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Author Topic: Respond to the last movie you watched (2013-2016)  (Read 973686 times)

1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9960 on: December 22, 2016, 04:06:39 PM »

Demon (2015)

For many years, horror filmmakers have been borrowing from David Lynch to produce scares. Lynch has never made an outright horror film, but he has delivered some of the scariest and creepiest moments of modern cinema. This year, I've seen a number of Horror films that don't lift from Lynch directly, but seem to understand what Lynch is doing to greatly enhance the tension of a situation. So, even though you may not be into David Lynch because he's too surreal, these films bring Lynch's cinematic technique one step closer to genre expectations.

The films I'm talking about are The Witch, The Neon Demon, Krisha and this one. Demon is closest to Krisha, taking a simple family event (here it's a wedding) and filming it in such a way that it appears the event is taking place in Hell, or some supernatural version of the real world. Wind, rain and mud keeps penetrating the joyous event while the central character - here it's the groom - appears to be having some kind of breakdown: physical, mental, spiritual or maybe even all three. The camera, lighting and sound mix take firm control of the wheel here and don't ask the actors to do all the work. There's a constant feeling of unease, a sense that some menace is out to ruin the party. When you get down to it, Krisha is a domestic drama while Demon is more firmly a Horror film, though not one made up of jumps and scares. They make a terrific double feature.
RATING: * * * - Good

oldkid

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9961 on: December 22, 2016, 10:43:16 PM »
La La Land
“The constructs of organized thought are all around us, the golden age will come when they are freed.”
― Tom Althouse

I don't like this movie for all the wrong reasons.  I don't hate it, I like the music and there were three scenes I loved (the first, the last and the song during the central audition), but these things I didn't care for:

a. I'm really getting tired of Ryan Goslling trying to do every genre.  I don't like him in half the stuff he attempts,  and while I think he plays this role and sings just fine, he just irritates me and he's in 2/3 of the scenes.

b. To see Gosling and Stone try to be Astaire and Rogers in one scene really highlighted how much they are not anywhere close to being a triple threat.  They are actors who sing and dance adequately.  But if you are going to be doing a classic Hollywood musical, adequate just won't do.

c. I just saw Moana the day before, and that's a great musical.  Better music, better connection between the music and the characters/plot without repeating what they already experienced. La La Land seemed lackluster in comparison.
3/5

The Handmaiden
“... in practice the standard for what constitutes rape is set not at the level of women's experience of violation but just above the level of coercion acceptable to men.”
― Judith Lewis Herman

There was a lot to like about Stoker and Thirst, but they were both missing something.  They were visually stunning and fascinating ideas, but they weren't the Park Chan Wook I loved.

The Handmaiden is his return to form.  This is the director that made the Vengeance trilogy, but with a whole new set of skills to play with. 

This film is deeply beautiful, somewhat thoughtful, but most importantly, incessantly playful. It is laugh out loud funny, even while it is giving us disturbing scenes and images.  Our laughter is uncomfortable, but more powerful for that.  And the twists made me think of a Gone Girl presented well, not just for the shock, but to consider the concepts, the characters.  A character doesn't change just because you learn something new about them.

This film will certainly be one of my favorites of the year.  I don't know that it will be my favorite, though.  There are a number to choose from.

4.5/5
"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky

1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9962 on: December 22, 2016, 11:14:51 PM »
Nocturnal Animals
* * 1/2

There's just two things I don't get: the beginning and the end. Because of that, I'm not sure I understood what happened in-between.

chardy999

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9963 on: December 23, 2016, 06:19:32 AM »
Yay oldkid!

"Incessantly playful" it certainly is. There's so much propping it up.
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Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9964 on: December 23, 2016, 11:04:06 AM »
Loving (2016)

As racial tensions flare up again in America, Loving is certainly a timely film. However, it never finds a solid focus. At first a romance, then a biopic, then a historical drama, Loving suffers from an identity crisis. Any one of these would make for a decent film, but smushed together they result in a film that is average at best.

Richard (Joel Edgerton) is a blue collar worker who makes a living building houses. He falls in love with Mildred (Ruth Negga) and the two go up to D.C. to get married. The local folk don’t take kindly to such a union and the judge decides to exile them from the state even as Mildred is expecting their first child.

At first, the film is a quiet, sweet romance between two souls caught up in a world that does not accept their relationship. The interracial marriage is seen as an offence to both man and God. Once this element enters, it begins to shift to a drama about this couple’s journey to right a wrong and see justice served.

But late in the film a scene where Michael Shannon has to show up–this is a Jeff Nichols’ film after all–as a Life photographer and there’s this momentary glimpse of a biopic investigating the lives of these two sweet, unassuming people and who they are.

And it’s a shame because Jeff Nichols’ style fits perfectly with this real-life story about two sweet, blue-collar people caught up in a world of fear, hate, and violence. But there’s not enough to sustain the film’s runtime. Nothing is developed satisfactorily.

It’s unclear what the takeaway is supposed to be. The characters aren’t given enough definition and the historical importance seems almost secondary to the film. It doesn’t help that the actors involved in the supreme court case seems uneasy with Nichol’s direction style. There are a handful of things to like about this film, but nothing to love.

slowpogo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9965 on: December 23, 2016, 12:44:53 PM »
Loving (2016)

As racial tensions flare up again in America, Loving is certainly a timely film. However, it never finds a solid focus. At first a romance, then a biopic, then a historical drama, Loving suffers from an identity crisis. Any one of these would make for a decent film, but smushed together they result in a film that is average at best.


I'm curious why it would be necessary for Loving, or any movie, to easily fit into a particular genre? If something drifts between genres, why is that bad? Anyway, I don't think it lacks focus...I see it as a historical drama that, if anything, is hyper-focused on the day-to-day domestic lives of its characters. That's why the legal battle is more or less in the background - for the Lovings themselves it was mostly a distraction as they tried to live their lives in peace, and I love the way the movie reflects that point of view. A lesser film would have actually emphasized that stuff and ended with a climactic courtroom showdown, but Nichols is the perfect director for this because his instincts are always to go deeper into his characters, rather than toward external showmanship. Anyway, I liked it a lot and felt the leads gave two of the year's noteworthy performances.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9966 on: December 23, 2016, 12:53:43 PM »
It's not inherently bad, but I feel like there are three very different movies in this film and all of them feel underdeveloped.

slowpogo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9967 on: December 23, 2016, 03:30:18 PM »
Can't a movie be a historical drama that also contains romance and biographical material? I don't understand why you consider them separate elements. Wouldn't it be silly if someone said "I don't like Star Wars because it lacks focus - it wants to be an action movie, a romance and science fiction."

In any case I think what you perceive as "lack of development" is what I appreciate, and what the Filmspotting guys talk about in today's episode...it underplays and understates all the things that might make it seem like obvious Oscar bait.
« Last Edit: December 23, 2016, 03:32:57 PM by slowpogo »

1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9968 on: December 23, 2016, 09:47:01 PM »
Beyond Tomorrow (1940)
* *
And with that, I think I am all out of potentially good Christmas movies.

The three stars are Charles Winninger (Destry Rides Again), C. Aubrey Smith (Rebecca, And Then There Were None) and Harry Carey (Red River, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington). Watch a few classic movies, you'll come across their faces multiple times. Here they play elderly gents of varying dispositions who end up helping a young couple out on Christmas Eve. From there the story takes some turns into Fantasy and Fable as the focus goes towards the young couple facing life's obstacles. I'm glad I didn't try to watch this years ago because the three men are great, largely because I'm so familiar with them. The film lights up when any of them are on screen, and falls asleep when it sticks with the couple. The theme of temptation, redemption and faith is so cut and dry I can't believe this hasn't been remade by the Catholic Church.

Melvil

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9969 on: December 24, 2016, 10:08:13 AM »
Rogue One

I'm not ready to fully endorse this film, but I'm pleasantly surprised by what a breath of fresh air it was following The Force Awakens. Rough edges and all, it is a movie with vision. It has real characters, and plots that make sense! It's visually interesting, and makes the Star Wars universe feel bigger rather than smaller. It's far from perfect, and certainly benefited from low expectations and being prepped for some of the worse inclusions, but overall it felt like a real movie with a satisfying, self-contained story. It showed me something new. I guess for now that will have to be good enough.

I'd really like to know what it was like before Disney interfered and with the original ending.

 

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