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

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

"Everything people say it is" is not something that I thought I would ever hear about Cannibal Holocaust . Now, if we were talking about Apocalypse Now, I could understand it. A water buffalo was slaughtered in that film, but, interestingly, you never hear anything about that while Cannibal Holocaust is routinely condemned for its killings. I guess that great films are judged differently than not-so-great films.

The weirdest thing about Cannibal Holocaust to me is how boring it is more most of the movie given its notorious reputation. When it gets graphic, it is (unfortunately) quite memorable, but there's a shocking amount of down time. Saw it once. Never ever need to see it again and wouldn't really even recommend it to anyone. It's given my friends and I one long-running inside joke though by imitating its key one-note musical cue. So I guess I got that going for me.

I think (although I'm not too familiar with the circumstances in Cannibal Holocaust, the reputation is of something much less defensible, right?).

There's nothing defensible about Cannibal Holocaust's animal treatment. That being said, it's still a way better film than Apocalypse Now - even though, yes, it is often pretty boring - and yes I'm well-aware of what I just said.

 

[kihei]

Synonyms (2019) Directed by Nadav Lapid 4B

Yoav, one very disenchanted Israeli, seems to drop on Paris from out of the sky, landing in an empty apartment naked as though he was born that very second. It's a bit of a stretch that a young French couple befriend him and are well off enough to give him a start in Paris. He then copes erratically with the demands of his new country. He tackles the language first, and the movie looks promising. But then it very quickly starts going round the bend. Someone might argue that this is a movie about adjusting to a new place, but I wouldn't buy that argument. There is some snappy direction here, abetted unfortunately by a love of uber-shaky hand held cameras, a few lovely shots of Paris, and some pretty fine acting all around. But what is the director doing and what is he attempting to say? Given the very unfocused, haphazard development evident throughout the film, I couldn't escape the notion that the genesis of the script was a party game. "A" starts with the first scene; "B" adds his/her take on the second scene; "C" comes up with the third scene; and so on. Synonyms is very disjointed and doesn't stay in any single place long enough to establish what, if anything, it is about. In the end, it seems like a movie with no discernible purpose other than to show that somebody is angry at something. It seems a travesty to me that a masterpiece like Hope languishes in obscurity, while Synonyms, with its superficial pizzazz, gets picked up for distribution.

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[nameless1]

kihei is rather nice with Synonyms. He sees some merit in it.


I absolutely hate it myself, and I have it at 0.5/10. Quite frankly, it is pure unadulterated fecal matter, and a cruel and unusual punishment on the viewer who actually watched it until the end.

 

[Osprey]

There's nothing defensible about Cannibal Holocaust's animal treatment.

I used to be shocked by the animal deaths, too, but, since then, I've seen so many survival reality shows (like Man vs Wild, Naked and Afraid and others) that feature real killing and dismemberment that what's in CH honestly doesn't seem that bad anymore. Most of the kills are quick and the meat didn't go to waste, which seem to be the important factors in determining whether an ethical line has been crossed. There is one death in which the animal (a coati, a small mammal) suffers for a few seconds while the actor botches the kill and that does cross the line, I think, but all of the other deaths are quick, including the infamous turtle one (its twitching is postmortem reflex, not suffering). Don't get me wrong; I still would rather not see them, myself, and certainly understand others not caring to see them, either, but they don't seem much less ethical than what you can find in some other films and reality shows. Right or wrong, I think that the film being exploitative in nature makes it easier to condemn than works that have more artistic or educational value.

BTW, I've read that some of the DVD and Blu-ray releases offer the option to watch the film without the animal deaths. That may not matter to those who refuse to support it out of principle, but it may to others.

 

[ORRFForever]

The Irishman: B+, maybe A-
Really long but well done overall. If you're looking for a mob movie it'll hit the spot but maybe not in the ways you'd expect

More details (without spoilers - altho, I read the book so it won`t matter to me), please.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

No desire to watch Cannibal Holocaust, but I believe the most interesting thing about that movie is Deodato was put up on murder charges because authorities believed it was a snuff film.

The actors who died in the movie signed contracts not to appear in any type of media for a year, so that is sort of what drove the hysteria...

He had to have his lawyers track down the actors and show the court they were still alive, and used some other footage to show the “dead” actors were still alive after their death scenes.

 

[kihei]

I used to be shocked by the animal deaths, too, but, since then, I've seen so many survival reality shows (like Man vs Wild, Naked and Afraid and others) that feature real killing and dismemberment that what's in CH honestly doesn't seem that bad anymore. Most of the kills are quick and the meat didn't go to waste, which seem to be the important factors in determining whether an ethical line has been crossed. There is one death in which the animal (a coati, a small mammal) suffers for a few seconds while the actor botches the kill and that does cross the line, I think, but all of the other deaths are quick, including the infamous turtle one (its twitching is postmortem reflex, not suffering). Don't get me wrong; I still would rather not see them, myself, and certainly understand others not caring to see them, either, but they don't seem much less ethical than what you can find in some other films and reality shows. Right or wrong, I think that the film being exploitative in nature makes it easier to condemn than works that have more artistic or educational value.

BTW, I've read that some of the DVD and Blu-ray releases offer the option to watch the film without the animal deaths. That may not matter to those who refuse to support it out of principle, but it may to others.

I don't know, I worry about the very thing that you are writing about. The more we are exposed to this practice, the more we begin to tolerate it. I think that is a big problem in itself.

 

[NyQuil]

I don't know, I worry about the very thing that you are writing about. The more we are exposed to this practice, the more we begin to tolerate it. I think that is a big problem in itself.

I may be going off on a bit of a tangent here, but we've attempted to hide industrialized animal consumption from our sensitive eyes for so long that maybe we should be more aware of what goes into killing another living being and understanding the action and the consequence.

I'm as culpable as anyone when I show up at the butcher's counter at Farm Boy and collect my impeccably wrapped and packaged meat.

 

[OhCaptainMyCaptain]

The Kill Team - 7.5/10

A bit cliché at times, though I don't know how much to count against them on this point considering it's based on a true story. I don't know how much is real, and how much is done for dramatic purposes. I am a sucker for war movies, though, and this satisfied me - though not necessarily in an inspiring way, given the material it's deal with here. I thought the pacing was good, and even the cliché moments had me pretty tense, as I wasn't quite sure of this story before I watched it.

I didn't love the acting performance by Nat Wolff, though I wouldn't say it really hurt the film or anything either. And though Alexander Skarsgård plays a familiar character in these kinds of movies, I really enjoyed his performance the most.

The pace was great (just over 80 minutes when accounting for credits), though I will say I wish they dove a little deeper into some things at times. And while I obviously understand the morale complications here, I don't know if the movie was perfect at displaying them. They kind of rely on you just knowing, which isn't a huge deal, I suppose.

I recommend to check it out, though I'm not going to say it's a must-see by any means. And, as I mentioned before, it's not a long watch, so it can be done in a timely manner.

 

[kihei]

Seeing The Irishman at noon tomorrow.

 

[NyQuil]

Seeing The Irishman at noon tomorrow.

I'm interested in your take. I haven't seen it yet but I'm curious.

Interestingly, I find myself much less willing to go out and watch anything without relying on reviews first.

I don't know if it's because I'm less willing to waste my time, or that I pay for the VIP movie experience now and it's not cheap, or I'm more risk averse as I get older, or I've just been burned the accumulation of too many bad movies at this point in my life.

 

[tealhockey]

More details (without spoilers - altho, I read the book so it won`t matter to me), please.

The Irishman: thought it started a little bit slow, and to be honest the whole thing was fairly slow, but the action really picks up through the middle. There was some good humor and the violence could be a little much at times, but maybe depends on what you are expecting. I thought the switching between the ages for DeNiro was a bit jarring at first but I get what he's going for and it all comes together quite well. The dialogue throughout the movie from arguments to regular stuff were done pretty well, good mix of 'realness' while also being interesting to listen to. Definitely would suggest seeing it but if you aren't in the mood for the type of movie it is, it's going to feel like a long 3 hours-plus. The big guys, Pesci, DeNiro, Pacino made it for me. I thought they were all great and it was fun to see them together.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

No desire to watch Cannibal Holocaust, but I believe the most interesting thing about that movie is Deodato was put up on murder charges because authorities believed it was a snuff film.

Like the animal deaths, it is certainly part of its unmatched clash between images and reality. The whole found footage gimmick (and its boring parts) was fresh and works very well. No idea if its true, but I love the anecdote that the IMDB trivia page reports about Leone writing to Deodato after watching the film: "Dear Ruggero, what a movie! The second part is a masterpiece of cinematographic realism, but everything seems so real that I think you will get in trouble with all the world."

 

[kihei]

I may be going off on a bit of a tangent here, but we've attempted to hide industrialized animal consumption from our sensitive eyes for so long that maybe we should be more aware of what goes into killing another living being and understanding the action and the consequence.

I'm as culpable as anyone when I show up at the butcher's counter at Farm Boy and collect my impeccably wrapped and packaged meat.

I think your point is a good one. The problem for me is will that be what people take away from watching these scenes or will greater exposure to such scenes simply desensitize viewers even more.

 

[Shareefruck]

Based on the information I posted before and having thought about it, I really don't think what was done in Apocalypse Now was really all that bad, though-- not nearly on the Cannibal Holocaust scale or a double standard that the two films are treated differently. It's only a few steps removed from responsible documentary footage of animal killings that takes place in reality, no animals were killed FOR the film (despite being offered), it's used in such a way that doesn't trivialize the act and is meant to feel as grotesque and horrific as it is. I would say that eating factory produced meat like most of us do should probably weigh heavier on our consciences than shooting that scene should weigh on Coppola's, IMO.

 

[ORRFForever]

The Irishman: thought it started a little bit slow, and to be honest the whole thing was fairly slow, but the action really picks up through the middle. There was some good humor and the violence could be a little much at times, but maybe depends on what you are expecting. I thought the switching between the ages for DeNiro was a bit jarring at first but I get what he's going for and it all comes together quite well. The dialogue throughout the movie from arguments to regular stuff were done pretty well, good mix of 'realness' while also being interesting to listen to. Definitely would suggest seeing it but if you aren't in the mood for the type of movie it is, it's going to feel like a long 3 hours-plus. The big guys, Pesci, DeNiro, Pacino made it for me. I thought they were all great and it was fun to see them together.

Good review.

I agree. I will only watch when I am in the mood for a 3 hour plus movie. I see it as a last hurrah for a generation of greats.

 

[tealhockey]

Good review.

I agree. I will only watch when I am in the mood for a 3 hour plus movie. I see it as a last hurrah for a generation of greats.

Thanks. Yeah, exactly. It's brilliant as that.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Like the animal deaths, it is certainly part of its unmatched clash between images and reality. The whole found footage gimmick (and its boring parts) was fresh and works very well. No idea if its true, but I love the anecdote that the IMDB trivia page reports about Leone writing to Deodato after watching the film: "Dear Ruggero, what a movie! The second part is a masterpiece of cinematographic realism, but everything seems so real that I think you will get in trouble with all the world."

Trying to remember that movie when I was little that people bragged about sitting through... Faces of Death?

I had some of my weird friends who were into horror who were proud they sat through the movie and got certificates or something for doing so.

I did some research on it a few years ago and aside from a few scenes, everything was all made up... but people thought it was all real back in the day.

I believe the budget for the first one was like half a mil and it made over 35m. Brutal.

I don’t get watching movies like that, but maybe it’s just me.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Trying to remember that movie when I was little that people bragged about sitting through... Faces of Death?

I had some of my weird friends who were into horror who were proud they sat through the movie and got certificates or something for doing so.

I did some research on it a few years ago and aside from a few scenes, everything was all made up... but people thought it was all real back in the day.

I believe the budget for the first one was like half a mil and it made over 35m. Brutal.

I don’t get watching movies like that, but maybe it’s just me.

Yes Faces of Death, there's quite a bunch of those, it was kind of a trend - and yes, the only interesting thing about them is that most of the stuff is fabricated but proposed (and received) as "real". Saw the first one, it was pretty bad, but nothing close to some "I dare you to watch that" films I've seen.

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Dir. Milos Forman

Everyone knows this one. Jack Nicholson is Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher stars as well, and it's pretty great.

8/10

 

[Osprey]

Dolemite Is My Name (2019) - 7/10 (Really liked it)

Rudy Ray Moore (Eddie Murphy) is a down-on-his-luck comedian and performer who adopts the persona of a tough-talking pimp named Dolemite and, in doing so, creates an urban hero for the 1970s black community. It's a true story about pursuing your dreams and not giving up that is familiar in a lot of ways, but unique in its subject matter and more lighthearted than your usual success story. I'm glad that the writers didn't try to dramatize it much by inserting sad, tense or disturbing moments, like most biopics feature, and kept it mostly as a comedy, making it a lot more fun and befitting the amusing subject matter. What also makes it a lot of fun is Murphy's performance, which carries the film. This is Eddie Murphy doing what he does best with a character that is hard to imagine anyone else pulling off (especially because Moore's profanity-laced stand-up routines were an inspiration for his own). Maybe equally surprising is that Wesley Snipes is back, as well, and steals every scene with Eddie. This is a feel good movie that's often hilarious. Even if you aren't always laughing, though, it's hard to not have a smile on your face throughout, not just because the film is just fun but also because of how great it is to see Eddie Murphy on his game again. It's available now on Netflix.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

The King
Scratches a certain type of entertainment itch I suppose, but it also feels like I will have forgotten it entirely by next week, save for maybe Robert Pattinson's performance which is certainly something. I applaud making "choices" so to speak, especially in something as disposable as this. He entertained me as outlandish as he is, but it's going to be off-putting for others and fair game for the "Is he good?" debate. Chalamet proved to be a better Hal/Henry V than I expected. There's a surprising steeliness about him. In the eyes. That said, when it comes time to deliver his version of the St. Crispin's Day speech, he edges ever so slightly into petulant teenhood. He's much more effective quiet than loud.

 

[kihei]

The Irishman (2019) Directed by Martin Scorsese 7B

Well, as they say, it's a long story. Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) is a vet home from the war who becomes a hitman for a Russ Bofalino (Joe Pesci), a Mafioso boss, In the course of Frank's duties, he both protects and becomes friends with Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), a union boss who had colossal power in the '50s and '60s, who sometimes did business with the Mafia and sometimes made life difficult for the Mafia, a dangerous tendency. Scorsese supplies a ton of back story that both fleshes out the De Niro and Pesci characters and informs us of the intricacies of organized crime, both in terms of its rewards (money, power) and perils (violent death). The detail that Scorsese devotes to the first hour is laudable, but becomes a bit of overkill (no pun intended). When Pacino finally makes the scene, The Irishman picks up momentum and from that point onward the movie is a fascinating crime film on a lot of different levels. This is no Goodfellas or even Casino, much less one of the overly operatic Godfather movies. Nothing about the lifestyle here is presented as fun or exciting or full of camaraderie--The Irishman is one thoroughly deglamourized crime movie. Though there is violence, there is not a lot of it and it's pretty muted by Scorsese's standards. What we end up with is a study of a man who at some point became a shell and didn't even notice. I don't know what younger generations, who probably don't know Jimmy Hoffa from Adam, are going to take from this movie's relatively muted approach; however, The Irishman is among Scorsese's best films.

Sidenote: A word on the de-aging process that is used in this movie. You get used to it. I kind of willled myself not to think about it too much. There are a few scenes, especially early on, when De Niro looks like he suddenly has acquired John Wayne's eyes. Younger viewers may not notice, but it creeped me out, like De Niro was going to say "Whatcha doin' with that gun, pilgrim," or something. I guess we better get used to this process, though. Someone is even bringing James Dean back from the dead for a movie. Ain't the future grand?


Best of '19 so far

1) Parasite, Bong, South Korea
2) Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Sciamma, France
3) An Elephant Sitting Still, Hu, China
4) Hope, Sodahl, Norway
5) The Irishman, Scorsese, US
6) Pain & Glory, Almodovar, Spain
7) The Lighthouse, Eggers, United States
8) Vitalina Varela, Costa, Portugal
9) It Must Be Heaven, Suleiman, Palestine
10) Jo Jo Rabbit, Waititi, US

 

[OhCaptainMyCaptain]

The Departed - 9/10

Psh... This would have been an easy job for the Avengers!

 

[Spring in Fialta]

The Departed - 9/10

Psh... This would have been an easy job for the Avengers!

I wouldn't give The Departed 9/10 but I think I'm one of the few who thought it was better than Infernal Affairs.