Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Part#: Some High Number +3

[tealhockey]

Parasite 10/10
Really different from most movies I've seen recently, hard to define but extremely well executed from start to finish

 

[Communal Blood]

Fury (2014)

7/10

 

[BlueCheeseWithWings]

Parasite 10/10. I am speechless.

 

[Osprey]

Michael Crichton's Coma (1978) is a good example. In many ways the movie is the first modern thriller with a female heroine (Genevieve Bujold) who has a boyfriend (Michael Douglas) who has been pretty much useless in supporting her efforts all the way through the film. She does all the work, all the investigating, all of the reasoning out, all the discovering about who the killer is (a rouge male doctor selling body parts). Sherlock Holmes couldn't have done a better job than she does. So, yeah, very positive statement about women, right? Not so fast. At the climax of the movie Bujold is knocked out on an operating table about to be killed by the evil doctor and she has to rely on her dumb-ass boyfriend, worthless to this point, to save the day and rescue her. As Dandy Don Meredith used to say "That tells you a whole little story right there itself, now, doesn't it?" None of the creative folk involved with the movie is consciously making that statement but the end result is a subtext that says in effect "Yes, women are equal, but let's not take this too far--They still need to depend upon a man to save them in the end."

It seems to me that you're denying yourself the ability to appreciate a "very positive statement about women" by assuming the worst about the ending (which is the same ending as Robin Cook's source novel). Is every time that a man saves a woman an example of "women need men to save them" if even a rather pro-feminine story like that can't use it? I don't think that the fact that the man saved her in the end necessarily means that any more than the man being worthless for most of the film means that men are worthless. Men could be just as upset at the latter and not feel that one worthwhile action at the end makes up for everything else. If the roles were reversed and it were a female character being worthless for the majority of the film, I doubt that feminists would be happy, either, or argue that finally making herself useful at the end gives the film a feminist subtext.

Besides, the fact that the boyfriend was worthless for most of the film suggests that he had to do something to redeem himself in the end. Remaining useless to the very end wouldn't have been better for the story and would've made his character pointless. If, instead, he had helped her unravel the mystery along the way, that could've been interpreted as subtext that women aren't smart and resourceful enough to do such things without the help of men. The writer is damned either way. It's impossible to write a story in a way to prevent some people from reading into it and finding offense.

Finally, characterizing the portion of the film in which the female did everything all by herself as "yes, women are equal" seems to me like setting oneself up to associate any deviation from that (i.e. her needing help for once) with inequality. If nothing seems wrong about the girl doing all of the work, then having the guy finally chip in is liable to be suspicious, but shouldn't it be the other way around? Equality, to me, is having both genders helping each other and contributing. A movie in which male and female characters both help each other and aren't more important than the other represents that ideal. That doesn't sound like Coma, but not because one party finally helped the other, IMO.

 

[belair]

Parasite 10/10
Really different from most movies I've seen recently, hard to define but extremely well executed from start to finish

Outstanding film. It's sucked you right into their very odd world.

 

[Osprey]

Hush (2016) - 6/10 (Liked it)

A deaf, mute writer (Kate Siegel) who lives alone is trapped in her house and toyed with by a psycho with a crossbow. This home invasion horror/thriller film by writer/director Mike Flanagan is rather standard genre fare, except for the fact that the victim can't hear. That twist on things makes it a lot more compelling than it otherwise would've been, much like how it does for A Quiet Place (which came out two years after). It held my attention well. At times, it's pretty smart (like when she causes distractions to move around) and it even bothers to rule out some options so that you aren't always wondering why she doesn't try certain things. At other times, though, it's a little dumb and cliched (like when she repeatedly lets go of weapons after striking one blow). I really liked the first hour and thought that I might give it a 7/10, but the questionable decisions in the end and the tepid finale were a bit of a disappointment. I still ultimately liked it, though, and recommend adding it to your Netflix queue if you have 90 minutes and a thriller/horror with a twist, like Don't Breathe, sounds good to you.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Mean Streets. It impresses me how fully formed some directors are early in their careers. Scorsese undeniably knows his subjects. This is shabby and dirty and lived-in and watching it now you already see so much of what’s to come for him. The Catholic stuff is a little over the top to me. Dramatic and on the nose. But overall it’s still effective. DeNiro is undeniable as a self-destructive loose cannon. (A proto Pesci in Goodfellas or Pacino in The Irishman if we’re looking for a united theory of Scorsese).

After Hours. “Minor” Scorsese to many, but one of his bests to me. Darkly funny. Propulsive. One of the great “night from hell” movies ever. I’ll take this wild lark over several of his more “important” or serious movies.

The Housemaid. Read an article where Bong Joon Ho recommended this South Korean film and whoa boy I did not regret it. A wonderfully over-heated tale of lust and obsession. You see it’s clear influence on Bong’s work and more. Deeply screwed up. An unforgettable ending. Can’t recommend enough.

A Bridge Too Far. Feels like a checklist more than a script. Generically “epic.” An impressive all star cast, but I think every American in it is miscast (or half-assing it) except for Robert Redford who is at the center of the movie’s best and most harrowing sequence. The Brits all deliver though. Maybe it’s the accents. I particularly liked a youngish Anthony Hopkins and a stuffy Dirk Bogarde. The score is oddly jovial and incongruous with the events. I LOL’d when one of the characters says the name of the movie in the last five minutes.

Michael Collins. Another generic epic. Paint-by-numbers. Interesting time and topic, but Liam Neeson’s Collins is too saintly to fully invest in. Julia Roberts is horribly miscast and most of the personal stuff falls flat. The guerilla fighting is impressively and brutally rendered though.

The King of New York. This is a straight banger. Christopher Walken at about an 8 out of 10 on the Walken scale. A cast loaded with familiar faces before they were famous (Laurence Fishburn - still billed as Larry here — is unforgettably through the roof). It’s violent and unhinged wildly entertaining.

 

[kihei]

Great to see all the very positive reviews for Parasite. Hopefully, people will be motivated to check out the rest of Bong Joon-ho's catalog. I still think Mother is his best film, but Memories of Murder and The Host are terrific movies as well. And a lot of people liked Snowpiercer more than I did.

 

[Trap Jesus]

Great to see all the very positive reviews for Parasite. Hopefully, people will be motivated to check out the rest of Bong Joon-ho's catalog. I still think Mother is his best film, but Memories of Murder and The Host are terrific movies as well. And a lot of people liked Snowpiercer more than I did.

What did you think of Okja? It was very on the nose but I think there was still a lot of heart packed into it.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Punchline (1988) - 6.5/10

Tom Hanks plays an unstable comic/med-school dropout here alongside Sally Fields who plays a housewife trying to become a comedian. It's perfectly fine until Tom Hanks has an extremely unwatchable and long drawn-out uncomfortable breakdown on stage and a bit later when he tries to kiss Sally Fields and the film jumps the shark. His character for the remainder of the movie is transformed into a bit of a psycho. I'd say 7.5/10 for the first half and 6/10 for the second half.

Also John Goodman is in this playing the husband to Sally Fields, he's quite respectable.

 

[nameless1]

1917 is rather impressive, with its one shot technique, but like Son of Saul, it is not my cup of tea. At times, it cannot keep up with its own intensity, so in the moments that eases up on the tension, I find myself lose focus too. It is one of the better films of the year, but I would not have it as my favourite. My number one English/ Hollywood film would probably be Little Women, but it still pales in comparison to Parasite.

 

[Bruins4Lifer]

What did you think of Okja? It was very on the nose but I think there was still a lot of heart packed into it.

For a movie that got pretty good reviews, I thought it was truly awful - one of the worst films I've seen the past 5 or so years.
Before I saw Parasite, I couldn't believe the hype for it, given that it was coming from the same director as Okja (and Snowpiercer, which I found overhyped as well). Parasite was great though, so I am optimistic that I'll like Memories of Murder and Madeo too, whenever I get a chance to watch them.

 

[kihei]

What did you think of Okja? It was very on the nose but I think there was still a lot of heart packed into it.

I'd go with your description to a tee. Just too on the nose for me, considering Bong's other work.

 

[OzzyFan]

The Gentlemen
2.50 out of 4stars

Imperfect, starts a little slow pulling you into the story, and borrows a lot of elements from Guy Ritchie's past films, but oh what a lot of fun, humor, quirkiness, twists, and turns to be had. If you like any of Guy Ritchie's "euro-gangster movies" (Snatch/Lock Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels/RocknRolla), then you'll definitely enjoy this. If you don't like Guy Ritchie's style or humor, stay away. Also, I like the minor insights and subtle points he makes throughout the movie on certain subjects.

 

[Osprey]

For a movie that got pretty good reviews, I thought it was truly awful - one of the worst films I've seen the past 5 or so years.
Before I saw Parasite, I couldn't believe the hype for it, given that it was coming from the same director as Okja (and Snowpiercer, which I found overhyped as well). Parasite was great though, so I am optimistic that I'll like Memories of Murder and Madeo too, whenever I get a chance to watch them.

I feel similarly after hearing that the same writer and director did Snowpiercer and The Host. I wasn't a fan of Snowpiercer and I watched The Host just a couple of days ago and felt that it was mediocre and over-hyped. In my review, I compared the latter to the 1998 Godzilla, so it's as if I'm being told that Roland Emmerich's latest film is the favorite for Best Picture . Hopefully, Parasite is different and lives up to the hype. Maybe I'll watch it tonight.

 

[Arizonan God]

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) by Terry Gilliam – 0/10

Completely unwatchable ****.

I really love the first 20 minutes of this movie. After that...oh boy

 

[Ainec]

2 of the 5 best directors alive are Korean

There's 2 other talented Korean directors that should be in the top 10

Really impressive how these guys can rival Hollywood. I missed the French New Wave and honestly have no intention of seeing those films, but I'm glad I didn't miss this Korean New Wave

Hope to be pleasantly surprised with Parasite Oscars BP win over 1917 like I did Moonlight vs La La Land

 

[Ben Grimm]

And the winner is La La Land.

 

[discostu]

Parasite 10/10
Really different from most movies I've seen recently, hard to define but extremely well executed from start to finish

Just saw it this weekend as well.

I had a lot of hype going in, so walked out a tinge let down, but, as I go over the movie in my mind, there's so much in there to relish. It really is a fantastic movie.

It's a movie that I'm now eagerly anticipating to watch again, as I'm sure there's a lot more to appreciate the second go around.

 

[flyersnorth]

Last 4 movies...

The Gentleman - 8/10.
I was thoroughly entertained. Hugh Grant was great, as was Colin Ferrell.

Parasite - 8.5/10.
What a ride!

1917 - 8/10
Great cinematography, great story, great execution.

Knives Out - 7.5/10
It was decent but the weakest of the 4 movies on this list.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Satanico Pandemonium: la sexorcista (Gilberto Martinez Solares, 1975) - I should have liked it better than I did, there's a contemplative quality to it that is not very satisfying (in good parts because the direction is weak) but that I normally still appreciate in low-ambition genre films. Original and daring enough to be worth a watch if your into that kind of crap, but not enough to be relevant. 3/10 (I'd give it 3,5 just to underline that I liked it more than the last Star Wars).

 

[Trap Jesus]

Who are the current directors that if you heard they were making a movie but had no idea what it was about, you'd be most inclined to check out simply because they were directing? Try to keep it to 10 tops.

1. Yorgos Lanthimos
2. Robert Eggers
3. Paul Thomas Anderson
4. Denis Villeneuve
5. Bong Joon-ho
6. Sean Baker
7. Alex Garland
8. David Robert Mitchell
9. Ari Aster
10. Quentin Tarantino

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Who are the current directors that if you heard they were making a movie but had no idea what it was about, you'd be most inclined to check out simply because they were directing? Try to keep it to 10 tops.

1. Yorgos Lanthimos
2. Robert Eggers
3. Paul Thomas Anderson
4. Denis Villeneuve
5. Bong Joon-ho
6. Sean Baker
7. Alex Garland
8. David Robert Mitchell
9. Ari Aster
10. Quentin Tarantino

1. Pascal Bonitzer
2. Clive Barker
3. Vincent Gallo
4. Stuart Gordon
5. Hélène Cottet / Bruno Forzani
6. Gaspar Noé
7. Michael Haneke
8. Eva Ionesco
9. Richard Linklater
10. Tom Ford

Tell me David Cronenberg is making a horror film and I drop what I'm doing and buy a ticket. And I guess Richard Stanley should be close to that list because I didn't expect him to make another film and I really want to see it.

 

[Tkachuk4MVP]

Who are the current directors that if you heard they were making a movie but had no idea what it was about, you'd be most inclined to check out simply because they were directing? Try to keep it to 10 tops.

1. Yorgos Lanthimos
2. Robert Eggers
3. Paul Thomas Anderson
4. Denis Villeneuve
5. Bong Joon-ho
6. Sean Baker
7. Alex Garland
8. David Robert Mitchell
9. Ari Aster
10. Quentin Tarantino

That's a great list. I'd probably replace Robert Mitchell with Nolan but other than that we're simpatico.

 

[tealhockey]

Just saw it this weekend as well.

I had a lot of hype going in, so walked out a tinge let down, but, as I go over the movie in my mind, there's so much in there to relish. It really is a fantastic movie.

It's a movie that I'm now eagerly anticipating to watch again, as I'm sure there's a lot more to appreciate the second go around.

I watched it twice, definitely a lot of lines and aspects of the movie that you can see with a new light. One of the more tame ones is how the husband mentions the maid's only flaw is how she "eats enough for two"