Rate The Last Movie You Saw

The Meetings of Anna - 4/10
Chantal Akerman sucks. But I know some think they're supposed to like her.

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https://www.youtube.com/c/LoyalOpposition

My latest addition to my home collection...



Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (John Sturges / 1957)

Not necessarily my favorite Wyatt Earp / Doc Holliday / Tombstone / O.K. Corral film - or even my favorite John Sturges film - but this is definitely a classy, well-made example of a Hollywood Western from the late '50s. And the new 4K transfer is just beautiful. I've actually seen Sturges' 1967 quasi-sequel Hour of the Gun (with James Garner and Jason Robards). Although I don't actually have it in my collection yet, I sort of regard that as slightly superior to this one. Interestingly enough, Hour of the Gun was the first movie to deal with the so-called Vendetta Ride, beginning with the notorious gunfight and then dealing with the aftermath and consequences, whereas with the earlier films the gunfight itself was the be-all / end-all that everything led up to. (The more recent films, 1993's Tombstone and 1994's Wyatt Earp, also deal with the Vendetta Ride.)

And at the local theater...



August 20, 2024

ALIEN: ROMULUS (Fede Álvarez / 2024)

Well... what can I say? First of all, on the upside, it was actually pretty darn good overall. I've been an admirer of Fede Álvarez's past films - including the oft-underrated 2013 Evil Dead remake - and here I think he did the best job he possibly could. While I don't think it's as good as Mike Flanagan's Doctor Sleep (2019) - in my opinion the Gold Standard of classic horror revisitations - it's also not the overly calculated franchise course correction that J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) was. Chronologically speaking, it's sort of an "alternative sequel" to Ridley Scott's original Alien from 1979, not overriding the chronology or negating James Cameron's Aliens from 1986. There are actually quite a few really cool twists in the story here, in particular the zero-gravity shootout setpiece in which our characters have to dodge the floating acidic alien blood. I also like the fact that for the first time, we actually have a concrete reason why the big-bad Weyland-Yutani Corporation wants to get its hand on the Xenomorphic genome. It has to do with giving humanity a genetic boost to aid in the survival of humanity in the environments of less hospitable alien worlds marked for colonization. I also don't really mind the use of a certain now-deceased actor's facial and vocal likeness in the resurrection of a certain character from Ridley Scott's 1979 original. (You all probably know who it is at this point.) Hey, just so long as the actor's estate gets properly compensated! On the other hand, Alien: Romulus is really not much more than a "greatest hits" reel of past franchise successes (albeit an effective one), blending the atmosphere and aesthetics of Scott's '79 original with the weaponry and action beats of Cameron's '86 sequel (as well as a shameless callback line) - with a hefty dose of the mad-science-gone-too-far excesses of 1997's Alien Resurrection and Scott's own Prometheus from 2012. And although Scott himself has been displaced from the director's chair now occupied by Álvarez, as producer he manages to maintain continuity and even throws in a few references to the myth-making of his previous two films in the franchise.

In short, a very good franchise sci-fi / horror film, scary in places and maintaining the disturbing frisson of the original concept. (The physical effects are quite visceral and gooey without being overly reliant on CGI.) But I wouldn't necessarily call it a classic by any means...

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"Well, it's what people know about themselves inside that makes 'em afraid" - Clint Eastwood as The Stranger, High Plains Drifter (1973)

"I'll let you be in my dream if I can be in yours" - Bob Dylan, Talkin' World War III Blues (1963)

FYI:

1. I rated Frances Ha (as a 9)

2. Gideon replied saying he/she didn't like it and pointing me to his/her review, which gave the movie 4/10.

3. Perhaps unlike others who have passed comment, I read Gideon's review.

4. I noted that the review was very critical of the lead character (a dancer struggling to find her way in life and struggling to make ends meet). Gideon's review include the comment that,

"She is an apprentice for a dance company because she thinks she's a dancer, but not really...People who are really good at what they do or really successful at what they do usually have a passion for it and Frances doesn't really have a passion for anything. When people ask Frances what she does for a living (which seems to be her least favorite question to answer), she says she's a dancer, but every time the director of the dance company where she works (Charlotte D'Ambroise) offers her studio time and space for her own work. she makes an excuse as to why she's not interested.".

5. I perceived from the review, that Gideon might potentially not relate to people who are struggling in life the way the lead is in Frances Ha, and that might be a reason for the difference in our assessments which Gideon had pointed out.
I raised that in a respectful and polite manner.

6. Gideon replied constructively saying he/she wasn't sure, but he/she didn't understand the film.

7. In summary, Gideon sought to discuss the film with me in response to my rating, and I replied to that response. Gideon seemed fine with that. I see no reason to suspect that I have an issue with people having different views on films to my own. It was in fact Gideon who showed me his/her opinion of the film in response to me stating my opinion.

The best thing Ackerman did impo, was the first 30 minutes of her first film Je, Tu, Il, Elle.
Imo that was fantastic, ground breaking and mould setting for slow cinema. I thought that the film went downhill from there, and I've not liked anything else I've seen of hers (apart from Letters Home which was quite a neat idea and seemed decent)!

Same with this movie. Decent start, and then .... Although I liked the one you mentioned more. "An Apartment in NY" was decent. Never liked "Jeanne Dielmann"

He doesn't.

He tried to suggest a film and tell me I would like it. It was some 1960s film. Citizen said that it was a good idea to understand that wasn't my type of movie.

WHAT YOU CLAIM HAPPENED
1. I tried to suggest a 60s film and tell you you would like it.
2. Citizen said that it was a good idea to understand that wasn't my type of movie.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
1. On a thread about the 60s, I mentioned Alphaville (1965), and said it was so influential, including on things like Blade Runner and even stuff like Naked Gun
2. You said this is a thread about the 60s, don't mention films like Naked Gun as they aren't from the 60s.
3. I jokingly replied saying that Naked Gun is the greatest 60s film
4. Citizen said don't say things like that to MovieGal or you are asking for trouble

Mission: Cross (2024) - 4/5

Korean comedy/thriller. Yum Jung-ah is terrific as the wise-cracking police woman investigating fraudsters … and maybe her husband. Lots of good fun. Netflix.

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Scarecrow: I haven't got a brain ... only straw. Dorothy: How can you talk if you haven't got a brain? Scarecrow: I don't know. But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they? Dorothy: Yes, I guess you're right.

La Piscine (1969) - A
The Man Who Wasn't There - A-
Any Number Can Win - A+

Enjoying some Alain Delon films since the news of his passing... and yes a Coen’s film in between. Each of those are on Criterion Channel now btw.

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Member since Fall 2002
Top 100 Films, clicky below

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Miracle Mile (1988)

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[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

By http://alienbee.net/final-one-sheet-...-transylvania/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32034660

Hotel Transylvania - (2012)

It's not the funniest animated comedy going around, this one, but it's kind of sweet and I'll be damned if I didn't glom onto these characters as if they were real. The design of each one is okay, but overall I get the impression that Hotel Transylvania is a bit of a knock-off and cash grab - with songs that sound like they were written by cynical people in it for the money. I'm coming to the end of a 'stack' - another pile of DVDs where I'm getting to the titles I still want to see, but want to see the least. Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised, sometimes the movie is just as bad as I though it'd be, and sometimes it's way worse. Hotel Transylvania surprised me by getting me strangely emotionally invested - but I was going through some of my old stuff and feeling nostalgic while wondering about sliding doors. I was susceptible. If I were a kid though, this might have been a guilty pleasure for me (and I would have felt very guilty and told nobody about it.) Dracula's daughter finds a human boyfriend - it's not Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and it's no threat to Monsters Inc. But I liked it a little bit, despite the fact that the screenplay had some awful lines in it (for those Happy Madison schlubs to let out.) Somehow this has heart despite itself.

6/10

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I reckon Frances Ha is like a comedy version of Whiplash.

The Scarlet Empress 1934

Not the most compelling story but there are many other things to enjoy, and of course the grotesque set pieces are to die for.
Louise Dresser seems to enjoy playing the bitchy Empress and Sam Jaffe is properly creepy as the Grand Duke.
The bombastic score is a little intrusive sometimes, especially during the wedding ceremony that seemed to go on forever.

7/10

If you enjoy movies that have a tendency to pull the narrative rug from beneath your feet, Slingshot might just be your cup of tea (and if you don't, then maybe you shouldn't even try to watch it).

There is little about it that can be said without potentially spoiling many of the movie's twists (and there are many). On the surface it appears to be about a trio of astronauts embarking on a dangerous mission to Titan by means of a dangerous maneuver called a "slingshot" that seeks to take advantage of a planet's gravitational field.

But, as the expression goes, sometimes things are not what they seem.

Whether you think the movie is a valiant effort to explore the mysteries of the human mind, or nothing more than a shaggy-dog joke told over the space of 2 hours, is going to have to be up to you to determine.

If you're like me, you'll have fun trying to determine what's real, what isn't, what might be real, and what definitely isn't. And it's not as easy as it sounds.

There's a good idea there, but the characters are incredibly shallow and not interesting to watch nor is there any investment in their conflict. Also the main actress is beyond horrible and sounds like she is reading her lines.

what does this mean please?

5th rewatch...Though over the years I have to admit to preferring Casino in terms of pure entertainment value, there is no denying that this film is Martin Scorsese's masterpiece. Robbed of the 1990 Oscar for Best Picture, This is the true story of how a young man named Henry Hill who fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming a gangster that brought the glamour of being a mobster to the story, led to Hill being taken down and living the rest of his life in witness protection until his death a few years ago. Scorsese's mob epic is explosively bloody and unapologetic with one riveting scene after another. The story of Billy Bats and Henry's stormy marriage to Karen are definitely standout elements of the story, as well as ticking time bomb Tommy DeVito, who we never know what he's going to do from one scene to the next. Joe Pesci won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his DeVito and Lorraine Bracco received a supporting actress nomination for her fiery Karen.

1st Rewatch...Despite a near brilliant performance from Seth Rogen, this 2009 black comedy did not play as well as it did on my original watch. Rogan plays Ronnie Barnhardt, a mall cop who takes his job a little too seriously who is determined to catch a flasher who has been exposing himself to female shoppers in the parking lot. He is determined to catch the guy until his boss calls in a police detective (Ray Liotta) to handle the case. Ronnie then decides to pursue his real dream of enrolling in the police academy and when the academy refuses admittance because of suspected mental issues, something inside Ronnie snaps and this is where the movie goes off the rails. It starts off relatively funny, but around the halfway point, the laughs begin to peter away into some squirm worthy violence and odd character reveals that make it hard to stay invested in everything. This film starts out very funny but gradually just becomes sad and scary, though Rogen fans should definitely give it a look.

Umpteenth Rewatch...Mel Brooks originally wanted Richard Pryor to play Sheriff Bart, but studio heads wouldn't allow it because they felt Pryor was too controversial a personality to headline the project, though Pryor did end up participating in the screenplay, allowing Cleavon Little the opportunity to deliver a star-making performance as the sheriff initially shunned by the small western town of Rock Ridge who comes to their rescue. Harvey Korman steals every scene he's in as the evil Hedley Lamarr and Madeline Kahn's Lilli Von Schtupp earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination...her musical number "I'm Tired" never gets old. Gottq give a shout out to Slim Pickens as Taggart too. The movie still makes me laugh out loud as it did during its release 50 years ago.

Kinds of Kindness (2024) The wonderfully weird Yorgos Lanthimos strikes again with another odd and enjoyable winner. Good performances from a great cast including Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, and Willem Dafoe, and an interesting screenplay make this unusual film a rewarding and entertaining experience. I would rank this as the 5th best film of the year so far.