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

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

If I want to look at naked women, I can always just watch actual adult entertainment.

Where you'll actually find numerous better films than MILF.

 

[nameless1]

Where you'll actually find numerous better films than MILF.

That is why I go for the Land of the Rising Sun. They actually try to put a plot in.


Now, whether or not the plot is repetitive is another question, but at the very least, I appreciate the effort.

 

[Osprey]

Haywire (2011) - 3/10 (Really disliked it)

A Best Director winner (Steven Soderbergh) and an all-star cast (Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas and Michael Douglas) all chip in to try to help an MMA fighter-turned-actress (Gina Carano) look good in this cliched revenge thriller. You would think, with all of the pedigree behind it, that this would be a slick-looking, high-budget 'A' movie. Instead, it looks like a low-budget, straight-to-video movie. The big-name stars seem like they're going through the motions to collect paychecks and even Soderbergh appears to be putting in minimal effort. I wish that I could say that at least Carano shines, but it's pretty clear that she's not an actress (yet). She does her own stunts, which is nice, but isn't as impressive as it sounds because we're talking mostly just kicks, punches and takedowns. Outside of a half dozen fights, she doesn't have much to do in the movie. In fact, she's in really only half of it because the other half is split between the other stars. It felt like a movie tailored to a fighter-turned-actress by limiting her screen time outside of action scenes. As for the plot, I found it uninteresting, got bored and stopped paying attention. For a "thriller," I really didn't find it thrilling, not even during the action scenes, which are pretty tame. Anyways, watching this was a strange experience because it was hard to reconcile how much like a 'B' movie (the bad kind) it appeared despite the acclaimed director and all-star cast. If you're curious, you can watch it on Tubi for free or on Netflix, but I don't recommend it.

 

[kihei]

Psychokinesis (2019) Directed by Yeon Sang-ho 6A

When Shin (Ryu Seung-ryong in a Song Kang-ho type role), a harmless schmuck of a security guard, develops mysterious powers after sipping contaminated spring water, his whole life changes. Estranged from his daughter Roo-mi since childhood, he goes to her aid when he learns that his ex-wife has been killed by company thugs while defending Roo-mi’s fried chicken restaurant. At first his daughter rejects his help, but soon his newfound kinetic super powers become the neighbourhood’s best defense against a heartless corporate takeover. Director Yeon Sang-ho’s last film was the zombie thriller Train to Busan and anyone looking for a repeat of that kind of experience will be disappointed. Yeon replaces the sheer visceral wallop of that film with a more comic, more whimsical take on the superhero genre and on corporate greed. Yeon seems to be working his way through common genres just like Bong Joon-ho (Parasite; Snowpiercer; Memories of Murder; Mother) did before him. And Yeon’s directing skills are at a similar level with Bong’s, so it will be fun to see what he does next. This was the first time in a long time that I really enjoyed the special effects in a movie. Psychokinesis certainly doesn’t deliver the viscera thrills that Train to Busan did—it is more humorous and lightweight. So, I’m afraid people will ignore this movie because it doesn’t deliver what Train to Busan did, but Psychokinesis is a very fresh and likeable take on a tired genre. South Korea continues to produce more original genre movies than its Hollywood counterparts.

subtitles

Netflix

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Seven Samurai (1954) 9/10

This was my first Kurosawa film and I absolutely loved it. After playing Ghost of Tsushima on PS4 I have been reading more about Japanese culture and decided I would check out the King of Japanese cinema. I thought that this movie would be a little bit hard to "consume", given that I've never watched a traditional Japanese film, or many films from the 1950s. However I found that it was just as easy to watch as any contemporary movie, assuming that the viewer is comfortable with subtitles.

I found the story was pretty inspired, characters were mostly very relatable, and I just genuinely enjoyed pretty much every aspect of this movie. I thought that the romantic interactions between Shino and Katsushirō were a bit odd, but not exactly a major issue. Despite being about 3 and a half hours long, I found myself wanting it to keep going by the end. The ending was emotionally moving, but not predictable, and I imagine that it is fairly realistic to how many battles ended.

Very much looking forward to watching more Kurosawa films and am open to suggestions of which films of his are must-see.

 

[ORRFForever]

Seven Samurai (1954) 9/10

This was my first Kurosawa film and I absolutely loved it. After playing Ghost of Tsushima on PS4 I have been reading more about Japanese culture and decided I would check out the King of Japanese cinema. I thought that this movie would be a little bit hard to "consume", given that I've never watched a traditional Japanese film, or many films from the 1950s. However I found that it was just as easy to watch as any contemporary movie, assuming that the viewer is comfortable with subtitles.

I found the story was pretty inspired, characters were mostly very relatable, and I just genuinely enjoyed pretty much every aspect of this movie. I thought that the romantic interactions between Shino and Katsushirō were a bit odd, but not exactly a major issue. Despite being about 3 and a half hours long, I found myself wanting it to keep going by the end. The ending was emotionally moving, but not predictable, and I imagine that it is fairly realistic to how many battles ended.

Very much looking forward to watching more Kurosawa films and am open to suggestions of which films of his are must-see.

Yes. I saw it many years ago and I was amazed how wonderful a movie it was.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Yes. I saw it many years ago and I was amazed how wonderful a movie it was.

I really can't get over how much I enjoyed it. I thought it would be kind of cheesy, maybe even to the point of being somewhat funny, but it is just genuinely a great movie. Definitely stands the test of time, even for someone who has never seen a film like that.

 

[ORRFForever]

I really can't get over how much I enjoyed it. I thought it would be kind of cheesy, maybe even to the point of being somewhat funny, but it is just genuinely a great movie. Definitely stands the test of time, even for someone who has never seen a film like that.

Amen. I agree, 100%.

 

[Osprey]

One of my more memorable theater experiences was getting to watch Seven Samurai on the big screen, oh, about 15 years ago, and seeing how into a 50-year-old, subtitled, black and white film the crowd of mostly young people was.

Very much looking forward to watching more Kurosawa films and am open to suggestions of which films of his are must-see.

I recommend starting with:

Rashomon (1950) - Brought Kurosawa worldwide attention. More of a courtroom drama than action movie, but such an influential one that it coined the term "Rashomon effect" to refer to the unreliability of eye witnesses.
The Hidden Fortress (1958) - Strongly influenced George Lucas in making Star Wars. Fun to spot the similarities, like the C3PO and R2D2 inspirations and even the scene transition wipes.
Yojimbo (1961) - Re-made as the Western classic A Fistful of Dollars. A rare case where both the original and remake are excellent.
Sanjuro (1962) - Sequel to Yojimbo
Ran (1985) - Kurosawa's last Samurai epic (in color!)

There are many other very good movies from Kurosawa, but those are his most popular period/Samurai films and what you may be more immediately interested in after watching Seven Samurai.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Last night I watched Halloween for the first time. Didn’t find it that scary. Creepy, sure. Maybe it was scary when it came out. Decent movie, nothing more.

6/10

 

[Rodgerwilco]

One of my more memorable theater experiences was getting to watch Seven Samurai on the big screen, oh, about 15 years ago, and seeing how into a 50-year-old, subtitled, black and white film the crowd of mostly young people was.


I recommend:

Rashomon (1950) - Brought Kurosawa worldwide attention. It's more of a courtroom drama than an action movie, just FYI, but such an influential one that the term "Rashomon effect" has come to be used even outside of film studies to refer to the unreliability of eye witnesses.
The Hidden Fortress (1958) - Strongly influenced George Lucas in writing Star Wars. Fun to spot the similarities, like the C3PO and R2D2 inspirations and even the scene transition wipes we tend to think that Lucas invented... nope, he stole the technique from Kurosawa.
Yojimbo (1961) - Re-made as the Western classic A Fistful of Dollars. A rare case where both the original and remake are excellent
Sanjuro (1962) - Sequel to Yojimbo
Ran (1985) - Kurosawa's last Samurai epic (in color!)

There are many other good movies from Kurosawa, but those period/Samurai films are his most popular and what you may be more immediately interested in after watching Seven Samurai.

Yojimbo is next on my list, a handful of others recommended it to me too. I plan to stick with the samurai films before branching into his other work.

 

[nameless1]

Seven Samurai (1954) 9/10

This was my first Kurosawa film and I absolutely loved it. After playing Ghost of Tsushima on PS4 I have been reading more about Japanese culture and decided I would check out the King of Japanese cinema. I thought that this movie would be a little bit hard to "consume", given that I've never watched a traditional Japanese film, or many films from the 1950s. However I found that it was just as easy to watch as any contemporary movie, assuming that the viewer is comfortable with subtitles.

I found the story was pretty inspired, characters were mostly very relatable, and I just genuinely enjoyed pretty much every aspect of this movie. I thought that the romantic interactions between Shino and Katsushirō were a bit odd, but not exactly a major issue. Despite being about 3 and a half hours long, I found myself wanting it to keep going by the end. The ending was emotionally moving, but not predictable, and I imagine that it is fairly realistic to how many battles ended.

Very much looking forward to watching more Kurosawa films and am open to suggestions of which films of his are must-see.

That is a great introduction to Kurosawa. Honestly, all his films are worth a watch, because he is one of the few directors who has multiple masterpieces under his belt. Scorsese himself counted 8. Also, he is probably the best adapter of Shakespeare's works. Somehow, he can put them in an Asian setting, and they still feel very fresh.

Other than Seven Samurai, my favourites are:
Ikiru
High and Low
The Bad Sleeps Well
Yojimbo
Sanjuro
Throne of Blood
The Hidden Fortress
Red Beard
Kangemusha
Ran

One tier below:
Stray Dogs
Drunken Angel

Other notable works include Rashomon and Dersu Uzala, but those are not my favourites. I have Rashomon as one of his minor works myself, to be honest, but that is mostly a question of personal preference. Of course, they are still worth a look though, because even the worst Kurosawa movie can still be another director's magnum opus.

 

[kihei]

That is a great introduction to Kurosawa. Honestly, all his films are worth a watch, because he is one of the few directors who has multiple masterpieces under his belt. Scorsese himself counted 8. Also, he is probably the best adapter of Shakespeare's works. Somehow, he can put them in an Asian setting, and they still feel very fresh.

Other than Seven Samurai, my favourites are:
Ikiru
High and Low
The Bad Sleeps Well
Yojimbo
Sanjuro
Throne of Blood
The Hidden Fortress
Red Beard
Drunken Angel
Kangemusha
Ran

Other notable works include Rashomon, Stray Dogs and Dersu Uzala, but those are not my favourites. I have Rashomon as one of his minor works myself, to be honest, but that is mostly a question of personal preference. Of course, they are still worth a look though, because even the worst Kurosawa movie can still be another director's magnum opus.

Fine list. I'm just surprised as can be that you consider Rashomon a minor work as it would top my list.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

That is a great introduction to Kurosawa. Honestly, all his films are worth a watch, because he is one of the few directors who has multiple masterpieces under his belt. Scorsese himself counted 8. Also, he is probably the best adapter of Shakespeare's works. Somehow, he can put them in an Asian setting, and they still feel very fresh.

Other than Seven Samurai, my favourites are:
Ikiru
High and Low
The Bad Sleeps Well
Yojimbo
Sanjuro
Throne of Blood
The Hidden Fortress
Red Beard
Drunken Angel
Kangemusha
Ran

Other notable works include Rashomon, Stray Dogs and Dersu Uzala, but those are not my favourites. I have Rashomon as one of his minor works myself, to be honest, but that is mostly a question of personal preference. Of course, they are still worth a look though, because even the worst Kurosawa movie can still be another director's magnum opus.

Thank you for the recommendations. I've put Yojimbo and Throne of Blood on my list already. I've never been a big person who really focuses too much with the director of films, but I'm looking very forward to seeing more of his work.

 

[Osprey]

Radioactive (2019) - 4/10 (Disliked it)

This biopic chronicles the meeting and collaboration of Marie Curie (Rosamund Pike) and her husband (Sam Riley) as they pioneer radioactivity and win recognition. It's formulaic, but I somewhat liked the promising first half, which is focused on the science and the couple's love story. Unfortunately, that was ruined by the second half, which I found to be disjointed, sad, cynical and soapboxy. It unwittingly portrays Curie in an unflattering light and her discoveries as leading to more suffering than healing. When it was over, I wasn't left with the good feeling (that the subject was suitably honored) that you'd expect from such a biopic. Others might have a different reaction, though. I can't recommend it, but it's on Amazon Prime if you want to try it out for yourself.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Fine list. I'm just surprised as can be that you consider Rashomon a minor work as it would top my list.

I love Rashomon but I 100 percent get it. I think I have similar, reverse thing where I think that Lolita, which is considered a minor work of Kubrick, tops my own list (and really, essentially all of cinema save one film) ahead of the rest of his filmography.

 

[kihei]

Echo (2019) Directed by Runar Runarsson 7B

Echo consists of 56 short vignettes of Icelanders going about their business at Christmas time. The vignettes are definitely staged—this is not a documentary or some kind of travelogue. In summation, we get a quirky but distinctive picture of Iceland and some of its people. Watching Echo, and the approach that director Runar Runarsson takes, I found that it helped me immensely that I was familiar with the work of oddball Swedish director Roy Andersson who uses the vignette approach to create a visually distinctive, slightly out-of-kilter world populated by Swedes for whom the world is ever so slightly out to get them. Andersson’s wonderful creations are darkly comic, often in alarming ways. There is not as such humour in Echo, yet the feel of the two directors is remarkably similar. While a scene of a grumpy man pissing off his family while trying to buy a Christmas tree and a scene of a funeral director taking a phone call while trying to set up an infant’s funeral are right in Anderson’s wheelhouse, most of the scenes in Echo make little points and then just move on. Despite the fact that Echo is a fictional work, though a closely observed one, we view Iceland as a mosaic of impressions, not as some comfortably defined, monolithic entity. It is an interesting approach to film making, but it takes a little getting used to.

subtitles

MUBI

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Candy (Marquand, 1968) - psychedelic n'importe quoi with a dolled-up objectified 18y/o Swede as the main character, you'd think I'd love that. Ringo Starr, Charles Aznavour, Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, etc... 4/10

Blitz (Lester, 2011) - It is what it is (I was pleasantly surprised to see the moron en chef use my catch-phrase this week). I'm giving this one a 0.5 extra just to make it a little ahead of the next masterpiece. 3.5/10

Replicant (Lam, 2001) - That too. 3/10

Landmine Goes Click (Bakhia, 2015) - The title was so dumb, the premise was so dumb, I had to check it out. I have no idea what happened with the writing/shooting of this film, but the result really is puzzling. They had some pretty good actors and could have end up doing something interesting despite all the dumbness, but it just feels super lazy. It feels like they got stuck with bad improvised scenes, it feels like it skips over chunks of what should be the story... Again, you'd think I'd like that... It's basically a revenge tale, but with repetition and instant regret. Weird film. 2.5/10

 

[nameless1]

Fine list. I'm just surprised as can be that you consider Rashomon a minor work as it would top my list.

I love Rashomon but I 100 percent get it. I think I have similar, reverse thing where I think that Lolita, which is considered a minor work of Kubrick, tops my own list (and really, essentially all of cinema save one film) ahead of the rest of his filmography.

Yeah, it is just a matter of personal preference. I heard so much about it before I even watched the movie, but I felt underwhelmed by it when I finally did. To me, its reputation exaggerates its own actual merit.

Of course, it is a fine film, and it made Kurosawa world-renowned, but to me, it is not as emotionally rich as his later works. The ending is way too black-and-white, even if it is not the director's original intention.

Spoiler

Originally, Kurosawa actually wanted to wait for an overcast sky, but the sun continued to shine, so he had no choice but to film as it was. Personally, I think it would have been a much better choice, as the sun made it far too optimistic, but I do not know if an overcast sky will actually come through on film.

 

[nameless1]

Psychokinesis (2019) Directed by Yeon Sang-ho 6A

When Shin (Ryu Seung-ryong in a Song Kang-ho type role), a harmless schmuck of a security guard, develops mysterious powers after sipping contaminated spring water, his whole life changes. Estranged from his daughter Roo-mi since childhood, he goes to her aid when he learns that his ex-wife has been killed by company thugs while defending Roo-mi’s fried chicken restaurant. At first his daughter rejects his help, but soon his newfound kinetic super powers become the neighbourhood’s best defense against a heartless corporate takeover. Director Yeon Sang-ho’s last film was the zombie thriller Train to Busan and anyone looking for a repeat of that kind of experience will be disappointed. Yeon replaces the sheer visceral wallop of that film with a more comic, more whimsical take on the superhero genre and on corporate greed. Yeon seems to be working his way through common genres just like Bong Joon-ho (Parasite; Snowpiercer; Memories of Murder; Mother) did before him. And Yeon’s directing skills are at a similar level with Bong’s, so it will be fun to see what he does next. This was the first time in a long time that I really enjoyed the special effects in a movie. Psychokinesis certainly doesn’t deliver the viscera thrills that Train to Busan did—it is more humorous and lightweight. So, I’m afraid people will ignore this movie because it doesn’t deliver what Train to Busan did, but Psychokinesis is a very fresh and likeable take on a tired genre. South Korea continues to produce more original genre movies than its Hollywood counterparts.

subtitles

Netflix

Yeah, I went through a couple of Korean action movies the last week or so, and there is nobody better at genre movies than the Koreans right now. They have pretty much perfected a formula, so even the worst one is a fun ride to watch. It is impressive to see how they progressed all these years, from admirers of Hong Kong action cinema, to the forefront of genre filmmakers.

I also found out that they use k-pop choreographers for their zombie movies. That actually makes a lot of sense.

 

[Babe Ruth]

The Red Baron (2008).

Biography of the Red Baron. A very dramatic life, told in a boring way.. A lot of mundane dialog, not enough dogfights. The end comes suddenly and quietly. Seems like such a unique, trailblazing life would garner a better telling.. especially with the available technology to simulate the aerial fighting.. I basically rate it C- type movie.

 

[ORRFForever]

An American Pickle (2020):

If you dislike Seth Rogen, like I dislike Seth Rogen, An American Pickle is torture because it's twice the overacting, twice the loud obnoxiousness, twice the homeliness.

Seth Rogen plays Herschel who, 100 years ago, fell into a pickle vat and was preserved until 2020. There he meets his great grandson and they don't much care for each other - the first 30 minutes is hardly original, but it's fun.

After that, the movie goes down hill. The longer the movie lasts, the steeper the hill. Are there chuckles? Yes, the fish out of water story continues to provide the occasional smile but even those dry up. Are there enough laughs to justify investing 90 minutes of your life? No.

4/10

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Isabel (Almond, 1968) - Thanks to @kihei for sending me after this little gem of cinéma québécois. Really a fascinating find, with somber and disturbing atmosphere, and a very original signature with surprising directing and editing choices (it succeeds at being effectively confusing and disorienting). It works very well as a psychological thriller, and would find very interesting echoes if viewed through the lense of Nicolas Abraham's psychoanalytical theories (with the fear of the cellar, the phantom, and the family secrets). As a scary movie, its build-up is very slow and it peaks a little too early, making the ending a little flat, but it still has at least one scene that could or should have make it a cult object. 8/10


(and Kihei, were you aware that it's considered part of a thematic trilogy, with Act of the Heart and Journey? I'll get the second one, but doubt I can find the third)

 

[kihei]

Isabel (Almond, 1968) - Thanks to @kihei for sending me after this little gem of cinéma québécois. Really a fascinating find, with somber and disturbing atmosphere, and a very original signature with surprising directing and editing choices (it succeeds at being effectively confusing and disorienting). It works very well as a psychological thriller, and would find very interesting echoes if viewed through the lense of Nicolas Abraham's psychoanalytical theories (with the fear of the cellar, the phantom, and the family secrets). As a scary movie, its build-up is very slow and it peaks a little too early, making the ending a little flat, but it still has at least one scene that could or should have make it a cult object. 8/10


(and Kihei, were you aware that it's considered part of a thematic trilogy, with Act of the Heart and Journey? I'll get the second one, but doubt I can find the third)

Whoa. My heart skipped a beat. May I ask where you found it?

Delighted you liked it, and thanks for digging it up. And, no, I wasn't aware it was part of a trilogy. I do remember seeing Act of the Heart and absolutely hating it. There is a decent chance I saw Journey as well and just don't remember it. It was a long time ago in a different lifetime. Never put them together as a trilogy, though, although they all star Bujold, Almond's partner at the time if memory serves. She is in another one of my favourite Quebec films from roughly that period, Kamouraska, by Claude Jutra. Love that movie. Should have been on my list.

 

[kihei]

A Land Imagined (2018) Directed by Siew Hua Yeo 7A

A slow burn mystery within a mystery, A Land Imagined takes place on a giant land reclamation site in Singapore where a Chinese worker goes missing. Lok (Peter Yu), a middle-aged but oddly charismatic detective, searches for this immigrant who in turn was searching for another missing worker, this one from Bangladesh.. The movie begins with the inspector’s search, cuts abruptly to the missing Chinese worker’s search, and then back again to the Singapore detective. Along the way a girl at a computer game arcade figures prominently in the action. The mammoth construction sites by the sea make for eerily photogenic back drops. A Land Imagined is too slow to be called a thriller by the usual standards, but it really riveted my attention effortlessly, thanks to the excellent performances and gorgeous cinematography. Director Siew Hua Yeo has a lot on his mind. In addition to the mystery or mysteries, there is a not so subtle statement about the expendability of immigrant workers and how little any of us give a shit about it. The ending will frustrate some viewers, but it fits perfectly. Siew is a young director to really keep an eye on in the future.

subtitles

Netflix