Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It

[kihei]

Our Souls at Night (2017) Directed by Ritesh Batra 5A

Well, the big plus here is seeing Jane Fonda and Robert Redford together for the fifth and presumably last time (huge bonus points if you can name four of the five of their movies without googling it). The premise is a pleasant one, what I would call a "theatre" premise, meaning it would have probably worked better as a play. Addie is a lonely old woman and she offers Louis, who also lives alone, a modest proposal. Would he consider sleeping with her at night? Not for sex, but for companionship. Louis, less discontented with his isolation, has to think it over. He ponders it a bit and then agrees. So far, so good. Then the complications start, and eventually romance blooms. With both actors now in their 80's. is the romance plausible? Yup. Redford shows his years but still has charisma to burn, and Fonda looks great, maybe a full quarter century younger than she really is. The problem is the "complications." Virtually everything that happens has "scriptwriter" written all over it, as in "let's see what hoops we can make this pair jump through next." There is the bitter son, the thoughtless buddies, the dying friend, the kid and the dog, and so on. I wish director Ritesh Batra had taken the Blue Valentine approach and just let the actors improvise most of their lines. It worked beautifully for Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, and it could have worked just as beautifully here. That being said, Redford is wonderful, one of his best, most subtle performances ever. I wish Our Souls at Night deserved that performance, but it was sort of fun to watch these two stars ply their trade together one more time.

Note: now screening on Netflix

 

[Smelling Salt]

Watched two on the weekend. A couple brief reviews.

1. GOTG2. I enjoyed this. I thought it was better than the first. Drax was killing it and I thought it looked great. Plus I always have time for Kurt Russell. Nebula being in it seemed pointless, other than I guess for the connection to Thanos. 8/10

2. The Deer Hunter. Sigh. I'll likely get shit for this one. I did not enjoy this whatsoever. Nothing happens in the first 1-1.25 hours. I know sometimes older movies that are so well regarded don't always come across that way many years later to an average filmgoer like myself, but this film was just a bore. Not what I was expecting at all. Two things I did like were Walken not being a caricature of himself like he sort of became later in his career, and I thought it was beautifully shot. Neither could save this movie for me. 3/10.

 

[Osprey]

2. The Deer Hunter. Sigh. I'll likely get **** for this one. I did not enjoy this whatsoever. Nothing happens in the first 1-1.25 hours. I know sometimes older movies that are so well regarded don't always come across that way many years later to an average filmgoer like myself, but this film was just a bore. Not what I was expecting at all. Two things I did like were Walken not being a caricature of himself like he sort of became later in his career, and I thought it was beautifully shot. Neither could save this movie for me. 3/10.

You're not the only one with that assessment. I was similarly unimpressed. It's usually the movie that first comes to mind when I think about qualities that I dislike in a lot of 70s films, especially late 70s films: the tendency to be slow and depressing, no doubt a reflection of America's post-Vietnam weariness and depressed economy. If you think that that's an unpopular opinion, though, I'm also not really a fan of Apocalypse Now, either, for similar reasons. At least that had a bit more going on and more of a purpose, though. The Deer Hunter just seemed depressing for the sake of being depressing.

 

[Mario Lemieux fan 66]

Gerald's Game: 7.2/10

It was a better movie than Gerald's Game and Gerald's Game was a better horror movie than It.

 

[Ben Matlock]

I watched Airplane (1980) for the first time in about 15 years. What can I say? It's a hoot. Arguably the funniest movie of all time, and nothing more. That's its only purpose. And because it's from a simpler time there are fewer limits.

 

[Nalens Oga]

Certified Copy (2011) - 7/10

One of those 'not as smart as it thinks it is' films. Its more intellectual conversations really are average and they don't flow as naturally as the Before trilogy's conversations. It does use a neat and fun little plot device though and the slow pacing serves it well without being boring, Juliette Binoche acts the shit out of the English guy. But one of the top 100 films of the 21st century according to the BBC? I think not.

The Deer Hunter. 3/10.

I don't have a problem with anyone giving The Deer Hunter a low rating BUT you have to admit that the part set in Vietnam is really good. A bit uncomfortably intense for me but one of the more powerful depictions in the popular Vietnam films. That part alone saves the movie for me to being at least a 6/10 and the final third being fairly decent bumps it up a bit more. It's just the prolonged and obnoxious first third before they transition to Vietnam which I hated.

 

[Don'tcry4mejanhrdina]

Gerald's Game: 7.2/10

It was a better movie than Gerald's Game and Gerald's Game was a better horror movie than It.

I'd say that's a pretty bang on assessment.

 

[Smelling Salt]

I don't have a problem with anyone giving The Deer Hunter a low rating BUT you have to admit that the part set in Vietnam is really good. A bit uncomfortably intense for me but one of the more powerful depictions in the popular Vietnam films. That part alone saves the movie for me to being at least a 6/10 and the final third being fairly decent bumps it up a bit more. It's just the prolonged and obnoxious first third before they transition to Vietnam which I hated.

Yes when the movie got going, it got better. Basically the only part I found entertaining was the Vietnam part. But yeah that first third was...too much build up. Even when De Niro's character returned from Vietnam....I get they are trying to show him as not being the same, but it wasn't overly convincing. Not shooting a deer and being emo at a bowling ally wasn't convincing to me.

 

[b1e9a8r5s]

Finally saw The Big Sick. I really enjoyed it. Funny, touching. Very well done.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Blade Runner: The Final Cut (dir. Ridley Scott). B+

This was my first time seeing the movie (been meaning to get to it for a while), and am glad it was on a final cut blu-ray copy. What a world. The atmosphere, production design, and cinematography are outstanding.

 

[kihei]

Blade Runner: The Final Cut (dir. Ridley Scott). B+

This was my first time seeing the movie (been meaning to get to it for a while), and am glad it was on a final cut blu-ray copy. What a world. The atmosphere, production design, and cinematography are outstanding.

Influential, too. I doubt seriously Dundas Square in downtown Toronto would have had anything approaching this look if it was not for Blade Runner:

 

[kihei]

Woodshock (2017) Directed by Kate and Laura Muleavy 4C

Sisters Kate and Laura Muleavy are wildly successful fashion designers who founded Rodarte, a brand of clothing and accessories that is uber-trendy at the moment. Without any experience in film, they decided, in what seems a bit of a vanity project, to make a movie. Woodshock is the result and it got savaged by viewers and critics alike, so much so and so venomously that I became curious to see it. Yes, it is a bad movie. When the movie starts Theresa (Kirsten Dunst) is grieving over the demise of her mother, a death which Theresa assisted. Mired in grief, she is unintentionally responsible for yet another death when a toxic joint that she concocted to stop the suffering of a dying man goes to the wrong person. Now her grief has expanded exponentially, so much so they she creates a version of the drug for herself which only makes things even worse. This description sounds like a story, but, really, there isn't one. In lieu of development, we get Kirsten Dunst staring off into space from a variety of different locations and positions. There are two male characters in the movie, both ciphers. Whenever they are on the screen, it's like wasted time. And the ending of the film falls completely apart, first with overkill, then with unintentional humour. Two points are worth mentioning, though: Woodshock shows how difficult it is to do slow and/or contemplative cinema well. Without meaningful characters, stories and themes to engage the audience, such movies have no real purpose. Point two: the fact that some of the most beautiful, haunting and dreamy cinematography of the year is wasted on this movie nonetheless suggests that the Muleavy sisters have a talent worth exploring in future works, assuming that they find some manner of substance to communicate along with the stunning images.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

I've watched a handful of movies the past few weeks. I've kind of gotten lazy at trying to put a number on them, so I'll just order them from my favorite on down.

Nocturnal Animals: I thought it was really well done. I want to watch it again and will do so after I knock a handful more off my list. But the more I think about it the more I think I like it. Or the more intrigued I am at least.

La La Land: not really my cup of tea in terms of genre and I struggled through some of the musical parts, but I did enjoy it for the most part.

Hacksaw Ridge: it was alright. I see this and American Sniper as BP nominees in recent years, but Fury was better than both as a war type movie in my opinion.

The Accountant: it kept my interest well enough, which is impressive considering the story ending up being "meh."

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: I was expecting more.

I haven't finished The Deer Hunter yet, although I do have it recorded. I started to watch it a few years back, but didn't make it through on first attempt. Like others said above, the first act was sooooo long and drawn out. I hated the wedding scene.

 

[Mario Lemieux fan 66]

Mother ! (2017): 0/10

The movie fails on every levels. Aronofsky can do so much better than .

 

[Nalens Oga]

Mustang (2015) - 5/10

I'm not Turkish but if I was, I'd probably hate this even more and probably laugh at it. Creates a good energy between the 5 girls and then fails to do anything with it, falls into Oscar-bait traps in order to cover the lack of good dialogue, and completely lacks any nuance. If that sort of tedious suffering is well done then I actually enjoy it (see Lion from last year) but in this case, it was just a mess.

 

[kihei]

Blade Runner 2049 (2017) Directed by Denis Villeneuve 7B

Thirty years have passed by but K (Ryan Gosling), a new model blade runner, is still tracking down the few remaining original replicants who are still around. These old timers have been replaced by more efficient. less troublesome models, K himself being the perfect example. In the course of his duties, K stumbles on a secret that may have vast implications for what is left of human society. Now he has to figure out what to do about it. I think it is safe to say that this will not quite be the Blade Runner that anyone was expecting. The pace is extremely leisurely for a very long time, the significance of plot developments is sometimes a little fuzzy, and a whole bunch of questions about motivation and other matters remain at the end of the movie. Those would seem formidable shortcomings, but the rest of the movie is so visually striking, the production design so stupendous,. Richard Deakins' cinematography so breath taking, and the direction so assured, that it is impossible for me to hold its flaws against it. It helps as well that both Gosling and Harrison Ford who reprises his original character are at the top of their game. Blade Runner 2049 doesn't have the emotional impact of the original, but in terms of visual splendour and imagination, it is at least its equal.


Top Ten of '17 so far

Loveless, Zyvgintsev, Russia
The Death of Louis XIV, Serra, Spain/France
The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Lanthimos, Ireland/US
The Third Murder, Kore=eda, Japan
On Body and Soul, Enyedi, Hungary
Blade Runner 2049, Villeneuve, US
Faces Places. Varda, France
A Fantastic Woman, Leilo, Chile
Valley of Shadows, Gulbrandsen, Norway
Zama, Martel, Argentina

 

[Nalens Oga]

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) - 6/10

Too teenage-ish, the 90s acting has really aged poorly. Decent story underneath all the crap on the outside but it must be held up by nostalgia. There was a Semisonic and The Cardigans song in there, neat.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Blade Runner 2049

with Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Jared Leto, and a police commander who looks a lot like Zhora from the original, but actually isn't. I just looked it up.

The future ain't what it used to be. Tyrell Corp is long gone, a massive data crash wiped everything out a few years after the original movie, and a creepy new company is pumping out replicants, such as K (Gosling), a blade runner himself tasked with taking out the leftover replicants still poking around since before the crash. He's obedient, efficient, can win a fistfight with Dave Bautista, but is still looked down upon for being a replicant by the rest of the LAPD, his neighbors, and everyone else. He comes home to an apartment inhabited by his AI holographic girlfriend, and muses about the weird thing he found on the job...which everyone is going to want a piece of. It leads the detective on a trail to uncover a huge secret, his own possible past, and ultimately to the original Blade Runner himself, Rick Deckard, who's been missing for decades. Why? What nefarious plan lurks behind Jared Leto's milky contact lenses? Just how human can replicants get? Watch and see for a long time. A mostly engrossing but still very long time.

Not as high on it as kihei is, but certainly a worthy successor to the original and definitely well worth the price of admission. I definitely wasn't as taken with the cinematography. I realize it's hard to follow a true work of cinematic art like the original, but I got sick of the monochrome everything. LA is a grey mass. The desert is a yellow, sandy mass. It's always either raining or snowing and while I get the Blade Runner universe is a dystopia with a totally ravaged ecosystem, it's not very pleasant to look at. Every outdoor shot looks like a video game played on a really shitty computer with the draw distance turned all the way down. The characters are top notch, though. Gosling and Ford are both great, and this is definitely the best of Harrison Ford's recycled 80's roles. Jared Leto's miles better here than he was as the Joker...but then so is every role done by anyone ever in the history of time.

I do have to mention the single biggest flaw in this movie: the soundtrack. Remember in the original you had Vangelis making futuristic yet moody synth crescendos? Well, get ready for Vangelis' teenage dubstep phase. And it's WAY TOO f***ING LOUD. Like, louder than rock concerts loud. Seriously, I don't need distorted screeches at 300 db to announce dramatic tension. More than once I found myself slapping my hands over my ears. Easily, easily the worst aspect of this movie and all by itself lowers it to several cuts below the original imho. Play this soundtrack if you're trying to drown out gunfire or earthquakes.

But see this movie. Bring earplugs, though.

 

[member 51464]

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) - 6/10

Too teenage-ish, the 90s acting has really aged poorly. Decent story underneath all the crap on the outside but it must be held up by nostalgia. There was a Semisonic and The Cardigans song in there, neat.

Was it not a movie aimed at teenagers? Wouldn't teenage-ish be just the right tone to aim for?

 

[kihei]

Blade Runner 2049

with Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Jared Leto, and a police commander who looks a lot like Zhora from the original, but actually isn't. I just looked it up.

.........

I do have to mention the single biggest flaw in this movie: the soundtrack. Remember in the original you had Vangelis making futuristic yet moody synth crescendos? Well, get ready for Vangelis' teenage dubstep phase. And it's WAY TOO ****ING LOUD. Like, louder than rock concerts loud. Seriously, I don't need distorted screeches at 300 db to announce dramatic tension. More than once I found myself slapping my hands over my ears. Easily, easily the worst aspect of this movie and all by itself lowers it to several cuts below the original imho. Play this soundtrack if you're trying to drown out gunfire or earthquakes.

But see this movie. Bring earplugs, though.

Ah, finally a benefit of aging--my hearing is so f***ed as a result of 10,000 rock concerts, the soundtrack only sounded very loud to me. I am of two minds about it actually. One, I thought it really heightened the tension but I also thought that it was a bit of a cheap trick, too--like why does Villeneuve need to go to that extreme to heighten the tension, i.e. is he worried the scenes won't do that by themselves? Additional point: I agree Leto is really good here, but does the movie even need him (the story of Jared's life lately). Methinks a sequel is in the works.

 

[kihei]

Lucky (2017) Directed by John Carroll Lynch 7A

I've always wondered how Harry Dean Stanton became an actor. If I found out that he slept regularly in a dumpster, it wouldn't have surprised me. But whatever the case, he gets one last swing at the bat here and it's a beauty. Stanton plays Lucky, a 90-something retiree who is lives in a small southwestern town and doesn't do much all day except visit his usual haunts--the restaurant, the bar, the grocery--and watch game shows...and think about his death, which shows few signs of coming just yet, but he knows it will be arriving soon enough. As Stanton ambles around from place to place, the movie simply follows him. Lucky is really little more than a collection of the various conversations that he has with the few townspeople that he normally comes into contact with. Stanton provides a wonderful performance but several vintage character actors match him with career best performances. Ed Begley, Jr. Tom Skerrit and even David Lynch are standouts, and 50's heart throb James Darren resurfaces long enough to give an extremely credible Harvey Keitel-type performance as one of the bar's regulars. The script. with its focus not so much on death itself as on the approaching sense of nothingness, is excellent, and all these actors have a field day with it. Even President Roosevelt, the ancient tortoise in the movie, has a distinct personality. The movie earns its moment of epiphany honestly. In short, Lucky is a little gem of a film that should make anybody feel glad to be alive.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Ah, finally a benefit of aging--my hearing is so ****ed as a result of 10,000 rock concerts, the soundtrack only sounded very loud to me. I am of two minds about it actually. One, I thought it really heightened the tension but I also thought that it was a bit of a cheap trick, too--like why does Villeneuve need to go to that extreme to heighten the tension, i.e. is he worried the scenes won't do that by themselves? Additional point: I agree Leto is really good here, but does the movie even need him (the story of Jared's life lately). Methinks a sequel is in the works.

Hey, I've been a headbanging metal pig since I was ten years old. A few years ago, my wife's big Mother's Day present from me was floor tickets to the Rammstein concert for the two of us. And that still stands as one of our best outings ever. And that stupid soundtrack was way too loud for even me. It wasn't even a pleasant loud, either. The noise was somewhere between an industrial drill press and having your head shoved under the back end of a Japanese sports car with some really obnoxiously loud fart-can exhaust pipes while the driver redlines the engine. It was beyond annoying.

Jared Leto...did the movie need him? I was thinking about that, and then I remembered that Tyrell only had, what, two scenes in the original. So the Bad Guy part then becomes Rutger Hauer and company versus Leto's replicant minion. Ehhh...gotta give Roy Batty the edge.

As for a sequel...c'mon. You know better than that. It's going to make gigantic honkin' dumpsters full of cash. Of course there's going to be a sequel.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Star Wars Episode 1: *

It is as bad as you remember. Maybe worse.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

I just realized something about the Blade Runner universe.

Roy Batty's final, classic deathroof speech: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I've seen C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tenhauser Gate. etc..."

WHAT THE HELL ARE WE ATTACKING OFF THE SHOULDER OF ORION?! WHAT THE f*** ARE C-BEAMS, AND WHAT ARE WE FIRING THEM AT NEAR THE TENHAUSER GATE?!

Seriously, why do there have to be teams of super-strong robots in space?! Roy Batty, Leon, and Zhora were all combat models. The human species is fighting something on the edge of space, and we don't know what it is or why. How the hell did I never realize that before? Are we fighting each other? This would mean some of the nine offworld human colonies are enemies. Which are ours? Which are someone else's? Who the f*** is the someone else? Chinese? Russian? Armenian?

On the other hand...something far more chilling occurs. We're fighting aliens. ALIENS.

Blade Runner 2050: The Wallace Corporation is bought out by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

 

[Unaffiliated]

Blade Runner 2049

9/10

Visually stunning and thought-provoking as well. Loved it. Lives up to the original.