Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Part#: Some High Number +5

[ItsFineImFine]

Primal Fear (1996) - 8/10

Few better locations than 90s Chicago you could pick out for this sort of film. Richard Gere is an enjoyable watch and I like Laura Linney even though I've seen her do this same thing in other films which weren't even the same genre. Come to think of it, much of this movie's first hour I felt like I'd already seen because it's just been used so much and probably wasn't fresh at the time either. It does come together nicely though as the trial progresses, it's just that final scene with Edward Norton which I could have done without.

Oh and Marty Crane is in this and so is Captain Holt.

edit: 1996 looks like another dud year for Hollywood. This, Fargo, and Sling Blade are very good. Happy Gilmore, Braking The Waves, Citizen Ruth, and Jerry Maguire are decent but not great. And what I have on my wish-list is not particularly good looking unless you start counting foreign films.

 

[kihei]

Stalag 17 (1953) - 8/10

It's not quite The Great Escape, and it has a couple of characters which make it unnecessarily tedious in parts, plus it probably should've been a 90 minute tightly paced film and Billy Wilder's direction is a bit too zany, but he manages to mix it quite well with a POW WW2 film.

I have a big soft spot for this film. And I really like William Holden in it. He is sometimes Hollywood's forgotten star, but he was a fine actor in a variety roles.

 

[Osprey]

I have a big soft spot for this film. And I really like William Holden in it. He is sometimes Hollywood's forgotten star, but he was a fine actor in a variety roles.

I do, as well, especially because it shows Christmas in a POW camp, two things that I like put together. In fact, I just have a soft spot for POW movies in general. I even sort of liked that one with Bruce Willis that everyone else seems to hate /shrug.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Primal Fear (1996) - 8/10

Few better locations than 90s Chicago you could pick out for this sort of film. Richard Gere is an enjoyable watch and I like Laura Linney even though I've seen her do this same thing in other films which weren't even the same genre. Come to think of it, much of this movie's first hour I felt like I'd already seen because it's just been used so much and probably wasn't fresh at the time either. It does come together nicely though as the trial progresses, it's just that final scene with Edward Norton which I could have done without.

Oh and Marty Crane is in this and so is Captain Holt.

edit: 1996 looks like another dud year for Hollywood. This, Fargo, and Sling Blade are very good. Happy Gilmore, Braking The Waves, Citizen Ruth, and Jerry Maguire are decent but not great. And what I have on my wish-list is not particularly good looking unless you start counting foreign films.

Good movie. This was Norton’s first film. Impressive performance for his first movie. I’m surprised to hear you say you didn’t like Norton’s final scene. How come?

 

[ORRFForever]

Let It Snow (2020):

A serial killer on a snowmobile chases Scarlett Johansson lookalike Ivanna Sakhno up and down the slopes. Thankfully her "ugly-American" boyfriend gets killed early.

Lots of flashbacks and Christian symbolism. The scenery is beautiful.
4/10

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Project Power

with Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback (who I've never heard of before but she ends up being the main character), and various other people.

Strange, subversive drug dealers let loose an experimental drug on the good folks of New Orleans; it's "power" in pill form. Take one pill, and for five minutes you gain some weird superpower. Maybe you gain super-strength or super-speed. Maybe you develop chameleon powers, or become invulnerable, or turn into the human torch. Or maybe you just explode. Depends on you. Oddly, there's no shortage of punters willing to test their luck, and young, black teenage Robin (Fishback) is hustling to meet demand. Her cousin Newt was part of the initial party who got in on dealing Power on the ground floor, but in barrels Jamie Foxx as The Major. He's tough, pissed, and looking for the evil drug people who took his daughter. Also on Robin's radar is Gordon-Levitt as a cop looking to shut down the drug trade. Much stupidity happens.

The superpowers in pill form idea isn't a bad one, but one wonders if Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt lost a bet or just got bored on pandemic lockdown or something to do this. Idiotic lapses of logic and continuity abound. JGL tries on what he seems to think is a Louisiana accent and fails. It's always weird in action movies when someone's relationship status goes from: "You kidnapped me, killed a guy in front of me then threatened to kill my family..." to "We're BFFs and I'll lay down my life to help you get your missing daughter back!" in the space of a single day.

On Netflix.

Don't try this at home. Don't watch it at home, either.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

And now my wife's watching the new Invisible Man remake with Elisabeth Moss. Really stupid. Worse than Hollow Man, and that wasn't exactly a high bar to clear.

 

[kihei]

I do, as well, especially because it shows Christmas in a POW camp, two things that I like put together. In fact, I just have a soft spot for POW movies in general. I even sort of liked that one with Bruce Willis that everyone else seems to hate /shrug.

I gotta ask the obvious question. Have you seen Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence?

 

[kihei]

A Faithful Man (2019) Directed by Louis Garrel 7A

A Faithful Man is a smart hybrid comedy, romance, mystery, drama about a situation that could only take place on a stage or a movie screen. Abel is the partner of Marianne and the best friend of Paul. Abel’s happy life is upended when Marianne tells Abel that she is having Paul’s baby and moving in with him. This being a French movie, Abel has a nosebleed but otherwise reacts calmly to the news. He moves out. Live goes on and nine years later, Paul dies. Abel and Marianne move back in together, but then Joseph, Marianne’s now nine-year-old son, tells Abel in confidence that Marianne killed Paul. While this is going on, Paul’s sister Eve decides to act upon her lifelong crush on Abel and tries to lure him away from Marianne. Marianne responds but in an unexpected way--she suggests Abel should have a fling with Eve and see what happens. And round and round and round we go. I was always looking at these faces and wondering what are they really thinking? Are they really what they seem? A Faithful Man is not your standard-issue romantic comedy by any means. The movie has three explicit narrators, plus the kid’s point of view, and all of them have a different take on the situation. The movie held my attention from the first minute to the last and seemed to go by in a flash. The convolutions are very much concocted but so is Cherries Jubilee. Though opinion certainly seems to be divided on this film, I found A Faithful Man. not exactly art for art's sake, but a clever movie for the sake of a clever movie.

subtitles

MUBI

 

[Osprey]

I gotta ask the obvious question. Have you seen Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence?

I probably have because the title is familiar and I watched so many war-themed movies in the 80s and 90s, but it's one that I forgot all about and just the kind of movie that that I was hoping to be reminded of. I'll definitely put it on my list to watch, probably a bit closer to Christmas. Thanks a lot.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

I just realized that Primal Fear was the third multiple/split personality film I saw involving Edward Norton. There was also Fight Club and The Hulk, probably has another in his filmography.

 

[kihei]

I probably have because the title is familiar and I watched so many war-themed movies in the 80s and 90s, but it's one that I forgot all about and just the kind of movie that that I was hoping to be reminded of. I'll definitely put it on my list to watch, probably a bit closer to Christmas. Thanks a lot.

If you can find it, seek out The McKenzie Break (1970) with Brian Keith doing a lovely Irish accent as the commandant of a prison camp in Scotland with German soldiers as the POWs. He matches wits in a cat and mouse game with the German commander. It seems to be re-releasing on streaming channels for some reaon. It's got a low score on IMDb (6.2) probably because of the ending which I thought was absolutely perfect. It is not in the same class as The Great Escape but it is sort of the same situation the other way around. Keith is worth the price of admission alone.

 

[Osprey]

If you can find it, seek out The McKenzie Break (1970) with Brian Keith doing a lovely Irish accent as the commandant of a prison camp in Scotland with German soldiers as the POWs. He matches wits in a cat and mouse game with the German commander. It seems to be re-releasing on streaming channels for some reaon. It's got a low score on IMDb (6.2) probably because of the ending which I thought was absolutely perfect. It is not in the same class as The Great Escape but it is sort of the same situation the other way around. Keith is worth the price of admission alone.

Thanks. That's another that I think that I saw a long, long time ago but don't remember anything about except the Irish accent. I'll watch it again if I get the chance.

It does have a memorable poster:

Spoiler

 

[Langdon Alger]

Die Hard - 1988

Come on you know what’s this movies about. I don’t need to explain it. Yippee ki yay motherf***ers!

8/10

 

[Osprey]

Crimewave (1986) - 5/10 (Didn't like or dislike it)

A couple of maniac killers with funny voices are on the loose in this wacky comedy written by the Coen brothers and directed by Sam Raimi. That combination sounds like it couldn't miss, but it ended up being such a flop that it's impressive that it didn't ruin their careers. It's essentially a live action cartoon that, unfortunately, is mostly unfunny. It reminded me a little bit of the 1980 Popeye film in that regard. There are some situations and jokes that I found amusing, but most didn't generate a smile, much less a laugh. Still, at least it tries and is silly enough that it kept my attention. Bruce Campbell in a supporting role as a wisecracking womanizer and Brion James as one of the killers were highlights for me and made the film more watchable whenever they were on screen. It was also interesting to occasionally spot some of Sam Raimi's trademarks (especially the camerawork). I really couldn't identify much of a Coen influence, since slapstick seems like the opposite of their usual brand of humor. I suspect that, more than anything, they wrote a script to suit their friend Raimi (neat fact: Joel Coen was an editor on The Evil Dead). I did warm up to the film a little bit by the end, so maybe I would like it better on a re-watch, but I can't recommend it. It's probably worth watching only if you're a fan of Sam Raimi, the Coen brothers and/or Bruce Campbell and want to see a rare misfire from early in their careers. If you're such a person, you can watch it for free on IMDb TV (registration required).

 

[kihei]

Blood of My Blood (2015) Directed by Marco Belloccio 7D

Since his audacious debut in 1965 with A Fist in My Pocket, a movie about outlandish family dysfunction taken to homicidal lengths, Italian director Marco Bellocchio has been steadily heading in the direction of making original movies that are nonetheless puzzling in the extreme, of late so much so that they find no audience at all to speak of. Blood of My Blood continues the director’s pursuit of his own vision to the exclusion of any concern for commercial viability. Yet these works are often strikingly alluring. The first half of the movie, set in a 17th century convent, is about the torturing of a woman accused of being in league with the devil. Despite the ordeals imposed upon her by the Catholic monks playing out their own version of the Inquisition, she refuses to confess; her potential lover is too cowardly to help her. Then, in an instant, we switch to the same building in the present where a rich Russian wants to buy it so that he can either build a shelter for cripples or a luxury hotel, he’s not sure which. The city doesn’t want to sell the crumbling estate not because of its tainted history, but because the villa now houses an aging vampire who just doesn’t want to be bothered with moving. The darkly elegant tone of the first story is contrasted with the more loosey-goosey, comic progression of the second story. Despite the fact that the two pieces of the puzzle fit together in only the most tangentially mythological way, Blood of My Blood retains a beautiful, haunting quality that both perplexes and ensnares.

subtitles

MUBI

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Fury (1936) - 7.5/10

If you wanna watch some of the most ridiculous over-the-top court proceedings you'll see on film then tune in here, it's fun. Spencer Tracy also becomes predictably over the top crazy as the film roles on. I actually wonder how well a modern re-make of this would work if they made it darker and grittier, could put a horror angle on it.

Also I've now seen 30 or 31 films from the 30s (with quite a few more I still want to watch) so here is a futile and half-assed attempt at ranking them, I'm fairly confident about the top 3 though. Also all of these are fairly watchable even the ones at the bottom of the list, none of them were bad, it's just that I wouldn't give any of them say an 8/10 or higher outside of the first three.

Oh and it doesn't include horror films cos I'm a p***y or silent films cos those are so 1920's.

1	M (1931)
2	Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
3	Trouble in Paradise (1932)
4	The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)
5	The Lady Vanishes (1938)
6	The 39 Steps (1935)
7	My Man Godfrey (1936)
8	Port of Shadows (1938)
9	Captain Blood (1935)
10	Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
11	I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
12	Dodsworth (1936)
13	The Roaring Twenties (1939)
14	The Rules of the Game (1939)
15	Fury (1936)
16	Ninotchka (1939)
17	One Way Passage (1932)
18	La Bête humaine (1938)
19	It Happened One Night (1934)
20	Only Angels Have Wings (1939)
21	Grand Illusion (1937)
22	The Thin Man (1934)
23	L'Atalante (1934)
24	The Awful Truth (1937)
25	Stagecoach (1939)
26	All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
27	Bringing Up Baby (1938)
28	The Only Son (1936)
29	Design for Living (1933)
30	Wuthering Heights (1939)

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[McOilers97]

This weekend I watched:

Scarface - Brian De Palma 1983
Obviously one of the most quoted and influential gangster/crime movies of all-time. I enjoyed it quite a bit, as I like how Pacino really made the character his own (in a way that few can). I wouldn't call it a masterpiece or anything, but for such a long movie it's actually a pretty fun watch.

American History X - Tony Kaye 1998
I really loved this movie. Edward Norton's performance was totally captivating and despite the awful things we see Derek do, I couldn't help but like him. A really well-written story, and my takeaway is that despite the awful things that people do, nobody is irredeemable. I loved it even more for the fact that it feels so relevant concerning the racial tensions south of the border, which are about as bad as they've ever been.

 

[Langdon Alger]

American History X - Tony Kaye 1998
I really loved this movie. Edward Norton's performance was totally captivating and despite the awful things we see Derek do, I couldn't help but like him. A really well-written story, and my takeaway is that despite the awful things that people do, nobody is irredeemable. I loved it even more for the fact that it feels so relevant concerning the racial tensions south of the border, which are about as bad as they've ever been.

I need to re-watch this at some point. When I do, I’ll post my thoughts.

 

[NyQuil]

American History X - Tony Kaye 1998
I really loved this movie. Edward Norton's performance was totally captivating and despite the awful things we see Derek do, I couldn't help but like him. A really well-written story, and my takeaway is that despite the awful things that people do, nobody is irredeemable. I loved it even more for the fact that it feels so relevant concerning the racial tensions south of the border, which are about as bad as they've ever been.

I watched this again recently and it really is a stunning achievement for a film.

For one, we are only really privy to the Derek Vinyard that emerges from prison. Despite his care and attention for his siblings and mother, there's a simmering layer of tension beneath where they are still actually physically uncomfortable around him and seemingly afraid of him.

It creates sympathy for him in a manner that probably would not have taken place if it had started with him already brainwashed into white superiority belief.

It's the flashbacks that offer candid snapshots of the old Derek, but you can still get a sense for his former character by the reactions of the other people in the film that he encounters in the present, whether they are Nazis or not.

These reactions are honest because he's only just gotten out of prison and virtually no one understands the epiphany he experienced while in there. It gives the audience insight into Vinyard without explicitly showing it to any massive degree.

Those flashbacks that are shown represent key culminations of behaviour or thought rather than the day-to-day terror of living with a hateful person.

There's a weariness to the present associated with muted colours and run-down surroundings, with the flashbacks standing out in pure and epic black and white clarity - begging the question of whether these are artificially grandiose and unreliable memories subject to the prejudices of the observer.

Interesting follow-up to come:

Djimon Hounsou Joins Tony Kaye’s ‘African History Y’ – Deadline

 

[Spring in Fialta]

My wife loved Barton Fink. She likes folk music. I largely don't. We watched Inside Llewyn Davis. Cratered for me. Found it boring and its characters meaningless, especially against such a self-important backdrop. Major thumbs down for me.

 

[Osprey]

If you can find it, seek out The McKenzie Break (1970) with Brian Keith doing a lovely Irish accent as the commandant of a prison camp in Scotland with German soldiers as the POWs. He matches wits in a cat and mouse game with the German commander. It seems to be re-releasing on streaming channels for some reaon. It's got a low score on IMDb (6.2) probably because of the ending which I thought was absolutely perfect. It is not in the same class as The Great Escape but it is sort of the same situation the other way around. Keith is worth the price of admission alone.

I just watched it. It brought back a memory of how initially confused I was when I first saw it and wondered why the Brits were acting like they owned the camp and the Germans were letting them get away with it . I can't really say that I liked it, but not because of the ending, which I thought was perfectly fine. It's just kind of a dreary, not-so-exciting movie, especially compared to the fantastically entertaining The Great Escape, but it's still interesting and unique because it's one of the very few POW movies that's the other way around. I'd probably give it a 5/10. I may not have really enjoyed it, but I'm glad that you reminded me of it and that I watched it again.

 

[Osprey]

LX 2048 (2020) - 7/10 (Really liked it)

In the unimaginable near future, protection must be worn when outside, physical contact with other humans is rare and most business and meetings are conducted virtually. As if times aren't hard enough, Adam (James D'Arcy) has a job that he's in danger of losing, kids that he barely talks to, a wife who hates him and wants a divorce... and, oh yeah, he's also dying... but at least he still has his virtual girlfriend half his age. In his desperation, he seeks out a tech inventor (Delroy Lindo) who pioneered human cloning and may be able to help. This sci-fi is like a slightly more perverse Her crossed with Gattaca or Blade Runner (D'Arcy even occasionally looks like Harrison Ford). The first half is a bit depressing, as Adam sinks further and further, but then it turns on a dime and the last half is very funny. Suffice to say, things don't turn out the way that he (or I) imagined. D'Arcy is terrific in this and the other actors are good, as well. It's a small-scale sci-fi that spans only a handful of locations and relies on concepts, dialogue and humor, not action or special effects. If you enjoy sci-fi like that, I recommend it. It's somewhat timely, as well. It's available for rent on YouTube and iTunes.

 

[kihei]

Fists in the Pocket (1965) Directed by Marco Bellocchio 7A

Augusto is planning to get married, but he can't do so because he, as the elder son, is trapped in a family of misfits who are nonetheless totally dependent upon him, His aged mother is blind; his slightly younger brother Alessandro suffers from epilepsy and is greatly discontent with his life, virtually squirming in his own skin. There is a vain sister and a mentally challenged younger brother as well. Non are happy with their meager, though largely self-inflicted, lot in life. Alessandro decides to take pity on Augusto by driving himself and the other members of the family over a cliff. Turns out he can't do it. Full of self-loathing, he finds another solution: he pushes his blind mother off a cliff. The youngest brother, vulnerable as he is, may be next. While there were dysfunctional families in Italian cinema before this--Divorce, Italian Style and Rocco and His Brothers come to mind--Italy had never seen anything like Fists in the Pocket. If you had twisted the plot just a quarter of a turn, Fists in the Pocket could have been a comedy, but a young Marco Bellocchio plays the story absolutely straight. Somehow he manages to invest each of these characters with a distinctly watchable personality, and he gets a marvelous performance from Lou Cassel as the deeply warped Alessandro. As first movie goes, Fists in the Pocket made for an auspicious debut by a director with a gift for challenging the constraints of Italian cinema to this day.

subtitles

Criterion Channel

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Bloodshot (Wilson, 2020) - 3/10

Lucy (Besson, 2014) - 3/10

Captain Fantastic (Ross, 2016) - 5/10

Not much to say. The first two could have been made a lot better, they both had some cool ideas, but no vision. Captain Fantastic was refreshing.