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

[kihei]

First Love (2019) Directed by Takashi Miike 7A

First Love is a yakuza romp in which a pair of star-crossed young lovers, he, a boxer with a brain tumour, she, an unwilling prostitute, attempt to survive a gangland war not of their making. Director Takashi Miike is credited with over 75 genre movies including some very noteworthy ones including Audition; Yakuza Apocalypse; Ichi, the Killer; and 13 Assassins. You can never be quite sure what you are getting in a Miike movie, though for sure there will be a lot of graphic violence and more than a few surprises that you won't see coming (check out the cuddly, kid-friendly, bargain basement monster in Yakuza Apocalypse, for instance). This movie contains his best group of characters in years, including the young couple and a whole bunch of colourful bad guys. As well, the pacing is perfect, the editing fluid and there's lots of humour to go along with the mayhem. With all that going for it First Love is actually something of a charmer as the love story plot is blended seamlessly into the action and the bloodshed. Miike has mellowed a bit these days, though in a good way, but he has lost none of his technical skill nor his uncanny ability to find interesting and imaginative ways to stretch his perennially modest budget. First Love is his best movie in quite a few years--a genuinely involving popcorn flick done by an absolute master at this kind of thing.

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[OhCaptainMyCaptain]

Ocean’s Twelve - 7/10

Didn’t enjoy it as much as the original, but still found it pretty enjoyable to watch overall. Probably nothing I’ll ever visit again.

 

[OhCaptainMyCaptain]

Reign Over Me - 9/10

I know the script isn't perfect, but that's not really what mattered to me. This movie definitely connected with me on an emotional level. Sometimes it's difficult to take Sandler serious (not in this film, but just when he's being serious in general), but he was able to pull it off. Cheadle is fantastic as well. It's a little cliché at times, but that's okay with me as long as it works - and, whether or not it deserved that, it definitely did work for me. ​

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Chinatown - 7/10

Its not a terrible movie or anything but man is it overrated

Finally watched film I had heard about for years and just don't understand the hype (Certainly not one of the great films as its often called)

 

[Osprey]

I'm continuing to read Arnold Schwarzenegger's autobiography and watch his films in order while doing so. I ended my last batch with 1988's Twins, so this one starts with 1990's Total Recall.

Total Recall (1990) - 9/10 - This movie has scenes that you'll never see again anywhere else, like a little person prostitute in a corset and fishnet stockings jumping up on a bar counter, grabbing a submachine gun and mowing down a room full of people with it. You gotta love Paul Verhoeven. Before he came along, scripts for the movie were "less violent and more about the fantasy of taking a virtual trip to Mars" as Arnie puts. Dino De Laurentiis had tried twice to make the movie during the 80s, once with Richard Dreyfuss and once with Patrick Swayze. It wasn't until his company went bankrupt and sold the script to Carolco (which was rich from the Rambo movies) that the movie was finally made. Finally, Arnie tells of how he was worried that the tracking data was indicating low audience interest in the movie just weeks before release, such that he convinced the studio heads to hire an outside firm to quickly produce a better ad campaign. That's why the short TV spots for the movie (with new taglines like "Get ready for the ride of your life") are actually better than the much longer trailer that had been running in theaters.

Kindergarten Cop (1990) - 8/10 - As with Twins, I'm puzzled at the middle-of-the-road RT ratings. How can you not be entertained by this movie? It's funny, charming, touching and just plain feel good. Ivan Reitman is a master at balancing all of those. Arnie says that he'd wanted to do a movie with kids for years and was also inspired to do this one because he would soon be a first-time father (daughter Katherine was born in December 1989). Most of the movie's story takes place in Astoria, Oregon and the production did most of its outside shooting in and around the actual community. In fact, while filming there, an Army convoy came through town with Humvees and Arnie decided that he had to have one. The school shown is an actual Astoria elementary school that they got to use because filming took place during Summer break. The interiors of the school were filmed on a studio lot in Hollywood, however.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - 9/10 - This is one of the only movies from my youth that I have vivid enough memories of the first time seeing it in the theater that I remember all of the scenes that received the greatest applause and laughter. Unfortunately, I can never have that experience again and watching it for the 15th time isn't nearly as satisfying, but that's the way that it goes. Arnie says that he was initially skeptical about doing the movie because he thought that the audience wanted to see the terminator be the bad guy again, but Cameron convinced him with his pitch and then eventually blew him away with the script. Something that I probably wouldn't have picked up on without watching Arnie's movies in order here is that the gas station in the middle of the desert that the characters visit, Cactus Jack's Market, is a likely reference to Arnie's 1979 film The Villain, whose villain was named Cactus Jack and whose title was Cactus Jack in some international markets.

Dave (1993) - 7/10 - Arnie has only the briefest of cameos (as himself in his real life role as Presidential fitness czar), but I hadn't seen this in at least 15 years, so I watched it, anyways. It's a good movie, as Ivan Reitman movies tend to be, and one of the few with Ving Rhames sporting a full head of hair.

Last Action Hero (1993) - 6/10 - This is a flawed movie and a disappointment for a Summer blockbuster, but I've still always kind of liked it in spite of those things. It's different and doesn't take itself seriously, so it still manages to be somewhat fun and amusing even though it's technically a mess. It probably would've been a disappointment, anyways, but Arnie notes that the rushed editing process (filming wrapped only a month before its premiere) and opening a week after Jurassic Park (the eventual highest grossing film of 1993) didn't help it at the box office. Watching it again, I finally got a reference that I never did before. One of the movies within the movie opens with "A Franco Columbu film." I remembering scratching my head in the past because I wasn't familiar with that name, but I now know that that was Arnie's decades-long best friend.

Beretta's Island (1993) - 2/10 - Arnie has only an uninteresting 3-minute cameo in this straight-to-video "action" movie written by, produced by and starring Franco Columbu, his decades-long best friend, as I just said. Clearly, the only reason that this got financed and made was that connection and Arnie agreeing to do the cameo, which amusingly gave the marketing team an excuse to put his image and name prominently on the poster/cover. This is one terrible movie with a plot, acting and "action" worse than most 80s television shows. You don't want to watch it, especially not for Arnie. If you want to see his only scene in it, it's available on YouTube.

 

[Jussi]

I'm continuing to read Arnold Schwarzenegger's autobiography and watch his films in order while doing so. I ended my last batch with 1988's Twins, so this one starts with 1990's Total Recall.


Last Action Hero (1993) - 6/10 - This is a flawed movie and a disappointment for a Summer blockbuster, but I've still always kind of liked it in spite of those things. It's different and doesn't take itself seriously, so it still manages to be somewhat fun and amusing even though it's technically a mess. It probably would've been a disappointment, anyways, but Arnie notes that the rushed editing process (filming wrapped only a month before its premiere) and opening a week after Jurassic Park (the eventual highest grossing film of 1993) didn't help it at the box office. Watching it again, I finally got a reference that I never did before. One of the movies within the movie opens with "A Franco Columbu film." I remembering scratching my head in the past because I wasn't familiar with that name, but I now know that that was Arnie's decades-long best friend.

That movie is definitely not one of Arnie's bests but it does have some funny/fun/"smart" scenes, especially when they come to the real world from the movie. I always remember fondly the scene where he shoots at the car and realistically it doesn't blow up.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I'm continuing to read Arnold Schwarzenegger's autobiography and watch his films in order while doing so. I ended my last batch with 1988's Twins, so this one starts with 1990's Total Recall.

Total Recall (1990) - 9/10 - This movie has scenes that you'll never see again anywhere else, like a little person prostitute in a corset and fishnet stockings jumping up on a bar counter, grabbing a submachine gun and mowing down a room full of people with it. You gotta love Paul Verhoeven. Before he came along, scripts for the movie were "less violent and more about the fantasy of taking a virtual trip to Mars" as Arnie puts. Dino De Laurentiis had tried twice to make the movie during the 80s, once with Richard Dreyfuss and once with Patrick Swayze. It wasn't until his company went bankrupt and sold the script to Carolco (which was rich from the Rambo movies) that the movie was finally made. Finally, Arnie tells of how he was worried that the tracking data was indicating low audience interest in the movie just weeks before release, such that he convinced the studio heads to hire an outside firm to quickly produce a better ad campaign. That's why the short TV spots for the movie (with new taglines like "Get ready for the ride of your life") are actually better than the much longer trailer that had been running in theaters.

Kindergarten Cop (1990) - 8/10 - As with Twins, I'm puzzled at the middle-of-the-road RT ratings. How can you not be entertained by this movie? It's funny, charming, touching and just plain feel good. Ivan Reitman is a master at balancing all of those. Arnie says that he'd wanted to do a movie with kids for years and was also inspired to do this one because he would soon be a first-time father (daughter Katherine was born in December 1989). Most of the movie's story takes place in Astoria, Oregon and the production did most of its outside shooting in and around the actual community. In fact, while filming there, an Army convoy came through town with Humvees and he decided that he had to have one. The school shown is an actual Astoria elementary school that they got to use because filming took place during Summer break. The interiors of the school were filmed on a studio lot in Hollywood, however.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - 9/10 - This is one of the only movies from my youth that I have vivid enough memories of the first time seeing it in the theater that I remember all of the scenes that received the greatest applause and laughter. Unfortunately, I can never have that experience again and watching it for the 15th time isn't nearly as satisfying, but that's the way that it goes. Arnie says that he was initially skeptical about doing the movie because he thought that the audience wanted to see the terminator be the bad guy again, but Cameron convinced him with his pitch and then eventually blew him away with the script. Something that I probably wouldn't have picked up on without watching Arnie's movies in order here is that the gas station in the middle of the desert that the characters visit, Cactus Jack's Market, is a likely reference to Arnie's 1979 film The Villain, whose villain was named Cactus Jack and whose title was Cactus Jack in some international markets.

Dave (1993) - 7/10 - Arnie has only the briefest of cameos (as himself in his real life role as Presidential fitness czar), but I hadn't seen this in at least 15 years, so I watched it, anyways. It's a good movie, as Ivan Reitman movies tend to be, and one of the few with Ving Rhames sporting a full head of hair.

Last Action Hero (1993) - 6/10 - This is a flawed movie and a disappointment for a Summer blockbuster, but I've still always kind of liked it in spite of those things. It's different and doesn't take itself seriously, so it still manages to be somewhat fun and amusing even though it's technically a mess. It probably would've been a disappointment, anyways, but Arnie notes that the rushed editing process (filming wrapped only a month before its premiere) and opening a week after Jurassic Park (the eventual highest grossing film of 1993) didn't help it at the box office. Watching it again, I finally got a reference that I never did before. One of the movies within the movie opens with "A Franco Columbu film." I remembering scratching my head in the past because I wasn't familiar with that name, but I now know that that was Arnie's decades-long best friend.

Beretta's Island (1993) - 2/10 - Arnie has only an uninteresting 3-minute cameo in this straight-to-video "action" movie written by, produced by and starring Franco Columbu, his decades-long best friend, as I just said. Clearly, the only reason that this got financed and made was that connection and Arnie agreeing to do the cameo, since it hilariously gave the marketing team an excuse to put his image and name prominently on the poster/cover. This is one terrible movie with a plot and acting worse than most 80s television shows. Do not watch it, especially not for Arnie. If you want to see his only scene in it, you can find it on YouTube.

I wouldn't give it a 9/10, but I agree that Total Recall is in the higher tier of what Arnie did. Terminator 2, on the other hand, is a meh movie to me. And I have a soft spot for Last Action Hero. Full of flaws, and with no real point to it, but it did bring some postmodern musings relating to the image/reality contamination into a blockbuster, years before The Matrix swung the ball out of the neighborhood.

 

[OhCaptainMyCaptain]

Dallas Buyers Club - 8.5/10

Leto is freaky good at his role in this.

 

[Osprey]

That movie is definitely not one of Arnie's bests but it does have some funny/fun/"smart" scenes, especially when they come to the real world from the movie. I always remember fondly the scene where he shoots at the car and realistically it doesn't blow up.

Yeah, the funny/clever scenes save the movie. One of my favorites is when Charles Dance's character tests his theory about the real world:



That scene just cracks me up, especially at the end, when he breaks the 4th wall by smiling at the camera. The scene is just perfect... and perfect satire without being preachy. Speaking of Dance, I realized this time that his performance is one of the highlights of the movie. Is he ever not a highlight of the stuff that he's in?

 

[Osprey]

I wouldn't give it a 9/10, but I agree that Total Recall is in the higher tier of what Arnie did. Terminator 2, on the other hand, is a meh movie to me. And I have a soft spot for Last Action Hero. Full of flaws, and with no real point to it, but it did bring some postmodern musings relating the image/reality contamination into a blockbuster, years before The Matrix swung the ball out of the neighborhood.

My ratings are purely subjective. A 5/10 from me means that I didn't like or dislike it (i.e. it's my neutral score), a 6/10 means that I liked it (so it's still a decent score for Last Action Hero) and a 9/10 means that it's one of my favorite movies of all time. Total Recall happens to be one of my favorites, so that's all that that means. If I were rating it objectively, it'd be lower, obviously... but rating movies that you greatly enjoy lower because you think that you have to be objective takes some of the fun away and kind of misses the point of entertainment, IMO.

 

[Newsworthy]

I saw Abominable (2019) animated DreamWorks production.
I don't get all the really high ratings. Yes the acting is good and the characters are likable but the story is blah. And it's pretty much ET updated Without the magic of Speilberg.

 

[sdf]

The Joker

This is first film in a long time that i watched in full, and first time when i was in Cinema. And this is pretty disappointing.

The Trailer was great, i expected something f***ing epic... but got something f***ing pointless. All what i can say about it

 

[OzzyFan]

Gemini Man
2.00 out of 4stars

Good visuals that include a few great action sequences and probably one of Will Smith's better performances in the last 5-10years, but the story is incredibly bland and the dialogue is almost non-existent for a movie that nears 2 hours. And the screenwriters had a lot of meaty themes to play with but barely even scratched the surface on (morality/conscience, genetic alteration, job/life dynamics, job/family dynamics, childhood's impact on one's adult life, war and it's circumstances, etc).

 

[OhCaptainMyCaptain]

Gemini Man
2.00 out of 4stars

Good visuals that include a few great action sequences and probably one of Will Smith's better performances in the last 5-10years, but the story is incredibly bland and the dialogue is almost non-existent for a movie that nears 2 hours. And the screenwriters had a lot of meaty themes to play with but barely even scratched the surface on (morality/conscience, genetic alteration, job/life dynamics, job/family dynamics, childhood's impact on one's adult life, war and it's circumstances, etc).

Did you see it in 3D or just a normal viewing?

 

[NyQuil]

Chinatown - 7/10

Its not a terrible movie or anything but man is it overrated

Finally watched film I had heard about for years and just don't understand the hype (Certainly not one of the great films as its often called)

That's funny - I've watched it numerous times and really enjoyed it.

I think I liked Nicholson before he was hamming it up in every scene.

 

[OhCaptainMyCaptain]

The Peanut Butter Falcon - 8/10

The first 90% of the movie is among my favorite of the year, but the ending didn’t quite satisfy me. Wondering if my feelings will change with time on that.

Oh yeah.. Shia LaBeouf is really fantastic. Hopefully he’s got his stuff together, because the man can act, and id love to see him continue to pick up projects.

 

[nameless1]

I got really busy this year, and I could not do my usual 70 plus films for the Vancouver International Film Festival, but I still managed to do 40 plus.

My favourites this year are:
Parasite (8.5/10)
Dwelling in the Funchun Mountains (8/10)
The Realm (8/10)
Vitalina Varela (8/10)
Noahland (7.75/10)
Temblores (7.5/10)
The Day After I am Gone (7.5/10)
Oh Mercy! (7.5/10)
By the Grace of God (7.5/10)
Who You Think I Am (7.5/10)
La Belle Epoque (7.5/10)
Sorry We Missed You (7.5/10)
Les Miserables (7.25/10)
Queen of Hearts (7.25/10)
Port Authority (7.25/10)
The Two Popes (7.25/10)
The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao (7/10)
Vai (7/10)
Lara (7/10)
Motherless Brooklyn (7/10)
Stitches (7/10)
Still Human (7/10)

Honourable Mention:
White Lie (6.75/10)
Joel (6.5/10)
And the Birds Rained Down (6.5/10)
Castle of Dreams (6.5/10)
The Specials (6.5/10)
Spring Tide (6.25/10)
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open (6.25/10)
Sole (6.25/10)

Unsure:
The Painted Bird (6.5 or 7.5/10)

The ones I would definitely avoid:
Melancholic (4/10)
No Longer Human (4/10)
Divine Love (4/10)
L.A. Tea Time (3/10)
Synonyms (0.5/10, pure crap)

Overall, while there had not been any films that blew me away, I find this to be a solid year, because there were quite a bit I enjoyed. French cinema is especially strong this year, because other than one movie, everything I saw was quite enjoyable. Unlike others though, I am not that high on Portrait of a Lady on Fire. It is a well-produced entertainment vehicle with good acting from the two leads, but that will be the extent of my praise for it. I grade it no higher than a 6/10, as it is just okay. At the same time, China surprised me, because while I have talked down on Chinese mainstream production in the past, there are some really talented directors in recent years. Then there is Canada. Usually Quebec far surpasses English Canada in terms of quality, but this year, Quebec seemed to have plateaued a bit, and English Canada has made some vast improvements. In fact, the best Canadian film I saw is probably from English Canada, which is quite rare. On the other hand, Pedro Almodovar may be on the downside of his career. He made masterpiece after masterpiece in years past, but for his last two films, I was rather disappointed by them. Pain and Glory is just around a 6/10 for me. It is still decent, but like Julieta, I consider it one of his lesser works. Finally, Japan has really disappointed lately. All the mainstream movies from there are so formulaic, that they are often some of the most boring and disappointing movies in the whole festival. There will always be that one or two surprises, and certain directors are still good, but overall, I will likely avoid Japanese films.

My favourite Q & As this year are Oh Mercy! and Cherry Blossom and Demons. The director of Oh Mercy!, Arnaud Desplechin, was there, and he pretty much explained the whole film, from the sources of his film, his intentions of particular scenes, to even his inspirations. I love that he admits that usually he steals from 25 films and scatters them throughout his films, in hopes that people will not notice, while for this one, he only drew from two films. That was probably the best Q & A I have ever been to. For Cherry Blossom and Demons, which I did not like, the director, Dorris Dorrie, was very open, and she told a wonderful story of how when she decided to film a scene at the same hotel and room Ozu likes to stay in, Kiren Kiki, in her final film role, was able to reunite with the same hotel owner she met way back in 1958, when she met and worked with Ozu. This was the type of tidbits one only gets during film fests, when directors are rather relaxed, as they feel like they are within their comfort zone. That said, I often like veteran directors the best, because for newer directors, or those that are less known to the international audience, they are more nervous, and sometimes more reticent as a result. Nimrod Eldar, the director for The Day After I am Gone, revealed very little about his film, and he basically skirted around several questions that went in depth for his film. Also, some actors can also be disappointments as guests. Hamed Behdad, the Iranian star of The Castle of Dreams, did not understand some questions, probably because of translation issues, and I feel that he really did not understand the intricacies of his film. He pretty much play the character as it is written, and did not give it too much thought.

Let me know if you want me to give a more detailed review of some of the films I listed. As usual, I want to write more detailed detailed reviews of the films I saw at VIFF, but as usual, I am completely wiped out, and will likely drop off of the site soon. This year is particularly tiring, because I cannot get time off from work, and I pretty much burned the candle on both ends. Sadly, this may become a common trend.

 

[nameless1]

It Must Be Heaven (2019) Directed by Elia Suleiman 8A

Hard to believe but Palestinian director Elia Suleiman specializes in gentle comedies, ones that nonetheless make points. In It Must Be Heaven, Suleiman plays a slightly different version of himself in a series of witty vignettes about life in general and being Palestinian in particular. His character's journey starts in Palestine but then hops around to other countries, finding things that delight as well as perplex him. He is an amazingly versatile writer and his gentle humour seems almost a miracle, given some of his life experiences. The fictional Suleiman is almost like a silent-film character. He doesn't say much until he gets to New York. But his humour is universal, finding comedy in some of the oddest places. It Must Be Heaven is grinding no axes, and though he will make political points, he is always subtle about it. His sense of wonder covers just about all of the human condition. On top of everything else, the film is gorgeously structured; in fact, this is probably the most elegant film making that I have seen this year. It Must Be Heaven is a total delight and not to be missed.

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Best of '19 so far

1) Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Sciamma, France
2) An Elephant Sitting Still, Hu, China
3) Hope, Sodahl, Norway
4) It Must Be Heaven, Suleiman, Palestine
5) Vitalina Varela, Costa, Portugal
6) Ema, Larrain, Chile
7) The Two Popes, Mirelles, Brazil/UK
8) Les Miserables, Ly, France
9) High Life, Denis, France/US
10) Atlantics, Diop, France/Senegal

I am not as high as you on this one. Perhaps I am not used to his style, but I am pretty bored by it. There are some funny moments, but those are no more than a chuckle, and a lot of scenes goes above my head. Particularly, the scenes in America, while funny, are caricature at best. It is not terrible, but I really cannot recommend it, and I give it no more than 5.5/10.

 

[nameless1]

Vitalina Varela (2019) Directed by Pedro Costa 8D

In the Fontainhas Trilogy, director Pedro Costa focused on the poorest of the poor, the inhabitants of "the worst slum in Lisbon." During those three movie we got to know a number of real people playing slightly fictionalized versions of themselves including Ventura who was a focus of Costa's more recent Horse Money, as well. Now the likable Ventura, who came to Portugal for a short stay to make money but remained for decades, has died (for real) and Vitalina, his long-suffering wife from Cape Verde, who we have heard much about in previous films, finally gets the ticket to come to Portugal that she has been waiting to receive for well over a quarter of a century. Arriving late for her husband's funeral, she must cope with both loss and disappointment. Costa's movies are acted by real people, though the scenes have been fictionalized to get at the essence of their story. All of Costa's people/characters are poor, but they are post-depression, post-anger, post finger-pointing, post-hope. They simply live their lives trying to get through the day. Vitalina has had a hard life, but she copes as best she can with the ghosts of the past and the regrets she has acquired for things that were mostly beyond her control anyway. Somehow Costa's movies are never depressing, but they do rank among the very slowest of slow cinema. So much so that this will be a deal breaker but for all but the most patient viewers. What keeps me going to his movies, which I find quite brilliant, is the unique visual style he has developed over the year to reveal the inner lives of his characters with most scenes shot in darkness and shadow which is even more arresting when used to focus on the dark-skinned Cape Verdean faces of some of his characters. This visual method reveals artfully and originally the complex inner lives of the characters. The funereal pace and visual approach somehow makes these people's destinies vivid and soulful. His movies become takes on the human condition and will no doubt stick in my consciousness forever.

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Best of '19 so far

Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Sciamma, France
An Elephant Sitting Still, Hu, China
Vitalina Varela, Costa, Portugal
High Life, Denis, France/US

Costa is an extremely challenging director, due to his glacial pace and almost zero camera movement. He is one of those directors whose works cast a spell on the audience. If the spell connects, you are spellbound, and the effects lingers long after the movie ends. On the flip side, when it fails, it is likely one of the worst cinematic experience one will ever experience, because at certain points in his films, time seem to even move backwards.

That is why I am so surprised that at my 9 pm showing, at a 120 seat theatre, it is about 80% full. I know I should not judge a book by its cover, but when the two ladies beside me looks like they are barely out of high school, and a couple of people said that they hope this will be good, because they had a long day, I knew that most of them do not know what they are about to get into. Thus, in an effort to keep myself interested too, because again, Costa can be really boring, I created a little game, to see to how many people will walk out, and if I am actually a judgemental person. Initially, I thought there will only be about 10 people left, but to my somewhat pleasant surprise, about half the audience remained. The aforementioned people, though, all left, so I was pretty spot on, but they did last longer than I expected. The two girls left at about the halfway mark, while the couple of people who had hoped for a good experience stayed until about half an hour left.

That said, this is a self-indulgent game, but it did keep me more interested.

 

[nameless1]

Les Miserables (2019) Directed by Ladj Lys 7A

Let's get the bad news out of the way. You are going to hate the ending. I wanted this movie to go on for another half hour...at least. The ending is open-ended and abrupt, and I was initially disappointed, though, later, I thought it was probably the right ending for the point that second-time director Ladj Ly was making. So, there's that. But, jesus, this is a thrilling movie. Based loosely on Les Miserables (Victor Hugo's book, not the musical), this version focuses on a tough area of Paris that erupts after France has just won the World Cup. Basically the film is an anatomy of a riot as seen through the eyes of a bunch of street kids and three cops of varying degrees of sympathy. When a boy is seriously injured by the cops, everything begins to slowly unravel and then suddenly things happen very fast and very violently. The cinematography helps immensely--with a camera zooming and swooping in like a drone during a key scene. At one point, I suddenly realized that I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat holding my breath. Don't even remember the last time that happened but it sure as hell wasn't when I read the novel about which you need know nothing to enjoy the movie. While the director's sympathies are pretty clear, the point he is making is a good one. Les Miserables may be making a statement, but it is an absolutely ferocious entertainment.

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Best of '19 so far

1) Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Sciamma, France
2) An Elephant Sitting Still, Hu, China
3) Vitalina Varela, Costa, Portugal
4) Ema, Larrain, Chile
5) The Two Popes, Mirelles, Brazil/UK
6) Les Miserables, Ly, France
7) High Life, Denis, France/US
8) Atlantics, Diop, France/Senegal

Interestingly, while I largely agree with your analysis, I actually dislike the camera work, at least initially. I understand that a handheld style works best for this thriller, but I really hate the abrupt cuts, which throw off the rhythm. Those cuts actually take me out of the movie, and I have trouble with it for about 20 minutes. Luckily, by that time, one will be completely enthralled with the story, and like you, I am at the edge of the seat until the very end.

I actually thought this is the right length, and I will even be satisfied if the movie ends even without the final confrontation. That final confrontation though, is the perfect cherry on top, and it boosts the movie from a decent movie, to a fine film. It is very well-produced, and a perfect example of a confident director who is very familiar with the subject matter, and knows exactly what he wants to do. I thought it was also a nice touch to have the co-screenwriter to act as one of the cops, Chris, because to have someone so familiar with the material certainly helps to stabilize and even balances the performances in a very tense film.

 

[nameless1]

The Whistlers (2019) Directed by Corneliu Porumboiu 5B

A corrupt cop learns a folk language that uses whistles rather than words in order to communicate with his corrupt partners in crime. A powerful police detective, also corrupt but in a different way, is on his trail. Despite the interesting premise, The Whistlers, though well directed, never really goes anywhere very interesting. There is a lot of director Corneliu Porumboiu's tradematk droll, dry humour, but unlike his earlier films Police, Adjective and 12:08 East of Bucharest, the movie seems a mere exercise in neo-noir film making with nothing new to say about corruption except that it is all pervasive in Romania. The movie is watchable but a letdown coming from a talent as original as Porumboiu.

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Agreed. This one is a disappointment. It is an art house film noire, and all the attempts I have seen thus far have all been failure. Until there is a successful attempt, I say the two genre should never mix.

The femme fatale though, is perfectly cast. She is not the best actress, but she is the only bright spot in a pretty lousy movie.

 

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The Two Popes (2019 Directed by Fernando Mirelles 8A

What a delight this movie is. Cardinal Bergogio of Argentina is summoned to Rome by his arch-adversary, "God's Rotweiler," Pope Benedict. They spar brilliantly with one another, Bergogio representing a more humane approach to change than the other Cardinals do, Benedict, representing a rigid conservative approach that resists change at all costs. Benedict has some shocking news. He is going to retire, something a Pope has not done in 700 years, and, despite their different philosophies, he wants the reluctant Bergogio to be his successor. The Two Popes represents commercial film making at its finest. The script will likely win an Oscar as it is filled not only with religious debate concerning BIG questions, but has more witty and downright funny lines in it than I have seen in a movie all year. And both Jonathon Price and Anthony Hopkins are almost certain to get nominations in the Academy's acting categories. Knowing a great script when they see one, both veteran actors provide some of the best work of their distinguished careers. This humanization of the Papacy almost gets a little too cutesy for its own good--I could have lived without the buddy to buddy coda. But I left the theatre thinking that the film represents the best publicity the Church has received in a quarter of a century. In fact, a reasonable reservation about The Two Popes might pose the question: does it let these guys off the hook too easily? However, if that is a concern, see the movie first and then worry about the political implications later.


Best of '19 so far

1) Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Sciamma, France
2) An Elephant Sitting Still, Hu, China
3) Vitalina Varela, Costa, Portugal
4) The Two Popes, Mirelles, Brazil/UK
5) High Life, Denis, France/US

Yeah, I like this movie too, but I did not grade it as high as you. I am certainly impressed that the director is able to make a conversation between two people so entertaining, but at the end of the day, I feel it is nothing but empty calories.

I actually find it funny that Anthony Hopkins did not even attempt a German accent, unlike Jonathan Pryce, who added authenticity with a Spanish accent. While I should be annoyed at the perceived lack of effort by a veteran actor who no longer cares, Hopkins is so good, that he can just wing it, and still largely nails his performance. I am rather impressed, to be honest with you, and I can excuse the perceived blight, as a result. Yes, I do sense he pretty much acts for the paycheck, but his presence, even in a cameo, usually adds to a movie. Perhaps that is the hallmark of a great actor.

 

[nameless1]

Hope (2019) Directed by Maria Sodahl 8B

Anja (Andrea Braen Hovig) has lung cancer that now has metastasized to her brain. Tomas (Stellen Skarsgard, her older partner, and their six children, the three eldest by Tomas's first marriage, all have to cope with this daunting reality. Anja and Tomas are not as close as they once were, but now they have to redefine their relationship and cope with enormously difficult feelings. Hope is no tear jerker. The emotion it generates is honest to a fault. Thanks to a brilliant script, obvious even in translation, Hope is an absolute powerhouse, the best character study of a relationship in crisis that I have seen in ages. Skarsgard is excellent, but Hovig is a complete revelation, She gives one of the strongest performances of the century. Despite the movie's length, I was never bored for a second. It might be difficult to get your head around attending a movie with such a somber theme. However, story telling doesn't get more powerful than this.

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Best of '19 so far

1) Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Sciamma, France
2) An Elephant Sitting Still, Hu, China
3) Hope, Sodahl, Norway
4) Vitalina Varela, Costa, Portugal
5) Ema, Larrain, Chile
6) The Two Popes, Mirelles, Brazil/UK
7) Les Miserables, Ly, France
8) High Life, Denis, France/US
9) Atlantics, Diop, France/Senegal

This one was not available at VIFF, but in terms of great female performances this year, I would like to throw Queen of Hearts' Trine Dyrholm into the ring. If you manage to pick it up, please do let me know if you think she is a contender. Personally, she gave the best performance I have seen this year, and perhaps even the last 5 years.

 

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Eastwood was good in it. Everyone else was meh.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Eastwood is cranking out movies at a crazy pace - I'm assuming it has to do with his age and bucket list. Sadly, it is hurting the quality of his movies.

For full disclosure, I never thought much of him as an actor, because he was probably only good in Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, and maybe Gran Torino, but his performance was just a even weaker version of Gran Torino, which I am already on the fence already.

I used to say that he is a better director than actor, but he continues to tarnish his name with more late career releases. He should have ended his career at Gran Torino, because he really have nothing more to say.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Every year the town I live in hosts a 24-hour horror movie marathon. I’ve been attending for years, but due to some travel requirements, I missed the first five movies this year. Made up for that with some movie watching during my flying/travel.

Creepshow 2. The Raft still holds up well. The other two segments are little corny. WILD to me that the bad guy in the first bit is Holt McCallany (Mindhunter’s Bill Tench) playing a Native American.

Hour of the Wolf. A spooky, full-blown horror creeper from Ingmar Bergman. Effective.

Yella. Not really horror, but was billed as a loose adaptation of Carnival of Souls, so I gave it a shot. Solid, though again not really horror.

Waxwork. Good idea. Bad movie. Not even good bad.

Killer Workout (aka Aerobicide). Bad idea. Bad movie. But good bad. Excessive 80s aerobics footage and quite possibly the worst movie cop I’ve seen. Not as good as Death Spa though.

31. Loud, gross, gory, excessive. I dug it.

The actual marathon ...

The Wretched. Rear Window meets The Witch with a splash of The Thing. Works well enough.

Crash. Cronenberg one. On the surface, it doesn’t seem to fit with his schtick but it really does. As transgressive and unsettling as anything else he’s done. The body horror is there, but in a different way. Debatable whether it’s horror ... boundary pushing for sure.

Body Melt. 1990s Aussie weirdo. Fun enough if you’re looking for a goofy, gross time.

Bliss. Vampirism = drug addiction has been done many times before. This is a good one though. Excellent use of sound, editing and light.

The Dark Red. Admittedly, I slept mostly through this. Not the movie’s fault. It was about 5 a.m.

Opera. Good Argento. Not great. Really, really drags on (though again that might be on my sleep-deprived self).

Shaun of the Dead. Still good. Always good.

(For the curious, the five movies I missed in the first half of the official marathon were Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, The Birds, Creepshow, Day of the Dead and Mandy.)