Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Part#: Some High Number +4

[Trap Jesus]

I am a fan of Spring. Like if Richard Linklater and David Cronenberg had a movie baby!

Exactly. I think I was expecting more Cronenberg, but I think it actually worked really well on a more sentimental level.

 

[ORRFForever]

The Speed Cubers (2020) :

Cute little documentary about kids who can solve a Rubik's Cube in seconds - and the GOAT is an autistic boy.

At under 40 minutes, just like the solving being done, The Speed Cubers is short and sweet.
7/10

 

[ORRFForever]

The Babadook (2014) :

Amelia is haunted by a demon who ruins her life. It tries to kill her, isolates her from her friends and family, and causes her nothing but fear and sleepless nights. The demon ruins her life! But enough about her son, Samuel.

She's ALSO haunted by an entity called Babadook.

The movie is more "cool" than "scary".
6/10

 

[ProstheticConscience]

The Babadook (2014) :

NEVER think about having a kid again.

***********************************************************************************

The Babadook is more "cool" than "scary".
6/10

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

with very old people who got laid more than any few dozen people you've ever met.

Picture a day when you head up to a Hollywood villa in the 1950's, have a 3-way with Ava Gardner and Lana Turner, then make a few calls to hook up Cole Porter with the 15 guys he wanted to suck off one after another, then follow all that up by hopping in bed with Cary Grant, Randolph Scott and a guy you hired at a gas station that afternoon for a 4-way. Now, to you and I, that'd probably be a pretty eventful day.

To Scotty Bowers, that was Tuesday.

After WWII, a former marine named Scotty Bowers landed in Hollywood and got a job at a gas station on Hollywood Boulevard. Within days or possibly weeks, this gas station became the hub of the Hollywood gay/bi hookup scene, and this documentary picks up with Scotty as he enters his 90's and releases a book about the good/bad ol' days. We follow his reminisces as he totters about his multiple houses and garages crammed full of stuff.

It's part Hollywood historical expose, and part extended Hoarders episode. But of course, you have to consider the times. Once upon a time, if a major actor or actress was outed as gay, that was it for them. Their career was over. Even a rumour could chill contacts. You can look at modern social media and "cancel culture" but it doesn't hold a candle to how different life was back then for people outside the conformist sexual box that was the US studio system. We also touch on some possible origins for Scotty's hypersexualized behaviour as the story goes back to his childhood...but damn. Those must have been some fun parties.

Watch this, then raise a glass to Scotty. Truly impressive.

Yeah. This guy. He's been laid more than your entire frat house ten times over. Seriously.

 

[ORRFForever]

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

with very old people who got laid more than any few dozen people you've ever met.

Picture a day when you head up to a Hollywood villa in the 1950's, have a 3-way with Ava Gardner and Lana Turner, then make a few calls to hook up Cole Porter with the 15 guys he wanted to suck off one after another, then follow all that up by hopping in bed with Cary Grant, Randolph Scott and a guy you hired at a gas station that afternoon for a 4-way. Now, to you and I, that'd probably be a pretty eventful day.

To Scotty Bowers, that was Tuesday.

After WWII, a former marine named Scotty Bowers landed in Hollywood and got a job at a gas station on Hollywood Boulevard. Within days or possibly weeks, this gas station became the hub of the Hollywood gay/bi hookup scene, and this documentary picks up with Scotty as he enters his 90's and releases a book about the good/bad ol' days. We follow his reminisces as he totters about his multiple houses and garages crammed full of stuff.

It's part Hollywood historical expose, and part extended Hoarders episode. But of course, you have to consider the times. Once upon a time, if a major actor or actress was outed as gay, that was it for them. Their career was over. Even a rumour could chill contacts. You can look at modern social media and "cancel culture" but it doesn't hold a candle to how different life was back then for people outside the conformist sexual box that was the US studio system. We also touch on some possible origins for Scotty's hypersexualized behaviour as the story goes back to his childhood...but damn. Those must have been some fun parties.

Watch this, then raise a glass to Scotty. Truly impressive.

Yeah. This guy. He's been laid more than your entire frat house ten times over. Seriously.

Do you think he was telling the truth?

 

[kihei]

L'Homme qui ment (The Man Who Lied) (1968) Directed by Alain Robbe-Grillet 6B

L'Homme qui ment starts with a man running for his life through a forest as a battalion of Nazi soldiers pursue him. As the man is dressed in a stylish ‘60s jacket and slacks, I immediately wondered what is going on here. Anyway, he is eventually shot and killed...only to arise later, brush him self off, and head for the nearest village, a place that he hasn’t visited in some time. His name in Roger; no, it’s Boris. Boris is Roger’s friend or betrayer or something in between. Boris may also be a ghost, for that matter, though likely not. Although the villagers are highly skeptical, Boris wants to convince them he is a good guy, not a snitch, but he is almost hilariously the most unreliable narrator in history. His story keeps changing constantly with his role shifting dramatically from one version to the next. It's not like one of these versions is right; it's like all of these versions are untrustworthy. Throw in a little lesbian foreplay, a pinch of S&M, and a couple of other people with theories of their own, and you get a reality that is intentionally impossible to unravel. It is as though Robbe-Grillet is on to the “many worlds” cosmology theory way before anyone else. The tone is all over the place, too, with some neat absurdist touches thrown in for good measure. All in all, the movie feels more like a romp than a major work. If Last Year in Marienbad, which Robbe-Grillet wrote, is an elegant enigma, this movie is more its goofy cousin, an excuse to let the gifted Trintignant have fun which he certainly seems to have. L'Homme qui ment is like a playful cautionary tale on the perils of telling a story, but in the end it kind of left me cold, an interesting intellectual exercise but nothing more.

subtitles

YouTube

 

[ItsFineImFine]

The Report (2019) - 7/10

Documenting the war-crimes committed by the US mainly in the 2000s as a senate report is put together on CIA torture post-9/11 and of course, nothing in terms of consequence came about it. It's somewhat in the similar vain as a film like Spotlight but a bit more monotone and one-note even though there's the usual good Adam Driver performance. Tougher to sit through though.

 

[OzzyFan]

Annie Hall
3.20 out of 4stars

Interesting and funny examination of dating and relationships by Woody Allen. That said, his style can be off putting for some, which can come across as overly dry, overly sarcastic, and heavily whiny. While that style and delivery I found hilarious in this film at times, yet I didn't laugh a ton throughout the film nor had many belly laughs. Possibly and oddity of overly thought out smart comedy? I don't know. That said again, it's a good realistic movie that kept me thinking and put a smile on my face. What more could you ask for?

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Do you think he was telling the truth?

Several people interviewed did say it was all true. It does make you wonder.

 

[Osprey]

Mean Streets (1973) - 4/10 (Disliked it)

I expected more from this supposed classic. Scorsese's first big movie is like a lot of his later ones, especially the mobster ones, but more barebones and boring. There's hardly any plot, just two hours of Italian-Americans joking, cursing and shouting. I take it from what I'm reading that this was fresh in 1973 because it was one of the first movies to not glamorize mobster life. Still, I've seen so many later such films that were either inspired by this or made by Scorsese, himself, that any novelty was lost on me. Scorsese does make it somewhat watchable with his directing and Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro deliver breakout performances, but they weren't enough for me. I just really like having a story and, maybe, a little character development. I appreciate that it's a historically significant movie because it was, essentially, the debut of Scorsese, De Niro, Keitel and gritty mob movies, but it fell rather short as a movie for me.

 

[nameless1]

Mean Streets (1973) - 4/10 (Disliked it)

I expected more from this supposed classic. Scorsese's first big movie is like a lot of his later ones, especially the mobster ones, but more barebones and boring. There's hardly any plot, just two hours of Italian-Americans joking, cursing and shouting. I take it from what I'm reading that this was fresh in 1973 because it was one of the first movies to not glamorize mobster life. Still, I've seen so many later such films that were either inspired by this or made by Scorsese, himself, that any novelty was lost on me. Scorsese does make it somewhat watchable with his directing and Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro deliver breakout performances, but they weren't enough for me. I just really like, you know, having a story and, maybe, a little character development. I appreciate that it's a historically significant movie because it was, essentially, the debut of Scorsese, De Niro, Keitel and gritty mob movies, but it fell rather short as a movie for me.

You are spot on. I never quite understood why people hold this in such high regard myself either. It is good for a debut picture, but that is about it.

 

[Osprey]

I just watched it this afternoon. 100% agreed!

What a strange coincidence.

You are spot on. I never quite understood why people hold this in such high regard myself either. It is good for a debut picture, but that is about it.

Yeah, it suggests good things to come from Scorsese, De Niro and Keitel, but it feels to me like much of the praise may be based on what those would go on to do in better movies.

 

[kihei]

You are spot on. I never quite understood why people hold this in such high regard myself either. It is good for a debut picture, but that is about it.

I loved it; still do. There is a lot going on there about Catholic guilt, and Keitel and De Niro's interplay I thought endlessly fascinating. For me Mean Streets feels full of life and risk and what the hell do you do when you have a crazy friend. The milieu felt much more authentic to me than I usually get in gangster movies, too. Thumbs way, way up for me.

 

[ORRFForever]

Mean Streets (1973) - 4/10 (Disliked it)

I expected more from this supposed classic. Scorsese's first big movie is like a lot of his later ones, especially the mobster ones, but more barebones and boring. There's hardly any plot, just two hours of Italian-Americans joking, cursing and shouting. I take it from what I'm reading that this was fresh in 1973 because it was one of the first movies to not glamorize mobster life. Still, I've seen so many later such films that were either inspired by this or made by Scorsese, himself, that any novelty was lost on me. Scorsese does make it somewhat watchable with his directing and Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro deliver breakout performances, but they weren't enough for me. I just really like having a story and, maybe, a little character development. I appreciate that it's a historically significant movie because it was, essentially, the debut of Scorsese, De Niro, Keitel and gritty mob movies, but it fell rather short as a movie for me.

I saw it once, many years ago, and I was disappointed, too.

 

[nameless1]

In the Beatles song The Fool on The Hill, the fool is disliked and ostracized by his community because he is misunderstood, but the fool just goes his own way, since he knows he is right, and the people are the fools. Unfortunately, in real life, the fool does not have a happy ending. Instead, that wisdom will likely leads to his ultimate demise, as Yuri Bykov brilliantly shows in his Russian drama The Fool.

Set within 12 hours or so in a small Russian town, the film is a microcosm of the deep systematic corruption within the Russian state. The dissolution of the Soviet state and the subsequent economic turmoil of the 90s still haunts the people, and as a result, everyone wants to get his or her pie by all means necessary. In this dog eat dog world, only the most selfish and immoral survives, and everyone else is just a means to an end. One can try to get through the world as an upright citizen with a moral code, but even with the most basic sense of moral, he or she is destined to fail. At best, as the father of the protagonist demonstrates, he or she has neither friend or enemy, but also receives the brunt of resentment from those who wants a better life. At worst, and the most likely outcome, he or she will be silenced forever, in order for the benefactors to continue to reap from the corrupt system. That is just the middle management too, so one can imagine just how much more ruthless and corrupt the real rulers of the country will be.

I really enjoyed the cinematography of the film. It uses long takes, but because the camera is never stationary, the pace never feels slow at all. Additionally, the audience gets to see all sides of the set pieces, and all the moving parts within, and as a result, there is a sense of realism, as they feel like they are right in the middle of the story. I also appreciate the economic use of music, as there are only three obvious places where music is used, and that only enhance the realism. That is only possible, because of the great script, written by the director himself.

The best part of the movie is the ending, which punctuates the message that the director wants to convey. The people in Russia are so beaten and worn down by the system, that even when there is salvation, they can not recognize it. Instead, they reject it, and walk right back to their doom. That is a chilling and devastating thought, and that perfect gut punch is the hallmark of a great movie. Intentionally or not, it also makes me appreciate the title, because I see it as a modern update of sorts to Dostoevsky's The Idiot too.

Contemporary Russian films are often very hit-and-miss. Most of the time I am bored by them, but once in a while, there is a gem, and The Fool is definitely on of those. Putin fully controls the media and the message, but it is not a foolproof system, and the audience will still get pointed films that highlights the failures of the state. Those, unfortunately, are few and far in between. Additionally, the corruption and tragedy in these films are so ubiquitous throughout all levels of the society, that the films, in turn, unintentionally lose some sense of realism, because the scenarios does not seem possible at all. The audience feel so powerless against the endless sadness, that they likely will choose inaction and indifference instead. Personally, I have it as an 8/10, because I see it as a powerful condemnation of the corruption in an authoritative state, but I can see how these films can be hard for people to watch.

 

[nameless1]

I loved it; still do. There is a lot going on there about Catholic guilt, and Keitel and De Niro's interplay I thought endlessly fascinating. For me Mean Streets feels full of life and risk and what the hell do you do when you have a crazy friend. The milieu felt much more authentic to me than I usually get in gangster movies, too. Thumbs way, way up for me.

Yeah, that is fair. I am likely bored because the motif is so used and copied by the time I saw it, but I cannot deny its influence. In fact, Wong Kar-wai's As Tears Goes By is basically a direct re-make of it, only with the addition of his own distinct style that he has not fully developed yet. I actually saw Wong's version first, but I was already bored by it, plot-wise. That poor first impression may have ultimately doomed Mean Streets for me.

 

[ORRFForever]

I loved it; still do. There is a lot going on there about Catholic guilt, and Keitel and De Niro's interplay I thought endlessly fascinating. For me Mean Streets feels full of life and risk and what the hell do you do when you have a crazy friend. The milieu felt much more authentic to me than I usually get in gangster movies, too. Thumbs way, way up for me.

I'll have to look up the Catholic guilt stuff. That's right up my alley.

 

[ORRFForever]

Yeah, that is fair. I am likely bored because the motif is so used and copied by the time I saw it, but I cannot deny its influence. In fact, Wong Kar-wai's As Tears Goes By is basically a direct re-make of it, only with the addition of his own distinct style that he has not fully developed yet. I actually saw Wong's version first, but I was already bored by it, plot-wise. That poor first impression may have ultimately doomed Mean Streets for me.

I just saw it as an amateurish version of his later superior stuff.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Mean Streets is the third best Scorcese movie after The King of Comedy and Raging Bull.

 

[ORRFForever]

Agreed. It's the least authentic gangster film I've ever seen. Scorcese obviously didn't do his homework.

Event the acting was meh.

 

[ORRFForever]

The King of Comedy is another stinker.

I disagree with you on this one, my fellow Irishman.

 

[Ben Grimm]

Event the acting was meh.

Agreed. DeNiro's character was supposed to be childish and annoying, but the script and his acting took the screw you behavior too far. You have to be pretty naive and living in an ivory tower to think that he would have lived so long. Extremely inauthentic.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

The King of Comedy is another stinker.

What didn't you like about it? I think it's just about perfect. The mixture of heedless and desperation in an almost inoffensive way is superb. Weirdly and humorously prescient. The greatest female comic performance on film too.

 

[Ben Grimm]

What didn't you like about it? I think it's just about perfect. The mixture of heedless and desperation in an almost inoffensive way is superb. The greatest female comic performance on film too.

I'm probably wrong.