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

[kihei]

Christ Stopped at Eboli (1979) Directed by Francesco Rosi 9B

In 1935, Italian painter Carlo Levi (Gian Maria Volante) is forced into exile by the Italian Fascist government which sends him from Turin to far off Eboli in the south of Italy. Levi, a social and political activist as well, is anti-Fascist which is a crime in Italy at this time. In Eboli, he must make huge adjustments as the peasants in the region are ignorant, highly superstitious (his housekeeper thinks angels protect the house at night) and dirt poor. Levi is an observant, thoroughly decent man. Rather than playing the role of outcast, he becomes an important part of a community that hasn’t changed much since the 18th century. Though he has a degree as a physician, he has never practiced medicine. But circumstances make it imperative that he begin to assist the sick in the village as there is no other competent source. This brings him in conflict with the Fascist mayor, with whom he as an adversarial but quite cordial relationship.

Christ Stopped at Eboli is both a fish-out-of-water story and a social commentary of both heft and clarity. Like Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage, the movie was originally intended for television. It proceeds in four parts, each averaging roughly an hour long. The first part deals with Levi getting used to the nooks and crannies of the village; the second part focuses on a visit from his sister; the third part examines his role as a doctor; and the fourth part looks at Levi back in Turin after his exile, coming to terms with his experience and realizing that there is always a yawning gulf between the needs of the poor and the purpose of the State, no matter who is in power.

Graced by beautiful cinematography and by a closely observed, humane performance by Volante, who should be as renowned in North America as Mastroianni, De Sica and Loren but isn’t, Christ Stopped at Eboli is one of the masterpieces of 20th century Italian cinema.

subtitles

Criterion Channel

 

[OzzyFan]

Wacken
We hang with a few regulars and check out a worldwide battle of the bands featuring a Chinese folk metal band the director becomes obsessed with (though they are actually pretty cool).
So. Much. Metal. *sniff* It's so beautiful...*wipes away a single, manly tear*

Is folk metal as interesting to listen to musically as it's potential on paper sounds it to possibly be?

 

[SepticFish]

Is folk metal as interesting to listen to musically as it's potential on paper sounds it to possibly be?

Yes

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Is folk metal as interesting to listen to musically as it's potential on paper sounds it to possibly be?

One of my personal favourite genres for the last few years. It's mostly a Baltic/Scandinavian, German, or Eastern European thing, but anyone's welcome. There's a Mongolian band that came out in the last couple of years, they're in the general ballpark to the Chinese band in the movie.



One we like a lot is an Estonian band Metsatoll. One of their members plays a selection of traditional instruments (how I found out Estonians have their own version of bagpipes), who Mrs. PC and I first saw...six, seven? years ago. Actually had tickets to their upcoming concert...in April 2020. D'oh. They're apparently a huge deal in Estonia, even doing one show with the Estonian National Men's Choir. The name kinda means Werewolf, but the various local werewolf legends are very different than ones further west. The name translates more closely as: "One who engages in werewolf business".



Part of the fun is finding little bands from weird sources and nationalities that you wouldn't think of. And some manage to be metal without even being metal.

 

[Osprey]

I watched One Million Years B.C. a few months ago and learned that Hammer made 3 more films like it in the years after in order to capitalize on its success, with unsurprising results.

Prehistoric Women (1967) - 3/10

Made just months after One Million Years B.C., it recycles the indoor jungle sets, one of the actresses and, seemingly, even the wardrobe, if you can call it that. Despite the title, it's not a prehistoric film. A modern day hunting guide discovers a tribe of half-naked Amazonian-like women in the jungle. The ruling women are brunettes who use blonde women as their personal slaves and throw men into dungeons, out of sight. If you have to ask why it's not the other way around, you're not considering who the audience is here. The queen, who worships a white rhinoceros, doesn't throw our hunter into the dungeon, though, because she wants him for her bed, but he prefers one of the blonde slave girls. I can't write this without a straight face, but someone else apparently did. I wish that it were as fun as it sounds, but it isn't. It's rather low budget, midnight double-header kind of stuff.

When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970) - 4/10

Hammer apparently aimed this one at everyone who liked One Million Years, B.C. but felt that Raquel Welch was too conservatively dressed. It has similar plot, locations, stop-motion dinosaurs and beautiful cavewomen, the latter somehow managing to wear even less (if anything at all). It seems to me that they missed an opportunity to name it One Million and One B.C., since it's so similar and it would've been amusing in the wake of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Though it's so similar to the first of the series, the things that worked aren't quite so compelling the second time around, sort of like Jaws 2. Speaking of Spielberg, the title is what the banner above the T. Rex skeleton in Jurassic Park reads, so maybe he was a fan. It's not a good film, but at least the visuals and action, including the stop motion animation, are fairly good. It's maybe a decent afternoon matinee, but not much more.

Creatures the World Forgot (1971) - 3/10

From the title, you probably expect to be treated to more dinosaurs. Well, too bad. The only "creatures" are humans, a few antelope, a porcupine and a stuntman in a bear costume. On one hand, the misleading title was pretty disappointing. On the other, without any dinosaurs, the film is the most realistic of the series, which maybe deserves a little credit. Unfortunately, it's also quite dull... maybe partly because there are no dinosaurs. It also features the most nudity, yet the most average-looking cavewomen. Go figure. I should've appreciated the realism more, but the story (about warring brothers) wasn't interesting to me and felt too complex to be clearly told without any dialogue. For example, there are two points where it jumps ahead 10 years and we're supposed to realize that without any onscreen text and figure out which new actors are playing older versions of the characters without any dialogue or even spoken names. This was a bit of a slog to get through, so I can see why it ended the series, forcing a lot actors to put on clothes and learn lines again.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I watched One Million Years B.C. a few months ago and learned that Hammer made 3 more films like it in the years after in order to capitalize on its success.

Prehistoric Women (1967) - 3/10

Made just months after One Million Years B.C., it recycles the indoor jungle sets, one of the actresses and, seemingly, even the wardrobe, if you can call it that. Despite the title, it's not really a prehistoric film. A modern day hunting guide simply discovers a tribe of half-naked Amazonian-like women in the jungle. The ruling women are all brunette and use blonde women for slaves while throwing men into dungeons. If you have to ask why it's not the other way around, you're not keeping in mind who the audience is here. The queen, who worships a white rhinoceros, doesn't throw our hunter into the dungeon, though, because she wants him for her bed, but he prefers one of the blonde slave girls. I can't write this without a straight face, but someone else apparently did. I wish that it were as fun as it sounds, but it isn't. It's rather low budget, midnight double-header kind of stuff.

When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970) - 4/10

Hammer apparently aimed this one at everyone who liked One Million Years, B.C. but felt that Raquel Welch was too conservatively dressed. It has similar plot, locations, stop-motion dinosaurs and beautiful cavewomen, the latter somehow managing to wear even less (if anything at all). I think that they should've named it One Million and One B.C., since it's so similar and it would've been amusing in the wake of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The similarities aren't quite so compelling the second time around, though, sort of like Jaws 2. Speaking of Spielberg, the title is what the banner above the T. Rex skeleton in Jurassic Park reads, so maybe he was a fan. It's not a good film, but at least the visuals and action, including the stop motion animation, are fairly good. It's maybe a decent afternoon matinee, but not much more.

Creatures the World Forgot (1971) - 3/10

Do you expect more dinosaurs, based on the title? Well, too bad. The only creatures in this are humans, a few antelope, a porcupine and a stuntman in a bear costume. On one hand, the misleading title was pretty disappointing. On the other, without any dinosaurs, the film is the most realistic of the series, which maybe deserves a little credit. Unfortunately, it's also quite dull... maybe partly because there are no dinosaurs. It also features the most nudity, yet the most average-looking cavewomen. Go figure. I should've appreciated the realism more, but the story was uninteresting and felt too complex to be clearly told without any dialogue. For example, there are two points where it jumps ahead 10 years and we're supposed to realize that without any onscreen text and figure out without any dialogue that which new actors are playing older versions of the characters. This was a bit of a slog to get through, so I can see why it ended the series, forcing a lot actors to put on clothes and learn dialogue again.

Haven't seen or don't recall most of these, but you should have a look at The Land that Time Forgot. A masterpiece. MST3K has a version too.

 

[Osprey]

Haven't seen or don't recall most of these, but you should have a look at The Land that Time Forgot. A masterpiece. MST3K has a version too.

I was looking at that earlier and am considering it next, since I'm ready to move on to the mid 70s. I'll probably check it out. Thanks.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I was looking at that earlier and am considering it next, since I'm ready to move on to the mid 70s. I'll probably check it out. Thanks.

(just don't think it's really a masterpiece )

 

[Osprey]

(just don't think it's really a masterpiece )

Oh, I know. I read the reviews. As rotten as they are, they're still better than the ones for the above 3 films. Besides, how bad can it be when the movie poster features a dinosaur attacking a submarine?

 

[Spring in Fialta]

(just don't think it's really a masterpiece )

Not to go off on a tangent, but no movie ever screwed with my regarding the definition of masterpiece as much as The Room by Tommy Wiseau did. I still grapple with it.

 

[sdf]

Is folk metal as interesting to listen to musically as it's potential on paper sounds it to possibly be?

You may figure it out

 

[Kshahdoo]

According to Russian Spetsnaz experts, this movie has the most realistic modern combat scenes and soldiers behaviour overall. Plot isn't great, acting is pretty meh, but it doesn't matter.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

The Mind Benders (1963) - 7/10

A classic British Basil Rearden film which is labelled as sci-fi but is really a melodrama. It is quite good in parts but probably could've used better editing and trimming as melodramas can. The scientific bits are quite clunky and it's not a movie fully sure of what it wants to be but there is some great acting here for a classic especially from Dirk Bogarde and the blonde who was in Look Back In Anger and some good solid lines of classic British wit. The cinematography of British classics is generally drab compared to their continental counterparts but there are some good shots here since the setting is supposed to be in and around Oxford university.

It's streaming on Kanopy for anyone with library access and of course we can't share pirate links but I do wonder what pops on say around the 4th link when you search on Google for The Mind Benders 1963 mkv.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

I don’t know how to post gifs, but if I did I would definitely post a wtf one right about now.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Reporting live from the streets of Montreal! Motherf***ers are wilding! Greatest movie ever!

 

[kihei]

Reporting live from the streets of Montreal! Motherf***ers are wilding! Greatest movie ever!

Not sure of the genre. Seems like science fiction.

 

[Club]

Funny games 8.3/10

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Spoiler

Be warned: goofy gore

The Stuff (Cohen, 1985) - It's supposed to be a horror comedy, but it's a lot more than that. Part body horror, part invasion sci-fi à la Body Snatchers, part paranoid thriller - none of these things really work, but you still can't look away or turn it off. The only real problem is the "comedy" part (especially the militia), which ruins an otherwise very enjoyable mixture. It's a cautionary tale about the rotting insidious effects of consumerism, modeled on its cousin cautionary tales against the coming communists (a filiation the movie acknowledges). Certainly not a good film, but a pretty fun b-movie, signed by one of my favorite b-directors. 3.5/10 - dropped a whole point because of the militia's "comedy" angle.

IMDB summary: A delicious, mysterious goo that oozes from the earth is marketed as the newest dessert sensation, but the tasty treat rots more than teeth when zombie-like snackers who only want to consume more of the strange substance at any cost begin infesting the world.

 

[Osprey]

Wow. Pranzo actually spoiler tagged a gory image for once. This time, if I have a nightmare about it, it'll be my own fault.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Wow. Pranzo actually spoiler tagged a gory image for once. This time, if I have a nightmare about it, it'll be my own fault.

Really sorry about the past nightmares, I really try to do it most of the time!

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Reporting live from the streets of Montreal! Motherf***ers are wilding! Greatest movie ever!

You're not the guy who shot a firework from his ass, are you?

 

[Spring in Fialta]

You're not the guy who shot a firework from his ass, are you?

Lordy, no. Saw some nice ones being (lit?) in front of me, my wife and a couple of friends. Didn't end up staying too late. I was tired after all the emotions from the game and had a big day coming up at work. I stayed out for two hours or so. Barely had anything to drink. Nor are very loud crowds/noises my thing in the first place.

 

[End of Line]

The Good Shepherd (2006)

3/10

 

[Osprey]

Stripes (1981) - 8/10

Today is its 40th anniversary and it's of one of my favorite comedies, so, of course, I had to re-watch it. It's still hilarious. This was my second time watching the Extended Cut, which adds 20 minutes, pushing the length over 2 hours, and it struck me that the extra scenes were originally cut for good reason. They cause the film to drag, aren't necessary and aren't funny enough. It shows how important editing is. Something else that I noticed more than in the past is just how awesome Elmer Bernstein's score is. It's kind of funny that the same guy who scored The Ten Commandments also scored this and Airplane! The man seemingly knew how to score all types of films. Some people criticize this movie's final act for being more action than comedy, but I like 80s action movies, too, so I've never minded. If anything, I like that the movie has a little of both. Also, with half being boot camp (and featuring an overbearing drill sergeant) and the other combat, it's obvious that Full Metal Jacket was just a rip off of Stripes. Anyways, I've watched it dozens of times and could watch it dozens more and never tire of it... and that's a fact, jack.

 

[member 51464]

Fast and the Furious 9 - 4/10

About as bad as you'd expect it to be at this point. One odd thing was how much they try to ham-handedly weave the "family is everything" narrative throughout the series, but it does not seem to really fit with the choices ol' Dom has made throughout his life. Anyway....it is for the best this series is done soon. Cardi B and Franis Ngannou make utterly pointless cameos.