Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It (Part XXVI)

[silkyjohnson50]

Sleeping With Other People: 5-6/10 Nothing special, but I enjoyed it.

The Visit: ? A coworker accidently spoiled it for me (not fully, but enough so that I pretty much knew what I was watching.) I'm not quite sure how that would have impacted how I viewed the film, but I can't imagine it helped at all so I can't give it an honest rating. I will say that it wouldn't have made a difference in how I felt about the young male actor they choose though. Yeah, I'm an a-hole, but that kid and character combo annoyed me enough to probably have a unfavorable review regardless.

 

[Nalens Oga]

The Killers (1946) - 7.5/10

Pretty much exactly what you want in a noir (the wise-ass detective is missing but the convoluted plot, the visuals, quick dialogue and run-time, and the gorgeous femme fatale are all there). Uses a flashback style for good chunks but doesn't get too bogged down by it. The choice to use a straightforward insurance claims investigator as basically the detective here is slightly odd, you wonder if the film had been better had it been by the perspective of Lancaster or the police detective that comes in later as the focus more. The actor playing the insurance investigator may not be as charismatic as Bogart but I think that this is as good or better than Bogart's Maltese Falcon or The Big Sleep (I found both a bit overrated though good). It only relies on suspense in two parts, the intro and the final climax which I found interesting, it moves briskly scene to scene the rest of the way relying more on just regular drama.

 

[kihei]

Under the Shadow (2016) Directed by Babak Anvari 8A

During the Iran/Iraq war in the 1980s, a mother and daughter, Shideh and Dorsa, refuse to leave Tehran for the countryside despite frequent shelling of their neighbourhood. As others are not so imprudent, the apartment building in which they live soon becomes deserted except for them....and for a scary, sinister presence that begins to threaten both their sanity and their lives. The first twenty minutes of this movie is a standard domestic drama and a good one. Shideh's request to return to med school has been rejected in no uncertain terms by the authorities. This puts a lot of strain on Shideh's relationship with her husband, Iraj, who soon learns that he is being sent to the front lines of the war. At this point, the movie looked like a very promising family drama, perhaps one that would delve into the particular kinds of stress that an intelligent, discontented Iranian woman must face on a daily basis. The last thing in the world that I was expecting was that shortly Under the Shadow would transform itself into a horror movie, and a very good one at that. While many of the horror tropes are familiar--uneasy spirits in haunted places, that sort of thing--the execution of these devices is handled so well that several scenes came across as legitimately creepy. Of course, the realistic Iranian context goes a long way to making the film seem fresh and very definitely out of the ordinary. There is also a political subtext hidden deftly in the narrative that deals with the psychological damage caused by living in such a morally repugnant, misogynistic society. However, director Babak Anvari never pushes the subtext in your face--it's there for you to consider if you want to; if you don't, you can just sit back and enjoy a very adroitly accomplished horror movie that never overplays its hand. Well worth seeking out.

Note: Though Under the Shadow is directed by an Iranian, set in Tehran, and with dialogue spoken in Persian, somehow the film has managed to become Great Britain's entry in this year's "foreign language" film category at the Academy Awards.

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Best of '16 so far

1. Things to Come, Hansen-Love, France 9B
2. Moonlight, Jenkins, US, 9A
3. The Red Turtle, de Wit, Japan/The Netherlands, 9A
4. Paterson, Jarmusch, US, 9B
5. Elle, Verhoeven, France, 9B
6. Toni Erdmann, Ade, Germany, 8B
7. The Handmaiden, Park, South Korea, 8A
8. It’s Only the End of the World, Dolan, Canada, 8C
9. Under the Shadow, Anvari, Iran, 8A
10. American Honey, Arnold, GB/US, 8C

 

[kihei]

Saw Hell or High Water again last night. If anything my opinion went up as I was less concerned with the mechanics of the plot and more sensitive to the film's themes. The sense of having the will to protect something important in a hopeless situation whatever the cost was even more powerful this time around. Pine is really good.


Best of '16 so far

1. Things to Come, Hansen-Love, France 9B
2. Moonlight, Jenkins, US, 9A
3. The Red Turtle, de Wit, Japan/The Netherlands, 9A
4. Paterson, Jarmusch, US, 9B
5. Elle, Verhoeven, France, 9B
6. Toni Erdmann, Ade, Germany, 8B
7. The Handmaiden, Park, South Korea, 8A
8. Hell or High Water, Mackenzie, US, 8A
9. It’s Only the End of the World, Dolan, Canada, 8C.
10. Under the Shadow, Anvari, Iran, 8A

 

[nameless1]

Hell or High Water is the probably the top 2 movie I saw in the summer, along with Train to Busan. I too love the themes and social commentary, more than anything else.

Even after the films galore at VIFF, it still ranks amongst some of my top films from this year. It is unfortunate that not a lot of people watched it, but it still made more than double its budget, and that is pretty good for a dramatic movie, near the end of the summer blockbuster season.

 

[nameless1]

The Killers (1946) - 7.5/10

Pretty much exactly what you want in a noir (the wise-ass detective is missing but the convoluted plot, the visuals, quick dialogue and run-time, and the gorgeous femme fatale are all there). Uses a flashback style for good chunks but doesn't get too bogged down by it. The choice to use a straightforward insurance claims investigator as basically the detective here is slightly odd, you wonder if the film had been better had it been by the perspective of Lancaster or the police detective that comes in later as the focus more. The actor playing the insurance investigator may not be as charismatic as Bogart but I think that this is as good or better than Bogart's Maltese Falcon or The Big Sleep (I found both a bit overrated though good). It only relies on suspense in two parts, the intro and the final climax which I found interesting, it moves briskly scene to scene the rest of the way relying more on just regular drama.

Try the public library to see if you can get the Criterion version of this movie, which, along with the 1946 original, also includes the 1962 remake, with John Cassavetes and Ronald Reagan, the latter in his last film role before his full switch into politics, and even Andrei Tarkovsky student short film version of it.

Personally, I find it quite interesting to see how Hemingway's short story was adapted over the years. One also would agree that Reagan probably made the right career move.

 

[ProspectsSTC]

Hell or High Water is still the best movie I've seen this year.

I have very high hopes for Arrival and Hacksaw Ridge, but I'm most excited about La La Land. Gosling and Stone are always great together, but of course, the main draw is its director, Damien Chazelle.

 

[kihei]

The Violin Teacher (2016) Directed by Sergio Machado 6A

Laerte (Lazaro Ramos), a former violin prodigy trying to earn enough money to keep a roof over his head, takes on a job giving music classes to rowdy street kids in Heliopolis, the toughest favela of Sao Paulo, Brazil. One of his young students is exceptionally gifted, but the rest of the secondary school orchestra can't even read music, let alone be bothered to care. On top of everything else, Laerte is just killing time until he can get hired by the Symphony Orchestra of Sao Paulo. So, okay, if you ever have seen To Sir with Love, in which Sidney Poitier attempts to teach a class of East London "deplorables," you have more or less seen this movie. It employs a familiar formula, to say the least. In its favor, though, The Violin Teacher is very well done. Ramos, with his Vince Carter slouching walk (and attitude, for that matter), gets involved with the kids almost despite himself, but not to the point of losing his focus about where he wants to end up eventually. The movie does a fine job putting a Brazilian spin on all the cliches along the way, and there is one surprising twist that thankfully takes the film into deeper waters. Consider The Violin Teacher a familiar song given a fresh arrangement in an unexpected setting that makes it sound pretty damn good after all these years.

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[kihei]

Miss Hokusai (2016) Directed by Keiichi Hara 6A

Early in the 19th century, O-Ei looks after her father who is one of Japan's most revered painters. Miss Hokusai is essentially her story as she tries both to assist him in his work and to understand his often contrary ways. In addition, she desires to have her work as an artist eventually emerge from his shadow. Despite some lovely animation, usually generated around the old man's paintings, I found the movie, the story part anyway, a bit disappointing. For one thing, the narrative just meanders to and fro to no great effect. More seriously, I had difficulty caring about the characters. O-Ei evinces a mildly put-upon attitude that I found rather annoying and, as well, all the male figures in the movie seem like borderline louts. The Great Artist himself is a mixed bag, too. He is shown to have a sort of grudging wisdom that he keeps mostly to himself, but I was skeptical about that. I had the feeling that the creators of Miss Hokusai might be painting the most flattering picture possible of a character who is essentially a self-centred egotist. The animation makes the movie still worth seeing, for sure, but Miss Hokusai was the equivalent of champagne without the fizz for me.

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[silkyjohnson50]

Begin Again: 6-7.5/10. I really enjoyed it. I'm partial to anything NYC though so that may have given it an extra bump for me.

 

[aleshemsky83]

Misery

Really good movie but I have to say that sheriff character you know is so obviously a dead man walking from the start of the movie.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

The Mummy (1999)

8/10

 

[Thucydides]

Toy story 3- little late getting to this but thoroughly enjoyed it!

8.6/10

 

[Mario Lemieux fan 66]

The handmaiden: 8/10 great movie and far better than the mediocre vengeance triology.

 

[Jevo]

Hell or High Water is the probably the top 2 movie I saw in the summer, along with Train to Busan. I too love the themes and social commentary, more than anything else.

Even after the films galore at VIFF, it still ranks amongst some of my top films from this year. It is unfortunate that not a lot of people watched it, but it still made more than double its budget, and that is pretty good for a dramatic movie, near the end of the summer blockbuster season.

Now that you mention VIFF cough cough

 

[Nalens Oga]

The Red Shoes (1948) 7/10

A really good drama for the most part here, it does get somewhat tedious with the ballet numbers later on but thankfully, they're not numerous and it never feels like a musical. Though the ending and conflict is a bit dated and it could've gone a bit more deeply into the love vs dance thing, the build-up is excellent. The best part of the film for me was the first hour where you see the rise of a music composer and the ballerina at a brisk pace. The films strengths are its vivid technicolour and the sharp witty dialogue between the characters (even the melodramatic theatre type) plus the huge sets that they make. Oh and that pale freckled red-head even when she was wearing exagerrated make-up why wasn't she in more notable films.

 

[nameless1]

Now that you mention VIFF cough cough

Yeah, I got really busy, now that I have re-entered reality.


I am almost through though, and I will get to the reviews soon.

 

[member 51464]

The Red Shoes (1948) 7/10

A really good drama for the most part here, it does get somewhat tedious with the ballet numbers later on but thankfully, they're not numerous and it never feels like a musical. Though the ending and conflict is a bit dated and it could've gone a bit more deeply into the love vs dance thing, the build-up is excellent. The best part of the film for me was the first hour where you see the rise of a music composer and the ballerina at a brisk pace. The films strengths are its vivid technicolour and the sharp witty dialogue between the characters (even the melodramatic theatre type) plus the huge sets that they make. Oh and that pale freckled red-head even when she was wearing exagerrated make-up why wasn't she in more notable films.

Do you even know her name?

 

[kihei]

Do you even know her name?

Moira Shearer, I think he is referring to. I don't know why she wasn't in more movies, though she was principally a ballerina, not an actress, so that undoubtedly factored into her decisions about her career.

 

[Howard Beale]

The Magnificient Ambersons (1942) 6/10

My 5th Orson Welles directed film and another dull one (The Lady From Shanghai I should add wasn't completely dull, it was just a mess and The Stranger was fairly fun at times but a bit of a low-brow thriller, The Third Man was excellent but wasn't directed by Welles). Of course the deep focus and beautiful set pieces and all that other good direction along with a gloomy atmosphere in the mansion scenes is there but it really is a dull passionless movie. I don't know whether this was because of Welles' directing or the book it's based on but I've never been a fan of how Welles directs his actors making all their emotion seem pretty flat or ineffective when they become melodramatic. Also hate the plot device of characters suddenly falling ill in a weird way from these sort of films, this movie also has a couple abrupt deaths that are off, doesn't really provide closure in many scenes because of how much it skips ahead in parts. The only parts of it I liked are some of the interactions between two characters but things get a bit tame when it's a group talking. Everything in the film seemed like it was done in a pretty superficial and unimportant whether it be a sudden illness or the decline of wealth or the automobile debate. I'm convinced by now that Welles didn't plan ahead properly with some of his work and can't focus on the main parts of a story. Definitely not a classic I'd recommend unless you're a film student, also I'm pretty much done with Welles.

You didn't mention Citizen Kane, but I presume you've seen it as well, right? That's obviously the must-see before giving up on Orson Welles... and Touch of Evil is supposed to be good, although I haven't seen it yet.

 

[Nalens Oga]

^ Yes I've seen Kane & Touch of Evil. Citizen Kane certainly wasn't a mess, it was cohesive and interesting (everyone knows all the praise it's given so I don't need to pile-on) but a pretty dull movie after the beginning for me and Touch of Evil I don't remember as well but I also thought there that Kane managed to make a noir (minus the hotel scene) seem dull despite having a bunch of menacing characters and the perfect setting. I guess for me he's great at producing the right setting but not executing the story.


Anyways, hope to get through these big 2010s films on my watchlist over the next couple months and pretty excited: The Master, Holy Motors, A Separation, Tree of Life, Dogtooth, Take Shelter, Certified Copy, Blue Valentine, Aquarius, Sing Street, Toni Erdmann, Arrival, and Manchester By The Sea.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Krampus.

**** I wish I saw this in theaters. Solid "horror" movie. Basically like a Gremlins movie. It's got the darkness and the humor. Also doesn't just try to jump scare you and gross you out. The threat is kept to the shadows for the most part, which raises the tension. Pretty good acting all around.

3.5/5.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Watched Last Night:

4/5

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

^ Yes I've seen Kane & Touch of Evil. Citizen Kane certainly wasn't a mess, it was cohesive and interesting (everyone knows all the praise it's given so I don't need to pile-on) but a pretty dull movie after the beginning for me and Touch of Evil I don't remember as well but I also thought there that Kane managed to make a noir (minus the hotel scene) seem dull despite having a bunch of menacing characters and the perfect setting. I guess for me he's great at producing the right setting but not executing the story.


Anyways, hope to get through these big 2010s films on my watchlist over the next couple months and pretty excited: The Master, Holy Motors, A Separation, Tree of Life, Dogtooth, Take Shelter, Certified Copy, Blue Valentine, Aquarius, Sing Street, Toni Erdmann, Arrival, and Manchester By The Sea.

Buncha good ones in there! Personally, of the ones I've seen I'd probably rank them:

Holy Motors
Sing Street
The Master
Blue Valentine
Take Shelter

 

[OzzyFan]

Inferno (Hanks)
1.5 out of 4 stars

Overdramatic, unrealistic, and a number of holes in the story. Easiest the worst of the trio so far, that said the whole trio is pretty subpar/mediocre, surprised they do/did so well at the box office. If you've read the books, don't go anywhere near the movies.