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Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Spring 2021 Edition

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Pranzo Oltranzista said:
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Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (Jeunet, 2001) - As much as it is indebted to Sacha Guitry, Amelie's narration remains a seminar in wit and style. Second film of Jeunet without Caro - and first real Jeunet film, the previous one being his Alien American film - the result is of a different aesthetic, just as meticulously crafted, but freed from his darker collaborator. It's beautiful and joyful enough to excuse its lack of depth. I had it at 8 and it still feels right. 8/10

I watched this one with the gf, taking a break from my Alien/Predator run - I'm at the third Alien now, and already curious to go back to Jeunet's Alien, even if I wasn't much of a fan at the time.
Click to expand...

Amelie is a fun movie, but one of the main criticism of it is that it is overly sweet. I am perfectly fine with that though.
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The Scarlett Empress (1934) - 6/10

Some good sets here, lots of big music, and Marlene Dietrich....the rest is too silly and weak to take seriously. Never felt the film had much gravita despite the subject matter. I would say it's more light-hearted if anything but without the fun bits. A very aesthetic style of story telling in that awkward era of directors who were meant more for the silent film era than the new talking film era.

Need to watch something more down to earth/straight after these last few.
 
Rashomon (1950 - directed by Kurosawa)
This film tells four differing accounts of a rape and murder in an 8th century Japanese courthouse. It's a very intriguing plot, and one that leaves it all up to the viewer's interpretation. I thought it was beautifully shot, especially for the time period that it was filmed. The storytelling is very good, and there is great execution of flash-backs without convoluting the story or making it hard to follow. Really excellent film.

I also read up on the Rashomon effect after watching the movie and it was interesting that such a film actually worked its way into the real life world of law.
 
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The Straight Story (1999) - 8/10

Lynch makes a likable and pleasant Disney film and calls it his 'most experimental film'....what a weirdo. The midwest sure is one depressing place, great setting for films though.
 
The Mission (1986) directed by Roland Joffé

Above the Iguazu Falls in the jungle borderlands between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay live the Guaraní, an Amazonian indigenous group. In the 1750s, Jesuit missionary Father Gabriel (Jeremey Irons) is sent above the falls to try to convert a tribe to Christianity. Meanwhile, Captain Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro), a Spanish mercenary makes his living capturing and selling Guaraní natives into the slave trade. However, after being tried for murdering his brother Mendoza is taken in by Father Gabriel and becomes a Jesuit priest himself and the two of them develop a mission in the Guaraní community above the falls. However, while they are building this community, negotiations for the Treaty of Madrid 1950 are ongoing which would see the territory of the mission is located be transferred from the Spanish to the Portuguese who are even more unfriendly to the Guaraní and seek to enslave the community. A tale of good and evil intentions which both ultimately equally harm the indigenous groups under colonial conquest. Surprised that this was listed by the Vatican as one of the top religious films since well the missionaries may be well intentioned, ultimately their “discovery” and attempt to convert these groups led to their genocide. The film itself is very beautiful, the cinematography is mesmerizing to look at, and it has a gorgeous score from Ennio Morricone. However, despite the setting and score, I found the film itself kind of flat and found it hard to connect with its main characters and their mission. The film does feature a very early Liam Neeson role in which he does have substantial appearances as a supporting character as a priest at the mission but I don’t even think he’s a named character.

 
Sanjuro (1962 directed by Kurosawa)

Continuing to work my way through Kurosawa’s epic lineup of classic films, Sanjuro is a direct follow-up to Yojimbo. I didn’t find Sanjuro to be as good as its predecessor, but it was still a pretty solid film. The story was a bit more straightforward, with the main character being much more focused and driven, imo. The dialogue was great with a lot of quotable moments. A lot more swordplay by the main character, as well. As I’m getting through Kurosawa’s body of work one thing is becoming obvious... Toshiro Mifune just doesn’t miss as the leading man.

Edit to add:
I thought the huge spurt of blood in the final scene where Mifune’s character finally takes down the enemy was a bit excessive. I suppose in its time it was quite shocking and really had a larger impact on viewers, but it was bordering on comical for me.
 
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Knock Knock (2015) -

Have you ever watched a movie that halfway though, you knew you were going to loathe yourself for not hitting the stop button, but you watched it anyway?

That’s what happens when you watch Knock Knock, but don’t have the courage to turn it off because Ana de Armas...

You keep telling yourself you are still watching because it’s a good movie - but you aren’t fooling yourself because you are smarter than this - so why haven’t you hit the stop button?

You wonder how a director could make something this bad and think it’s anything but laughable...

All you have to do is hit the stop button...

But you watch it to the end and feel shame you were another victim of Knock Knock.
 
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Mr Jiggyfly said:
Knock Knock (2015) -

Have you ever watched a movie that halfway though, you knew you were going to loathe yourself for not hitting the stop button, but you watched it anyway?

That’s what happens when you watch Knock Knock, but don’t have the courage to turn it off because Ana de Armas...

You keep telling yourself you are still watching because it’s a good movie - but you aren’t fooling yourself because you are smarter than this - so why haven’t you hit the stop button?

You wonder how a director could make something this bad and think it’s anything but laughable...

All you have to do is hit the stop button...

But you watch it to the end and feel shame you were another victim of Knock Knock.
Click to expand...

I am shameless. Not only did I watch it without even thinking about stopping it, but I tracked down its sources.

Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Spring 2021 Edition
 
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Elevator to the Gallows (1958) Directed by Louis Malle 7A

Julien uses a rope to climb to the office of his mistress’ husband Simon and murders him. His lover Florence (Jean Moreau), with whom he has plotted the murder, awaits his return after the crime. He doesn’t show up. Remembering that he left his rope behind, he returns to the office building after dark only to get trapped in the elevator when the power is turned off. Bad luck, that, but though Julien doesn’t know it, his luck is about to get even worse. Elevator to the Gallows is a French New Wave noir with a clever plot and an ultra-cool jazz score by Miles Davis. French directors of the period loved American “B” movies, and Elevator to the Gallows would certainly qualify as a fitting homage. A spare but agile script, nice atmosphere, no added frills, and that moody trumpet playing, all add up to one of director Louis Malle’s finer movies. Oddly enough, the star, Jeanne Moreau has very little to do until the last act.

subtitles

Criterion Channel
 
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The Wrong Man-1956

Noir style film from Alfred Hitchcock based on a true story. A man is wrongfully accused of a crime yet evidence points towards him. His life unravels as he tries to establish his innocence. Solid film, takes the time to create the atmosphere the accused was faced with.
 
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Onward, Pixar (Disney), 7.5

Soul will probably win most awards this year for animated films. Onward is the runner up. It's just a notch lower than Soul IMHO but it is more funny. Soul treats the topic of death more seriously but Onward will give you a few more chuckles. Reminded me of Weekend at Bernie's.

Promising Young Woman, Directed by Emerald Fennell, 6.6

Average film IMO but with a dramatic twist at the end. Above average performance by Carey Mulligan as the protagonist, she carries the film. Hadn't heard of Mulligan before and now I'm impressed by two of her projects this month (incl. The Dig)
 
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The Westerner (1940) - 8/10 (Loved it)

In post-Civil War Texas, a drifter (Gary Cooper) gets caught in a turf war between cattlemen, who have Judge Roy Bean (Walter Brennan) on their side, and homesteaders. Brennan won his third Academy Award (in five years, even) for the role of the corrupt judge who uses his saloon as his "courtroom" and has an infatuation with actress Lily Langtry. Whether very accurate or not, the script's and Brennan's portrayal of the infamous, real-life Bean (who called himself "the only law west of the Pecos") makes for a great character that you're not sure if you're supposed to hate or sympathize with. Cooper's character winds up at least pretending to befriend him while also getting close to one of the homesteaders' daughters. The film has a little action, a little romance and a little underplayed comedy. Compared to your typical Western, there isn't as much action or shooting, but what there is (including a horseback chase scene and a scorched earth scene) is impressive and gave me a small glimpse at why director William Wyler was a good choice for Ben-Hur almost two decades later. I liked how, despite the familiar Western premise (of the stranger in town who must choose sides in a local matter), it doesn't start or end quite the way that you might expect. Overall, I found it to be a very enjoyable early Western that's elevated by a good screenplay, Wyler's direction and a movie-stealing performance by Brennan.
 
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Marcello Mastroianni: I Remember (1997) Directed by Anna Maria Tato (documentary) 8A

Does the world need a three hour plus documentary of Marcello Mastroianni reminiscing about his life and career with his musings being interspersed with clips from some of his almost 170 movies? I don't know about the world, but I sure do. In Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2, Mastroianni was basically my introduction to international films. Along with Toshiro Mifune (Kurosawa) and Jean Paul Belmondo (Godard), Mastroianni was the biggest pure movie star in international film in the late '50s and throughout the '60s. I have always found him to be the most likeable and memorable actor among the three. He was far from a stereotypical Latin Lover matinee idol type; he relished challenging roles, sometimes ones that made him appear far older and less attractive than he was. While he was great with serious characters (The Organizer; La Notte; Dark Eyes), he was equally good in roles that let his natural charm and comic timing shine trough (Divorce, Italian Style; Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; Big Deal on Madonna Street).

As he talks away at 72-years-old (and a mere few months before his death) about a cornucopia of memories, he seems very relaxed and down-to-earth, the absolute antithesis of a diva. And he is a great story teller, no surprise that, either, My favourite anecdote among many good ones involves not a specific movie, but an incident that occurred to him when he was a very young man. He was riding in a dimly lit crowded train with beautiful girls standing beside him. At one point the train became dark for a couple of seconds, and one of the girls kissed him As the train stopped almost immediately and nearly everyone got off, Mastroianni never knew which girl it was. But he remembered the incident with amazed delight to this day, a little indicator that life can be filled with some wonderful, unexpected surprises.

subtitles

Criterion Channel
 
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I don't know where some of you found The Mauritanian. A 2nd rate cam version is available on the internet but I hate cam versions, great way to ruin a movie. I see it will be available on Amazon Prime on April 1, so I will be patient and wait. I'm also still looking for A Perfect Candidate. So far it's available on Amazon in the UK. I suppose I could use a VPN and try to see it on my Amazon account there but they might frown on that. I'm still not going to theatres to watch movies, will wait until I get the jab. I took the Ontario vaccine availabilty test on the web and looks like I can get vaccinated in July or August in stage 3. Damn.
 
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Puck said:
I don't know where some of you found The Mauritanian. A 2nd rate cam version is available on the internet but I hate cam versions, great way to ruin a movie. I see it will be available on Amazon Prime on April 1, so I will be patient and wait.
Click to expand...

It's now available to rent (for $14.99 CAD or $19.99 USD) on many streaming services, including Amazon Prime:

JustWatch (Canada)
JustWatch (US)

The April 1st date appears to be the UK release date.

FYI, I've found justwatch.com to be a highly useful site for finding where movies and TV shows are available.
 
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Doctor Strange (2016) directed by Scott Derrickson

Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is an arrogant New York neurosurgeon who crashes his Lambo while driving distracted which severely injures his hands and prevents him from being able to perform surgery. Distraught, he goes to Kathmandu to join a mystic cult who promises to heal him by learning the mystic arts. Meanwhile, a former disciple of the cult Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) uses his powers to contact the Dark Dimension and the god Dormammu who seeks to destroy earth. By far one of the more original entries to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it is more similar visually to Inception, Tenet, or the Matrix films than the house style of the other Marvel films (that I’ve seen so far) with its time bending, world bending, and mind bending trippy action scenes. While I think the character of Doctor Strange is basically just a New Age mystic version of Tony Stark from Iron Man, with the endless quips and inflated ego which becomes a bit grating, I think this is one of the better entries to the MCU. Also Mikkelsen, as always makes a reliable villain. A nice break from the other entries to the MCU which are bloated in characters and look and feel the same. This is one which I think would have been even better on the big screen in 3D.

 
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