Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It

[OzzyFan]

The Foreigner
2.25 out of 4stars

A poor man's "Taken" with more focus on gloom, storywriting, political warfare, and acting over pure adrenaline action/brutality. Jackie Chan plays his one note really well, and an interesting turn from Brosnan. Still love Jackie Chan's choreography too, even if he's a bit older and toned down. Already doubled it's budget in China box office money alone so far, not too shabby.

 

[Nalens Oga]

Goon 2 Last of The Enforcers (2017) - 4/10

I've realized Elisha Cuthbert has never been in a good movie, in fact the only notable one she's done was The Girl Next Door. Anyways this has a few cheap laughs but pretty much more of the first without the freshness, few decently choreographed hockey plays but mostly sports cliches. I was a bit taken aback at them using this song in the closing credits though from this forgotten little Scottish band.

 

[Puck]

Now watching The Usual Suspects.

It still holds up, even after twenty years and upty-upth viewings. Gabriel Byrne still manages to be effortlessly cool in everything. Don't know how, maybe it's an Irish thing.

And damn, this is still a really, really good movie. Too bad Hollywood doesn't make 'em like they used to even in my living adult memory.

I've always mixed Gabriel Byrne, Peter Coyote and Tom Conti. Their style is similar IMHO. There's a certain Zen-like coolness to their demeanor.

And The Usual Suspects is always good (at least 4 viewings by now).

 

[kihei]

The Florida Project (2017) Directed by Sean Baker 7B

Halley (Bria Vinaite), who is in her mid-twenties, finds just paying her rent each week in the colourfully painted but otherwise lowlife motel that she lives in a constant challenge. She has no skills, indulges in a lot of self destructive behaviour, and the future holds little likelihood of anything better for her. As well, she has a young daughter, Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), whom she loves but doesn't seem to know how to take care of. Moonee is an outgoing little charmer, full of energy and spirit, and she has two close friends with whom she plays and creates much mischief, some of it serious. The movie develops two narrative arcs to tell both mother and daughter's stories almost but not quite independently of one another, creating on one level a contrast between the hopelessness of the adult world and the playfulness and delight of the child's world. However, the movie's real contrast may be the difference between a girl's world and a woman's world. Halley's fate is largely decided by how little she has going for her. She has a major temper problem; she has no skills; and she is not always a responsible mother. But she tries to make ends meet anyway that she can because she knows she has to--there is no other alternative. She lives a week to week existence because she has no possibility of doing anything else. We watch the energetic, full of life Moonee and can only wonder if despite her buoyancy and resiliency is she not in danger of sharing the same eventual fate as her mother? The Florida Project is not by any means a perfect movie. Parts of it drag--shorter would have been better. But the acting is marvelous throughout, especially Vinaite and a likeable Willem Dafoe as a patient, kindly motel manager. Still it is 7-year-old Brooklynn Prince's movie all the way. Her charm and intensity give the movie much of its power.

 

[nameless1]

VIFF is finally finished, and the final count is 68 films, in 15 1/2 days.

As for my favourites, they are:
Loveless
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Beauty and the Dogs
The Great Buddha +

These are the ones that I thought were good, and would recommend:
Directions
Los Perros
At the End of the Tunnel
Sami Blood
Indian Horse
A Fantastic Woman
The Nile Hilton Incident
God's Own Country
The Florida Project
Wonderstruck
Columbus
Tales of Mexico
Nest of the Turtledove
Gabriel and the Mountain
Summer 1993

These are the decent ones:
The Desert Bride
Lucky
Breathe
Sour Apples
Casting
Other Side of Hope
Young Karl Marx

These are enjoyable, but not great:
Meditation Park
The Bolshoi
Bad Genius
Dalida
The Divine Order

These ones are interesting, or have some merits, but not ones I particularly enjoyed:
Okja
No Date, No Signature
Ava
Beats Per Minute (BPM)
Western
Happy End
Last Days in Havana
Milla
Winter Brothers
The Insult
Disappearance
Cocote
Vazante
The Line
Reseba: The Dark Wind

These ones are so-so:
In the Fade
Call me by your Name
La Tenerezza
Borg vs. McEnroe
King of Peking
The Dragon Defense
Felicite
Django
The Workshop

Finally, these are the bad ones:
No Bed of Roses
The Square
Thelma
Claire's Camera
Ismael's Ghost
Black Cop
The Hidden Sword
Good Manners
Golden Exits
Sexy Durga
Farewell
The Last Roar of a Mother Bear

I will probably write up a short description for the ones I like in the next little while, but if there are any that particularly interests people, please let me know, and I will write them first.

 

[Osprey]

Gangs of New York (2002) - 4/10

I finally got around to seeing this and was disappointed. The production design and visuals are fantastic and Daniel Day-Lewis gives an epic performance, but they aren't enough to save the film for me. There's a huge contrast between the caliber of Day-Lewis' acting and that of Leonardo DiCaprio (especially when narrating... <cringe>), Cameron Diaz and John C. Reilly (in fact, the main scene between Day-Lewis and Reilly is one of the more ridiculous contrasts that I've ever seen). The story is rather weak, IMO, falling short of the epicness that the film wanted, and the ending 20 minutes don't have the payoff that you'd want from a 2:45-long film. The theme of respecting and honoring your enemy is pretty interesting... until each of the main characters attacks someone in an extremely cowardly fashion and you wonder what the point of spending 2 hours establishing that theme was for. Finally, the slightly comic presentation of the action didn't appeal to me. In the end, it was watchable and wasn't exactly boring, but was rather underwhelming for a film that garnered so many accolades (including 10 Oscar nominations, though Day-Lewis and the production designers certainly deserved theirs), like a lot of Scorsese films, IMHO.

 

[NyQuil]

I liked Brendan Gleeson.

I guess what I found fascinating about the film is that it was a period of history that I knew little about.

It's worth it just for Day-Lewis.

 

[kihei]

VIFF is finally finished, and the final count is 68 films, in 15 1/2 days.

As for my favourites, they are:
Loveless
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Beauty and the Dogs
The Great Buddha +

These are the ones that I thought were good, and would recommend:
Directions
Los Perros
At the End of the Tunnel
Sami Blood
Indian Horse
A Fantastic Woman
The Nile Hilton Incident
God's Own Country
The Florida Project
Wonderstruck
Columbus
Tales of Mexico
Nest of the Turtledove
Gabriel and the Mountain
Summer 1993

These are the decent ones:
The Desert Bride
Lucky
Breathe
Sour Apples
Casting
Other Side of Hope
Young Karl Marx

These are enjoyable, but not great:
Meditation Park
The Bolshoi
Bad Genius
Dalida

These ones are interesting, or have some merits, but not ones I particularly enjoyed:
Okja
No Date, No Signature
Ava
Beats Per Minute (BPM)
Western
Happy End
Last Days in Havana
Milla
Winter Brothers
The Insult
Disappearance
Cocote
Vazante
The Line
Reseba: The Dark Wind

These ones are so-so:
In the Fade
Call me by your Name
La Tenerezza
Borg vs. McEnroe
King of Peking
The Dragon Defense
Felicite
Django
The Workshop
The Divine Order

Finally, these are the bad ones:
No Bed of Roses
The Square
Thelma
Claire's Camera
Ismael's Ghost
Black Cop
The Hidden Sword
Good Manners
Golden Exits
Sexy Durga
Farewell
The Last Roar of a Mother Bear

I will probably write up a short description for the ones I like in the next little while, but if there are any that particularly interests people, please let me know, and I will write them first.

Thanks for this. I'm curious about Borg vs. McEnroe, The Divine Order and it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on BPM.

 

[Osprey]

I liked Brendan Gleeson.

I guess what I found fascinating about the film is that it was a period of history that I knew little about.

It's worth it just for Day-Lewis.

Gleeson was Gleeson. He played himself again and had no range. I do like him, but I wouldn't write home about most character actors unless they reach outside their comfort zone. I give him marks for doing that when he played Winston Churchill, which was definitely not playing himself.

I, too, found it interesting to see a little-covered portion of history, but I would've enjoyed and appreciated that part of it more if it were presented more historically. The fact that it was presented a bit comically and sillily made me doubt that what I was watching was much like how it really looked or happened.

I can't believe that I wrote my review without remembering to make a crack about Harvey Weinstein.

 

[NyQuil]

Gleeson was Gleeson. He played himself again and had no range. I do like him, but I wouldn't write home about most character actors unless they reach outside their comfort zone. I give him marks for doing that when he played Winston Churchill, which was definitely not playing himself.

I, too, found it interesting to see a little-covered portion of history, but I would've enjoyed and appreciated that part of it more if it were presented more historically. The fact that it was presented a bit comically and sillily made me doubt that what I was watching was much like how it really looked or happened.

I can't believe that I wrote my review without remembering to make a crack about Harvey Weinstein.

I guess I felt the movie was in keeping with Bill's remark about the "spectacle of fearsome acts."

It was never intended to be a documentary.

But I can understand that criticism.

 

[Nalens Oga]

My Own Private Idaho (1994) - 7/10

Marathon Man (1976) - 8.5/10

 

[The Crypto Guy]

The Babadook - 4/10

Wasn't really a fan, though i'm not usually a fan of super natural horror movies unless they are done well, I didn't think this was. Annoying main two actors didn't help.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Baby Driver

with people of varying degrees of fame.

Atlanta has a bank robbery problem; one engineered by the nefarious Kevin Spacey and carried out by various lowlives and one supernatural driver. He's a strange figure in the organized crime scene. A fresh-faced teenager with earbuds almost permanently jammed in his ears always moving and driving in time to the music on his iPod. He even makes the robbers he escorts around wait for a few seconds once so he can restart a specific song. The hardcore criminals regard him with suspicion and sometimes outright contempt...right up until his foot jams the gas pedal down. The movie suddenly becomes a ballet of screeching tires, handbrake turns and gunshots all choreographed to the tune flowing through Baby's ever-present earbuds. It's an exhilarating ride, but one Baby's keen to be rid of. Once upon a time, he stole Kevin Spacey's car when it carried some valuable cargo, and he's been paying him back by driving getaways cars for his robbery teams ever since. One more job, and Baby's debt is paid. Then he's free. Right? Sure he is! Gangsters always let a great source of income move on when debts get paid, right? Uh...well...

A very entertaining ride, all things considered. Great stunt driving offsets the hammy acting by Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm and others.

 

[kihei]

78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene (2017) Directed by Alexandre O.Phillippe (documentary) 7A

78/52 (the number of camera set ups/the number of editing cuts) is an enjoyable and informative documentary that deconstructs the famous shower sequence in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, the scene where Janet Leigh comes to a very bad end. Obviously, it helps if you have seen the movie and/or are a fan of Hitchcock and/or are interested in movie history and/or are a hardcore movie fanatic. But if you are any of those things, this documentary will be a revelation on some level if only because it touches so many bases, though not always thoroughly. While this particular brilliantly edited sequence had a massive impact on audiences at the time (people in the theatres literally screamed out loud for several seconds}, it also represents a major turning point in film history in terms of how violence is portrayed in movies. Psycho may have also been a watershed event in terms of the objectification of women, but the movie really does not go into that. Wish it had. Commentators include directors, actors (including Marli Renfro, Leigh's body double), and other film technicians as well as family members--both Hitchcock's daughter Pat and Janet Leigh's daughter Jamie Lee Curtis participate. Commenting on the sequence from many different perspectives, they cover a wide range of cinematic, cultural, and psychological topics related to the film.

 

[Led Zappa]

78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene

How did you see it? Doesn't even show up on Netflix to save.

 

[kihei]

How did you see it? Doesn't even show up on Netflix to save.

It opened Friday at TIFF Bell Lightbox, a movie theatre complex and cultural centre here in Toronto that specializes in international films, Canadian cinema and all kinds of different historical retrospectives. Sort of Toronto's answer to Paris' Cinémathèque Française.

 

[Led Zappa]

It opened Friday at TIFF Bell Lightbox, a movie theatre complex and cultural centre here in Toronto that specializes in international films, Canadian cinema and all kinds of different historical retrospectives. Sort of Toronto's answer to Paris' Cinémathèque Française.

Well, after some research it's made by IFC, so hopefully they air it at some point. I could rent it for $8, but I think I'll pass for now.

 

[nameless1]

Thanks for this. I'm curious about Borg vs. McEnroe, The Divine Order and it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on BPM.

Borg vs. McEnroe

A lot of people I talked to thought it was well done, but as a tennis and movie fan, it leaves a lot to be desired. For the tennis aspect, the 1980 Wimbledon Final is often cited as one of the greatest matches of all-times, but the way it is shot, with a lot of photo montages and quick cuts, fail to elicit any of the excitement. In fact, I fell asleep during part of the match.

Then there is the movie itself. It attempts to take a behind-the-scenes look at the match, and explore how the two main characters got to this moment, but almost all the flashbacks are focused on Borg. When McEnroe finally gets his backstory, those two scenes are basically pointless, because they fail to bring to light any new information on the person. As a result, the entire movie feels very one-sided, as only Borg is a complete character, and McEnroe is a caricature who relies purely on his well-know ill-temper. Furthermore, it is called Borg vs. McEnroe, but other than the fact that the two are No. 1 and No. 2 in the world at the time, respectively, the movie fails to convey why they are considered to be rivals, or what makes them so good. Quite frankly, the movie should have maintained its original Swedish name, Borg, because this is a movie about him, and McEnroe is nothing more than a supporting character.

Overall, while the work has good production value, and both the leads are good with what they are given, it is just a very problematic movie, and it does not do the two greats any justice. In fact, both the real McEnroe and Borg do not like it, and they both said that the movie is completely fictional.

5.25/10

The Divine Order

A look at the women's suffrage movement in a small Swiss town in the 1970s, just ahead of the 1971 Swiss referendum on the very subject, it is fast-paced, well-produced and quite enjoyable, with ample comedic moments. Ultimately though, it is a very forgettable and formulaic mainstream work that does not differentiate itself from any Hollywood comedies. I would recommend it, only for pure mindless entertainment purposes.

This is Switzerland's entry for the Best Foreign Picture Oscar, but I very much doubt it would even make it past the first round of cuts. It is just too shallow to be considered seriously.

5.75/10

BPM (Beat Per Minute)

The notorious fickle Cannes crowd apparently loved it, and gave it a standing ovation, so this was one of the movies that I looked forward to before the start of the festival. It starts off well, as it introduces the AIDS activist movement in the early-1990s France, and I really like the kinetic energy. Then, it suddenly and clumsily switches into a love story between two of the activists in the second half, and the movie becomes utterly boring. Part of the problem is that even though the two characters are sympathetic, they do not stand out at all from the rest of the other characters, and thus, it becomes very hard to stay invested, when the spotlight is on them. Towards the end, I was so disinterested, that even the style that got my attention in the first place began to annoy me, as it feels very out of place.

This is unfortunately a case of a bad decision by the filmmakers. If the movie just continued to focus on the movement, and kept as an ensemble cast movie, I would definitely rate it a lot higher, because it is very well-made, and it highlights an interesting and timely subject. It is worth a look, but one should not have high expectations for it.

6/10

 

[kihei]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Thanks, Nameless1. I:ike many people who played a sport well, watching actors trying to pretend that they are good at it is a painful sight, so I was going to avoid Borg vs. McEnroe , but I'll probably weaken as I am a big Borg fan (and I didn't know about the title change which does seem a trifle cynical though not surprising).

I, too, was impressed by the kinetic energy of the first half of BPM, and I thought the love story was an attempt to make accessible a movie that was in danger of not having a point other than "hurray for our side." Eventually the endless internecine squabbling bothered me more than the love story. While I liked the film considerably more than you did, I can certainly appreciate your take on it. BPM seems to be fading rather fast in my memory,

 

[abe jr]

Hell House LLC- 6/10

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) - Following Raoul Duke - a stand-in for Hunter S. Thompson - and his attorney, Dr. Gonzo - a stand-in for Oscar Zeta Acosta - as they go on a major drug binge in Las Vegas while Duke is supposed to be covering a motorcycle race (which Duke of course, does not) this movie is not a coherent one but certainly a visually creative and amusing one with an - as usual - excellent performance by Benicio Del Toro. Del Toro's performance is in fact so great that he makes Johnny Depp appear worse than he is. Whereas Depp only comes off as a living caricature of Ralph Steadman's drawings, Del Toro's Dr.Gonzo comes off as genuiely unhinged, terrifying and maniacal in an utterly comedic manner. Gilliam's editing is on point as well, offering fast-paced cuts which matches well with the tone and theme of the movie and the use of color during the various drug-induced scenes are enthralling and play off with the paranoiac atmosphere which Gilliam conveys to perfect. Essentially, this movie is unremarkable and forgettable as a story and the themes it stresses upon - which I suppose would be more interesting to reflect upon by reading the source material - but is a worthwhile watch for it's acting performances and for it's balls-to-the-wall visuals and the laughs both of these aspects bring to the table.

 

[nameless1]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Thanks, Nameless1. I:ike many people who played a sport well, watching actors trying to pretend that they are good at it is a painful sight, so I was going to avoid Borg vs. McEnroe , but I'll probably weaken as I am a big Borg fan (and I didn't know about the title change which does seem a trifle cynical though not surprising).

If the audiences knew that in the year before, even though Borg won his fourth straight Wimbledon title, McEnroe beat him for the U.S. title, they would have understood why there is considered to be a rivalry. Even one line in the beginning of the movie would suffice, but that seemed to have escaped the filmmakers' mind.

I believe they relied too much on the reputation of those two greats, but they forgot that the match happened over 37 years, and there are many who is not even born at that time.

 

[kihei]

The Limehouse Golem (2017} Directed by Juan Carlos Medina 3A

A serial murderer whose crimes fit no clear pattern stalks the misty streets of 1880's London. Inspector Kildare (Bill Nighy) is given the job of finding the killer only because his superiors believe the crime is unsolvable, thus better him taking the blame rather than more valued members of the force. Nighy, no tongue in cheek this time around, is as always a delight and the mise en scene is wonderfully atmospheric, but that's where the complements end. The movie wants to be a mix of mystery and horror, but nothing about it is mysterious and the only thing horrifying is that somebody thought this script was good enough to film. I figured out who did it a third of the way through the movie, and I wasn't even trying. The Limehouse Golem (actually there is no golem; it's just a nickname for the killer) never creates any suspense or tension or even mild apprehension. It just trudges along in perfunctory fashion like it wants to get home and soak its tired feet in a tub of water. Except for Nighy, zero fun.

 

[snowden]

The Babadook - 4/10

Wasn't really a fan, though i'm not usually a fan of super natural horror movies unless they are done well, I didn't think this was. Annoying main two actors didn't help.

Glad I'm not the only one who thought it sucked

 

[Nalens Oga]

Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959) - 8.5/10

Walked the fine-line between being artsy and not being annoying. Fairly charming and aesthetically pleasing too. Godard can go f*** himself.