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Author Topic: Respond to the last movie you watched  (Read 684136 times)

oldkid

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3340 on: March 15, 2019, 12:39:58 AM »
You weren't included in my "we." Only people who were right were included in my we.  :P

One of the best responses of all time.
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smirnoff

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3341 on: March 15, 2019, 02:28:37 PM »
Before Midnight (Richard Linklater, 2013)         10/10


This film is full of good chuckles. Not that I'm looking to take sides when the argument starts, but I do find it easier to empathize with Jesse in those scenes. Those moments of exasperation from him  (like the one seen above) make me laugh. A lot. Even in the midst of a relationship which appears to be disintegrating, a relationship that I am very much rooting for, I can't help but laugh. Maybe it's that I've already seen how it ends, so I know that the relationship is not in as much jeopardy as it would appear. I am able to look back at it, as Jesse and Celine might in 10 years, and enjoy it.

This is a wonderful film in every way.

smirnoff

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3342 on: March 15, 2019, 03:39:25 PM »
Ronin (John Frankenheimer, 1998)         9/10

If you haven't seen Ronin yet you're in luck. The film is aging remarkably well. One side effect of the McGuffiny nature of the plot it is that it doesn't get nailed down to a super specific event which you then get progressively further and further away from with each viewing. Instead its generic story line is actually a great asset. It puts focus on how the job is done, not the job itself. I tried rewatching Green Zone not that long ago. In it's day I found it to be a solid film set in the early days of the Iraq war. Nine years later I couldn't even finish it. I'm so over that as a topic upon which to build a plot.

The film is unaffected by it's age in other ways too. It is set in Italy and France, and not in locations that would be thought of as iconic to those countries. Instead it's less well known areas where the skyline probably hasn't changed in 500 years, and on the street level everything probably looks much as it does today.

The style of the filmmaking is also not dating itself imo. This film has always had it's own unique feel and wasn't ever typical of it's time. To put it on now it is still a refreshing change of pace. How it's scored, the Mamet dialogue, and where it's priorities lay. It's also nice to see this cast working as ensemble. We've seen some of these actors carry their own films... we know they can act. The question is, can they still inter-act. In that way Ronin provides a more organic acting challenge, and that too was refreshing to watch.
« Last Edit: March 15, 2019, 03:41:02 PM by smirnoff »

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3343 on: March 15, 2019, 05:59:25 PM »
My friend recommend this film a while back and it certainly is a gem of a film. The cast is top notch.

Bondo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3344 on: March 15, 2019, 08:55:25 PM »
Climax

Watch out for walkouts, you're gonna get some walkouts.

Having seen, I think, all of Gaspar Noe's features, I certainly go into an opening night screening of Climax knowing what to expect, which is to say, that I don't know what to expect. Of the eight people who were in the theatre, two apparently didn't expect that much and bailed about halfway through. Which thank god, because they talked through the trailers and had a phone out at points during the film itself.

Though the early section where this queer ensemble of dancers perform a rather stunning routine would probably qualify as hitting 10 in most films, I am going to say it is about a 6 here. As they kick off the party after, that number starts creeping up. If it had only gone to an 8, it would seem rather a dream. A room of attractive youngsters, some mind altering substances, and some hormones. I am totally here for this rave/orgy to be. But it wouldn't be Noe if it stopped at 8, and in turning it up to 11, it becomes a living nightmare of illness, incoherence, jealousy and paranoia told in the most kinetic manner possible.

If I had to find an equivalence to the experience of watching Climax, it would be Spring Breakers, only Gaspar Noe is the evolved form of Harmony Korine. Sidenote, Beach Bum looks terrible, like what would happen if Spring Breakers was about the James Franco character, and everyone who said he was the best part of that film needs to personally apologize to me for making this happen. Anyway, typical to Noe, the film is told with a bunch of long takes and you really have to commend him, cinematographer Benoît Debie, and the whole cast for contributing to a film that is as entrancing as it is horrifying. It doesn't ultimately have the pathos of Irreversible to lodge it high in my top-100, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it vying for a spot all the same.

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3345 on: March 15, 2019, 08:58:45 PM »
I didn't like it as much as all that because it keeps us outside of the characters heads (while also being incredibly voyeuristic and interior focused). But it is certainly an experience I'm glad I had.
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1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3346 on: March 15, 2019, 09:34:09 PM »


Climax

Though the early section where this queer ensemble of dancers perform a rather stunning routine would probably qualify as hitting 10 in most films, I am going to say it is about a 6 here. As they kick off the party after, that number starts creeping up. If it had only gone to an 8, it would seem rather a dream. A room of attractive youngsters, some mind altering substances, and some hormones. I am totally here for this rave/orgy to be. But it wouldn't be Noe if it stopped at 8, and in turning it up to 11, it becomes a living nightmare of illness, incoherence, jealousy and paranoia told in the most kinetic manner possible.
Looking to clarify, do you have a standout scene or moment, or was this a case where the entire experience was the best part for you? I'm making the early case for the first dance to be scene of the year, and I'm wanting to read where others felt Noe hit his peak. (Sofia Boutella's freakout is a possible highpoint, though it seemed to indebted to Isabelle Adjani in Possession. Putting a kid at the party, that's classic Noe.)

Benoît Debie also shot Spring Breakers

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FLYmeatwad

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3348 on: March 16, 2019, 06:06:19 PM »
Climax

Watch out for walkouts, you're gonna get some walkouts.

Having seen, I think, all of Gaspar Noe's features, I certainly go into an opening night screening of Climax knowing what to expect, which is to say, that I don't know what to expect. Of the eight people who were in the theatre, two apparently didn't expect that much and bailed about halfway through. Which thank god, because they talked through the trailers and had a phone out at points during the film itself.

Though the early section where this queer ensemble of dancers perform a rather stunning routine would probably qualify as hitting 10 in most films, I am going to say it is about a 6 here. As they kick off the party after, that number starts creeping up. If it had only gone to an 8, it would seem rather a dream. A room of attractive youngsters, some mind altering substances, and some hormones. I am totally here for this rave/orgy to be. But it wouldn't be Noe if it stopped at 8, and in turning it up to 11, it becomes a living nightmare of illness, incoherence, jealousy and paranoia told in the most kinetic manner possible.

If I had to find an equivalence to the experience of watching Climax, it would be Spring Breakers, only Gaspar Noe is the evolved form of Harmony Korine. Sidenote, Beach Bum looks terrible, like what would happen if Spring Breakers was about the James Franco character, and everyone who said he was the best part of that film needs to personally apologize to me for making this happen. Anyway, typical to Noe, the film is told with a bunch of long takes and you really have to commend him, cinematographer Benoît Debie, and the whole cast for contributing to a film that is as entrancing as it is horrifying. It doesn't ultimately have the pathos of Irreversible to lodge it high in my top-100, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it vying for a spot all the same.

Damn, Bondo, you had FLY on board until that last paragraph. I've seen plenty more Korine, and very little Noe, but am a big fan of Korine/am super excited for TBB (one letter away from TWBB, best of all time, coincidence? Probably not.), though upon my most recent watch of SB I was less high on Franco than I have been in the past. Still love him, but Faith is the one who hit me the hardest this previous time.

Anyway, Climax is the shit, easily the best thing I've seen so far this year. Wondering if it will hang around all year again in the way You Were Never Really Here did last year. I didn't get out for second viewing today though : / But I guess there's still time.

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3349 on: March 17, 2019, 03:49:10 AM »
Kon-Tiki (2012)
Six men have fun on a raft.  A mix of beautiful cinematography and sudden moments of intense drama mixed into a long journey under a hot sun. Many scenes of oddly ill-defined men, who are largely reliant on their legends for characterisation, having squabbles through beards.  Extreme anthropology with a flimsy theory based on myth, but they’re heroes of survival rather than madmen railing against the world?  This is definitely about the odyssey and less about why it’s happening seen from any perspectives outside the crew.  Needs more Herzog.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Guy Ritchie mangles the Cold War and blows a massive budget on costumes. One of the most inconsistent re-imaginings I’ve seen. Some scenes are outstanding then others fail as Ritchie can’t help indulging himself with his usual quipping muscularity. He’s aiming for the whimsy of the original but he can’t do that lightness of touch. Everything he does has weight. Nevertheless this looks amazing and taken as a whole is enjoyable. Must win some sort of accolade for worst choice of subtitle font in a movie.

Free Fire (2016)
Ben Wheatley undertakes a formal exercise in just how long one gun-fight can last.  This is a finger-gun fight from a playground put on film, only with actual guns.  Wheatley undertakes to frustrate anything that might cut the fight short.  Loads of cover; no bullets in the assault rifles; everyone’s wounded, isn't mobile, or has bad aim.  The battle royale game from hell.  The unholy mix of Fortnite and The Oregon Trail.  Not so much a response or a challenge to Tarantino, more a plea for him to stop and try something else.  Authentic warehouse floor dust and grime throughout.

Cabiria (1914)
Moloch demands sacrifices.  Rome demands the world.  Awesome.  It’s 1914 and this is between two and three hours long depending on the version.  A massive cast of extras, feats of daring in scaling city walls, a master/slave double act, tragedy, war and somehow Giovannia Pastrone has managed to work out how to move a 1914-era camera in a controlled manner, albeit for only a short distance, to create some limited steadicam-esque sweeping pan shots over the amazing sets.  Only let down by an addiction to expository intertitles and blackface.

The Earth Dies Screaming (1964)
The alien robot menace stumbles ever-so-slowly to the extinction of the human race. Starts with a bang not only with scenes of dead people lying face-down in puddles and on miniature golf courses, but with some excellent typography in the credit sequence. There are things to like. The design of the robots is macabre. Tensions form with the group of survivors, they have personality flaws. The failure is the direction. Action would be the wrong word. These are the slowest robots and zombies you have *ever* seen. Very little screaming occurs..




At the Earth’s Core (1976)
Men in monster suits dance through Edgar Rice Burrough’s fevered imagination. Filled to the brim with Victorian ideas of progress and colonialism, taken to absurd depths by the idea of telepathic, sadistic dinosaurs dwelling in the deep dark pre-history that lives below our feet. All with obligatory Caroline Munroe cleavage. The effects are laughable, yet their naivety adds some charm to the rote proceedings. Takes itself endearing too seriously. One to kindle a brief fondness before being passed over summarily.

Ghost in the Shell (2017)
Scarlett Johansson cosplays a naked robot. Too reverent of the original, yet failing to grasp what made the original thoughtful and stylish.  Despite copying some scenes shot for shot it nevertheless lack the visual flair of the anime.  It also lacks the pacing, the mood, the soundtrack and the depth as well.  Bears the hallmarks of a producer who is too much of a fanboy to recognise a bad idea if he’s the one who’s had it; fanservice for billionaires.  The director doesn’t help.

Wayne’s World 2 (1993)
Mike Myers overrates Charlton Heston’s acting. Not excellent. Very much a cultural artifact, and perhaps if it was buried in a time capsule for several hundred years, it wouldn’t be missed. The inevitable result of the play-listing choices of 1980s US radio stations mixing with teenage hormonal surges that also spawned Bill & Ted. Perhaps you had to be there. Fun and overwhelmingly disposable, this a film you have on in the background while you surf the net and direct your attention elsewhere. Undemanding.

Shorts of the Week

Ashes of Doom (1970)
Grant Munro enlists Universal Horror tropes to bring us this PIF.  Wins the prize for most smoking in sixty seconds or less.  A one-joke short to dissuade us from smoking, however it suggests that to truly defeat the vampire menace, the best measure is a 120-a-day habit and lungs of tar.  Impressively tottering ashtrays and some fantastic swooning from Nadia Salnick can’t fix that oversight.  Pre-post-modernism going on with the overlong credit sequence and use of older film idioms.

Fast and Furry-ous (1949)
Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote start as they mean to go on. The original and possibly still the best. Only one Acme and one Ace product used, the rest are all generics. This contains *the* tunnel gag, *the* jet-powered tennis shoes and *the* very large rock. It’s also one of the only ones in which Wile E. Coyote nearly makes it across the canyon after equipment failure. Rather surprisingly it also contains the moment he first lays eyes on the Road Runner. I assumed it had been going on eternally.

Schick After Shave (1971)
Marxist director tries his hand at selling aftershave. A work of monumental self-contradiction, and less surprisingly, an unconventional male gaze and worldview. Jean-Luc Godard tries weakly to subvert the medium with an ad of anti-glamour and agitprop, but it’s still a man and a woman getting out of bed arguing until the bottled masculinity that is Schick changes her contrary attitude. The capitalism goes against Godard, but the masculine power and conflict is right at home. They need to change the name of that aftershave…

 

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