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Author Topic: Respond to the last movie you watched (2013-2016)  (Read 973634 times)

jmbossy

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #10000 on: December 29, 2016, 05:08:46 PM »
Really nice reviews, jmbossy. I'll be curious to see if Indignation makes any sort of dent in the Filmspots -- specifically in the Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Ensemble Cast, and Debut Feature categories, given the strengths you highlighted above.

pixote

I'd love for that to happen, but honestly idk if any one element is strong enough to stand out for a campaign. I love all of the categorizes you mentioned as stand outs, but if one thing is better than anything else it may be the Best Scene (Dramatic) I nominated between Logan Lerman and Tracey Letts in the Dean's office. It is about 10 minutes of just two characters talking, before most of the movie actually takes place, but the performances and the writing are both SOOOO great, and it does a decent job of encapsulating all of the themes I mentioned, so that may end up being the most noticeable element of the film. Otherwise the film may just be too quiet.

1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #10001 on: December 29, 2016, 08:13:41 PM »
Krisha
...the filmmaking is so full of experimental imagination, while not compromising on the tone one whit.

4.5/5
Great review. This is the description that sticks with me. I'm glad the film has been seen by the right people and Trey Edward Shults is already shooting his next film. It would be a shame to see talent like this struggle or be seen as too uncommercial. Still, I wish the film was being discussed for awards consideration because even if you don't like the film there are individual elements that are clearly at a level higher than most of the field.


Star Trek Beyond

Great fun. I very much liked that it had a little more on its mind than having a good time but did not overdo the solidarity/togetherness vs. individuality thing at the same time. The two new characters, the woman and the bad guy, were well drawn for what they needed to be, and the action scenes were fun and well executed. Certainly better than Into Darkness, perhaps not as good as the first one, but only just.
Glad we agree. This has been an interesting case because there are a number of people that agree with us, but also quite a few that despise it, especially the new characters and the execution of the action sequences. I would love to read a detailed analysis one day on why some people point to this as a good example of Hollywood action filmmaking and about as many throw it in with all the other crap.


Kicks
This movie needs some love guys.
And you have now put it on my radar. Is this the correct film? If so, I'm curious why the IMDB rating is so low. What do you think is causing the backlash and why do you disagree with it.

Bondo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #10002 on: December 29, 2016, 11:38:37 PM »
I was really underwhelmed by Kubo and the Two Strings...the least of the Laika animations thus far.

jmbossy

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #10003 on: December 30, 2016, 02:58:43 AM »
Kicks
This movie needs some love guys.
Is this the correct film? If so, I'm curious why the IMDB rating is so low. What do you think is causing the backlash and why do you disagree with it.

That's the one. I don't know specifically why IMDB's community doesn't love it, but I could pretty easily see this movie as unlikable. I have some issues with it myself:

- "Immobile bursts of the surreal" refers to surreal asides examining images with questionable meaning. These are very arty and quiet, ultimately creating more tonal shifts than perhaps optimal. I like these asides, but I guess what this points to is a bit of a pacing issue.
- Depiction of ladies is rare and wholly unfavourable. The movie does comment on the pitfalls of this culture, just never particularly addressing the misogyny of these male characters whose masculinity is paramount.
- The ending is, let's say, not a traditional choice. Not particularly brash or provocative, just unexpected. Maybe even narratively unfulfilling. This combined with the pacing issues and the tonal shifts means anyone with the patience to see this story through may not be rewarded with much.

All that being said, I think Kicks builds to a specific emotional beat I did not realize would resonate with me so much (let's say, "my bad"). I think it opens consideration on a lot of the themes brewing in the background of the central character's story, specifically how he and those around him earn growth and capital-M-Masculinity in a society so deeply affected by toxic notions of what masculinity means. This film is about the tragedy that is fronting. Having to reckon with the insecurity of a culture where crime and violence are unfortunately prevalent and status is challenged at every turn. I should mention, I love hip hop, and these aren't uncommon notions to struggle with in even the best of the genre (it's hard to say Eminem is the best rapper ever without ever addressing some really abhorrent misogyny-- same goes for most rappers and gang violence, drug dealing, etc). Kicks spends a lot more time asking questions than it does providing coherent answers, and so yeah, it makes sense not many people like it as much as me. Still, its  more reference to a topic I love considering, painted with some tremendous empathy.

1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #10004 on: December 30, 2016, 07:53:34 AM »
Thanks. You definitely have me intrigued.

pixote

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #10005 on: January 01, 2017, 01:46:44 AM »

Five Easy Pieces  (Bob Rafelson, 1970)
I'm curious if this was filmed sequentially because it gets progressively more accomplished as it goes along. The opening act around the oil fields and in Hollywood feels like the work of amateur director, cinematographer, and editor, with amateur performances. But once the film moves to the lush countryside of the northwest, it settles into a nice groove and proves itself worthwhile.
Grade: B-


Cargo 200  (Aleksey Balabanov, 2007)
If you ever wondered what Roy Andersson's Texas Chainsaw Massacre might look like, here's your chance. Cargo 200 makes the drabness and moral decay of 1984 soviet Russia oddly appealing and even comic. The film is narratively uneven but thematically on-point, a harsh critique of an era that maybe isn't as "bygone" as I'd like to imagine.
Grade: B


Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion  (Elio Petri, 1970)
Gian Maria Volontè gives an all-time great performance here. This portrait of authority is really incisive and even terrifying. Surprisingly, Morricone's bouncy score fatigued me after a while. I'm surprised I haven't yet seen this paired on a double-feature with The Conformist, made the same year. It'd also pair perfectly Cargo 200, which shares the same surrealist, black comedy approach to institutional satire. I didn't watch them together, however. Just a nice coincidence.
Grade: B


Scrooge  (Brian Desmond Hurst, 1951)
Another all-time great performance, here from Alastair Sim. His wide eyes reminded me of Klaus Kinski, who would have made an amazing Ebenezer Scrooge in his own right. The cinematography and art direction are also top-notch, and Dickens' excellent dialogue really crackles with this cast. The fantastical elements — the special effects and transitions between scenes — feel more dated than they should, even by 1951 standards, and Hurst's direction doesn't work around those limitations well at all. The story also suffers in the Christmas present and Christmas future sections, when Scrooge's character isn't foregrounded enough. But the film rebounds extremely well in the climax, with Sim's gleeful transformation radiating joy.
Grade: B


The 10th Victim  (Elio Petri, 1965)
I'd definitely like to read the source story by Robert Sheckley, which exists somewhere on the spectrum between The Most Dangerous Game and The Hunger Games. Petri's film adaptation is so 60s, for good and for bad. The Art Deco style is really appealing, and Andress and Mastroianna are as cool and beautiful as can be. I would have loved to delve more fully into the politics of the Hunt and also other various elements of the future, like the state of marriage and the once-alluded-to Homosexual Union, among other things. The cat-and-mouse game (which reported inspired the college game of Assassin, which in turn inspired the paintball episodes of Community) is engaging during its brief focus, but Petri is seemingly more interested in the romantic black comedy at the edges. The ending seems like a nod to Marcello's role in , and yet not very satisfying. Piero Piccioni's jazzy score is fairly celebrated, I believe, but I couldn't really judge it fairly, as I kept rooting the film to be less playful and more serious.
Grade: B-

pixote
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Dave the Necrobumper

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #10006 on: January 01, 2017, 03:28:34 AM »
The end of 2016 was a film that is the definition of meh: Zoolander 2 (2016 Ben Stiller) it has a small amount of appeal (at least for the spot the cameo), but is sooo tired and over itself, that it is just a film that can not be bothered.

The beginning of 2017 was a revisit of Star Wars (1977 George Lucas), yep it is still better than its remake (A Force Awakens). I have the Blu Ray so it is one of the later versions Lucas produced, not the original cut, which I would love them to release. This time (between the distraction of the children who were sort of into, they will most likely appreciate it more when they are older) I particularly noticed the music, its subtle and not so subtle usage. It is still the best soundtrack of all time.

pixote: Your review of The 10th Victim  (Elio Petri, 1965) has me interested, is it an easy film to source (I notice neither MUBI or Fandor have it at the moment).

pixote

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #10007 on: January 01, 2017, 03:34:19 AM »
I watched The 10th Victim on Filmstruck, as part of a free trial. Sad to say, the image was a speckly throughout, with the blacks flickering subtly with snow. Not awful, by any means, but I still wish I had rented the Blu-Ray instead.

pixote
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MattDrufke

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #10008 on: January 01, 2017, 08:04:05 AM »
Sing (2016)
Dir: Garth Jennings


In my review of Suicide Squad, I wrote that if you're going to have a character in a movie named Captain Boomerang, that the guy should be able to throw boomerangs and actually have some come back to him. This doesn't seem like to much to ask for. I have a similar problem with this film, because if you're going to make a movie about a singing competition and you're going to have it be about people's need to get onstage and express themselves through song and you're going to call the movie Sing, then your movie should have a lot more singing than this movie does. Novel concept, eh?

What we get here for the first two acts of this film are a lot of story and jokes and very short song snippets. The storylines for each of the characters is fine, I guess, though there's way too much of Mike (Seth MacFarlane), whose opening skill in the beginning of the movie is not even singing (though his character does play a mean saxophone). I don't even think a character sings a full song or even more than a verse or chorus for the first hour of this movie.

I do like the third act of this film, though, which has a real, "Let's put on a show!" attitude (which makes sense because it's all about putting on a show). From there, you get to see songs and performances and watch characters who clearly need a way to express themselves be able to lose their troubles and frustrations in song. It was finally the movie I wanted to see. I wish it just didn't take so long to have gotten there.

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Bondo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #10009 on: January 07, 2017, 01:31:13 PM »
Kicks
This movie needs some love guys.
And you have now put it on my radar. Is this the correct film? If so, I'm curious why the IMDB rating is so low. What do you think is causing the backlash and why do you disagree with it.

Kicks (2016)

If you only see one film about troubled masculinity in the African-American community, watch Moonlight, but by all means try to watch two and see Kicks because it another excellent exploration of the topic. Teenager Brandon (Jahking Guillory) doesn't feel tough and doesn't have the money for the shoes he feels will earn him respect. When he is able to get his hands on a pair of shoes, it looks like things are going to turn around for him when he's attacked by some toughs and his shoes are taken away. Thus he sets out on a mission to reclaim his shoes and prove his mettle.

A lesson of the film may well be that if your self-worth is tied up in something that can so easily be taken from you, it is both a facade and something you'll always be on guard of losing. In the form of toxic masculinity, what we see from these men (boys really) is a total lack of proportionality. Every possible slight must be escalated, lest you become the "bitch." As the observers, we watch in dread that these individuals are going to let it get the best of them.

Mahershala Ali, like in Moonlight, delivers a strong supporting performance as the sage, older male role model with his own background in the harsh world. While it contemplates masculinity, this film isn't quite as transgressive of it as Moonlight, which results in more stereotypical roles for women, and no stand outs, but I don't know that it is a major mark against the film. The surreal aspects are a little more of a burden just because I don't find them really earning their keep. Still, on the whole it is quite a powerful film to pair Moonlight in joining the pantheon of films like Boyz In The Hood in critiquing gangster masculinity.

B+