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

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Fermo posta Tinto Brass (P.O. Box Tinto Brass, Brass, 1995) - The things you find on Tubi... Tinto Brass objectifying the usual defilade of voluptuous women through a series of vignettes illustrating the confidences of strangers who, for some reason, decided to send him letters about their sexual experiences. It only really feels like a Brass film in brief moments, with aesthetical excess, mirrors, frames, and reflections - and the epistolary structure is not used efficiently enough to be interesting, with the constant return to Brass's office. It's kind of disturbing to have him play himself as a 62 y/o erotic master (especially in a film that is not much more than quasi-porn) and take advantage of his gorgeous assistant, making himself the object of her fantasies. For completists only, and since I'm the only one around here who gives a crap about Brass, well, just stay away! 3.5/10

 

[kihei]

Too Late to Die Young (2019) Directed by Dominga Sotomayar 7C

Too Late to Die Young is about people in transition. Set in Chile in the early '90s as Pinochet's dictatorship gives way to democracy, several well-off families decide to escape Santiago to set up a loose commune out in the words, one that is still being built, sans electricity. For 16-year-old Sofia, this feels more like a trap than a release. The movie focuses on her reactions--she is obviously uncomfortable in her skin and has a lot of subtle ways of showing it--but places her in a broader context of what is going on in the commune, not much, and how the younger kids are reacting, which is, like, wow, nature is the greatest thing ever. There is virtually no story here--we just watch these people behave and interact over a brief period of time. Sofia has a young admirer and an older admirer that only heighten her sense of being caught in the middle. Even the dog isn't sure who she is, whether she is Hilda or Cindy. She comes closer to figuring it out than Sofia, though. Too Late to Die Young drifts hazily by in a pleasing way.

subtitles

Criterion Channel

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Enemies Closer (Hyams, 2013) - I've grown to appreciate Van Damme's films for the ironic overtone that sprung out of JCVD and that I now project even on his early films. In this post-JCVD one, he reunites with Peter Hyams (Timecop, Sudden Death) in a minor b-movie, absolutely forgetable except for one thing: Van Damme's over-the-top French Canadian eccentric vegan villain (a nice return to his earlier films where he played the bad guy). Don't get me wrong, he is not good, but it's a lot of fun to watch him try. Tough to rate cause it's kind of fun, but still trash. 3/10

 

[kihei]

There Is No Evil (2021) Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof 7B

There Is No Evil, a title meant ironically, is an anthology of four films all dealing with men who are required to execute criminals in Iran. There are both professional executioners and executioners chosen from the conscription list of young draftees. The first three short films are excellent. The first focuses on a domestic husband and wife who seem a model of normalcy; the second is concerned with a reluctant soldier trying to figure out how to avoid executing a prisoner; the third and best deals with a horrifying coincidence; and the fourth examines a guilty father trying to come clean about an awful secret. This last and unfortunately longest is the most diffuse and least convincing of the lot. All four films deal with questions of individual responsibility in a totalitarian state. However, while director Mohammad Rasoulof's approach is specific to Iran, the message is general enough so that the tensions and traumas that the film explores are virtually universal in any society that still practices state executions. With the exception of maybe South Korea, no country has produced more directors of note in the 21st century than Iran. Rasoulof has created a thoughtful and human movie despite like his countrymen Jafar Panahi being under house arrest.

subtitles

TIFF.net

 

[nameless1]

There Is No Evil (2020) Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof 7B

There Is No Evil, a title meant ironically, is an anthology of four films all dealing with men who are required to execute criminals in Iran. There are both professional executioners and executioners chosen from the conscription list of young draftees. The first three short films are excellent. The first focuses on a domestic husband and wife who seem a model of normalcy; the second is concerned with a reluctant soldier trying to figure out how to avoid executing a prisoner; the third and best deals with a horrifying coincidence; and the fourth examines a guilty father trying to come clean about an awful secret. This last and unfortunately longest is the most diffuse and least convincing of the lot. All four films deal with questions of individual responsibility in a totalitarian state. However, while director Mohammad Rasoulof's approach is specific to Iran, the message is general enough so that the tensions and traumas that the film explores are virtually universal in any society that still practices state executions. With the exception of maybe South Korea, no country has produced more directors of note in the 21st century than Iran. Rasoulof has created a thoughtful and human movie despite like his countrymen Jafar Panahi being under house arrest.

subtitles

TIFF.net

I am glad you watched it. I thought this was the second best film from last year, after Nomadland, but I gave both 8/10. Like you, I enjoyed the first three stories, particularly the second one, while the last one really brings the entire product down. That said, the last story can be seen as the aftermath of the second one, so there is at least some coherence.

I also agree that Iranian directors are so impressive, when we consider the condition they often work under. I watched Rasoulof's Manuscripts Don't Burn just before the film festival last year, as it was included in the online membership, and that was even better than this one, as I will probably grade it at 8.25/10. If people get a chance, I highly recommend it.

 

[Osprey]

Cruella (2021) - 4/10 (Disliked it)

Cruella de Vil Wears Prada. In 1970s London, a spunky street girl (Emma Stone) lands a dream job creating dresses for a famous and domineering fashion designer (Emma Thompson) and comes to hate her for personal reasons. Disney fashions (pun intended) one of its older villains as a counterculture hero in an origin story that felt anything but original. It's as if you took The Devil Wears Prada and gave it a bit of a gothic superhero feel ala Tim Burton's Batman (or Batman Returns, since Catwoman is a closer fit). Stone plays the mousy design assistant Estella by day, who then turns into the extravagant and brazen Cruella at night to crash her employer's parties and publicly embarrass her, all without ever being recognized under slightly different hair, makeup and attire. All the while, the soundtrack blares what feels like every pop hit from the 70s in order to establish the setting and mood. Seriously, every time that the film wants you to feel something, it turns to a hit song to try to evoke it, which felt lazy and manipulative. On a more positive note, both Emmas are engaging, the production design (especially the costuming) is solid, everything looks and sounds good and the film has energy. Unfortunately, it still didn't grab me and just felt predictable and hollow, as well as at least 20 minutes too long (at over 2 hours, not counting the credits). It also relies on the viewer cheering on someone who is not all that nice of a person just because Emma Stone is playing her and because she seems righteous relative to Emma Thompson's supposedly worse character. She even unironically delivers a monologue at one point about how she's a better person than her boss, even though that's debatable and, in time, she'll be just as bad, if not worse. It would've been interesting to explore how one cruel woman shaped another, but the film goes in the other direction and presents Cruella as morally superior. She seems to have been designed for rebellious millennials to relate to and I just couldn't. Maybe, if, like Joker, the origin story seemed plausible or it had something to say about madness, I could've found something to appreciate about the story, but I didn't. It's still a slickly produced and visually and aurally appealing film that will entertain a majority of people (if RT's audience score is any indication), but it just didn't work for me.

 

[max21]

Serenity 2019 1/10 The most insane movie I’ve ever seen, I think these actors collectively came together to give their worst performances ever in one film. Basically McConaughey is a quiet dude who is a captain of a fishing charter, his ex wife confronts him to find their son and to help kill her current husband. Meanwhile McConaughey is actually programmed by the son as AI in a computer game, because his real dad was a marine killed in combat. He realizes he’s fake but still carries out the mission and kills the current husband. Makes zero sense. Couldn’t tell if this movie was a joke or not, don’t get how so many “good” actors can sign up for such a bad movie. Don’t watch this movie drunk or you’re going to have a bad time.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Clear and Present Danger (1994) - 7/10

A step up from Patriot Games but unfortunately far too reliant on action than spy-drama leaving it well behind Hunt For Red October. Willem Defoe is so good in basically everything he's in, Harrison Ford's choice to act charisma-less looks worse next to Defoe. Thankfully this film ignores some of the family BS of Patriot Games and does give us enough of the behind the scenes underdealing fun to be solid, I just don't need a cliffhanger set with a gun chase set in Mexico in my spy films.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Lord of Illusions (Barker, 1995) - Clive Barker is a great storyteller, but it never translated that well into film. His world-bending stories are too ambitious to fit his limited means and skills as a filmmaker, and wanting to tell too much, his films are mostly going through the material, with no pace and timing. It worked better with Hellraiser, the story being restricted to a single family's struggle with the Cenobites and Hell being for the most part kept offscreen and off-script. Lord of Illusions is too an interesting story, but going from one plot point to another makes for a soulless film, with not much work on atmosphere and, ironically, very little mystery. My least favorite of his three films by some margin (Nightbreed is a mess, but you can't help but appreciate it for what it could have been), it still is very important to me as its end credits made me discover and fall in love with Diamanda Galas. 5/10

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Killer Joe (Friedkin, 2011) - It took me almost half the film to realize I had seen it before. Never a good sign. Still, fun performances and Friedkin is no slouch, so it's a rare floating boat in an ocean of darker over-the-top tongue-in-cheek stuff that tries too hard. I had it at 6/10, but I think it's a little high. 5/10

 

[Jussi]

Copying my post from the Cruella thread here:

To quote John Campea, "a solid little movie". Maybe 7.8/10 Emma Stone was absolutely brilliant in this. Definitely Oscar nomination worthy performance, if not win worthy (too early to say of course). Emma Thompson was really good too. In fact pretty much every was good. Really good looking and man, the soundtrack! Soooo many songs from the era, a little too many as at times it felt as a storytelling device. Drop a few and replace with a score. Could've shaved maybe 10ish minutes from the length but I enjoyed it a lot more than I though I would. Disclaimer, I've never seen 100 Dalmatians, either animated or live action. I've read the comic version of the animated but that was early 80's and I can't remember much from it.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Killer Joe (Friedkin, 2011) - It took me almost half the film to realize I had seen it before. Never a good sign. Still, fun performances and Friedkin is no slouch, so it's a rare floating boat in an ocean of darker over-the-top tongue-in-cheek stuff that tries too hard. I had it at 6/10, but I think it's a little high. 5/10

Underrated flick. I enjoyed it. Emile Hirsch is an underrated actor.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Cruella (2021) - 7/10

Really not bad at all as far as revenge films go. It's far too generic especially in the opening but then again, it's a Disney film so it's marketed more towards children than to me. I have never seen 101 Dalmations so I had no bias against a remake or whatever it is here I should add but I still felt like I've already seen too many elements of this film before whether it be the heist or the comedic bits. A good start to summer blockbusters if you think of it as an appetizer but if it's a good year then it'll be one we forget by the end...outside of the style. Extremely stylish even with the advantage of a film having a fashion theme.

 

[OzzyFan]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
3.20 out of 4stars

"When strange seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade San Francisco, California, where they replicate the residents into emotionless automatons one body at a time."
I never saw the original, but this multi meaning sci-fi horror movie delivers. It so excellently creates this lingering to all consuming atmospheric paranoia through all of it's tools on hand. The sound effects (alien and non-alien) and soundtrack, the visuals and creature effects, to the camera work and angles used, and "the never-ending chase/escape" make this a delightfully menacing ride. And at the end of the day, a true to life scary premise of how powerless we could be to such a nearly invisible silent and deadly enemy similar to this.

The Void (2016)
2.25 out of 4stars

"Shortly after delivering a patient to an understaffed hospital, a police officer experiences strange and violent occurrences seemingly linked to a group of mysterious hooded figures."
Overrated fun is the best way I can put it I guess? It's a mishmosh of a wide range of horror tropes and concepts that are solidly executed and joyous to see in a tight low budget horror film, but it's still mishmosh. Nothing's developed, nothing's explained, you're not sure what exactly is and isn't connected, and obviously you have no idea what truly is going on come the 'big finale'.

Blue Velvet (1986)
3.10 out of 4stars

"The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child."
Full of style and mystery, albeit not as outlandish as I expected. Maybe I have to take into account the time frame in which this movie was made to account for that, but the sexual fetish, psychotic gangsters, double life, corruption, and underground world elements sprinkled throughout didn't really stupefy or astound me.

Quiet Place Part 2
2.75 out of 4stars

"Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats lurking beyond the sand path."
Whether you liked the first film or not will depend if you enjoy this one. This sequel was a well done continuation and expansion on the first movie, which I thought was was clever enough and alongside the 'emotional' family facing internal and external dilemmas storyline. Imo, still a fun parlor trick concept and this movie develops characters and tension appropriately while delivering the creature action. Side note, A Quiet Place Part 1 is the exact thing I wish more producers/directors would focus on, low budget concept/idea centric gambles. Their cheaper, their usually interesting at a minimum, and if they fail, who cares?

Cruella
2.65 out of 4stars

"A live-action prequel feature film following a young Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians."
Hmmm. It's The Devil Wears Prada with a heavy dose of anarchy, a rags to riches theme, and 1970's London backdrop. Stone knocks it out of the park and his co-pilot Thompson bring it as well. Altogether forgettable fun. But at a reported $200 million budget, what the hell was Disney thinking? This was a story that didn't need to be told and even if corona pandemic never happened, did they really expect this movie to make money in North America at that cost? I personally didn't even want or have the curiosity to see it in theaters, but was glad I did after a friend pulled me to go.

 

[nameless1]

Clear and Present Danger (1994) - 7/10

A step up from Patriot Games but unfortunately far too reliant on action than spy-drama leaving it well behind Hunt For Red October. Willem Defoe is so good in basically everything he's in, Harrison Ford's choice to act charisma-less looks worse next to Defoe. Thankfully this film ignores some of the family BS of Patriot Games and does give us enough of the behind the scenes underdealing fun to be solid, I just don't need a cliffhanger set with a gun chase set in Mexico in my spy films.

I also enjoy this one a lot more than Patriot Games, because it is more faithful to the style and tone established in the first Ryan outing. However, it still pales in comparison to The Hunt for Red October, where it actually feels like an accurate spy movie that captures the angst and intrigues of the Cold War. I feel this one gets the gest of the War on Drugs, from the public face to the internal politics of it all, especially given what we know now, so there is a sense of authenticity. However, the continued need to make Ryan an action hero from the 80s vein just takes me out of the movie. Ryan does jump headfirst into the situation and actually gets directly involved in The Hunt for Red October, but at least he is vulnerable there, and he does not pretend to be a one man army type.

Apparently, Tom Clancy was not too happy with these two adaptations, because the filmmakers took too much creative liberties with the original work. In fact, he almost disowned Patriot Games, only for him to take a softer stance in later years. He was not too pleased with this one either, but he begrudgingly accepted it.

Now I await to see if you will watch the last adaptation. I am curious to read what you think of Affleck's outing as Ryan.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Blue Velvet (1986)
3.10 out of 4stars
"The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child."
Full of style and mystery, albeit not as outlandish as I expected. Maybe I have to take into account the time frame in which this movie was made to account for that, but the sexual fetish, psychotic gangsters, double life, corruption, and underground world elements sprinkled throughout didn't really stupefy or astound me.

I know Dennis Hopper typically gets praised for his performance and character in that movie, but it did nothing for me. I found it eye rolling.

 

[Osprey]

Because of the discussion about it last week, I decided to re-watch To Live and Die in L.A. for the first time in over 30 years. The only thing that was familiar about it was this scene because young me assumed for a while that it's what "money laundering" referred to.

 

[kihei]

Fight Club (1999) Directed by David Fincher 4B

Can't say this one has worn particularly well. Yet, with its strange contortions about masculinity and glib cynicism (how very '90s), Fight Club is almost the perfect movie to end the American part of the 20th century. This is the portrait of a confused culture that 9/11 will further scramble exponentially. Fincher, as usual, is watchable but what is this movie saying about anything? Plus the third act now looks like a complete cop-out. And the narrator device just seems facile. The joint commitment of Pitt, Norton and Bonham-Carter prevent the movie from dropping lower.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Fight Club (1999) Directed by David Fincher 4B

Can't say this one has worn particularly well. Yet, with its strange contortions about masculinity and glib cynicism (how very '90s), Fight Club is almost the perfect movie to end the American part of the 20th century. This is the portrait of a confused culture that 9/11 will further scramble exponentially. Fincher, as usual, is watchable but what is this movie saying about anything? Plus the third act now looks like a complete cop-out. And the narrator device just seems facile. The joint commitment of Pitt, Norton and Bonham-Carter prevent the movie from dropping lower.

I know this is acceptably ageist, but I'm always dumbfounded that this movie was directed by a man who was over 26. I'm approaching thirty and I can't begin to explain how remote and infantile its themes and tone feel to me (and I'm very much the sort of privileged urban dweller to who this is ideally geared towards). Yet I found it decent enough when I was 18-19.

 

[Pink Mist]

Last Sunrise (2019) directed by Wen Ren

In a near future in which humans have perfected and primarily depend on solar energy, the sun mysteriously vanishes in a wormhole leaving Earth freezing cold and in perpetual darkness. Sun Yang (Zhang Jue), an amateur astronomer who first identified a star disappearing just prior to the sun vanishing, reluctantly travels and tries to survive with his neighbour Chen Mu (Zhang Ran). This film is kind of like a Chinese version of the road, in that it is an apocalyptic road movie, although a bit more comedic and at time too saccharine. Produced cheaply on a budget of $250,000 and filmed quickly in 14 days, it never feels really cheap and is fairly lively and imaginative in the way it is filmed. The two leads also have a great chemistry, and although its plot is a little derivative it is a good little sci-fi thriller/road movie.

The film’s theme of “Tomorrow will always be shittier than today” also resonated with me after watching yet another collapse by the Leafs in the playoffs – as I’m sure the Leafs will find a new creative way to disappoint me next year.

 

[kihei]

The film’s theme of “Tomorrow will always be shittier than today” also resonated with me after watching yet another collapse by the Leafs in the playoffs – as I’m sure the Leafs will find a new creative way to disappoint me next year.

I made the switch in January. Haven't looked back:

 

[Pink Mist]

I made the switch in January. Haven't looked back:

I would be lying if I said the thought of switching hasn't crossed my mind, however I don't really want to switch to a west coast team since I like my beauty sleep

 

[heatnikki]

Interstellar - good solid 7/10 right up til the schmaltzy, floating in a parallel dimension 'library' talking to a Hal 9000 clone cause we've run out of ideas/budget/whatever, malarkey :p

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Army of the Dead. A fun premise that is turned into a dreadfully dour unfun movie. Being Zach Snyder there are some moments of flash and skill but the characters are lame and lifeless and the zombie lore is comically dumb and uninteresting. Does this zombie movie end (almost) with a slowed-down cover of The Cranberries' Zombie. You bet your ass it does!

Psycho Goreman. It's the Spielberg-Peter Jackson-Stuart Gordon mash-up you neither want nor need. Decent idea: E.T. but a galactic warlord. And I laughed a few times but like a lot of modern horror/sci-fi (especially the self-referential sort) its too obsessed with telling you its creators have also seen all those movies you like too.

A New Leaf. A good, jet-black comedy premise (rich man is now poor and decides to solve his problem by marrying and murdering a rich woman) but it ultimately boxes the story in in ways that's really tough to get out of. The ending is a disappointment. I've seen some interesting defenses of it, but it didn't work for me. Still, the journey is pretty entertaining. An uber-witty script from writer-director Elaine May with multiple lines worthy of better remembrance. Walter Matthau is an adept sleaze. May herself is winning as his target. The backstory is that the movie was taken from her re-edited so what exists isn't her version. I haven't yet looked up what she wanted but I'm curious if her original thoughts are more fitting ...

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. If the world were a fair and just place this movie would have killed the music biopic forever. Alas it did not and we're still afflicted with these trite, cliched, deeply uninteresting stories. Shame on every one who makes these movies with a straight face. Great jokes abound here, but I think the two that hit me the hardest are the first and last ones of the movie — "Dewey Cox needs to think about his entire life before he plays" and (spoiler alert) Dewey Cox died three minutes after this performance. Brilliant comedy book ending there.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I would be lying if I said the thought of switching hasn't crossed my mind, however I don't really want to switch to a west coast team since I like my beauty sleep

It has to me as well, vaguely...(Habs). Now I have major fear that this win, as colossal as it was, will keep Bergevin on. I just hope that he's tired enough of our abusive fanbase to call it quits himself.