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Black Panther 4/5 - Oozing style and substance with some great character and world building. Unlike most people, I was let down by the villain. he had one good scene in the beginning then disappeared until the final act and needed more time to sell his story and motivations. I liked him, but wanted MORE. Some of the fight scenes and CGI visuals were a disappointment as well, especially coming off of Creed with it's fantastic one take. Still one of the best Marvel films, up there with Guardians and Thor Ragnarok, but could have been their best with a little more attention to the script and pacing. Not sure why people would hate this film though (unless it's racism)? The Ritual 2.5/5 - Watched on Netflix (not sure if it's an original or not). Reminded me of The Descent for the first half or so, then petered out pretty hard with a really dull ending. Worth a watch for the good cinematography and some good designs, but it just didn't really go anywhere interesting.
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Feb 21, 2018 21:57
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Annihilation - 86/100 Interesting and visually arresting adaptation of the sci-fi novel; manages to be somewhat by-the-numbers and bugfuck-crazy simultaneously. Aside from the setting and a some major plot beats it's not all that similar to the book when all is said and done, more of a good compliment, a story with similar trappings to its source material that actually explores different themes. There's an unforgettable scene late in the film that you absolutely do not want spoiled for you, and I think it really manages to justify some of the more lethargic pacing of the first half. Incredible sound design. note; not for the squeamish
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Feb 23, 2018 12:10
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Black Panther 4.5/5 This is the best Marvel movie at actually being a real movie. It's just the best crafted of the bunch top to bottom. It has better characters performed by better actors in a more vivid and fully realized setting. The humor flows more naturally from the characters and situations. All good villains are the hero of the movie in their own head, and Killmonger convincingly embodies this better than any comic book villain I can think of. There is basically zero effort to shoehorn references to other Marvel movies or set up future franchise movies. The pacing is by and large very effective; it never really felt like things were being overly rushed or needlessly dragging. Above all else it just sucked me into the world of the movie and really held my attention. The costume design and production design in general are just wall-to-wall fantastic. Really, forget the Marvel poo poo, it's really just an excellent standalone sci-fi adventure movie. I went in hoping it would be good and came out impressed. My criticisms border on nitpicking, but here goes: I do think the final bigass outdoor battle scene maybe got away from them a little bit. For the most part I found the action scenes to be exciting and even riveting, but there were points where they went overboard with the fastcutfastcutfastcut poo poo in the hand-to-hand fighting, which always grates on me a little. And it suffers from the modern CGI blockbuster thing where no matter how much money they sink into it the effects (and this is a $200m movie), they still end up with a handful of scenes that don't actually look that good.
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Feb 26, 2018 16:51
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The Falls (1980, Peter Greenaway) [Filmstruck] 3.5/5 Shadows (1959, John Cassevetes) [Blu-ray] - 4.5/5 (rewatch) Faces (1968, John Cassevetes) [Blu-ray] - 4.5/5 David Lynch: The Art Life (2016, Jon Nguyen/Rick Barnes/Olivia Neergaard-Holm) [Blu-ray] - 4.5/5 Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2009, Edgar Wright) [Blu-ray] - 3.5/5 The Eye Hears, the Ear Sees (1970, Gavin Millar) [DVD] - 4.5/5 Phantom Thread (2017, Paul Thomas Anderson) [4K DCP] - 6/5 Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017, Rian Johnson) [DCP] - 4.5/5 Lots and lots of short films (my favorites marked with an *) Masterworks of American Avant-Garde Cinema [Blu-ray]: The Life and Death of 9413, a Hollywood Extra (1928, Robert Florey/Slavko Vorkapich)* Skyscraper Symphony (1929, Robert Florey) Mechanical Principles (1930, Ralph Steiner)* A Bronx Morning (1931, Jay Leyda)* Poem 8 (1932, Emlen Etting) Lot in Sodom (1933, James Watson/Melville Webber) An Optical Poem (1937, Oskar Fischinger)* Thimble Theater (1938, Joseph Cornell) Pursuit of Happiness (1940, Rudy Burckhardt)* 1941 (1941, Francis Lee)* Meditation on Violence (1949, Maya Deren)* Four in the Afternoon (1951, James Broughton) Abstronic (1952, Mary Ellen Bute)* Bells of Atlantis (1952, Ian Hugo) Evolution (1954, Jim Davis) Gyromorphosis (1958, Hy Hirsh)* N.Y., N.Y. (1958, Francis Thompson)* 9 Variations on a Dance Theme (1967, Hilary Harris)* Castro Street (1966, Bruce Bailile)* The Film That Rises to the Surface of Clarified Butter (1968, Owen Land)* Our Lady of the Sphere (1972, Lawrence Jordan)* Love It, Leave It (1973, Tom Palazzolo)* Disintegration Line 2 (1970, Lawrence Janiak)* Transport….. (1972, Amy Greenfield) Sappho and Jerry (1978, Bruce Posner)* Ch'an (1983, Francis Lee)* Seasons (2002, Stan Brakhage/Phil Solomon) The Complete Films of Norman McLaren [DVD unless noted] (1951-1983): Now is the Time (1951) [Blu-ray 3-D]* Around is Around (1951, co dir Evelyn Lambart) [Blu-ray 3-D]* A Phantasy (1952) Pen Point Percussion (1952) Neighbours (1952)* [NFB App] Two Bagatelles (1953, co. dir. Grant Munro) Blinkity Blank (1955) [NFB App]* Rythmetic (1956, co. dir. Evelyn Lambart) A Chairy Tale (1957, co. dir. Claude Jutra)* Le Merle (1958, co. dir. Evelyn Lambart)* Short and Suite (1959, co. dir. Evelyn Lambart)* Serenal (1959) Mail Early for Christmas (1959)* Opening Speech (1960)* Lines Vertical (1961, co. dir. Evelyn Lambart)* New York Lightboard (1961) Lines Horizontal (1962, co. dir. Evelyn Lambart) Christmas Cracker (1964, co. dir. Grant Munro/Jeff Hale/Gerald Potterton)* Canon (1964, co. dir. Grant Munro)* [NFB app] Pas de Deux (1968)* [NFB app] Spheres (1968, co. dir. Rene Jodoin)* [NFB app] Synchromy (1971)* Ballet Adagio (1972)* [NFB App] Pinscreen (1973)* Animated Motion: Parts I-V (1976-78, co. dir. Grant Munro)* Narcissus (1983)* Others: A Short Vision (1956, Peter Foldes/Joan Foldes)* Walking (1968, Ryan Larkin)* Street Musique (1972, Ryan Larkin)* Ryan (2004, Chris Landreth)* O Canada (1952, Evelyn Lambart) [Blu-ray 3-D]* Twirligig (1952, Gretta Ekman, stereoscopy by Norman McLaren] [Blu-ray 3-D]* McLaren on McLaren (1983, Grant Munro)*
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Feb 26, 2018 19:51
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Egbert Souse posted:The Falls (1980, Peter Greenaway) [Filmstruck] 3.5/5 It'd be cool to read your thoughts on these if you've got the time.
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Feb 26, 2018 21:35
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BeanpolePeckerwood posted:It'd be cool to read your thoughts on these if you've got the time. The Falls (1980, Peter Greenaway) - 3.5/5 One of the strangest films I've seen. It's certainly endurance cinema, for which I'd not be surprised if Greenaway only made it three hours long to see how long people would last. On one hand, it's often hilarious, but it's such a structuralist work that I couldn't help but think it wasn't weird enough. It starts off with the weirdest one (tens of thousands of people turning into birds), but the rest of the film becomes repetitive. Perhaps that's the point? One fantastical account, followed by 91 accounts of skin conditions. Shadows (1959, John Cassevetes) [Blu-ray] - 4.5/5 (rewatch) Faces (1968, John Cassevetes) [Blu-ray] - 4.5/5 I had seen Shadows years ago in college and was impressed by the almost documentary-like nature of the film. After seeing several Pennebaker documentaries, it doesn't seem as much like something acted for the camera. Faces takes it further. I got the sense of being with these characters as an observer, almost to the point of fatigue. The characters are so fascinating to watch that plot doesn't matter. I want to know what's going to happen next. The last act is incredible, with one of the most harrowing scenes I've seen in a film, followed by a real gut punch of an ending. I'm really looking forward to diving into the rest of Cassevetes' work. David Lynch: The Art Life (2016, Jon Nguyen/Rick Barnes/Olivia Neergaard-Holm) [Blu-ray] - 4.5/5 Basically just 90 minutes of Lynch talking about his childhood and years as an artist before becoming a celebrated filmmaker. As many have seen the video of him preparing quinoa, he has this gift of telling stories and making them fascinating by the way he tells them. It was also neat to see things like his painting work, home movies, and even outtakes from his early short films. Don't expect anything relavatory about his films other than perhaps that the "bad" teens of Twin Peaks are more familiar than you think. Best story he tells, though, is about getting stoned before a Bob Dylan concert. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2009, Edgar Wright) [Blu-ray] - 3.5/5 Edgar Wright is one of my favorite filmmakers working today and this was the only one of his films I hadn't seen. While I think it's a little too silly for its own good, it's made up for being absolutely dazzling filmmaking-wise. I think it also has a clever sense of humor considering the protagonist isn't supposed to be that likable. Add in a great supporting cast and an nonstop assault on the senses. The Eye Hears, the Ear Sees (1970, Gavin Millar) [DVD] - 4.5/5 BBC documentary on Norman McLaren circa 1970. Some great interviews with the filmmaker, plus watching him work on his then-in-progress film Synchromy. Plenty of clips from his films, including the second half of Pas de deux at the end (it's clear the director was in love with it). Phantom Thread (2017, Paul Thomas Anderson) [4K DCP] - 6/5 Best film of the year? Decade? This is a magical, hypnotic film that exceeds expectations in every way. Day-Lewis, Krieps, and Manville are all amazing in their performances. It takes a lot of talent to command the screen as much as a great actor like Daniel Day-Lewis. I don't want to really describe the plot because it can't do justice. Other than this is definitely a romance film, but more akin to unconventional ones like Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut and Lolita or Peter Greenaway's films. Beautifully made in every way, whether it's one gorgeously lit and designed shot after another, or Jonny Greenwood's score making it reach the sublime. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017, Rian Johnson) [DCP] - 4.5/5 Finally, something new to Star Wars! While I liked The Force Awakens, I felt it was trying too hard to be a homage rather than its own thing. Rogue One was a superior film, even if it could be better. Here, we get a film about breaking traditions and looking to the future rather than the past. The plot twists and turns in ways I kept thinking, "How the hell do they get out of this?" This has so many great moments that left me smiling, including the return of a beloved character that couldn't have been handled more perfectly. And it's absolutely marvelously shot with shades of Leone and Kurosawa in their mastery of the wide image. It's almost a shame this is only the second film in the new trilogy since I really doubt the next one can live up to this sort of quality. But it's refreshing to see a movie that doesn't shy away from being a little political, even if a little too on the nose.
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Feb 27, 2018 00:05
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Egbert Souse posted:
Faces is goddamn brilliant, and my guess is that you're gonna love The Killing of a Chinese Bookee Cool part about that one is that there are two cuts that are both great.
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Feb 27, 2018 00:47
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Egbert Souse posted:N.Y., N.Y. (1958, Francis Thompson)* I adore this and have been desperate to rewatch it. Would love your thoughts so they can inevitably get me to finally do so, if nothing else 
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Feb 27, 2018 02:26
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Allyn posted:I adore this and have been desperate to rewatch it. Would love your thoughts so they can inevitably get me to finally do so, if nothing else One of my all-time favorite short films! When I was in high school, I remembered switching channels and IFC was showing some short films. I came upon a series of shots as if it were shot through a kaelidoscope. It fascinated me, but I had no idea what it was since I missed the first half. Years later, I found a 20 second clip on Google, but nothing. Then I found a rip of a version aired on TCM years and years later, watched dozens of times. When it was announced as being on that avant-garde set, I ordered it just for that film. What makes it stand out from other "city symphony" films is that it's more about turning everyday sights into something abstract and almost four-dimensional. If it had been shot without prismatic lenses and bent glass/chrome, it would have just been a documentary. By giving it somewhat of a cubist appearance, it's about the art of seeing. And the way the editing and music are so perfectly timed. Gene Forrell's score is magnificent. (Also, in lieu of writing up more on Norman McLaren's films, I'm working on a comprehensive video covering his work that I'll eventually finish)
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Feb 27, 2018 03:49
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Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (2017) - If Quentin Tarantino was female and Indonesian, this is the film he would make. Seriously, I haven't heard of Mouly Surya before, but judging from this film she is fantastic. Violent, stylish, and filled with a female perspective of badassness, this is easily one of the best films I've seen in a while. Not only is the plot interesting, but the characters are very well written. Not to mention the cinematography is breathtaking. If you like Tarantino at all and can stomach subtitles, give this one watch. Rating: A- punk rebel ecks fucked around with this message at 04:13 on Feb 27, 2018 |
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Feb 27, 2018 04:11
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Annihilation - Very Good This movie wasn't what I thought it was going to be but I really liked it. It was reminiscent of a lot of films I love, and had some engaging elements that will leave you thinking about them (and not in an questioning what happened way). Films it reminded me of: Alien Arrival The Fountain Tree of Life Contact The Thing 2001 Natalie Portman was fantastic, as was the supporting cast. The visuals ranged from fantastic (design, CGI/practical effects) to really cheesy soft focus/Orton effect lens flare stuff which made sense in the Shimmer but these were also happening in the shots in her home at the beginning, etc. That could be intentional to cast a haze and doubt on the narrator but eh. Overall a really engaging sci-fi story that leaves me wanting more (in a good way). Between Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, and this, it's been a very good past few years.
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Feb 27, 2018 05:20
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"Th life and death of 9413: A Hollywood Extra" is a hell of a title
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Feb 27, 2018 06:07
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This week starts the Oscar week showing at my local theater, so I'm filling in the missing gaps for best picture noms. Last night I saw The Post, and I gave it too little credit in what I thought it would be. It didn't reach Oscar bait level, but it felt very safe. It was slow until about the second act, then was at least a little more exciting. Good performances all around, especially from Bob Odenkirk. Tom Hanks was weirdly not so good, but Meryl Streep did pretty well. I don't think it'll be the winner, since it's reminiscent of Spielberg's last film, Bridge of Spies, in that it's pretty stereotypical of a movie from him and the cast, and even in many other cinematic aspects. If it wins, it'll be almost explicitly due to its relevance in the current socio-political environment. If I had to give it a rating overall, it'd probably be a B-. That's 5 out of 9 for me now. The rest of the week I'll be seeing Lady Bird, Darkest Hour, Call Me By Your Name, and Shape of Water.
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Feb 28, 2018 19:29
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You’re going to have a very good week.
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Feb 28, 2018 19:34
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Goodbye February. I also watched Black Panther but that kinda derailed my everything after a disastrous podcast recording. Christopher Lebron's review is great and mostly reflects my feelings. Scale is Like/Indifferent/Dislike Like: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri The Cloverfield Paradox Phantom Thread Darkest Hour Antwone Fisher (rewatch for podcast, conversation starts at 17:03) Speak It! From the Heart of Black Nova Scotia (podcast, conversation starts at 2:11) Mudbound Logan Lucky Indifferent: Roman J. Israel, Esq. Dislike: Mute
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Feb 28, 2018 23:24
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Body Double (1984): 4/5 - This was a good movie but it felt like the “twist” was unraveled far too quickly. Lots of nice boobs - especially Melanie Griffith - she has some excellent lines about not fisting or shaving her pubic hair. I think in general this was an excellent film but not paced in such a way that the central mystery ever felt entirely impactful. The most climactic parts of the film were marred by nonsensical elements which appeared from nowhere (the wreck, the dog). The Beach (2000) 2.5/5 - the very definition of a middling film, parts of this are brilliant satire of the expat lifestyle, fight-club style machismo, stupid romance, bad pacing, and a failure to follow through on the right punches. I think an extremely similar film about a group of expats in Southeast Asia hiding in some secret alcove and going completely Jim Jones would be an AMAZING movie, but The Beach, it is. Not. I think this film both benefited financially and suffered artistically from having Leo on board at the height of Leo mania. bad day fucked around with this message at 04:35 on Mar 3, 2018 |
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Mar 3, 2018 04:31
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The new Death Wish remake was pretty dumb but ultimately fun and watchable. Much better than I expected, to be honest. Certainly better than Red Sparrow which I saw the day before, and was complete poo poo. Before that I finally got around to seeing Dunkirk since some of the theaters near here are showing all the Best Picture nominees. I had been putting off seeing it but man was it good. An absolutely pure action movie. Loved it. The Post was well-done but pretty much standard-issue Spielberg. I felt like I'd seen this movie a million times already. The printing press sequences were the best parts of the whole movie. Darkest Hour was fine. Thankfully the prosthetic was much less distracting than I expected. Annihilation was great. Thankfully much weirder than I expected. The ending was a bit of a let-down but overall a very solid movie.
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Mar 3, 2018 18:37
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A while back I set out to watch the Daniel Day-Lewis films I hadn't seen. I still haven't manage to get to them all but I have managed quite a few of them. A Room with a View (1985) 5/5 Emilia Clarke fights off the advances of Daniel Day-Lewis. The Age of Innocence (1993) 5/5 The Crucible (1996) 3/5 Three years later Winona Ryder plays, not the wife of Daniel Day-Lewis, but a young girl trying to steal him away from his age appropriate wife, played by Joan Allen. The Last of the Mohicans 1/5  I read that the last bit of the movie may be good in a Mann way, but I was completely checked out by that point.The Bounty 2/5 This movie stars Anthony Hopkins, Mel Gibson, Liam Neeson. Daniel Day-Lewis is barely in it, but wears a hat. Soundtrack by Vangelis. Surprisingly boring. The Boxer 3/5 In the Name of the Father 3/5 Gangs of New York (Rewatch) 3/5 Lincoln (Rewatch) 4/5 There Will Be Blood (Rewatch) 5/5 Since award season is upon us I figured I would rate the movies I've seen in the last year. Now, I probably can't remember them all, or if some of these are even older. American Made 3/5 Baby Driver 3/5 Blade Runner 2049 4/5 Borg vs McEnroe 2/5 Call Me By Your Name 5/5 Darkest Hour 4/5 The Death of Stalin 4/5 Detroit 3/5 Dunkirk 3/5 Get Out 4/5 A Ghost Story 4/5 Good Time 5/5 I, Tonya 5/5 The CGI was distracting. Loving Vincent 1/5 Rogue One 1/5 The Shape of Water 3/5 T2 Trainspotting 4/5 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 4/5 Wind River 3/5 The Last Place on Earth (1985) 4/5 This is a seven part mini-series on the concurrent Scott and Amundsen expeditions to the south pole. The Norwegian characters are played by Norwegians but curiously speak English, even amongst themselves. comic book movies  :Logan 2/5 Spider Man Homecoming 3/5 Guardians of the Galaxy 2 out of five
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Mar 4, 2018 22:06
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Why so down on Vincent and Logan?
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Mar 5, 2018 01:49
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death of stalin. good cast, good chemistry... buscemi as kruschev is a bit of a stretch, but the role was played sincere to the character as written. tambor and palin are great, jason isaacs steals the show as zhukov. not sure if it's a black comedy or some horrorshow with jokes tossed in as hand grenades, but it accomplishes whichever it's going for. glad I watched it.
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Mar 5, 2018 05:40
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got any sevens posted:Why so down on Vincent and Logan? Loving Vincent is a movie that doesn't have anything going for it except for it's gimmick. A gimmick that is done poorly. For basically the entire movie two people on a stage was rotoscoped in the style of van Gogh, minimizing the amount of artistry involved. "The film you are about to see has been entirely hand painted by a team of over 100 artists" the film proudly proclaims in the opening as to just increase your disappointment when you realize they've used 100 artists to implement a photoshop filter by hand. As for my score I guess it reflects the completely failure of living up to any expectations I had. At the time I felt like I was done with comic book movies as a whole, but the talk around Logan made me watch it. People were saying things to make me believe it was a good movie for adults unlike the normal comic book drek. It totally is a comic book movie, with long boring actions scenes though. To be fair the movie isn't awful and there is things to it beyond the normal comic book movie stuff. So again I had higher expectations than should have but then again the score of 2/5 isn't awful either. I've had a Wonder Woman bluray sitting since that was released because "actually, this one is good" and I'm easily tricked. The perception of that movie seem to have turned somewhat though, so I'm not sure I'll ever watch it. Black Panther is another one I don't think I want to see despite people saying it's one of the better ones. Chalk it up to me being down on all comic book movies in general idk.
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Mar 5, 2018 11:06
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Logan is basically The Book of Eli.
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Mar 5, 2018 18:33
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Wonder Woman is worth a watch but yeah, it's a great 2/3rds of a super hero that nosedives hard in the last act. There were a lot of movies that did this in 2017 IMO (Baby Driver and Three Billboards most notably). Black Panther was great but beyond cast and setting (which were exceptional and worth watching for) it's mostly standard super hero stuff. Marvel's best world building by far, if that matters to you.
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Mar 5, 2018 18:48
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I appreciated Logan going for something different but there's still so much lazy blockbuster writing like the magic third-act goo that it didn't move the needle much for me Good Time - 3.5/4 Lenny Cooke - 3/4 Annihilation - 2.5/4 Allied - 3/4 Logan Lucky - 2.5/4 Michael Clayton - 3/4 Chris Rock: Tamborine - 3/4 Valerian and the City of 1000 Planets - 3/4
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Mar 5, 2018 18:49
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morestuff posted:m More on this one? Looked like a wild ride with lots of spectacle which I'm kinda in the mood for.
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Mar 5, 2018 18:53
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Bottom Liner posted:More on this one? Looked like a wild ride with lots of spectacle which I'm kinda in the mood for. It just went up on Prime, so it's there if you have it. It's a mess, and the leads are unfortunately pretty stiff, but if you're looking for a sci-fi grab bag I think you'll like it. It's at its best when it runs off on tangents and ignores the plot, which it does pretty often. Besson's still good at what he does, the deadpan way he treats his most out-there ideas in this (and The Fifth Element, and Lucy) go a long way towards making them work. It's a CGI showcase but the action never feels too plasticky and it's always mixing up the style in interesting ways. There's a set of photorealistic aliens that try to do a lot of the movie's emotional heavy lifting, but there's also a race of dumbass monsters that look and act like Aardman characters brought to life. Not everything works, most of it probably doesn't, but it zips around so quickly that there's still a dozen scenes, and characters, and moments that I loved. I basically watched it back to back with Annihilation, and they're an interesting contrast. Annhilation is a lot more focused but felt like it was constantly straining against Alex Garland's limits as a stylist when he really wanted to impress. Valerian is Besson noodling around and I liked it a hair more.
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Mar 5, 2018 20:16
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I didn't hate Valerian, but get ready for some really terribly done exposition. Like, during their return home at the start of the movie they get a history lesson on their home. It's their home! They should know all of these people and factions, except later on when the ones who didn't get mentioned pop up. Then there's another history lesson. The action is decent and the visuals are pretty good though, so it's got that going for it. The story is actually not terrible either, it's just a little bit predictable since it's not really doing anything new.
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Mar 6, 2018 00:28
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Thor Ragnarok 10/10 i loved it from start to finish,so many good scenes with the Hulk and Thor ones being my favourites,i think it might be the most impressed i've been with the Hulk special effects since Ang lees hulk. Now i just have to watch Black panther when it's on DVD 
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Mar 8, 2018 01:33
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Annihilation is worth seeing for the last act. Sit in the back so you can look at your phone, do a crossword, whatever you need to do to get through the first 2 acts of the film (which aren't bad, just, kind of there and a bit boring), just do it to watch the last act, it's great. Death Wish should be bad, but it's worth seeing for Bruce Willis, who makes the film pretty fun. It could've driven off the Old Man Jack-Off precipice it hung right at the edge of for the whole film, but it never did.
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Mar 8, 2018 10:05
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Citizen Kane: I liked the performances, the editing, and the music. Bicycle Thieves: From minute 1 its engaging. A heartwrenching tale about the cycle of poverty in post-war Italy. Dark City: Spellbinding sci-fi noir. Thought the ending was a little unsatisfying and too "neat". I wish I could put Kiefer Sutherland in all my childhood memories. Freddy Got Fingered: When this movie is in its element and being strange, it's great. Problem is sometimes the joke is too weak and sometimes it's not executed well enough. Tried too hard to stick to a conventional plot.
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Mar 10, 2018 01:08
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Black Panther - Decent/Marvel A Fantastic Woman - 82/100 In The Fade - 86/100 Thoroughbreds - 69/100
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Mar 10, 2018 06:30
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Darkest Hour (2017, Joe Wright) [theatrical] - 3/5 The Draughtman's Contract (1982, Peter Greenaway) [Filmstruck] - 4/5 Blade Runner 2049 (2017, Denis Villenueve) [Blu-ray] - 3.5/5 War for the Planet of the Apes (2017, Matt Reeves) [Blu-ray] - 4/5 Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel with the World (1963, Shirley Clarke) [Filmstruck] - 4/5 Skyscraper (1960, Shirley Clarke) [Filmstruck] - 4/5 The Shape of Water (2017, Guillermo del Toro) [theatrical] - 4.5/5 Un chant d'amour (1950, Jean Genet) [YouTube] -  Venom and Eternity (1951, Isidore Isou) [DVD] Black Panther (2018, Ryan Coogler) [theatrical] - 4.5/5 Cimarron (1931, Wesley Ruggles) [DVD] - 3/5 Hallelujah (1929, King Vidor) [DVD] - 3.5/5 Some avant-garde shorts: Schwechater (1958, Peter Kubelka) [YouTube] Remedial Reading Comprehension (1970, Owen Land) [YouTube] Film in Which There Appear Edge Lettering, Sprocket Holes, Dirt Particles, Etc. (1966, Owen Land) [YouTube] No. 3: Interwoven (1946, Harry Smith) [DVD] - 5/5 Notes on the Circus (1966, Jonas Mekas) [DVD] - 5/5 7362 (1967, Pat O'Neil) [DVD] - 5/5 Themis (1940, Dwinell Grant) [DVD] Ghosts Before Breakfast (1928, Hans Richter) [DVD] - 4/5 Celery Stalks At Midnight (1951, John Whitney) [DVD] Falling Pink (1959, Robert H. Spring) [DVD] Surface Tension (1968, Hollis Frampton) [Blu-ray] Carrots & Peas (1969, Hollis Frampton) [Blu-ray] Lemon (1969, Hollis Frampton) [Blu-ray]
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Mar 11, 2018 05:53
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Egbert Souse posted:War for the Planet of the Apes (2017, Matt Reeves) [Blu-ray] - 4/5 Please.
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Mar 11, 2018 10:20
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Everything I've seen so far in theaters from 12/12-3/18. I guess I haven't done this in a minute. Honestly, it's been a sea of "just ok" to "meh" these last 3 months. The only thing I really really liked was Death of Stalin and that's just a big ole bag of funny and depressing at once and kind of a shoe in if you've ever laughed at veep or the loop/thick of it. The Good: Death of Stalin The Pretty Good (but I doubt I'd ever rewatch it): Black Panther Early Man The eh/mediocre/catch on cable: Gringo Thoroughbreds Death Wish Foxtrot Annihilation Entanglement A Fantastic Woman Have A Nice Day All The Money In The World In The Fade The I wish I could get my time back list: Phantom Thread edit: Some of these "scores" or whatever are reflective of the marketing of the film leading me to believe the film is something it isn't whatsoever and me being more let down then if I had went in blind. examples of this being- thoroughbreds is marketed as "american pyscho" meets "heathers"..it's not that at all. in the fade looks like way more of an action movie then it is...it's..not that at all either. foxtrot basically only markets the middle of the movie, leading you to think its a dark comedy. and, guess what, it's not that at all either. zer0spunk fucked around with this message at 18:16 on Mar 18, 2018 |
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Mar 18, 2018 17:57
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zer0spunk posted:
Only ever watch teasers and this will happen less.
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Mar 18, 2018 18:54
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zer0spunk posted:
More thoughts on these?
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Mar 18, 2018 18:59
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Egbert Souse posted:Faces (1968, John Cassevetes) [Blu-ray] - 4.5/5 Faces has a certain brutal asceticism to it that makes it feel more like a terrifying diamond than his shaggier later films, but you always have that sense of being so totally, inescapably with the characters.
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Mar 18, 2018 19:51
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Bottom Liner posted:More thoughts on these? All the money in the world: It's just a bit messy and the messy bits don't outweigh the good bits. Mark Wahlberg is really bad in it, which I don't think is really on him, he's just really miscast. The runtime is way too long and for sure drags on. There's not much depth to the characters that are supposed to be the antagonists (getty himself or the kidnappers on the flip side of it) and it's really just one of those historical pics that just present what happened without really doing much with themes or subtext or anything..just "here's history, but with heightened drama for this medium!"..Ridley Scott has made some good films and this is on the middling side of that spectrum. Michelle Williams was pretty good though, and Charlie Plummer also did what he could..and having seen his horse movie trailer 17 times at this point, that kid seems like he can actually put in a decent performance given a Director that cares. Annihilation: Didn't read the books. Love basically all things Alex Garland. The best way I can sum up how I felt about it was in how he explained his adaptation- He read the source material a while back and then instead of re reading it, just wrote a script based on the stuff he half-remembered. Yeah, we could tell dude. I actually liked the super odd, esoteric, Tarkovsky wanna be third act..mainly because something interesting was actually happening in the film. Huge letdown for me. At my screening as soon as the end title popped up someone went "WELL THAT WAS CREEPY AS HELL". I'll be honest here, at maybe the expense of some credibility...No movie in this loose sci fi horror/creepy thriller genre has been able to out event horizon, event horizon. (Maybe seeing that one in a theater at 13 sways my opinion slightly) Phantom Thread: from my post in the phantom thread er..thread, almost immediately after seeing it- DDL is great at playing a jerk. The production design was nice, I guess? Storywise his character is a real rear end in a top hat, the mom thing is creepy af, and the entire alma poisoning thing felt like something out of a parody movie. "I'm being mean to you! blarghyty blargh!" said Reynolds Woodcock *cut to alma picking poison shrooms*. "Did you delete the real housewives of atlanta off my dvr you bitch??" mused Reynolds *smash cut to alma cooking up some poison tacos*. "I don't feel like taking out the trash today woman!" bellowed woodcock *star wipe to alma rubbing poison mushrooms into his face* Also his dresses were aight. I never got the sense that he was this extraordinary designer at all even if the exposition tried super hard. So it felt like this dude was just an rear end in a top hat way out of proportion to his actual ego/talent. There was zero need to go see this in 70mm btw, and that's from someone that will travel an hour for a large print screening where possible. Why was this blown up from a 35mm print? Other than.."cuz"? This movie really let me down...It's on the Magnolia side of the PTA scale, far far from the Boogie Nights/TWBB upper echelons. I want it to go wide so people see it cuz I've only read glowing reviews and it makes me think I saw a different movie than every critic. ---- So, I was kinda let down by this years PTA, Garland and Scott films. It's not like they won't all direct another one and I'm sure I'll go see those too.
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Mar 18, 2018 20:33
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The Raid: Redemption (2012): B+
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Mar 20, 2018 06:33
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Thoroughbreds is pretty hard to describe which almost makes it hard to point out what reason there is to see it, but I liked it a lot, so that's the reason. I was a little less enthusiastic about a Wrinkle in Time but I did think it was a pretty decent adaptation of the book, and the best reason to see it is the visuals, which are really good. Speaking of visuals, Frankenstein vs. Dracula sure has some. It's very nuts and makes about as much sense as a movie that's fundamental antagonist was changed three times while the film was being made. It's worth seeing for J. Carrol Naish's one-eyed off-screen line reading.
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Mar 20, 2018 17:47
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