Last Movie You Watched and Rate it | New Year New thread

[Rodgerwilco]

Primer (2004) - Directed by Shane Carruth - 8.5/10

Primer is a very interesting film which follows the story of engineer/inventors Abe and Aaron who accidentally stumble upon the discovery of time travel while working on a device that can lower the weight of objects.

Abe (David Sullivan) and Aaron (Shane Carruth) use the device that they've invented to manipulate the timeline of their lives, play stocks, and change things to their liking. The two characters run through multiple instances of the same week when, predictably, things start to unravel.

Primer isn't a movie that you'll fully understand the first, second, or maybe even third time through without the assistance of breakdowns and explanations outside of the film itself. I generally recommend that people watch the film, and then watch a detailed breakdown (with illustrations), and then watch the film again to see it in context.

I've read that some have said that Primer is one of the better portrayals of this type of scientific and time travel films. Creator Shane Carruth was adamant about not dumbing the dialogue and science down to keep the authentic feeling of true engineers creating a highly technical experience.


Amazingly the film was shot on a $7,000 budget with some of the actors also acting as crew members as well. Shane Carruth was the Writer, Director, Producer, Editor, and did the music for the film. Carruth was a former software engineer and Mathematics student who very clearly used his education as the skeleton of this film.

I've seen this one about 6 or 7 times by now, was very shocked I could finally get my wife into watching it and she's watched twice and a couple of illustrated explanations already since... Definitely not a light watch, but something I recommend to everyone. Great film.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I know my nieces loved it. I think a lot of the hate comes from adults who have a political axe to grind.

Anyways, I watched Cosmopolis by David Cronenberg and enjoyed it enough despite finding it confusing. Not one of my favourite Cronenberg films at least based on my first viewing but it was interesting and an excellent lead performance by Robert Pattinson. Compared to the other two Cronenberg films I've watched recently I'd rank it behind Existenz and ahead of Spider. I'm curious what other Cronenberg fans or anyone for that matter thought of this film.

I think those three films are afflicted with the same disease that many of Atom Egoyan's movies suffer from: they are cold and keep the audience at arm's length. I thought Pattison's performance in Cosmopolis was exceptional, but I was never the least emotionally invested in his character's story. That particular trio of films are more like intellectual exercises. I'd also add Maps to the Stars and A Dangerous Method to this list of unaffecting, uninvolving Cronenberg movies.

Caught Cosmopolis. While I loved the look and feel of it (the ribbed leather interior of the limo is a VERY Cronenberg design) it did something that Cronenberg movies rarely do ... it kinda bored me. Cold is absolutely the right adjective. But cold can still be interesting. I just could not lock into this one though. I give Cronenberg so much benefit of the doubt that I'm willing to chalk this up to being a me issue, not a movie issue. Pattinson is a fascinating and often great actor, but this felt like a transitional performance to me. Stretching up from Twilight, but not quite at the level he'd quickly reach. Like the movie overall, I could never quite get on his wavelength (and in this case I do think it's him, not me). There's enough here though that makes me want to come back to it a few years down the road and see how I feel ...

I recently had great rewatching experiences with both Barton Fink and Sex, Lies & Videotape ... a pair of films that I always found too cold and/or obtuse. But after revisiting every few years I felt like they finally clicked in for me. For whatever reason. Maybe Cosmopolis will be the same one day?

I also checked out Maps to the Stars. Enjoyed this one. Was fascinated with how Croenberg stuck to so many of his themes -- abuse, broken homes, deformation, religion/cults, aging, even car sex -- but transposed it from a futrueshock sci/fi realm and into a contemporary Hollywood. All the trauma, but none of the goopiness. It's also a pitch black comedy with Julianne Moore once again proving she's the Queen of playing fraying, selfish women. (This one might be her masterclass). I did like Pattinson here though he's a secondary character. Funny enough he also spends this entire movie in a limo.

 

[Osprey]

Body Double (1984) - 6/10

A struggling actor (Craig Wasson) spies on his neighbor and becomes obsessed with her and the danger that she appears to be in. It's an erotic thriller that blends Rear Window and Vertigo. Voyeurism, violence and overt homage to Hitchcock. This is a Brian De Palma film, alright. He sure loves to be provocative and doesn't hide his inspirations. The first half is a bit predictable, but then the plot takes a sharp turn and the second half is anything but. De Palma really plays with the theme of artificialness and how, in Hollywood, you can never be certain whether what you're seeing is real. He even includes multiple films within a film and doesn't immediately make it clear when you're watching one. Some scenes are rather unbelievable and cheesy, which affected my immersion, but I think that it was deliberate to straddle the line between fantasy and reality. De Palma's films often lack logic and have a dreamlike quality to them. I'm not sure that this one's plot really works, but it has style and a lot to analyze. I think that I appreciate that and what De Palma was trying to do more than what he actually accomplished, but it was never boring. His films never are.

 

[Osprey]

Carny (1980) - 6/10

A teenage girl (Jodie Foster) joins a traveling carnival after falling for Bozo the Clown (Gary Busey). While it was hard to believe that a young Jodie Foster would fall for Gary Busey (and leave a handsome jock for him), they were individually cast well. Foster is a delight as the innocent outsider and Busey is at his best as a dunk tank heckler in clown face. This may be one of my favorite performances of his because his character isn't a complete jerk or sleaze for a change. He certainly gives us "Crazy Gary," but it's more of an act and his character is pretty normal and almost sympathetic and caring when off duty and around Foster's character. That, at least, made their relationship a little bit easier to buy. The movie takes place entirely in and around the carnival and shows the inner workings of it through the eyes of the new girl trying to fit in. A lot of it is relatively mundane carnival life and there isn't much of a plot, but it has plenty of atmosphere and that was enough for me. I tend to like movies set in carnivals or circuses because the setting, alone, is so interesting and otherworldly. I found this to be engaging for that reason, even if the story wasn't, and a pleasant watch on top of that because of the two main performances.

 

[HanSolo]

Took my 8 year old nephew to see Minecraft. What an absolute piece of shit. Like I know lowering of expectations is needed for kids movies these days but I feel like the quality keeps declining.

This is just a non stop reference parade with a completely inane and formulaic plot. Some of the jokes for the kids were kind of amusing. The jokes they tried to write for the adults were painfully unfunny.

It's kinda frustrating that this is the standard we're setting for children's entertainment these days. Like don't mean to be the back in the good old days guy, but the stuff I grew up with had slapstick and silly humor but they had actual plots with some substance and something to say. Studios gave kids some credit. These days the assumption is every child has adhd and shouldn't have to think too hard about what they're watching. And it's working.

 

[Babe Ruth]

The Order (2024)

Didn't take long for this one to get to streaming.
An account of a fictional, obsessed FBI agent pursuing a (true story) gang of neo-Nazi outlaws. It has a (respectable) subtle realism, but it does create sluggish moments in the movie. All things considered I rate it an average watch.
I like the old 80s movie "Betrayed", which was inspired by the same crime spree. "Betrayed" was a more dramatic look at how both the criminals & law enforcement may have  felt during something like this. Where this movie felt more like a cop TV show/procedural.

 

[End of Line]

Oppenheimer (2023) 10/10

A truly remarkable film. From top to bottom it’s incredible. And as someone who loves WW2 and Cold War history I just loved that aspect. Cillian Murphy was f***ing incredible.

 

[Spawn]

Sinners directed by Ryan Coogler 8.5/10

From Dusk till Dawn meets 1930's deep south America with a dash of The Untouchables thrown in. Michael B. Jordan plays both Smoke and Stack, referred to as the Smokestack Twins in their hometown. The Infamous duo have recently returned from Chicago after a seemingly successful stint as gangsters working with Al Capone. These WWI veterans have given up the big city life and their criminal ways to open up their very own juke-joint.

As evening turns to night, the newly opened Juke joint is rocking with booze, sex, and heaps of incredible music. Eventually three strangers arrive, drawn by the live music, and the incredible grand opening turns incredibly bloody.

The first 75% of this film is brilliant. A cast full of charismatic and beautiful actors. A gorgeous film to look at. And one of my absolute favourite ever soundtracks.

The final 25% of the film fell off for me. The action sequences are messy and hard to follow and after all this incredible build up, the climax felt flat.

That being said, the first three quarters of the film are just so incredible that I hardly felt the need to take off too many points for the mediocre last act. A great genre mashup of drama/action/horror. Well worth seeing in theatres for the great sound system and big screen.

If you do see it, there is a mid credit scene that is quite important to stay for that wraps up the story for one of the main characters of the film.

It's hard to believe Ryan Coogler is only 38 years old. Five films over the past dozen years and they're all well worth watching. The man knows how to make a movie that is a great time.

 

[Neil Racki]

Anora - 6/10

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I think the last film I commented on here was Wolf Man, so here's a few I've seen since (some of them should be in the horror thread, but I have basically nothing to say about them, so meh):

Heart Eyes (Ruben, 2025) - Total shit. 1/10

Captain America: Brave New World (Onah, 2025) - Never particularly liked Evans' Captain, so I really don't care that he was replaced by the winged dude, but the film was just paint by numbers superhero crap, absolutely forgettable (and I'd have a hard time remembering most of it). 3/10

Love Hurts (Eusebio, 2025) - Not as smelly as previous total shit, but total shit. Fantasy sure ain't my go-to genre, dumb fantasy is always garbage. 1/10

C'est le bouquet! (Labrune, 2002) - IMO Labrune's best film. Darroussin is impeccable in delivering these nutty dialogues. Rewatch. 8.5/10

Cause toujours! (Labrune, 2004) - Darroussin is still great here, but the female counterparts don't have Kiberlain's bored exasperation to match him. Fun film, less unique. Rewatch. 6.5/10

Kuffs (Evans, 1992) - Call it nostalgia, I went for this. Rewatch. 3/10

Braindead (Dead Alive, Jackson, 1992) - Some of its over the top batshit crazy humor misses target by a mile, but it's still - mostly - a lot of fun. I saw it in a festival here when it came out, Jackson was there, he told us they had to drill holes in the studio's floor to get the blood out, he said we should be proud as the blood was made with Canadian maple syrup. I think both anecdotes were bullshit. Rewatch. 5.5/10

The Changeling (Medak, 1980) - That's one reason to be proudly canadian. Classic stuff. 6.5/10

Mickey 17 (Bong Joon Ho, 2025) - Well... that wasn't what I expected. Wasn't that great either. 4.5/10

Night of the Living Dead (Romero, 1968) - What can I say? Rewatch. 9/10

Hell House LLC (Cognetti, 2015) - It makes good use of some of the classic tricks and manages to be somewhat efficient, but it also has one of the stupidest scenes ever, and the overuse of curse words is too a bit ridiculous. I commented on it here before, I had it at 4.5/10... I'd be tempted to drop it by half a point... Rewatch. 4/10

The Woman in the Yard (Collet-Serra, 2025) - Well, it's an interesting use of the Jungian shadow in horror (maybe a little on the nose, but at least it does something). It's not a very interesting (or efficient) film beyond that. 4/10

The Friend (McGehee) - I'm curious what the reception was for this film (not curious enough to go read reviews, but still a little curious). It's not bad, but the characters are so unpleasant, kind of cheap snobbish intellectuals - really couldn't care much about their relations or their grief. 4/10

Private Lessons (Myerson & Fargo, 1981) - Now this is a bad little film, and I mean a naughty little film. Erotic comedy that's plain pedophilic, but ya know, the kid is a 15 y/o boy, so "no biggie" (especially when you know how teenage boys were treated in Hollywood in the 80s). Not a good film by any means, but I didn't hate it. 3.5/10

Es war nicht die Nachtigall (Julia, Rothemund, 1974) - Because I watched the previous masterpiece, Tubi suggested me other Sylvia Kristel (you know, Emmanuelle) vehicles, including this (coming-of-age, again) German absurdity. Spoilers: Here Kristel is a (ready to be plucked) virgin, but her neighbor refuses to pluck her saying to anybody asking that it's too much of an important moment for a girl and he doesn't want to be responsible for her first experience, so his best friend tries to pluck her to get her going, but he gets mad and accidentally kills him. No big deal, no consequence, no investigation - our hero pouts a little in his room, tries to rape a maid, and is as good as new. He confesses to his father his hesitation towards Kristel, and daddy tells him he'll have to manage or otherwise keep on raping maids. Sure thing, being a great father he sacrifices himself to help his son and kind of rapes the girl himself (no virgin, no problem - which of course, works fine). Oh, and there's also an eccentric music composer at work with lesbians making out on his piano who loves to play tennis with his big fat belly hanging out, with close-ups on the bouncing belly. I know it all sounds very special, but it still manages to be somewhat boring. I think I kind of liked it, but I wouldn't recommend anybody sane to watch this. 3.5/10

Alice ou la dernière fugue (Chabrol, 1977) - My Tubi Sylvia Kristel marathon strangely brought me to Chabrol. I've just seen a few of Chabrol's films, mostly from the very beginning and the very end of his carreer, and never liked any of them. This one is a clear favorite, and is probably a complete UFO in his whole filmography. I'm still mostly a newbie regarding Kristel's films, but I'm absolutely certain Robbe-Grillet's Le jeu avec le feu is by very far the best film she's done. This one here sure ain't close, but I'd be surprised if it didn't round up her top-3 films (with my next entry). Using Alice in Wonderland as a misleading reference, the film starts with Alice leaving her husband in a stormy night, her car breaks down in the most improbable way and she ends up knocking at the nearest house (more of a manor). The people there are friendly and welcoming, but disappear in the morning, and Alice can't seem to be able to leave the property. It somehow manages to be both weird (with pretty efficient use of the uncanny) and very predictable. 5/10

La marge (The Margin, Borowczyk, 1976) - If you're not a big fan of Borowczyk, you'll probably hate this film. And if you are, you'll probably hate it anyway as it's pretty far from his more cherished works. It's arguably Borowczyk at his peak - he had just directed The Beast and The Story of Sin the year before (I know you might prefer Goto and Blanche, you snobs, but I said arguably, and don't ask me what's my favorite one because I don't know, but I know it's certainly not this one) - and the film is truly beautiful at times. It suffers from very poor sound work (and a very strange soundtrack, overusing popular songs), and a pretty weak narrative strategy, but overall it feels like a "mature" work from this particular artist. It's an adaptation from de Mandiargues, an autor he worked from quite a few times (and someone I never read). Once again, Borowczyk manages to film sex scenes without making an erotic movie (well, he did make an Emmanuelle film, but I haven't seen it). Sylvia Kristel plays a prostitute that might be falling for a customer who's cheating on his wife with her - the end result is very close to a moral tale, which is ironic considering the director. 5/10

I guess you shouldn't watch most of these films, but they do exist if you are curious.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I guess you shouldn't watch most of these films, but they do exist if you are curious.

Sounds like you watched a few stinkers there, buddy. This part of your comment made me laugh out loud so hard I almost woke up the wife lol.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Sounds like you watched a few stinkers there, buddy. This part of your comment made me laugh out loud so hard I almost woke up the wife lol.

Really just 2 real stinkers, I enjoyed most of the rest. I wouldn't expect most people to though.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I guess you shouldn't watch most of these films, but they do exist if you are curious.

Finally found the target audience for my Sylvia Kristel Meets George Kuffs spec script.

 

[DaaaaB's]

Really just 2 real stinkers, I enjoyed most of the rest. I wouldn't expect most people to though.

I'm curious why some of them get a 3/10 if you enjoyed them? Was it just guilty pleasure enjoyment of poorly made films?

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I'm curious why some of them get a 3/10 if you enjoyed them? Was it just guilty pleasure enjoyment of poorly made films?

My scale is made in order to distinguish between good films and great films and tend to squash together meh films. 3/10 to me means bland, not doing anything more than what you'd expect, but doesn't mean they're no fun. I manage to enjoy films from all over the scale (well, not these two particular 1/10, but lots of others).
6 - good
7 - very good
8 - great
9 - masterpiece
10 - masterpiece that echoes my personal tastes

 

[Chili]

Conclave (2024)- The Pope has passed away and it's time to elect a successor. Interesting political thriller style film, great cast, nice plot twists. Well done (not just blowing smoke).

Freud's Last Session (2023)-A what-if meeting between Sigmund Freud (a non-believer in God) and C.S. Lewis (who had changed his beliefs to become a Christian). Freud did have a meeting with someone from Oxford near the end of his life (September 1939), so the story is based on how it could have sounded. Anthony Hopkins as Freud is his usual stellar self and Matthew Goode is Lewis. Interesting biographical film.

Freud (1962)- A film about Freud's early work, including using hypnosis in psychoanalysis. Interesting that the film was made because it's not a very commercial topic. John Huston had made a documentary film for the military called Let There Be Light about the treatment of soldiers with post war trauma. He had learned the hypnosis technique himself while making that film.

Montgomery Clift as Freud is ok, not the actor he was before his injuries though. It's a pretty deep film; this was at least my third viewing. Believe I finally appreciate and understand the story better, makes for a compliment to the 2023 film above.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Actually got off my ass and into a movie theater twice this week (and just might catch a third today ...). But ...

Sinners. Vibrant is the word I'd use. A horror movie that brims with life and ideas. A clear lineage to John Carpenter and From Dusk Til Dawn but Ryan Coogler takes siege movies and vampire tropes and fully makes it something personal in ways that I found thrilling. I don't know if a couple of the flourishes will work for everyone, but they did on me. The sorta movie where even the handful of things I bumped on in the moment, really gelled the more I thought about them.

Spoiler

It is maybe a slower build up than you'd expect and it has a bit of a Return of the King "this thing is still going?" climax on climax on climax.But my What? in the moment melted away pretty quick after.

The Shrouds. Movies shouldn't necessarily require homework but I feel like the effectiveness of David Cronenberg's latest really hinges on knowing that his wife of nearly 40 years died. You still might pick up on the deeply personal nature of this by looking at Vincent Cassel's Karsh who is very clearly styled to look like Cronenberg himself. Or that the protagonist is obsessed with bodies and decay, which also mirrors the real man. Karsh has made a technology that allows people to check in on (via app) the decaying bodies of their loved ones. It repulses and offends some, but to him and his clients, it's how they manage their grief. As with many-a Cronenberg film, nefarious forces and conspiracies may (or may not) be lurking in the shadows.

As with Crimes of the Future a few years ago, a lot of this plays like a Cronenberg greatest hits tape. When you're as brilliant and distinct as him you can get away with that. Anti-tech terrorism is an element here, as it is in several other of his films. But this is especially twinned with Crash. There is a sex scene here that's an almost one-to-one analog right down to the positioning and angles. Amputation, disfiguration and the sexual drive that does or does not create. One character is revealed to have an unexpected fetish that jump starts her motor. Also, no one lights nipples as well as David Cronenberg.

Karsh' wrestling with grief is an effective emotional spine even as Cassel plays it with a very Cronenbergian matter-of-fact coldness. But there's a welcome strain of dark humor here too. The conspiracy (or non conspiracy?) itself is twisted to what I think is an intentionally comedic degree. Diane Krueger (in one of two roles) and a bumbling nerdy Guy Pearce layer in some absurdity later into the movie. By no means a comedy, but funny in the way that Cronenberg is capable of being funny.

On that note, man I wish it ended one scene/sequence earlier. A character says a line and there's a beat and if it was followed with a "directed by David Cronenberg" title card I would have howled and walked out smiling ear-to-ear. The ending we do get is fine and arguably appropriate, but the one I wanted in the moment would've stuck with me more.

 

[Jussi]

Better Man - 8½/10 As a European, very familiar with Robbie Williams' music thanks to MTV Europe/Nordic. Even like some of his songs a bit which is somewhat ironic as I absolutely hated Take That in the mid 90's, as they represented the end of the early 90's metal/rock/grunge era on MTV Europe. But the couple of time they were guests on one MTV Europe show hosted by Ray Cokes, Robbie was f***ing hilarious. Completely zero f***s given about being serious. Of course he later revealed he was fairly coked up back then. I had heard he dated Nicole Appleton of All Saints (they actually have a few guilty pleasure songs of mine like "Never Ever", "Pure Shores" and "Black Coffee") back in the day but did not know about the band's manager basically forcing her to have an abortion, which she's admitted. I got used to the monkey face quickly but honestly felt like they should've had him looking normal during the Royal Albert Hall concert at the end.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Babygirl (2024) 1/10

Not even going to bother doing my usual write up for this one. Wife desperately wanted to watch this one (she loves A24 and Nicole Kidman) so I tried to oblige her. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve tapped out on a film and this was one of them.

Tech giant CEO Romy (Kidman) cheats on her husband and gets into some weird situationship with this odd and off putting domineering intern. Nearly every scene is weird and overly sexual. I really don’t care to see Nicole Kidman in some cheesy sex scene every 5 minutes while she grapples with her feelings toward some intern 20+ years her junior.

Garbage smut movie. I’m not exactly sure who this was even meant to appeal to, maybe people who like to be domineered I guess. Watched the first hour of it and when i realized there was 53 minutes left I was out.

Turned on the playoffs on my phone after that. Even my wife didn’t want to keep watching at that point.

Joins Beau is Afraid as one of the few A24 movies I didn’t enjoy.

 

[flyersnorth]

Sinners (2025), 9/10

I knew zero about the movie going in.

Saw it in IMAX.

What followed was 131 minutes of being completely enraptured by the storytelling, cinematography, and soundtrack unfolding before me.

Fantastic movie that is confident and takes its time.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Babygirl (2024) 1/10

Not even going to bother doing my usual write up for this one. Wife desperately wanted to watch this one (she loves A24 and Nicole Kidman) so I tried to oblige her. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve tapped out on a film and this was one of them.

Tech giant CEO Romy (Kidman) cheats on her husband and gets into some weird situationship with this odd and off putting domineering intern. Nearly every scene is weird and overly sexual. I really don’t care to see Nicole Kidman in some cheesy sex scene every 5 minutes while she grapples with her feelings toward some intern 20+ years her junior.

Garbage smut movie. I’m not exactly sure who this was even meant to appeal to, maybe people who like to be domineered I guess. Watched the first hour of it and when i realized there was 53 minutes left I was out.

Turned on the playoffs on my phone after that. Even my wife didn’t want to keep watching at that point.

Joins Beau is Afraid as one of the few A24 movies I didn’t enjoy.

Well, I for one, am sold.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Weekend randomness.

Once Upon a Time in America. It's both a gangster movie like you've seen before and also one you haven't seen before. Dreamy, literate. A little weird. Very European (especially in the pervasive horniness). The big reason to see it is for Sergio Leone's direction and the beautiful Ennio Morricone score. It's like The Godfather's wistful, but slightly stoned cousin.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I'm in the cohort that grew up with this movie and I've never found it particularly funny. It's not NOT funny. But it certainly carries a "comedy classic" reputation largely thanks to (speaking of stoned) Sean Penn's Jeff Spicoli that I never feel is warranted. Now, what is warranted is it being regarded as just a great movie, full stop. The humor is largely observational and somewhat universal. Good chuckles, but not exactly side-splitting. But it's that observational tone and anecdotal structure that really work. Wonderful details and a great grasp on what to share directly about the characters and what to only imply. Its success is in so many of the things it doesn't do that comparable movies do. There aren't many like this.

Dick. One of the smartest dumb movies you'll ever see. Two of our greatest actresses (Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams) giving two of their greatest performances. I am being serious. This is not a bit.

The Killing Fields. One of those important Oscar issue movies that I'm glad exists for educational purposes but did really nothing for me as a movie. The filmmaking and the recreation of the violence in Cambodia at the end of the Vietnam War and beyond is well done. And I have historically liked war zone journalist movies. But for a movie with an emotional spine about the bond between and American journalist and his translator, it did not resonate with me at all. It felt tell, not show. Everyone kept telling me why they care and why he's important, but I never felt their connection beyond Sam Waterston yelling about it every 10 minutes or so. And this one has a BONKERS score that I can't decide if it's brilliant or an ghastly.

Lincoln. If you cut the first five minutes of this and the last five minutes of this I'd be tempted to argue it's a perfect movie. The opening is so ham-handed I wanted to carve it and serve it for Easter dinner. The closing (everything after Lincoln leaves his office, noting he's running late to the theater) is just unnecessary. But what's in between is a damn entertaining mass of surprisingly funny political scheming and charming speechifying and bluster. Absolute murders row of character actors with wonderful faces, often popping up for just a scene or two to either yell or get yelled at. Fantastic stuff.

 

[Unholy Diver]

The Legend of Ochi 7/10

I was expecting a bit more cuteness and not as much of a family estrangement story, but it was still worth a watch, can't go wrong with Willem Dafoe doing an accent

 

[The Macho King]

Weekend randomness.

Once Upon a Time in America. It's both a gangster movie like you've seen before and also one you haven't seen before. Dreamy, literate. A little weird. Very European (especially in the pervasive horniness). The big reason to see it is for Sergio Leone's direction and the beautiful Ennio Morricone score. It's like The Godfather's wistful, but slightly stoned cousin.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I'm in the cohort that grew up with this movie and I've never found it particularly funny. It's not NOT funny. But it certainly carries a "comedy classic" reputation largely thanks to (speaking of stoned) Sean Penn's Jeff Spicoli that I never feel is warranted. Now, what is warranted is it being regarded as just a great movie, full stop. The humor is largely observational and somewhat universal. Good chuckles, but not exactly side-splitting. But it's that observational tone and anecdotal structure that really work. Wonderful details and a great grasp on what to share directly about the characters and what to only imply. Its success is in so many of the things it doesn't do that comparable movies do. There aren't many like this.

Dick. One of the smartest dumb movies you'll ever see. Two of our greatest actresses (Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams) giving two of their greatest performances. I am being serious. This is not a bit.

The Killing Fields. One of those important Oscar issue movies that I'm glad exists for educational purposes but did really nothing for me as a movie. The filmmaking and the recreation of the violence in Cambodia at the end of the Vietnam War and beyond is well done. And I have historically liked war zone journalist movies. But for a movie with an emotional spine about the bond between and American journalist and his translator, it did not resonate with me at all. It felt tell, not show. Everyone kept telling me why they care and why he's important, but I never felt their connection beyond Sam Waterston yelling about it every 10 minutes or so. And this one has a BONKERS score that I can't decide if it's brilliant or an ghastly.

Lincoln. If you cut the first five minutes of this and the last five minutes of this I'd be tempted to argue it's a perfect movie. The opening is so ham-handed I wanted to carve it and serve it for Easter dinner. The closing (everything after Lincoln leaves his office, noting he's running late to the theater) is just unnecessary. But what's in between is a damn entertaining mass of surprisingly funny political scheming and charming speechifying and bluster. Absolute murders row of character actors with wonderful faces, often popping up for just a scene or two to either yell or get yelled at. Fantastic stuff.

You a blankie?

Anyway - my buddy gave me some edibles for my birthday and I wanted a movie to vibe to, so I watched Chungking Express for the fourth time.

Aaaaaaaand.... i think it's solidified into my top 5. I don't know if I can fully explain it, but I just smile the whole damn time and then think about every scene for the next three days. Leung talking to his soap and towel. Faye Wong not paying the f***ing electric bill. Her just adding fish to his fish tank. How terrible that wig is. How hungry I get for pineapple.

I don't know man. Its just a warm blanket. 10/10.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

You a blankie?

Anyway - my buddy gave me some edibles for my birthday and I wanted a movie to vibe to, so I watched Chungking Express for the fourth time.

Aaaaaaaand.... i think it's solidified into my top 5. I don't know if I can fully explain it, but I just smile the whole damn time and then think about every scene for the next three days. Leung talking to his soap and towel. Faye Wong not paying the f***ing electric bill. Her just adding fish to his fish tank. How terrible that wig is. How hungry I get for pineapple.

I don't know man. Its just a warm blanket. 10/10.

I am! But I rewatched and put down my Fast Time thoughts before listening to the episode. I try not to be too swayed by the #twofriends.

Chungking is so great, man.