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

[kihei]

The Juniper Tree (2004) Directed by Nietzchka Keene 7A

Bjork’s first movie The Juniper Tree is as strange and unique as her music. Two witches, Katia and Margit (Bjork) who are sisters travel far in hopes of starting a new life unencumbered by their reputation and the persecution that goes along with it. The older sister marries a man with a young son. Margit gets along with the boy just fine, but Jonas is suspicious of Katia and resists her attempts to replace his deceased mother. This leads to a tragedy that has grave consequences for all concerned. The movie is set in some timeless past recalling Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal and The Virgin Spring and Bela Tarr’s The Turin Horse. The tragic narrative unfolds like a folktale or a religious parable. The Juniper Tree is highly atmospheric and distinctively peculiar in the manner that much art and music that comes from Iceland seems to be. Bjork’s spoken voice is as hypnotic as her singing voice, and she acquits herself as an actress very well. A very impressive piece of film making, The Juniper Tree hasn’t received much exposure over the years, but it should.

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MUBI

 

[JetsWillFly4Ever]

I watched Dark Waters, it was decent. The story of Du Pont essentially poisoning all of the world with chemicals, knowing that they were bad for human consumption. One of those stories that makes you wonder how much shady shit goes on that the public never knows about. I'd give it a solid 7/10.

 

[Pink Mist]

Try Purple Noon (1960) directed by Rene Clement and starring Alain Delon. It is by far the best adaptation of the novel.

Purple Noon [Plein Soleil] (1960) directed by René Clément

After watching The Talented Mr Ripley and then this, I have to say I much prefer this treatment of the story. Alain Delon (extremely handsome and mesmerizing) plays Tom Ripley, the sociopathic con man who is sent to retrieve a rich industrialist’s son in Italy, as more cold and calculating. It makes for a more believable and fascinating portrayal than the awkward and clumsy version Matt Damon plays. I think have Ripley surrounded in an aura of mystique works better than delving into his inner workings like the 1999 version does. It also has a much tighter script, excluding much of the bloat that featured in the 1999 version. The ending is probably the weakest part of this version as Clément pulls back from allowing a more sinister finale. The definitive treatment of the Tom Ripley character.

Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Pink Mist]

Rear Window (1954) directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Jeff (Jimmy Stewart) is a photographer who is wheelchair bound due to a broken leg. He spends his days confined to his apartment, watching his neighbours’ activities from the rear window of his living room. One day, he believes he sees/hears a murder occur from one of the neighbour’s apartment and he recruits his girlfriend (Grace Kelly) to help investigate. Rear Window is one of my favourite movies; I love everything about it; but especially the set. To have the whole film told from the perspective of looking outward into a block of apartments is clever and works really well. Also makes for a great lockdown movie.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Purple Noon [Plein Soleil] (1960) directed by René Clément

After watching The Talented Mr Ripley and then this, I have to say I much prefer this treatment of the story. Alain Delon (extremely handsome and mesmerizing) plays Tom Ripley, the sociopathic con man who is sent to retrieve a rich industrialist’s son in Italy, as more cold and calculating. It makes for a more believable and fascinating portrayal than the awkward and clumsy version Matt Damon plays. I think have Ripley surrounded in an aura of mystique works better than delving into his inner workings like the 1999 version does. It also has a much tighter script, excluding much of the bloat that featured in the 1999 version. The ending is probably the weakest part of this version as Clément pulls back from allowing a more sinister finale. The definitive treatment of the Tom Ripley character.

Thanks for the recommendation.

Apologies if this was mentioned in the other Ripley talk but Wim Wenders' The American Friend is also a Ripley adaptation. This one with Dennis Hopper in the role. Needless to say it ain't quite like the others.

 

[Osprey]

His Girl Friday (1940) - 8/10 (Loved it)

A newspaperman (Cary Grant) convinces his co-worker ex-wife (Rosalind Russell) to write one last story to save a condemned man before she quits and runs off with a new man (Ralph Bellamy). An adaptation of the stage play The Front Page, it takes place mainly in a writers' room at a big city newspaper and is a comedy that's known for its rapid fire dialogue and unflattering but amusing representation of the press. I'd seen it and the 1974 adaptation at least once before, so it was very familiar, but no less enjoyable. The first 25 minutes, in particular, are simply hilarious, with Grant and Russell throwing barbs at each other like only divorced people can, such as when he sarcastically says that he's been keeping a candle in the window for her and she replies that she jumped out of that window long ago. Unfortunately, after those side-splitting 25 minutes, Grant virtually disappears from the film for the next 40 minutes and the laughs die down a little. It's still very good in his absence as the story develops, but it really takes off again when he re-appears. He's at his fast talking, wise cracking best in this and a little more of him in the middle stretch would've made this an easy 9/10 for me. Russell is also very good, as is Bellamy (who even gets named when Grant describes his character to another by saying, "He looks like that fellow in the movies, you know... Ralph Bellamy!", which he apparently ad-libbed and director Howard Hawks decided to keep). As a matter of fact, every actor seems perfectly cast. Anyways, this is one of the great, classic comedies and I highly recommend it if you tend to enjoy fast, witty dialogue and stage play adaptations (especially with small workplace settings, like Glengarry Glen Ross or 12 Angry Men, but much lighter and funnier).

It's available on Amazon Prime and can be streamed for free at Dove Channel and TheFilmDetective, among other sites.

 

[kihei]

Eye for an Eye (2019) Directed by Paco Plaza 6A

Mario, a male nurse with a pregnant wife, looks after the medical needs of Antonio, a dying drug lord who is directly responsible for the death of Mario’s brother. The drug lord doesn’t know that Mario wants revenge, but, though near death, Antonio has a trick or two up his sleeve, too. For an obviously contrived suspense movie, Eye for an Eye is pretty damn watchable, a genre flick a cut above the norm that generates some good, old-fashioned suspense. The premise itself is on the fresh side as we don’t often get male nurses plotting revenge on their already dying patients. Dying but not dumb--there is a good twist at the end that suggests a cunning mind still at work. Cleverly, the movie made me wonder just what was I rooting for exactly—making me feel complicit in the goings-on. Eye for an Eye may be little more that a diversion during troubled times, but it is a good diversion.

subtitles

Netflix

 

[Pink Mist]

Apologies if this was mentioned in the other Ripley talk but Wim Wenders' The American Friend is also a Ripley adaptation. This one with Dennis Hopper in the role. Needless to say it ain't quite like the others.

Oh yes, I've seen it but it's been many years. Didn't realize it was a Ripley adaption. Very good film

 

[Pink Mist]

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) directed by James Gunn

Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), a human abducted to outer space as a child now turned space treasure hunter, discovers a small orb that contains immense power which could be genocidal in the hands of evil. When it is stolen by a genocidal alien, Quill and a band of losers dubbed the Guardians of the Galaxy fight to retrieve the orb before its too late. Guardians of the Galaxy, with its strange alien creatures, planets, spaceships, and treaties between warring species, is space opera through and through. And it is a fun ride. Full of musical cues from the 70s and 80s, wisecracking jokes (that actually land unlike most of the humour in Marvel movies), and great action there is a lot to love in this movie. The movie oozes personality, something that has begun to become rare in the MCU films. A nice palate cleanser after watching so many of these movies that look and feel the same. It also works well as a standalone film. Probably the best of the bunch I’ve watched so far.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) directed by James Gunn

Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), a human abducted to outer space as a child now turned space treasure hunter, discovers a small orb that contains immense power which could be genocidal in the hands of evil. When it is stolen by a genocidal alien, Quill and a band of losers dubbed the Guardians of the Galaxy fight to retrieve the orb before its too late. Guardians of the Galaxy, with its strange alien creatures, planets, spaceships, and treaties between warring species, is space opera through and through. And it is a fun ride. Full of musical cues from the 70s and 80s, wisecracking jokes (that actually land unlike most of the humour in Marvel movies), and great action there is a lot to love in this movie. The movie oozes personality, something that has begun to become rare in the MCU films. A nice palate cleanser after watching so many of these movies that look and feel the same. It also works well as a standalone film. Probably the best of the bunch I’ve watched so far.

My favorite Marvel movie by far. Excellent illustration of what can be done within the machine when some of the restraints (fealty to canonical history, dire need to advance the plots of multiple future movies) are lessened if put in place at all. Also one of the better (and rare as you note) examples of Marvel letting the key creative person's sensibilities take hold.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Burning (2018) - 7/10

A slow-burn film but my problem with this one is that it's a slow-burn which relies too much on tension underneath with scenes of quiet and little dialogue which by the 2nd half of the movie kept having me press the right-arrow key to skip through 5 seconds. Stephen Yuen also seems like a way better actor when he's talking in Korean for some reason than English.

 

[heatnikki]

Gladiator - 9/10
Just rewatched tonight, think this would be in my top 10.

 

[kihei]

The Enemy Below (1957) Directed by Dick Powell 6A

Though the direction is uninspired and there are only two interesting characters, The Enemy Below is worth seeking out as one of the more intelligent and humane war movies to come out of Hollywood. A US destroyer and a German U-boat lock horns in the mid-Atlantic during World War II. Captain Murrell (Robert Mitchum) and Kapitan Stolberg (Kurt Jurgens) are evenly matched opponents in a deadly cat-and-mouse game. Where the movie separates itself from many other action war movies is that both characters have a degree of complexity usually lacking in the genre (see the recent Greyhound, for example). Neither particularly likes his job. Stolberg realizes he is fighting a bad war on the wrong side of history, and Murrell has acquired a degree of cynicism about humankind making the same mistakes over and over leading to an endless parade of death and destruction. But both really are honourable men in their own fashion. The special effects look a more than a little clunky, but they won an Academy Award at the time.

YouTube

 

[McOilers97]

My favorite Marvel movie by far. Excellent illustration of what can be done within the machine when some of the restraints (fealty to canonical history, dire need to advance the plots of multiple future movies) are lessened if put in place at all. Also one of the better (and rare as you note) examples of Marvel letting the key creative person's sensibilities take hold.

I'm not an MCU fan whatsoever, and I don't even love Guardians of the Galaxy (though it is pretty solid), but I totally agree with what you're saying. It exists within the MCU but has some freedom to kind of do it's own thing and allow the director (Gunn) to put his own personal stamp on it - it doesn't look and feel the same as the rest of (what I feel to be) the rather forgettable MCU.

 

[Osprey]

The Cat and the Canary (1939) - 7/10 (Really liked it)

Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard star as relatives who, along with others, converge on a mansion in the Louisiana swamps to hear the reading of a will that will make one of them wealthy and others resentful. This is a good mix of comedy, mystery and horror that includes a creaky old house, secret passageways, a painting with moving eyes, suspicious characters, a killer and Bob Hope jokes. It has good atmosphere, some good frights and some good laughs... and, now that I think about it, some good incest, since Hope and Goddard kiss a few times, but who are we to judge, right?

Available on YouTube

The Ghost Breakers-1940

Nice blend of comedy & mystery. Gags, ghosts, ghouls, haunted house, secret passages, creaky doors and Bob Hope one liners. With the lovely Paulette Goddard (the former Mrs. Chaplin) and a strong cast. Good film.

I put this on my list when you reviewed it and finally got around to it today. It turned out that I'd seen it, but Bob Hope and ghosts is a combination that I'll gladly re-watch any time. I wish that that part were bigger than just the last half hour, but it's still a fun movie. Thanks for the recommendation, especially because it led me to the above film, which I liked just as much. It has the same blend of mystery and comedy, the same two stars and even a similar joke from Hope, but at the expense of the opposite subject. If you liked The Ghost Breakers, you'll like it, too, I imagine.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

The Cat and the Canary (1939) - 7/10 (Really liked it)

Now is time to discover the unsung genius that is Radley Metzger.

 

[Osprey]

Now is time to discover the unsung genius that is Radley Metzger.

I take it that that's the 1970s version that I saw was panned on Rotten Tomatoes and, therefore, chose not to bother looking for. Maybe I should re-think that decision now that I see that it received its highest praise from Playboy Magazine.

Edit: I found it on YouTube and it opens with an actual cat and canary, even though the title is figurative. That is so 70s.

Edit #2: Everything--the Playboy praise, the cheesy opening and your interest in the director--is coming into focus after seeing that his filmography includes such titles as The Dirty Girls, Immoral Mistress and The Princess and the Call Girl.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I take it that that's the 1970s version that I saw was panned on Rotten Tomatoes and, therefore, chose not to bother looking for. Maybe I should re-think that decision now that I see that it received its highest praise from Playboy Magazine.

Edit: Oh dear. I found it on YouTube and it opens with an actual cat and canary, even though the title is entirely figurative. That is so 70s.

Edit #2: Everything--the Playboy praise, the cheesy opening and your interest in the director--is coming into focus after seeing that his filmography includes such titles as The Dirty Girls, Immoral Mistress and The Princess and the Call Girl.

Just watch the damn thing and stop trying to be witty!

It's use of images/film within the film is pretty fun. Of course nowhere near his masterpieces (The Lickerish Quartet and The Image), but still there's hints of his genius in there. It's a sleazy director, but probably the best of them all - Score and Therese and Isabelle are pretty good films too. I have like 20 DVD box sets on my shelves here, Robbe-Grillet, Marker, Rohmer, Bergman, Cassavetes, etc. The three that are put on display are the Metzger ones.

 

[Osprey]

Just watch the damn thing and stop trying to be witty!

It's use of images/film within the film is pretty fun. Of course nowhere near his masterpieces (The Lickerish Quartet and The Image), but still there's hints of his genius in there. It's a sleazy director, but probably the best of them all - Score and Therese and Isabelle are pretty good films too. I have like 20 DVD box sets on my shelves here, Robbe-Grillet, Marker, Rohmer, Bergman, Cassavetes, etc. The three that are put on display are the Metzger ones.

Oh. You were serious?

Ok, maybe I'll watch it... but mostly because his use of images includes images of Olivia Hussey. I'm watching the 1927 silent version at the moment, though, since I found that on YouTube, as well. Its use of images is also pretty unique. Perhaps Metzger was inspired by it.

 

[GretzkytoKurri9917]

Great Movie.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Oh. You were serious?

Ok, maybe I'll watch it... but mostly because his use of images includes images of Olivia Hussey. I'm watching the 1927 silent version at the moment, though, since I found that on YouTube, as well. Its use of images is also pretty unique. Perhaps Metzger was inspired by it.

The Cat is not a great Metzger film, but I was serious! I usually am

 

[Babe Ruth]

Locating Silver Lake (2017)

This is a really good depiction of a young transplant pursuing a creative dream in LA. I've known a lot of people who fit this description, and this is one of the most realistic accountings I've seen. An aspiring (heartbroken) writer rents a small place (near Silver Lake) and learns & gives some life lessons to Angelenos he meets along the way. There's one storyline that veers from the realistic, relatable main plot, but.. Not especially dynamic, but it's an interesting drama with some authentic characters.

 

[kihei]

Diego Maradona (2019) Directed by Asif Kapadia (documentary) 8A

Diego Maradona, for some the greatest soccer player in history, died on Wednesday. He was only 60, but as this excellent documentary makes clear, he was probably lucky to make it that far. Though it would have been a cliche to do so, director Asif Kapadia (Amy; Senna) could legitimately have called his documentary The Rise and Fall of Diego Maradona because that is certainly what it is about. No athlete ever rose any higher than Maradona. His athletic gifts made him a player with no peers and his exploits on the field are legendary, superb individual play and a commitment to team excellence that saw Napoli rise from the dregs of Italian soccer to win the Serie A league championship twice (the only times in their history), the UEFA Cup once, not to forget his World Cup win for Argentina. In Naples, his celebrity was unparalleled. It was if you combined Jesus and the Beatles in one person. That celebrity became his downfall as it led to associations with Camorra crime bosses and addiction to cocaine. Maradona's personality also underwent significant change as his mental equilibrium deteriorated and the once adored footballer became a hated figure in Naples and throughout Italy. As he did with Amy and Senna, Kapadia is great at locating the human being overwhelmed by his or her inescapable notoriety. Kapadia expertly uses archival footage and Maradona's own words to tell his story. Diego Maradona has resonance beyond it being just about Maradona. The documentary is a cautionary tale about what happens when an otherwise ordinary person gets caught up in something beyond their or anyone else's control. At this level, fame becomes the harshest of mistresses.

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[Chili]

The Cat and the Canary (1939) - 7/10 (Really liked it)

Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard star as relatives who, along with others, converge on a mansion in the Louisiana swamps to hear the reading of a will that will make one of them wealthy and others resentful. This is a good mix of comedy, mystery and horror that includes a creaky old house, secret passageways, a painting with moving eyes, suspicious characters, a killer and Bob Hope jokes. It has good atmosphere, some good frights and some good laughs... and, now that I think about it, some good incest, since Hope and Goddard kiss a few times, but who are we to judge, right?

Available on YouTube



I put this on my list when you reviewed it and finally got around to it today. It turned out that I'd seen it, but Bob Hope and ghosts is a combination that I'll gladly re-watch any time. I wish that that part were bigger than just the last half hour, but it's still a fun movie. Thanks for the recommendation, especially because it led me to the above film, which I liked just as much. It has the same blend of mystery and comedy, the same two stars and even a similar joke from Hope, but at the expense of the opposite subject. If you liked The Ghost Breakers, you'll like it, too, I imagine.

Picked up a book (Bob Hope:Entertainer of the Century-Richard Zoglin) which I have yet to read. So I wanted to see some of his movies. Did see The Cat & The Canary.

Interesting how many of his movies are remakes or have been remade. Sorrowful Jones was a remake of Little Miss Marker(Shirley Temple) and remade again (Walter Matthau). Was watching Nothing but the Truth and thought of Liar Liar. The Ghostbreakers must have inspired Ghost Busters a bit too.

Get a kick out of Bing Crosby's cameos in some of these films.

 

[Pink Mist]

It Must Be Heaven (2019) directed by Elia Suleiman

A director (Elia Suleiman, playing himself) leaves Palestine to go to Paris and New York City to attempt to secure funding for his latest project. Along the way he observes the absurdity of life in those cities, such as French cops dancing on segways, parkgoers fighting for the last seat in the park, streets deserted in Paris except for mounted policemen and tanks, every person on the street open carrying firearms in NYC. All of this is played as an absurd comedy with Suleiman watching silently bemused. In this he draws parallels between Palestine and these cities to suggest that life there isn’t too much different from life in Palestine, in that the oppressive elements of daily life are not restricted to Palestine but are found abroad too. Excellent film with sharp social commentary but with an absurd comic edge. I haven’t seen any of Suleiman’s other films, but this film reminds me of Roy Andersson’s work.