling author suggests he should write about his city, Bagheria, which years later will become the title of Maraini's own autobiography). The character's ultimate criticism of his work - good style, but cold and with uninteresting characters - strangely applies very well to the film itself. Also of note, the atrocious use of music throughout the film, and most of all the abusive repetition of a song by British Lally Stott that will be burned in your brains afterwards. 4.5/10

Maybe I should also note that it's with Tomas Milian and Macha Méril, who for us up here in Québec will always remain Pierre Lambert's mother.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Army of the Dead (Snyder, 2021) - At some point, one of the tough guys explain how this film could turn into Edge of Tomorrow, or Groundhog Day. That's it. That's the only thing that was anywhere close to being interesting in this borefest. 3/10

This shit was so bad I give it an ass/10.

It was Ghosts of Mars meets Ocean’s Eleven, without the quaint language of Big Daddy.

Going to shout out a warning to others not to waste 2 hrs and 15 minutes of your life like I tragically did.

Instead, soak in this beautiful tribute to Big Daddy:

 

[Pink Mist]

Captain Marvel (2019) directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

The big controversy for this film when it was released back in 2019 was that it was immediately review bombed by alt-right trolls who were upset that there was a female superhero and the perceived feminist message in its plot. I didn’t even want to mention it in my review because going into it I thought there’s no way its that bad and trolls are just being trolls. But two thirds into the movie after what must have been the third awkward needledrop of a 90s feminist pop-rock song in the movie, I thought maybe those trolls had a point? That is not to say I agree with them, but that there’s something to their criticism. I take no shame in saying that I am a feminist, and I have no issue whatsoever about messages concerning gender equality and empowerment, but rather my beef is with the method of how the message was written into the script and directed. It is so heavy handed and unsubtle that it feels like the message has hit you with a double decker bus – from the music cues, the montages, and the lines itself it shouts its message to you. Once again, no issue with a film being feminist, but the cynic in me finds it hard to point out how disingenuous it is for Marvel to be making a film about gender equality when it took them 21 films to have a female superhero. Surely if this is something they actually valued they would have had one early? Instead, it just seems like something that was focused grouped by Marvel/Disney because the lack of female stories was becoming a glaring omission and feels like a bit like jury duty by Marvel to silence the critics.

But enough about the controversy around the film. For the first two thirds or so of the movie I really actually really enjoyed this film. Brie Larson was casted well for the role of Captain Marvel, but even better casting was with Ben Mendelsohn who plays a shape shifting alien in one of my favourite performances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Mendelsohn makes a very good villain but his turn to a sympathetic good guy is very believable and charming. There must be something to his voice that makes him so effective since much of the role is voice acting as he plays either a heavily CGI’ed character or is played by other actors as he is a shapeshifter. The writing just kind of falls apart in the 3rd act of the movie and becomes a bit of an incoherent mess. The anti-imperial message of the film is also confused as the film also acts as a military recruitment advertisement for the American Air Force. The film is neither good or bad, and falls somewhere in the middle of the pack for the MCU.



The Marvel Moment: My Ongoing Rankings of the Marvel Movies
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. Thor: Ragnarok
4. Captain America: The First Avenger
5. Iron Man
6. Doctor Strange
7. Thor
8. Spider-man: Homecoming
9. Ant-Man
10. Ant-Man and the Wasp
11. Captain Marvel
12. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
13. The Avengers
14. Avengers: Age of Ultron
15. Iron Man 3
16. Black Panther
17. Thor: The Dark World
18. Captain America: Civil War
19. The Avengers: Infinity War
20. Iron Man 2
21. The Incredible Hulk

 

[kihei]

This shit was so bad I give it an ass/10.

It was Ghosts of Mars meets Ocean’s Eleven, without the quaint language of Big Daddy.

Going to shout out a warning to others not to waste 2 hrs and 15 minutes of your life like I tragically did.

Instead, soak in this beautiful tribute to Big Daddy:

Ass/10. That is really, truly bad.

 

[kihei]

Captain Marvel (2019) directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

The big controversy for this film when it was released back in 2019 was that it was immediately review bombed by alt-right trolls who were upset that there was a female superhero and the perceived feminist message in its plot. I didn’t even want to mention it in my review because going into it I thought there’s no way its that bad and trolls are just being trolls. But two thirds into the movie after what must have been the third awkward needledrop of a 90s feminist pop-rock song in the movie, I thought maybe those trolls had a point? That is not to say I agree with them, but that there’s something to their criticism. I take no shame in saying that I am a feminist, and I have no issue whatsoever about messages concerning gender equality and empowerment, but rather my beef is with the method of how the message was written into the script and directed. It is so heavy handed and unsubtle that it feels like the message has hit you with a double decker bus – from the music cues, the montages, and the lines itself it shouts its message to you. Once again, no issue with a film being feminist, but the cynic in me finds it hard to point out how disingenuous it is for Marvel to be making a film about gender equality when it took them 21 films to have a female superhero. Surely if this is something they actually valued they would have had one early? Instead, it just seems like something that was focused grouped by Marvel/Disney because the lack of female stories was becoming a glaring omission and feels like a bit like jury duty by Marvel to silence the critics.

But enough about the controversy around the film. For the first two thirds or so of the movie I really actually really enjoyed this film. Brie Larson was casted well for the role of Captain Marvel, but even better casting was with Ben Mendelsohn who plays a shape shifting alien in one of my favourite performances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Mendelsohn makes a very good villain but his turn to a sympathetic good guy is very believable and charming. There must be something to his voice that makes him so effective since much of the role is voice acting as he plays either a heavily CGI’ed character or is played by other actors as he is a shapeshifter. The writing just kind of falls apart in the 3rd act of the movie and becomes a bit of an incoherent mess. The anti-imperial message of the film is also confused as the film also acts as a military recruitment advertisement for the American Air Force. The film is neither good or bad, and falls somewhere in the middle of the pack for the MCU.



The Marvel Moment: My Ongoing Rankings of the Marvel Movies
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. Thor: Ragnarok
4. Captain America: The First Avenger
5. Iron Man
6. Doctor Strange
7. Thor
8. Spider-man: Homecoming
9. Ant-Man
10. Ant-Man and the Wasp
11. Captain Marvel
12. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
13. The Avengers
14. Avengers: Age of Ultron
15. Iron Man 3
16. Black Panther
17. Thor: The Dark World
18. Captain America: Civil War
19. The Avengers: Infinity War
20. Iron Man 2
21. The Incredible Hulk

It's funny. My top four are your top three plus Black Panther. But, then, for me, all the rest of them drop off a cliff.

 

[Pink Mist]

It's funny. My top four are you too three plus Black Panther. But, then, for me, all the rest of them drop off a cliff.

I'd say the top 5 or so are good but not great, then from 6 to 16 they're kind of a muddled mess of bland but not necessarily bad - just kind of forgettable but inoffensive. And then the last 5 are bad films

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

8/10

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

It's funny. My top four are you too three plus Black Panther. But, then, for me, all the rest of them drop off a cliff.

Agreed on the top 4, with BP 1st. After that, I guess the Spidey and first Iron Man films were ok, and then yeah, the huge cliff.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Judas & The Black Messiah (2020) - 7/10

Really interesting in terms of the shooting-related scenes here. They don't quite have the gravitas you'd get from one in a Michael Mann film but they're far heavier than your usual biography type film. I do find these sorts of films really difficult to hate though. I absolutely hate watching racism or injustice because in 2021, you're aware of how ongoing it all still is and it makes you feel angry yet also helpless and that detracts from the enjoyment of it all despite a few solid performances here from Steinfeld/Kaluuya/Plemons).

 

[OzzyFan]

Paprika (2006)
3.20 out of 4stars

"When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patients' dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist, Paprika, can stop it."
Inception-like before Inception was even written, about the ability of people being able to enter and record one's dreams for psychological/scientific purposes. A very ambitious adult focused anime that extends it's visual and mental arms perfectly within the scope of it's medium. I am not sure the best way to describe this because it is many things. On one hand, it's a fun imaginative adventure trip about the possible randomness(or not so random) things that goes through our deep subconscious, how joyous or scary they can be to live through, and the implications of examining and altering them can be with scientific interference. 2, it's a sci-fi crime mystery and a warning to scientists to stop playing with the mind and mind altering substances/machines because how powerful they are on an individual and widespread scale through means of manipulation, control, or negligent irreparable damage.

Your Name
3.15 out of 4stars

"A high school boy in Tokyo and a high school girl in the Japanese countryside suddenly and inexplicably begin to swap bodies. And eventually embark on a quest to meet each other."
First and foremost, most likely the most visually beautiful anime I've ever seen with numerous life like and museum worthy shots throughout. A teen centric fantasy romantic comedy with just the right amount of playfulness, depth, and a surprising amount of story turns. The story is worthy of the visual splendor, in an unpredictable way, gratifying.

Primer
2.50 out of 4stars

"Intellectual engineers Aaron and Abe build and sell error-checking technology with the help of their friends. But when Aaron and Abe accidentally invent what they think is a time machine, Abe builds a version capable of transporting a human and puts the device to the test. As the two friends obsess over their creation, they discover the dark consequences of their actions."
Some interesting ideas in this movie based on time loop/double entity time travel, albeit in a rough and raw way (most likely due to the fact that it has a tiny $7,000 budget). The bad: the audio sounds like a mono/monaural recording and production which is hurt even moreso by the first 1/4 of the movie filled with a lot of engineering terms spoken at a quickened pace and characters talking over each other. Also bad, the visuals and editing are at times choppy and the acting obviously subpar. I won't ruin the rest of the good ideas, so I'll stop there. Altogether, a great idea thrown together like paper mache because of it's not budget and amateur filmmaker team.

Repo Man
2.35 out of 4stars

"A young punk recruited by a car repossession agency finds himself in pursuit of a Chevrolet Malibu that is wanted for a $20,000 bounty - and has something otherworldly stashed in its trunk."
I was curious because I heard of it's cult status and the plot sounded fun on paper, but I was underwhelmed. 80's movie that's campy, sporadically entertaining, but at least reliably funny (some of that is in an iron fashion I feel though).