Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Yes. It's the kind of moment that, as an adult, you would think you must be misremembering.

this shit absolutely rips when dudes are getting blasted and sucks ass whenever anything else is happening.

The Pillow Book (1995) - Peter Greenaway: 7/10

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The Way to the Stars - (1945)

File this one in the "way better than I thought it would be" basket - it asks the question, "is it right or okay to get married and have children while fighting in a war that might see you dead any day?" Peter Penrose (John Mills) is a pilot flying in a bomber squadron where he meets and befriends David Archdale (Michael Redgrave), but it's 1940 and much is short-lived despite revelry and romance. There's poetry and an influx of American bomber pilots who culturally change the tone of the film despite the questions it asks staying pertinent. It's not so much a war film as a drama, but it really gets to the crux of the love and loss which made life such a different prospect back then. Very well written - Terence Rattigan adapted his own play, "Flare Path". Seems like Twelve O'Clock High pinched it's opening from this underseen gem.

8/10


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Ned Kelly - (2003)

Despite being an Australian I'm no expert on famous bushranger and outlaw Ned Kelly - but he's a big deal here, a legend comparable perhaps with John Dillinger in America? Kelly is romanticized to such an extreme that it's hard to say how good or bad he really was, and it's nearly impossible to tell truth from legend regarding the specific incidents which led eventually to him shooting dead three policemen - but of course in Gregor Jordan's bombastic and melodramatic feature he's a hero and man of the people. The film's climax seems like it must be absolutely fictional, and various reviews have described it as such. Despite featuring Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Naomi Watts and Geoffrey Rush there's something really trashy about this bombastic modern western edition (the first ever multi-reel feature film was The Story of the Kelly Gang - it opened on Boxing Day, 1906) of the never-ending series of films made about this man. I would have loved less artifice, dramatic score and excess - and I would have especially loved something less black and white. Nuance or an examination of the complexity and less mindless boring "entertainment" that makes a mockery of us all. There's enough to Ned Kelly to do that.

5/10


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Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle - (2021)

This 167-minute film about a Japanese soldier left over from the Second World War who had been left defending an island, isolated from the world, thinking that the war wasn't yet over for three decades was fascinating and emotionally compelling in many different ways, and I enjoyed it immensely. Full review here, in my watchlist thread.

8/10

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My last movie was Wicked. I'd never seen the broadway show, so I wasn't on the hype train but I was interested and I ended up really enjoying it. I'd give it a solid 8/10.

The Lure





The consensus on Rotten Tomatoes sums it up best:


"The Lure adds a sexually charged, genre-defying twist to
well-established mermaid lore, more than overpowering its flaws through
sheer variety and wild ambition."

Marathon Man (1976)

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[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

SF = Z

Viewed: Blu ray


[Snooze Factor Ratings]:
Z = didn't nod off at all
Zz = nearly nodded off but managed to stay alert
Zzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed
Zzzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed but nodded off again at the same point and therefore needed to go back a number of times before I got through it...
Zzzzz = nodded off and missed some or the rest of the film but was not interested enough to go back over it

Sometimes a Great Notion (1971)

Better Man (2024)





This one really surprised me. I didn't have much interest in a biopic of a 90s pop star I was never a fan of, but it was not what I expected: really well filmed, irreverent, sweary, uses the songs well and blends biography with fantasy to show the main character's state of mind. It's like Rocket man with more than a dash of The Wall.


Oh, and the lead is a monkey. Full on planet of the apes.


It does get a little sentimental at times and there's the inherent bias and insular focus of being one person's point of view on themselves...but then that is the scope of the film, how he sees himself, and it doesn't pull it's punches with drug use, mental health or unreasonable behaviour.

Biker film that I felt borrowed heavily from better films. It quickly reminded me of Goodfellas, with the narrating girl attracted to the rebel, who is part of a dangerous group, and they quickly get married and face the issues that come with that lifestyle. The movie has its own Benny Blanco from the Bronx character (Carlito's Way), and as the leader, Tom Hardy seems to be channeling Don Corleone. It all adds up to just an ok film, probably because the subject matter interests me. I was almost one of them as I ran with a group called The Mercenaries back in the early to mid 90's. Things happened and my life went in a different direction. If Martin Scorsese directed this, it would've turned out awesome. As is, I'll forget about it's existence in a few days.

This Sporting Life (1963) -

Frank Machin makes for the most complex character I've seen Lindsay Anderson create so far. While his bitter personality and his treatment of Margaret makes him far from likable, dismissing him as abusive would be missing his various nuances. Instead, one gets the impression he genuinely does care for Margaret and has good intentions (with his numerous assertions of his love for her). He just frequently lacks an understanding of how to interact around her and the roughness he displays during his rugby matches tend to spill over outside the pitch. Due to that, the film could be seen as a breakdown of toxic masculinity, but Frank's failure to realize this behavior is exactly what Margaret is pushing back against is what conflicts everything. Margaret recognizes he wants to help her take care of herself and her children but first wants him to better himself before she welcomes him with open arms. Though the non-linear angle was dropped after the first third, cross-cutting Frank's early scenes with him undergoing dental surgery due to a sports injury made for a great juxtaposition since they say all that needs to be said about the roughness of his sport and the negative influences it has on his relations outside of the pitch. Even with the other rugby matches depicted, Frank's aggressiveness (often elbowing and punching other players) further helps to bring insight to why he acts the way he does off the field. Phenomenal final scene, by the way. Ultimately, as pathetic as he was, I still held out a bit of sympathy for him since the rare, tender moments of Frank bonding with Margaret's children show he's capable of controlling himself in the right setting.

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IMDb
Letterboxd

the sets and lighting and camera work are all so cool i don't know why i didn't quite love it.

Varan, 1958

Two scientists venture into a remote region of Japan to study rare butterflies, but are killed by a strange earthquake. Yuriko (Ayumi Sonoda) is a reporter and also the sister of one of the scientists, and she goes to investigate what really happened, along with scientist Kenji (Kozo Nomura). Disregarding the warnings from locals, the group goes into the mountainside and discovers a prehistoric creature called Varan. The military must scramble to contain and defeat the monster.

A cool monster design and likable protagonists can’t lift this above feeling like Godzilla-lite.



FULL REVIEW

Borderlands
4/10.
Yet another example of how video games are not good source material for movies.

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Boldly going.

That's cool about your biker history. Despite the Goodfellas similarities, I really enjoyed it, especially for the interview format and soundtrack. Also, if they gave out acting Oscars for single scenes, Michael Shannon would win it. My only worthwhile complaint is that the Midwestern accents are comically exaggerated.

You know what, besides some crappy MST3K biker movies, it's the only big budget one I've seen. I guess I should continue with...The Wild One?

One of the best "scuzzf*ckcore" movies!

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San Franciscan lesbian dwarves and their tomato orgies.

Besides Easy Rider most of the biker films I remember as crap, including The Wild One. An exception is Psychomania but I haven't seen it since I was a kid. I'm originally from Chicago and I agree about the accents.

Oh and Stone Cold was good fun.

Atragon, 1963

An undersea empire called the Mu emerges from the depths of the ocean to declare war on the land. The best hope for the people on the surface is a long-lost Japanese naval captain named Jinguji (Jun Tazaki) who is rumored to be developing the ultimate submarine, the Atragon. Photographer Susumu (Tadao Takashima) and Jinguji’s estranged daughter Makoto (Yoko Fujiyama) set off on a mission to find the captain and convince him to help defend Japan and the rest of the world.

Winning special effects get bogged down by a slog of a story.



FULL REVIEW

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Curse of the Golden Flower - (2006)

The seventh film in my Zhang Yimou & Gong Li boxed set, and perhaps one of the most beautiful-looking films I've ever seen in my life. The art department, production designers and costume department deserve the highest praise for turning the Chinese palace in this movie into an impossible wonderland sparkling with colour and bright inventive imagination. Truly incredible. I'm a big fan of House of Flying Daggers, so I had a feeling Zhang Yimou's martial arts phase might suit me. The story is epic, tragic and Shakespearean - with no regard given whatsoever to your normal Hollywood-type modern narrative style which filmmakers from many countries kind of imitate. There's danger and intrigue amongst Emperor Ping's (Chow Yun-fat) royal family, and the film starts with the revelation that he's in the process of slowly poisoning his wife, Empress Phoenix (Gong Li) - the rest is so spoiler rich I can't divulge a thing. Overall, I enjoyed the story, performances, sets and costumes more than the action - but things do get a little Lord of the Rings in scope battle-wise. A huge Chinese film - the most expensive made at the time. Overall, I was dazzled by this beautiful jewel of a movie and my rating reflects the impression it left on me.

8/10


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The Paperboy - (2012)

Has it really been nearly 13 years since The Paperboy came out? I remember seeing this way back then, but it still feels like yesterday. This film is disgusting - and I kind of mean that as a compliment. The Paperboy sinks deeper than a Floridian gutter and I can't imagine Pete Dexter's novel being any more lurid or unwholesome as this movie is. I've always really liked it one hell of a lot though, despite it's lousy reputation. It's a real crime thriller involving reporter Ward Jansen (Matthew McConaughey) as he investigates the possible innocence of the grimy and awful Hillary Van Wetter (a devilish John Cusack), who has been sharing his story in love letters to the trashy Charlotte Bless (Nicole Kidman) - a fan of writing men in prison. Along for the ride is Ward's brother, Jack (Zac Efron), who falls in love with Charlotte, and his colleague Yardley Acheman (David Oyelowo) - a British black man who has trouble with just about everyone because of 60s racist attitudes, and because he's a hothead. Narrating is the Jansen's maid, Anita Chester (Macy Gray). It doesn't get any darker or any more slimy, but I reckon crime thrillers should get as down and dirty as The Paperboy, at least on occasion. It fits the lurid tone so many great crime novels wear as a badge of pride, so is a true adaptation perhaps.

8/10


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The Music of Chance - (1993)

I threw this on as a late night throwaway, thinking that I'd see the first half hour or so and go to sleep. I mean, I must of bought it for a reason, but the DVD is distributed by Payless/Destra Entertainment - the cheapest and most rubbishy DVD label there is. TV movies and public domain films is their usual fare, so I thought this would look and play like junk - but I got hooked. Jim Nashe (Mandy Patinkin) picks up a beat-up and bloodied card player, Jack Pozzi (James Spader) and buys into a situation that soon becomes quite bizarre. Also featuring M. Emmet Walsh, Charles Durning and Joel Grey. It's the surprises you get plot-wise that made this so interesting, so I can't reveal more except to say that if you think you've seen everything, you should perhaps give this a go. Durning is fantastic, as is Spader - and the only thing which really put a crimp in my joy at having come across this by accident is the ending, which just seems like a really abrupt and unimaginative full stop to a narrative that had been promising much more. Otherwise, this would have had a slightly higher rating. Paul Auster's novel (on which this is based) obviously had a lot of meaning to it - and that carries through here.

7/10


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The Mask of Zorro - (1998)

Like going to Burger King, you get exactly what you expect when you watch The Mask of Zorro - it's made by the pros and the budget is pushing $100 million in 1998 dollars. You've got Anthony Hopkins anchoring as Don Diego de la Vega - the first Zorro, which is good. There's Antonio Banderas as Alejandro Murrieta - the second Zorro, and Catherine Zeta-Jones in her big breakout role. Sword-fighting, decent action and a thundering score. My only problem is, I've never been all that interested in Zorro - so while I gave this film the opportunity to make me more interested in this fictional character, it still ended up failing to do just that. There was nothing in it that I haven't seen too many times already - and perhaps I'm too old now to get carried away with the whole action-adventure vibe. Or perhaps it's just that this film was "big budget ordinary".

6/10