Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Part#: Some High Number +2

[Tasty Biscuits]

Saint Maud (2019) Directed by Rose Glass 7A

The movie has two stars: the lighting, which places just about everything in dark, gloomy shadows, and Morfydd Clark, a young Irish actress whom I have not seen previously, who provides the second best performance of the year

At first I thought I was losing my mind (which I guess would befit the review), then I realized you posted a photo of Carey Mulligan's character "Maud" from the film Suffragette.

 

[kihei]

At first I thought I was losing my mind (which I guess would befit the review), then I realized you posted a photo of Carey Mulligan's character "Maud" from the film Suffragette.

Jesus, I did. Will fix.

 

[Osprey]

I'm reading Arnold Schwarzenegger's autobiography, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, and decided to watch every movie of his as I read about them.

Hercules in New York (1969) - 3/10 - A pretty bad B movie that's worth watching only for Arnie's debut, and only if you can listen to his original dialog (which the DVD offers as an alternate track) instead of the awful dubbing. He's often unintelligible, but that adds to the charm. In all, the film is so bad that it's almost good. Fun fact: Arnie was eligible for and won "Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture" 7 years later for Stay Hungry because Hercules in New York wasn't released to theaters in America.

Stay Hungry (1976) - 4/10 - Arnie's first real Hollywood movie, in which he plays a bodybuilder (surprise) and receives third billing after Jeff Bridges and Sally Field. The critics liked this, but I didn't. The story didn't work for me and Arnie couldn't elevate it any because it was too serious and the role didn't play to his strengths (his charm, his humor, the absurdity of his body and accent, etc.). Fun fact: Arnie learned to play the fiddle for one of the scenes.

The Villain (1979) - 5/10 - A Western comedy in which Arnie plays a cowboy who's so dumb and naive that he doesn't realize that Kirk Douglas' incompetent villain is trying to kill him or that Ann Margret is giving off every signal that she wants him to make a move on her. It's a lot like his character in Twins, actually. A lot of the humor is so silly and cartoonish that it's not that funny, at least any more, but there are still enough laughs to make it somewhat entertaining.

Scavenger Hunt (1979) - 5/10 - A whacky, madcap comedy with a huge ensemble cast about teams of people racing around a city on a scavenger hunt to try to win a $200M inheritance. It goes for quantity of laughs rather than quality, and most of it just isn't funny, but there are enough laughs to make it mildly amusing. Arnie has only one scene, is on screen for no more than a minute and simply plays another bodybuilder, so the movie isn't worth watching for him.

Conan the Barbarian (1982) - 6/10 - I've always wanted to like this more than I actually do. It's rather a mess of a movie, honestly, and takes itself a little too seriously, but it's also so delightfully macho and brutal that it's hard to not like it. Fun fact: Arnie almost didn't get the part because, when he was visiting Dino De Laurentiis' office to try to make a good impression, he wisecracked something like "why does a little man like you need such a big desk?", which got him thrown out and thinking for weeks that he'd blown his big break.

Conan the Destroyer (1984) - 6/10 - Universal and De Laurentiis thought that 'Barbarian' would've been twice the hit that it was if it had been rated PG instead of R, so 'Destroyer' toned down the violence and grittiness, eliminated the nudity and cranked up the humor to make it more family friendly. It's a very different film, campy rather than brutal, but I've still always liked it because not taking itself too seriously worked to a degree (ok, and because it has Olivia d'Abo, whom I might've had a teensy crush on). Also, the score is really catchy. Fun fact: Andre the Giant is inside the creature that Conan battles at the end.

The Terminator (1984) - 8/10 - It didn't have nearly the budget of the Conan films and that's often apparent, but it more than made up for it with a much better story and better direction. What I was really impressed with on this viewing is the acting of Michael Biehn, who imbues every line with an urgency and determination that makes you believe that the fate of the world truly is at stake. It's an underrated performance, IMO, yet it didn't do too much for his career while the role that required very little acting made Arnie a superstar. Ironic. Fun fact: Arnie initially wanted to play Kyle Reese because he's the hero and the Terminator (with only 18 lines of dialog) seemed like a step back for him, career wise.

Red Sonja (1985) - 4/10 - This Conan spin-off about a female warrior feels like a middle ground between the seriousness of 'Barbarian' and the family friendliness of 'Destroyer'. Unfortunately, it doesn't have enough of what made either enjoyable in its own way (including enough Arnie) and ends up being neither titillating nor fun, just dull. It's so forgettable that this is probably the fourth time in my life that I've seen it and yet nothing in it was the least bit familiar. Fun fact: Arnie, usually a very willing promoter, refused to promote this film because he had accepted a small role as a favor to Dino De Laurentiis that, on set and in the editing room, was turned into a major role, making him feel misled and used.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

"why does a little man like you need such a big desk?"

Love it!

 

[Osprey]

Love it!

That story was from his autobiography. Another that you might like is that, when he met Maria Shriver's mother (Eunice Kennedy Shriver, JFK's sister) for the first time, the first thing that he said was "your daughter has a nice ass" . He says that he liked to say outrageous things to break the ice. It backfired with Dino De Laurentiis, but, surprisingly, Eunice Shriver said something back along the lines of "oh, that's nice" .

 

[heatnikki]

Bushwick - 6/10

I was expecting a full-on cheesy sci-fi style movie and yes, in places it felt like a budget film but overall, the acting was decent and the story, despite being overall a flimsy scenario was actually ok.

 

[kingsfan28]

Raiders Of The Lost Ark... A++++++++
A perfect movie IMO.

 

[ORRFForever]

Raiders Of The Lost Ark... A++++++++
A perfect movie IMO.

I saw it recently and didn't think it had aged well.

 

[Trap Jesus]

Last Crusade is easily the best one IMO. Raiders is great but I think it gets looked back on more fondly just because it started it all.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Last Crusade is easily the best one IMO. Raiders is great but I think it gets looked back on more fondly just because it started it all.

That really doesn't sound right to me! Haven't seen any of these films for years, but Crusade was the worst one to me at the time - and I've never even seen the later one.

 

[Trap Jesus]

That really doesn't sound right to me! Haven't seen any of these films for years, but Crusade was the worst one to me at the time - and I've never even seen the later one.

I think Temple of Doom is easily seen as the worst (obviously not counting Crystal Skull). It's the one I remember liking the most as a kid, but looking back on it doesn't hold up nearly as well. I just think Last Crusade had so many awesome things going for it. Connery/Ford had incredible chemistry that made all of their scenes work amazingly for both comedy and heart. It also had my favorite set pieces in the franchise with the motorcycle chase, the boat chase, the tank scene, the blimps/plane scenes, and the climactic trials scene. Just an incredible action/adventure movie.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I think Temple of Doom is easily seen as the worst (obviously not counting Crystal Skull). It's the one I remember liking the most as a kid, but looking back on it doesn't hold up nearly as well. I just think Last Crusade had so many awesome things going for it. Connery/Ford had incredible chemistry that made all of their scenes work amazingly for both comedy and heart. It also had my favorite set pieces in the franchise with the motorcycle chase, the boat chase, the tank scene, the blimps/plane scenes, and the climactic trials scene. Just an incredible action/adventure movie.

I guess I'd have to watch them again. I can't remember any of the scenes you're refering to. Only Connery playing the fancy and tense/grumpy old man.

 

[Osprey]

Last Crusade is easily the best one IMO. Raiders is great but I think it gets looked back on more fondly just because it started it all.

I agree. 'Raiders' is still a great movie, but I think that it's sort of like the Dr. No to 'Last Crusade's' Goldfinger. The latter entry just perfected the character and the franchise and is the more entertaining movie to watch today, IMO. In fact, with it's thrilling locations and action scenes one after another, 'Last Crusade' feels a lot like an American Bond film. It's a pity that they didn't make any during the 90s after perfecting the formula, but I'm guessing that Spielberg wanted to move on and replicating the chemistry with Connery would've been close to impossible, so I suppose that ending on a high note was better than the decreasing quality that we probably would've gotten.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and her Lover (1989) - Filling in for the graveyard shift at my insurance office, I was able to watch two films last night. Interested in Sacha Vierny's work, I went with this. A bonkers experience, both in a visual and literary sense. I read some people relating the narrative to Margaret Thatcher's government. Maybe that is so, but it means nothing to me. To me, a political idea, in a narrative film, would serve only as a guide post to the writer-director and is of little value to the viewer. Whatever political point or allegory is created is likely better off in a documentary or any other non-fiction piece. No, this film is aesthetical class chaperoned by a simple, damn good story that acts as both a poignant statement of love, lust and debauched comedy. The story recounts the sordid tale of star-crossed lovers engaging in an affair under the nose of a impossibly crass british gangster, who holds court in a sublime french restaurant he's taken over and uses as a playground to act out his filth with his fellow gangsters, dim-witted pups who cater to him and his manical ways. The restaurant's staff, suffering, but not as much as the gangster's wife, support them in their ill-timed endeavor. But boy does it find its moment of beauty in the over-the-top dramatical execution. Vierny's work is more subtle here as compared to his other works I've seen, but is still noticeable. There is a transcendent scene when the two lovers first meet, without dialogue, only through body movements and flashy colors. And here is the finest detail in the visuals: the wife's outfits (and colors) change depending on the setting. A white bathroom calls for a quaint, white outfit. The seductive red hallways call for a sultry red dress. It perfectly demonstrates the contrast present within the movie - the lusty, redeeming quality of the lover's relationship and the irreedemable decay of the gangster's moral fiber. He's cartoonish, but never in a distasteful or awkward way. The movie, shot in a theatrical manner, presents a world that might as well not be earth. And it was better for it. One of the best soundtracks I've enjoyed in a movie. The film's not for the faint of heart, but it never uses its edge as a substitute for substance. I had a couple beers so this makes for a meandering and uneven review, but the movie's perfect. I've been on a good run lately with works of art. I hope it continues.

Last note: If you can watch this with subtitles, do it. I grew up in the US, never struggled with accents, and still I struggled with the gangster's accent and speech delivery. It's very coarse.

 

[Trap Jesus]

The Cook, The Thief, The Wife and her Lover (1989) - Filling in for the graveyard shift at my insurance office, I was able to watch two films last night. Interested in Sacha Vierny's work, I went with this. A bonkers experience, both in a visual and literary sense. I read some people relating the narrative to Margaret Thatcher's government. Maybe that is so, but it means nothing to me. To me, a political idea, in a narrative film, would serve only as a guide post to the writer-director and is of little value to the viewer. Whatever political point or allegory is created is likely better off in a documentary or any other non-fiction piece. No, this film is aesthetical class chaperoned by a simple, damn good story that acts as both a poignant statement of love, lust and debauched comedy. The story recounts the sordid tale of star-crossed lovers engaging in an affair under the nose of a impossibly crass british gangster, who holds court in a sublime french restaurant he's taken over and uses as a playground to act out his filth with his fellow gangsters, dim-witted pups who cater to him and his manical ways. The restaurant's staff, suffering, but not as much as the gangster's wife, support them in their ill-timed endeavor. But boy does it find its moment of beauty in the over-the-top dramatical execution. Vierny's work is more subtle here as compared to his other works I've seen, but is still noticeable. There is a transcendent scene when the two lovers first meet, without dialogue, only through body movements and flashy colors. And here is the finest detail in the visuals: the wife's outfits (and colors) change depending on the setting. A white bathroom calls for a quaint, white outfit. The seductive red hallways call for a sultry red dress. It perfectly demonstrates the contrast present within the movie - the lusty, redeeming quality of the lover's relationship and the irreedemable decay of the gangster's moral fiber. He's cartoonish, but never in a distasteful or awkward way. The movie, shot in a theatrical manner, presents a world that might as well not be earth. And it was better for it. One of the best soundtracks I've enjoyed in a movie. The film's not for the faint of heart, but it never uses its edge as a substitute for substance. I had a couple beers so this makes for a meandering and uneven review, but the movie's perfect. I've been on a good run lately with works of art. I hope it continues.

Last note: If you can watch this with subtitles, do it. I grew up in the US, never struggled with accents, and still I struggled with the gangster's accent and speech delivery. It's very coarse.

I've been really interested in this since Ari Aster mentioned it as a main inspiration for Hereditary. He said he loved the artifice of how it looked/was shot.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I've been really interested in this since Ari Aster mentioned it as a main inspiration for Hereditary. He said he loved the artifice of how it looked/was shot.

Really? I liked Hereditary a lot, but I can't see what he thinks he borrowed from Greenaway...

@Amerika - next, watch The Belly of an Architect. The Pillow Book wasn't necessarilly well received, but is very interesting too (as quite a few of Greenaway's other films).

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I've been really interested in this since Ari Aster mentioned it as a main inspiration for Hereditary. He said he loved the artifice of how it looked/was shot.

Watch it ASAP. Also, the main antagonist wears his red tie the same way Trump does...make of that what you will.

 

[Trap Jesus]

Really? I liked Hereditary a lot, but I can't see what he thinks he borrowed from Greenaway...

@Amerika - next, watch The Belly of an Architect. The Pillow Book wasn't necessarilly well received, but is very interesting too (as quite a few of his other films).

I shouldn't really say main influence, but here's where he talks about. I can definitely see his obsession with things having an artificial look in both Hereditary and Midsommar, in both the sets and props.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I shouldn't really say main influence, but here's where he talks about. I can definitely see his obsession with things having an artificial look in both Hereditary and Midsommar, in both the sets and props.

I guess you could build some links between the theatricality of The Cook and the use of the minitature sets in Hereditary, but still, I don't quite see where the Greenaway film influenced the later one. Anyway, Aster made a very good film, and if he relates it in some ways to another very good film, without imitating it, it's all good.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Warcraft

with B to C list mainly tv actors.

Live action/CGI tale/adaptation/cash grab stemming from the 800 pound gorilla of MMO games, World of Warcraft. It exists for no discernible reason. I watched it on Netflix for also no discernible reason.

I played the game from the Burning Crusade expansion to just after Cata. Didn't really matter for the enjoyment of the movie, which was negligible.

Watch it only you're suffering from insomnia and you want to go "Oh, I remember that guy from X tv show/movie! He was a lot better in that..." a lot before you pass out on your couch.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

La Notte (1961) - 6/10
Better than L'Avventura certainly but suffered the same problem as other Antonioni and Fellini of following the incoherent and sometimes clever but generally dumb ramblings of rich disillusioned dramatic Italians. At least it looked nice.

 

[Trap Jesus]

I guess you could build some links between the theatricality of The Cook and the use of the minitature sets in Hereditary, but still, I don't quite see where the Greenaway film influenced the later one. Anyway, Aster made a very good film, and if he relates it in some ways to another very good film, without imitating it, it's all good.

I thought the level of artifice was very apparent in Aster's films. It's like he has a fetish for things that look improper/off. Like they're props that are meant to be seen as props. Some things from the movies that I think reflect that:

Spoiler

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I thought the level of artifice was very apparent in Aster's films. It's like he has a fetish for things that look improper/off. Like they're props that are meant to be seen as props. Some things from the movies that I think reflect that:

Spoiler

Interesting stuff to build a reflection on his films, but even if he underlines the artificiality of The Cook in the interview, nothing here feels (to me) like something that could be out of a Greenaway film or that relates to that film in particular. Well watch it and tell me - The Cook has a very unique and somewhat hypnotic ambiance.

Spoiler

And wasn't the dummies in Midsommar just skin filled with straw? I admit they felt very weird - especially after the brutality of the two jumpers - but my brain tried to justify them somehow

 

[Trap Jesus]

Interesting stuff to build a reflection on his films, but even if he underlines the artificiality of The Cook in the interview, nothing here feels (to me) like something that could be out of a Greenaway film or that relates to that film in particular. Well watch it and tell me - The Cook has a very unique and somewhat hypnotic ambiance.

Spoiler

And wasn't the dummies in Midsommar just skin filled with straw? I admit they felt very weird - especially after the brutality of the two jumpers - but my brain tried to justify them somehow

Oh yeah, I've never seen it so I can't comment on it. I'm just talking about that kind of artificial aesthetic in general.

Spoiler

IT was some weird combo of emptying out their innards and stuffing them with different things.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Oh yeah, I've never seen it so I can't comment on it. I'm just talking about that kind of artificial aesthetic in general.

Spoiler

IT was some weird combo of emptying out their innards and stuffing them with different things.

Oh I wasn't implying you couldn't comment on it!! Just that I'll be curious if you still feel there are aesthetic links to be made between the films.

I feel the artificiality of The Cook is way too grandiose for anything Aster has done, yet.