Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Movie-mber Edition

[Osprey]

Cape Fear 1962 version has higher ratings but 1991 version I'm guessing is the more entertaining/enjoyable of the two or no?

I re-watched both this past Summer. Lemme see if I can find my reviews. Ok, here you go:

Cape Fear (1962) - 8/10 (Loved it)

An ex-con (Robert Mitchum) terrorizes the family of the lawyer (Gregory Peck) who put him in jail. Mitchum is fantastically smarmy and threatening and steals the film. Peck is his wooden self, but it fits his rich, boring character and makes for a greater contrast with his terrorist. It's very much like a bully making life miserable for a reserved kid, except that both are all grown up. Something that stood out is how controversial it must've been for a film in 1962 to be about a rapist trying to rape a 14-year-old girl. The film never actually mentions "rape" (because the censors wouldn't have allowed it), but that's what the source novel was about and the script does everything that it can to insinuate it without actually saying it. That just adds to what's already a creepy premise, making the film pretty suspenseful, especially at the end, which is notable for taking place in and around a houseboat. The soundtrack by Bernard Herrmann (who also scored Psycho) adds to that and is really terrific, especially the main theme. Anyways, it's an excellent suspense thriller that feels a lot like a Hitchcock film without actually being a Hitchcock film.

Cape Fear (1991) - 7/10 (Really liked it)

Martin Scorsese's remake casts a ripped Robert De Niro as the ex-con, Nick Nolte as the lawyer, Jessica Lange as the wife and Juliette Lewis as the daughter. De Niro isn't as quite as menacing as Mitchum was, but he's crazier and little more entertaining. He gets the job done and was nominated for Best Actor. Nolte and Lange are just OK, but Lewis shines at conveying teenage insecurity and terror and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck and Martin Balsam all have cameos, obviously playing different characters than they did in the original, which was fun to see. The story is mostly the same, but there are some differences that actually feel like improvements (like a better explanation for the ex-con's bitterness and an expanded relationship between him and the daughter) without changing anything essential. It's a little over the top and even somewhat corny at times, especially near the end, and the suspensefulness suffered because I watched the original just the night before, but that's my fault. I'm sure that it's suspenseful under most circumstances (particularly because I remember it being so when I watched it previously, including in the theater). Like with the original, the soundtrack is a strong point... because it's the same soundtrack. Scorsese was smart enough to have Elmer Bernstein simply re-work it and re-use the main theme, rather than replace it all. Anyways, the film isn't quite as good as the original, but it's pretty good as remakes of classics go.

To answer your question, it probably depends on the person. Younger people who aren't really into black and white movies and are more familiar with De Niro and the rest of the cast will probably find the remake more enjoyable. People who appreciate classic movies may like the original a bit better. Both are very good, though. My recommendation of which to watch is... both.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Watched La Jetée again in a sort of obsessive itch, as I'm unable to get it out of my head. Without gushing in a ramble, can't help but think it's the best novelistic adaptation of a story that was never written as literature. Or at least, the best way a film has ever portrayed literary readings: a series of immobile flashes presented by words without (or a slight hint) of physical movement. Deceptively simple in its delivery but probably insanely difficult to pull off with a camera. One hell of an achievement. Pieces like that or David Markson's Wittgenstein's Mistress really make one realize that conventional, mainstream arcs are what is false and unrealistic and that techniques such as jumpcuts or scattered thoughts are what presents human truth and reality. Not that one or the other heightens or diminshes the art or its value but presentations that are often deemed avant-garde (what a brutal, awful term) or experimental are far more true to life than what many viewers and critics deem realistic fiction or narratives. Another way (mainstream) art has informed life instead of the other way around.

Might be of interest to you:



Couldn't find the English version online (too bad cause IMO it worked even better). Like a lot of the Ruiz films from that period, it's first and foremost a narrative game/study, here in creating and exploiting holes in both narration and monstration.

The first line (echoed in the last line - and at that the English version did a way better job - as one of many narrative loops): "The woman you call your mother isn't your mother at all " echoes Bunuel's Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie ("The man who lives in this house and calls you his son isn't your father"), a film that was also constructed in loops. Of course, the original loop on which Ruiz is working is La jetée.

 

[Spawn]

The Handmaiden 9/10 - This one has been on my "watch" list since it came out in 2016. For some reason I just never got around to it. Finally took it in on the weekend. Wow, what a film. Not at all what I was expecting, but just really great filmmaking and story telling. Fits nicely with the theme of popular Korean films (at least the ones that are popular here) playing around with genres. This one hits so many different notes it's almost hard to keep track of.

Great film. Super entertaining.

Inspires me to start looking for some of the other gems of the last handful of years that I never got around to seeing. Not like I'll be going to theatres anytime soon. Might as well play catchup on some really great films.

 

[kihei]

After reading your little review I'm surprised you even gave it a 3. Why so high lol?

You're right. Fixed it.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I re-watched both this past Summer. Lemme see if I can find my reviews. Ok, here you go:


To answer your question, it probably depends on the person. Younger people who aren't really into black and white movies and are more familiar with De Niro and the rest of the cast will probably find the remake more enjoyable. People who appreciate classic movies may like the original a bit better. Both are very good, though. My recommendation of which to watch is... both.

One of my favorite little bits of movie history trivia is that Martin Scorsese had the rights to and was lined up to make Schindler's List. Steven Spielberg was passionate about the book and project, wanting to do it himself. So he went to his old friend and traded him the rights to the Cape Fear remake for the rights to Schindler's List.

That's a win-win. I struggle a little to imagine Scorsese's Schindler's List, though I have no doubt Spielberg could make a pretty cracking Cape Fear.

 

[Pink Mist]

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) directed by Tommy Lee Jones

Following the death of his undocumented Mexican immigrant friend, a Texan rancher (Tommy Lee Jones) kidnaps an abusive and trigger-happy border patrol agent (Barry Pepper) across the Mexican-US border in order to bury his Mexican friend in Mexico. This neo-Western plunges into the depths of the racism of America’s border apparatus along the Mexican-US border in which Mexicans are degraded and perceived as less than human. The first thirty minutes or so of the film is a bit of a mess as it uses a bit of a puzzle structured of intertwining timelines (the film is written by Guillermo Arriaga who wrote Amores Perros and 21 Grams so this isn’t too surprising I guess) and is needlessly confusing. However, once it straightens out in the second half of the film, which documents the journey of the rancher, the border patrol agent, and the corpse across the border into Mexico it becomes a fairly engaging and moving film. The acting however is a bit uneven, Jones is good, but Pepper isn’t (although I’ve never been a fan of his work). It’s hard not to compare it to No Country For Old Men which came out shortly afterward and also starred Jones and I think this film got lost in the shuffle of neo-Westerns which were released in the mid 2000s, but it's decent Western.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) directed by Tommy Lee Jones

Following the death of his undocumented Mexican immigrant friend, a Texan rancher (Tommy Lee Jones) kidnaps an abusive and trigger-happy border patrol agent (Barry Pepper) across the Mexican-US border in order to bury his Mexican friend in Mexico. This neo-Western plunges into the depths of the racism of America’s border apparatus along the Mexican-US border in which Mexicans are degraded and perceived as less than human. The first thirty minutes or so of the film is a bit of a mess as it uses a bit of a puzzle structured of intertwining timelines (the film is written by Guillermo Arriaga who wrote Amores Perros and 21 Grams so this isn’t too surprising I guess) and is needlessly confusing. However, once it straightens out in the second half of the film, which documents the journey of the rancher, the border patrol agent, and the corpse across the border into Mexico it becomes a fairly engaging and moving film. The acting however is a bit uneven, Jones is good, but Pepper isn’t (although I’ve never been a fan of his work). It’s hard not to compare it to No Country For Old Men which came out shortly afterward and also starred Jones and I think this film got lost in the shuffle of neo-Westerns which were released in the mid 2000s, but it's decent Western.

Is there a better gruff, melancholic curmudgeon in movies than Tommy Lee Jones? I've been making my way through the old Lonesome Dove miniseries (on to the last part now) and it's a very typical Jones performance but damn if he isn't so enjoyable when he's in that mode (which seems to be most of the time and that's fine with me).

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Tommy Lee Jones isn't a half-bad director from what I can tell.

 

[Tkachuk4MVP]

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) directed by Tommy Lee Jones

Following the death of his undocumented Mexican immigrant friend, a Texan rancher (Tommy Lee Jones) kidnaps an abusive and trigger-happy border patrol agent (Barry Pepper) across the Mexican-US border in order to bury his Mexican friend in Mexico. This neo-Western plunges into the depths of the racism of America’s border apparatus along the Mexican-US border in which Mexicans are degraded and perceived as less than human. The first thirty minutes or so of the film is a bit of a mess as it uses a bit of a puzzle structured of intertwining timelines (the film is written by Guillermo Arriaga who wrote Amores Perros and 21 Grams so this isn’t too surprising I guess) and is needlessly confusing. However, once it straightens out in the second half of the film, which documents the journey of the rancher, the border patrol agent, and the corpse across the border into Mexico it becomes a fairly engaging and moving film. The acting however is a bit uneven, Jones is good, but Pepper isn’t (although I’ve never been a fan of his work). It’s hard not to compare it to No Country For Old Men which came out shortly afterward and also starred Jones and I think this film got lost in the shuffle of neo-Westerns which were released in the mid 2000s, but it's decent Western.

Aww man, I love Barry Pepper! He had a great run with Green Mile, Saving Private Ryan, 61, and 25th Hour.

 

[Pink Mist]

Tommy Lee Jones isn't a half-bad director from what I can tell.

He also doesn't speak half bad Spanish which was surprising to me

 

[Pink Mist]

Aww man, I love Barry Pepper! He had a great run with Green Mile, Saving Private Ryan, 61, and 25th Hour.

See I mostly recognize him from his work in Anglo Canadian films which are poor. Also this obviously came out before Breaking Bad, but he reminds me of budget Aaron Paul in this film

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Stalag 17 (1953) Directed by Billy Wilder 7A

Some of the more outlandish comedy bits would have played well to the balcony but such a low-comedy approach seems too in-your-face on a movie screen. Still, Holden gives a likeable performance, the plot is engaging, and the ending is a satisfying one. Despite the fact that the movie does look quite dated now, Stalag 17 is still worth seeing.

YouTube

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this. The 'animal' character kinda ruined this in parts. The comic tone was necessary in bits to give it that 50s vibe but it also killed some scenes or dragged them out. It's a really good film but falls a bit short of The Great Escape for me despite having more succint screentime just because of the overusage of jokes killing rhythm in some scenes.

Also I saw this on Kanopy Brampton, I guess they removed it now but it was in HD, maybe Toronto library version still has it or other Wilder films in HD.

 

[Mantis]

Affliction (1997 film) - Wikipedia
Was scrolling through Amazon Prime tonight lookin for somethin to watch and settled on this. Some really good acting by pretty much the entire cast. Very depressing movie though.

7/10

Worth watching but its not gonna make you feel good by the end.

 

[Osprey]

Five Graves to Cairo-1943

An soldier is left behind when the British evacuate an area of North Africa in WWII. When the Germans arrive he is forced to assume the identity of the hotel waiter who had just been killed in an air attack. He learns of a major German secret that could prove vital to the war in the desert...the Five Graves to Cairo. Good spy yarn, an early Billy Wilder film.

I just watched this and really liked it. I'd give it a 7/10. I was thinking about a 6/10 through the first hour, but that last half hour really ramped things up and was extra enjoyable. The setting reminded me a little of Sahara from the same year, which is a favorite of mine, though this was more of a spy yarn than a war movie, as you suggested. It turns out that it's one of Quentin Tarantino's 10 favorite films. Thanks a lot for the recommendation.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Mandy (Cosmatos, 2018) - I knew going in that this was a "special one", and I can appreciate that, but it never was really efficient to me, neither as a horror film or a revenge flick (apart from the wife burning scene, which was pretty gutsy). It's often absolutely superb visually, but sometimes also kind of feels like a failed high-concept cheapo metal videoclip. Kind of like Under the Skin, I would love to like it more, because it does all sorts of things right, but overall just didn't hit its marks really well. Something I should probably revisit in a few years. 6.5/10

Extraction (Hardgrave, 2020) - A non-story written by the Avengers directors, produced by Thor, starring Thor, and directed by Captain America's body double. I watched it because it was hyped here and because I'd watch anything anyway, but I can't say I liked it much. It's cool that the heroes take a lot of fire, but otherwise abysmal and predictable story, with characters you really never care about. I really didn't see where it tried to be anything more than a cool non-stop action film. 4/10

 

[Chili]

I just watched this and really liked it. I'd give it a 7/10. I was thinking about a 6/10 through the first hour, but that last half hour really ramped things up and was extra enjoyable. The setting reminded me a little of Sahara from the same year, which is a favorite of mine, though this was more of a spy yarn than a war movie, as you suggested. It turns out that it's one of Quentin Tarantino's 10 favorite films. Thanks a lot for the recommendation.

Sahara is a good film. What made Five Graves memorable for me was trying to solve the mystery of the title. Strong story. Apparently Cary Grant was first choice for the lead role, he did make The Last Outpost. Some other good desert films of the era The Lost Patrol (John Ford) and a personal favorite Beau Geste (Gary Cooper).

 

[Pink Mist]

The Basilisks [I basilischi] (1963) directed by Lina Wertmüller

In a sleepy southern Italian village (and I mean sleepy, the opening scene documents the entire town’s post-lunch siesta – one of my now favourite opening scenes to a film), three unemployed young men loaf around chasing girls and roaming the streets of the village dreaming of bigger things. A neorealist film and the directorial debut of Wertmüller, the film explores how people, especially the youth, become stuck in their circumstances. The film reminds me a lot of Fellini’s I Vitelloni, another film from that era about three young Italian men stuck in their hometowns, which shouldn’t come as a big surprise since Wertmüller was an assistant to Fellini prior to this film. While I Vitelloni is a better film, this is still a confident debut and from a director I had not seen anything from prior. As a document of rural Italian life, she brings her own vision to explore a socio-political panorama of the dynamics in the village. The film also features a great score from the recently deceased composer Ennio Morricone. A nice minor work, which makes me want to explore more of her work as she apparently had a nice run of films in the 1970s.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

from a director I had not seen anything from prior

Haven't seen much from her either, but Seven Beauties is something.

 

[kihei]

Haven't seen much from her either, but Seven Beauties is something.

Major league director who had a great run in the '70s. I'd recommend any of:

The Seduction of Mimi (1972)
Love and Anarchy (1973)
Swept Away (1974)--of which Madonna made a horrible remake
Seven Beauties (1975)

All these star Giancarlo Giannini, a treat to watch himself and a sympathetic collaborator of Wertmuller.

Lots of meat on the bone in these movies. Her films generated tons of discussion in my experience, sometimes with total strangers.

 

[Chili]

Where Eagles Dare-1968

Mission to rescue a captured allied General from a mountain top castle in the Austrian Alps in WWII.

Incredible film with action throughout, impressive stunts, beautifully filmed, several plot twists.

Based on a novel by the same author as The Guns of Navarone (Alistair MacLean). Reminds me of other mission impossible type films of the era like Operation Crossbow and The Dirty Dozen.

Quite the ride.

 

[Mantis]

Aww man, I love Barry Pepper! He had a great run with Green Mile, Saving Private Ryan, 61, and 25th Hour.

How could you leave out Battlefield Earth!?

 

[Tkachuk4MVP]

How could you leave out Battlefield Earth!?

Again, I was referring to the "great run" that he had.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Murder She Said (adaptation of 4:50 From Paddington novel by Agatha Christie) 1960 - 6.5/10

Two past TV remakes of this same novel, it's a juicy mystery and the film does some stuff better than the TV remakes while ruining other parts. The stuff it does best is the setting, an actual film from the 60s closer in era to the novel just feels more authentic in terms of sets and design rather than the cheaper TV series from the 80s or 00s. The casting of Miss Marple for these 60s films though was a bit odd as Marple is supposed to be a meek but clever spinster while the portrayal of her is far more aggressive and overburdening in the film. The film significantly changes the book plot for the worse in terms of character removal but that can be forgiven with adaptations, what I find hard to forgive though is the need for this film to rely on horror or suspense tropes that aren't in the novel and at all and just turn it into a cheaper run of the mill film. Too many scenes involving Marple sneaking around and not enough in terms of the real meat and bones of Agatha Christie novels which was the cleverness and the actual deduction being explained through dialogue sitting in a chair with no need for dark noir shadows or suspenseful music.

In The Name of The Father (1993) - 9/10

Another filmed example of the evils of the British empire, focusing on the imprisonment of several Northern Irishmen and women who were falsely convicted of a pub bombing. Not quite as focused as a film like Breaker Morant but well acted and heavy. I've always been one to love modern British culture but I've always been appalled at British government influenced largely by rich rulers so something like this always resonates with me. In Canada, stuff like this was never covered in our history classes, the British governments and rulers were always painted in a positive light if anything, but it sickens me that the Queen is on our money and so many Canadians still feel connected to those sick rulers and their enablers.

 

[kihei]

Pieces of a Woman (2020) Directed by Kornel Mondruczo 3B

Pieces of a Woman begins with a harrowing 30 minute (!) scene of a home-birth facilitated by a midwife that goes terribly wrong. It is by far the best directed sequence in the movie but parts of it are almost unbearable to watch. The opening credits follow, the movie proper starts, and the air goes out of the balloon as if in slow motion. Each scene that follows feels more contrived than the last. It is as though the screenwriter goes, okay, what hopes should we have this couple jump through next? There are a bunch of them. Martha (Vanessa Kirby) and Sean (Shia LaBeouf) grow distant, a stock-character mother-n-law begins to interfere, the midwife is prosecuted (you can probably already guess how that will be resolved), and an incoherent ending is tacked on for good measure (for that matter, the title doesn’t make much sense either). Kirby is very good, an awards’ contender in a weak year, but LaBeouf struggles in a role that is grossly undercooked; so, it’s not all his fault. Pieces of Woman’s striking opening sequence ends up leading nowhere.

Netflix

 

[Pink Mist]

Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010) directed by Panos Cosmatos

In the year 1983, the Arboria Institute is a New Age research institute which researches methods to expand human consciousness to perpetual happiness. Led by Dr Nyle (Michael Rogers, looking like Christian Bale) his primary and private research subject is a young female named Elena (Eva Allen) who hidden underground and held captive. Elena possess mind control powers which Dr Nyle is trying to surprise. If this sounds like a season of Stranger Things, you’re on track. Beyond the Black Rainbow is basically an experimental art house version of Stranger Things. Filmed in 35mm with vivid red colours, and a synth score, this film bleeds 70s and 80s sci-fi nostalgia. However, it oozes at a slow pace and trips into acid fueled nightmarish drug trips. While I think the film lacks substance, it is an excellent experiment in style. This was Cosmato’s (who is the son of 80s popcorn flick director George P. Cosmatos) first film and he seems to be a great Canadian talent to watch. Something which is unfortunately rare in Anglo Canadian cinema.