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TychoCelchuuu
Jan 2, 2012

This space for Rent.

Terrorist Fistbump posted:

Swiss Army Man 2/5
plz

Also I guess if I'm posting here, I should post some of mine. Scores out of 100:

Speed Racer - 80
Cloud Atlas - 80
Phoenix - 81
Jupiter Ascending - 67
Diner - 79
Swiss Army Man - 100
The Ghost Writer - 73
Doctor Strange - 74
Birdman - 87
Whiplash - 88

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Egbert Souse
Nov 6, 2008

The Third Man (rewatch) [Blu-Ray] - 5.5/5 (gets better every time I watch it)
Hail, Caesar! (rewatch) [Blu-Ray] - 4.5/5 (might be one of my favorite Coens films, but they have yet to make one I didn't enjoy)
Cinerama Russian Adventure [Blu-Ray] - 2.5/5 (interesting for the cultural documentation and rather impressive camera work, but some scenes like one of a whale being gutted in close-up or dogs mauling a boar to death are disgusting)

BeanpolePeckerwood
May 4, 2004

I MAY LOOK LIKE SHIT BUT IM ALSO DUMB AS FUCK



Terrorist Fistbump posted:

Selections from the last month or so:

The Lure 5/5

Loved this, but want to read your words

Sage Grimm
Feb 18, 2013

Let's go explorin' little dude!

TychoCelchuuu posted:

plz

Also I guess if I'm posting here, I should post some of mine. Scores out of 100:

Jupiter Ascending - 67

Kind of want to hear your thoughts on this as the score feels high, especially when compared to your 74 for Doctor Strange. I got a very much "Twilight in a science-fiction" feel from it and a heck of a lot of wasted potential.

Terrorist Fistbump
Jan 29, 2009

by Nyc_Tattoo

York_M_Chan posted:

You sure are throwing around a lot of perfect scores. I'd like to hear your thoughts on them.

I hand out 5's like candy to films that deserve them, cause Rite Aid is just down the street and I can always get more 5's.

In Order of Disappearance
When his son is killed by the local coke dealers, Stellan Skarsgård sets out to seek revenge and racks up a pretty respectable body count. The plot is nothing new, but what sets this film apart from others in its genre is its sense of humor. Everyone is an idiot somehow, and the film exploits this to full effect. The gang leader is a clumsy, high-strung vegan, his right-hand man lets the boss's son eat Fruit Loops behind his back, and Skarsgård's charater, a Swede, is held in high esteem by the locals in his Norwegian town for being "the good kind of immigrant". There's a bit of influence from the Coen Bros on display here that makes for a fun watch. 4/5

Toni Erdmann
BeanpolePeckerwood knocked it out of the park with his review of this film from last page. Despite the depressing subject matter and straightforward presentation, Toni Erdmann is hilarious in so many different ways from start to finish, sometimes overtly, but mostly in a subtle, human way. I saw this on a whim after a particularly bad day, and despite its long runtime it was rejuvenating. 5/5

Ixcanul
This film haunted me for days after watching it. It's a story of a teenage Mayan girl living on a coffee plantation in utter poverty and social marginalization. She dreams of a better life in the US, while her parents hope that she will be able to marry up, but both of those ambitions are put out of reach by a series of what would be minor missteps for someone living in better circumstances. It's very easy to make a film on this subject that is exploitative, condescending, lurid, or pitying, but Ixcanul takes a documentary-like approach and allows the story to unfold as though we were simply observing the characters' daily lives. The actors playing the girl and her mother give strong and memorable performances, enhanced by the beautiful natural-light cinematography and deliberate pacing. 5/5

Hell or High Water
I'm writing way too late to say anything new about how this film speaks to the political and economic zeitgeist in much of the country, so I'll just say that it's a solid Western-inflected crime film that's elevated by its great cast, excellent cinematography, and an absolutely killer script. 5/5

Sing Street
This would be just another kid-in-a-band movie if it weren't for the strong cast all around and absolutely confident production. I don't have a lot to say about this film except that it's an energetic, can-do, feel-good movie that gave my late-20s world weariness a much-needed punch in the face. "Drive It Like You Stole It", the main theme, has been drifting in and out of my head for the past couple weeks. 5/5

Silence
"What is authentic faith, and what is its relationship to religion?" This film explores that question from half a dozen angles before presenting its answers. At times it feels like a theological thesis inside a heartbreakingly beautiful package. Andrew Garfield's performance is the best I've seen from him so far, and the rest of the cast is incredible, including several standout performances from established Japanese actors. The film looks and feels like a historical drama from the 80s or 90s, the kind of lavish, contemplatively shot and edited epic that is very rare these days. Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography is always brilliant and at times breathtaking. A strong contender for my personal best film of 2016. 5/5

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:

I've heard some encouraging stuff about this one.

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore
Alienated by the slights and indifference she faces in her daily life, a woman sets out to get back the laptop and silverware that were stolen in a break-in. She recruits her neighbor, an overgrown metalhead stuck in his late teens played by Elijah Wood, as muscle and the two of them get in way over their heads. These two people are pathetic and bumbling, but they have a legitimate gripe and run into some really nasty people that deserve what's coming to them. The film walks a line between being completely believable and over-the-top cartoonish a la Pineapple Express as it satirizes contemporary American modes of self-absorbtion. The soundtrack is pretty good too. 4/5


I'll give you my take if you'll give me yours, deal?

Swiss Army Man
For the first half of this film, I was intrigued. The "Daniel Radcliffe as a farting corpse" premise was weird enough to hold my attention long enough for the movie to do something interesting with it. But as the second half set in, I was getting bored with the magical-woodlands fantasy world. The aesthetic is so played out at this point that it needs to be subverted in a major way to justify building an entire film around it. This film comes so tantilizingly close, but loses its nerve in the very last minute. 2/5

BeanpolePeckerwood posted:

Loved this, but want to read your words

I'd like to read what you have to say, too.

The Lure
A profoundly weird and engaging Polish musical. Two sister mermaids come ashore and join an ad hoc family of nightclub entertainers, and now have to contend with the demands of human society. There's a lot of stuff in here about coming of age, family, love and sexuality, bohemianism and bourgeois respectability. All that heavy thematic stuff is supported by the dazzling 80's-inspired production, enthralling music-video cinematography, and superb dancepop soundtrack. Much of the film has a dreamlike quality, as though it's anchored in this world but actually taking place in its own fantasy dimension. It's bizarre, it's sexy, it's gory, and I loved every minute. 5/5

axelblaze
Oct 18, 2006

Congratulations The One Concern!!!

You're addicted to Ivory!!

and...oh my...could you please...
oh my...

Grimey Drawer
I'm The Lure is finally getting seen. That movie was so much god drat fun.

That Dang Dad
Apr 23, 2003

Well I am
over-fucking-whelmed...
Young Orc
I Don't Feel At Home In The World Anymore - It's like if Fargo and A Serious Man had a baby and let Napoleon Dynamite watch it for the weekend. One part Coen crime thriller, one part indie tragicomedy. Behind the antics and thrills lies a resonant meditation on powerlessness and banal evil. Macon Blair is as great an actor as his is a director it seems. On Netflix now, go catch it. 5/5

SimonCat
Aug 12, 2016

by Nyc_Tattoo
College Slice
Convoy A 70s trucker moving starring Kris Kristofferson, based on a novelty song about CB radios, and directed by Sam Peckinpah. WTF?
Also has Burt Young as a trucker driving for Paulie's Trucking.

9/9

morestuff
Aug 2, 2008

You can't stop what's coming
I usually avoid the boilerplate historical dramas but I didn't know a ton about Bobby Fischer, so I gave Pawn Sacrifice a shot. Worth a watch for the Bradford Young photography and performances from a murderer's row of Dudes I Like: Michael Stuhlbarg, Liev Schreiber and Peter Sarsgaard (and occasionally Tobey Maguire). The direction is hammy as hell, though, with some really obnoxious soundtrack choices (Fischer has a freakout scored by White Rabbit) and not much depth to the writing.

Was hoping for something more interesting from Steven Knight (wrote Eastern Promises, wrote/directed Locke) but about what I expected from Edward Zwick (Glory, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond). 2.5/4

It's up on Prime.

got any sevens
Feb 9, 2013

by Cyrano4747
Killer Elite ('75) "Is that an upper or a downer?"
"Downer"
"Maybe I outghta have one"

7/10, too much preaching at the end. But funny for having Paulie from Rocky basically as the same character

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD
Sep 14, 2007

everything is yours

SimonCat posted:

Convoy A 70s trucker moving starring Kris Kristofferson, based on a novelty song about CB radios, and directed by Sam Peckinpah. WTF?
Also has Burt Young as a trucker driving for Paulie's Trucking.

9/9

One of the few films on record as being "directed" in a months long alcoholic blackout.

DeimosRising
Oct 17, 2005

¡Hola SEA!


SimonCat posted:

Convoy A 70s trucker moving starring Kris Kristofferson, based on a novelty song about CB radios, and directed by Sam Peckinpah. WTF?
Also has Burt Young as a trucker driving for Paulie's Trucking.

9/9

And it slowly turns into some kind of Kingfisher esque right-left hybrid populist uprising movie. Peck was a hell of a dude

GIGA-Reagan
Mar 11, 2017
Drive - 1/10

Probably the most overrated pretentious garbage movie I've ever seen. It starts out so promising but after that first three minutes, watching the two love interests look at each other like a pair of autistic peasants makes me feel like anyone recommending this movie is trolling. The plot makes no sense, huge waste of any talent that entered the movie, and I would honestly rather watch all 4 Transformers movies in a row then let even one minute of this drivel touch my screen again. I give it a 1 because I kinda do like that Human Bean song, and it was pretty. I will punch that rear end-hat Refn in his stupid face if i ever see him in real life because of this poo poo, however.

TychoCelchuuu
Jan 2, 2012

This space for Rent.

Sage Grimm posted:

Kind of want to hear your thoughts on this as the score feels high, especially when compared to your 74 for Doctor Strange. I got a very much "Twilight in a science-fiction" feel from it and a heck of a lot of wasted potential.
Jupiter Ascending is basically Star Wars plus I guess maybe Twilight (I've never read the book or seen the movie). It's not as exciting or well-designed or amazing scored or chock full of interesting characters as Star Wars, but the basic idea, a fun little sci-fi romp for kids with action and humor and a basically pointless romance, is all there, and I think it's done pretty well. The lead can't act but everyone else can, the special effects are sometimes neat, the Wachowskis can for sure direct an action scene, and the various bits of levity are pretty enjoyable. The main villain chewing the gently caress out of the scenery never got old, and although I think bleached eyebrows or whatever are not a good look for Channing Tatum, it does make him look hilarious the entire time, which I appreciate.

Terrorist Fistbump posted:

I'll give you my take if you'll give me yours, deal?

Swiss Army Man
For the first half of this film, I was intrigued. The "Daniel Radcliffe as a farting corpse" premise was weird enough to hold my attention long enough for the movie to do something interesting with it. But as the second half set in, I was getting bored with the magical-woodlands fantasy world. The aesthetic is so played out at this point that it needs to be subverted in a major way to justify building an entire film around it. This film comes so tantilizingly close, but loses its nerve in the very last minute. 2/5


I'd like to read what you have to say, too.
Basically this movie made me sob. (Note that the barrier for this is pretty low: I cry very easily when I watch movies. Disney movie levels of sentiment are enough to get a few tears.) It's not like the themes are particular abstruse ones: it's about loneliness, being different from other people and worrying about that, romantic love, familial love, masculinity, etc. But it was just super sincere and well-acted. It got straight to the heart of things: Radcliffe's character's naiveté means he goes right for the jugular which leads to some good jokes (When I masturbate, I'm going to think of your mother) and lots of emotions from Dano's character. The cross-dressing stuff was really interesting and then the gut-punch of an ending was a real good gut-punch. It helps that I don't think the aesthetic is at all played out because I guess maybe I don't watch all the other movies where everything is made of sticks or the music is a mix of diagetic and non-diegetic tones that sound sort of like Sigur Rós. Is that really a played out aesthetic? What are some other movies like this?

Egbert Souse
Nov 6, 2008

GIGA-Reagan posted:

Drive - 1/10

Probably the most overrated pretentious garbage movie I've ever seen. It starts out so promising but after that first three minutes, watching the two love interests look at each other like a pair of autistic peasants makes me feel like anyone recommending this movie is trolling. The plot makes no sense, huge waste of any talent that entered the movie, and I would honestly rather watch all 4 Transformers movies in a row then let even one minute of this drivel touch my screen again. I give it a 1 because I kinda do like that Human Bean song, and it was pretty. I will punch that rear end-hat Refn in his stupid face if i ever see him in real life because of this poo poo, however.

I'd be careful, Refn could probably kick your rear end and he wouldn't be nice about it.

I Before E
Jul 2, 2012

GIGA-Reagan posted:

Drive - 1/10

Probably the most overrated pretentious garbage movie I've ever seen. It starts out so promising but after that first three minutes, watching the two love interests look at each other like a pair of autistic peasants makes me feel like anyone recommending this movie is trolling. The plot makes no sense, huge waste of any talent that entered the movie, and I would honestly rather watch all 4 Transformers movies in a row then let even one minute of this drivel touch my screen again. I give it a 1 because I kinda do like that Human Bean song, and it was pretty. I will punch that rear end-hat Refn in his stupid face if i ever see him in real life because of this poo poo, however.

I don't remember anyone in Drive farming in medieval Europe

DeimosRising
Oct 17, 2005

¡Hola SEA!


I Before E posted:

I don't remember anyone in Drive farming in medieval Europe

Also autistic is not a synonym for reserved, or weird. A love story about two average functioning autistic people could be legit cool though, but probably not until it dies down as the psychological fad diagnosis of the day.

got any sevens
Feb 9, 2013

by Cyrano4747
Jane Wants a Boyfriend was good

coyo7e
Aug 23, 2007

by zen death robot
Burning Sands just dropped on Netflix a day or so ago. It's a drama about a group of 5 young men going to a black college and trying to make it through hell week to join a frat. It's intense as heck, doesn't really go in any unexpected directions, but it's a well-done piece, and it seems to be pretty true to black culture while also taking a slow walk around some quotes by well-regarded black authors. I wouldn't mind going to a college like that, except the frats seem even more insufferable than they were on the college campuses I've lived on and studied within.

The scenes where the frat guys being forced to mean-mug were really good, and it helps to highlight why it's kind of an important thing for a lot of black men when they go through life feeling attacked from all sides. Also the dance and frat chants were rad as gently caress.

5/5


And yeah, I really, really liked Swiss Army Man, but it may be that it speaks more to people who understand the main character's mindset. I laughed out of control until I cried a few times, and I also cried a few times. The cross-dressing thing wasn't really about anything except a lonely crazy person trying to make up both roles in a relationship - just like he did with Daniel Radcliffe's character. The ending was really something, and I have a weakness for movies where, at the end you go, "hey wait, how much of that was real and how much of it was hallucination? Because there's no way in hell he could've managed that - unless.."

Now I wanna go watch it again. 5/5

coyo7e fucked around with this message at 01:55 on Mar 12, 2017

Hat Thoughts
Jul 27, 2012

GIGA-Reagan posted:

Drive - 1/10

Probably the most overrated pretentious garbage movie I've ever seen. It starts out so promising but after that first three minutes, watching the two love interests look at each other like a pair of autistic peasants makes me feel like anyone recommending this movie is trolling. The plot makes no sense, huge waste of any talent that entered the movie, and I would honestly rather watch all 4 Transformers movies in a row then let even one minute of this drivel touch my screen again. I give it a 1 because I kinda do like that Human Bean song, and it was pretty. I will punch that rear end-hat Refn in his stupid face if i ever see him in real life because of this poo poo, however.
What's the least overrated pretentious garbage movie you've ever seen?

coyo7e
Aug 23, 2007

by zen death robot

Hat Thoughts posted:

What's the least overrated pretentious garbage movie you've ever seen?
Son of Rambow. 5/5

SimonCat
Aug 12, 2016

by Nyc_Tattoo
College Slice

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:

One of the few films on record as being "directed" in a months long alcoholic blackout.

George Miller must Have been a fan.

Egbert Souse
Nov 6, 2008

Get Out (2017, Jordan Peele) - 4.5/5 [theater]

Ended up having another movie orgy this weekend since I'm trying to clear out my DVR. Some of these I recorded a year ago!

Friday:
Nashville (1975, Robert Altman) - 3/5

Saturday:
The Man from Laramie (1955, Anthony Mann) - 4/5
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966, Mike Nichols) - 4.5/5
All That Heaven Allows (1955, Douglas Sirk) - 4.5/5
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1966, Robert Aldrich) - 4/5

Sunday:
Now, Voyager (1942, Irving Rapper) - 4.5/5
Wuthering Heights (1939, William Wyler) - 3/5
Klute (1971, Alan J. Pakula) - 4/5
Magnificent Obsession (1954, Douglas Sirk) - 3.5/5

Egbert Souse fucked around with this message at 04:39 on Mar 13, 2017

Magic Hate Ball
May 6, 2007

ha ha ha!
you've already paid for this

Egbert Souse posted:

Nashville (1975, Robert Altman) - 3/5
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966, Mike Nichols) - 4/5

three??? four?!?!? why i oughta

Egbert Souse
Nov 6, 2008

Magic Hate Ball posted:

three??? four?!?!? why i oughta

I would give Nashville 5/5 just for the performances, but I felt it didn't really go anywhere. Altman seems bad about this, sort of like how MASH goes on this long tangent with the football game. So far, my favorite Altman films so far are The Long Goodbye and Popeye, so that's probably just me.

As for Virginia Woolf, I meant 4.5/5 - it's a terrific film.

I'm really wanting to see more Bette Davis movies since she's incredible in Baby Jane and Now, Voyager. I think before, I've only seen her in All About Eve.

DeimosRising
Oct 17, 2005

¡Hola SEA!


Do you just categorically dislike picaresque? I mean it's not strictly picaresque but it's a plotless, horizontally structured film about low class schmos, so similar

DeimosRising fucked around with this message at 04:45 on Mar 13, 2017

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD
Sep 14, 2007

everything is yours

SimonCat posted:

George Miller must Have been a fan.

I wouldn't be surprised.

Egbert Souse
Nov 6, 2008

DeimosRising posted:

Do you just categorically dislike picaresque? I mean it's not strictly picaresque but it's a plotless, horizontally structured film about low class schmos, so similar

I don't mind loose narratives, but I felt Nashville just wandered a bit too much. American Graffiti is one of my favorite films, but it's a lot tighter in structure and has definite arcs.

I'm just a little disappointed since I love the concept of just following people on multiple tangents that add up to a thematic whole. In fact, I'm wanting to see more films like Nashville, Boogie Nights, American Graffiti, etc. since I'm wanting to write a script in that sort of form.

SimonCat
Aug 12, 2016

by Nyc_Tattoo
College Slice

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:

I wouldn't be surprised.

The semi versus police car action is very reminiscent of The Road Warrior.

Spatulater bro!
Aug 19, 2003

Punch! Punch! Punch!

Egbert Souse posted:

I don't mind loose narratives, but I felt Nashville just wandered a bit too much. American Graffiti is one of my favorite films, but it's a lot tighter in structure and has definite arcs.

I'm just a little disappointed since I love the concept of just following people on multiple tangents that add up to a thematic whole. In fact, I'm wanting to see more films like Nashville, Boogie Nights, American Graffiti, etc. since I'm wanting to write a script in that sort of form.

It seemed to me that Nashville did have definite arcs, they just weren't very punctuated. My favorite was the infidelity story with Lily Tomlin's character. I also really loved the one with the girl who had sex appeal but couldn't hold a tune to save her life. Most were definitely low key, but I found each one really compelling.

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD
Sep 14, 2007

everything is yours

SimonCat posted:

The semi versus police car action is very reminiscent of The Road Warrior.

I don't recall if he's mentioned it but I assume he's a big fan of Duel too.

Spatulater bro! posted:

It seemed to me that Nashville did have definite arcs, they just weren't very punctuated. My favorite was the infidelity story with Lily Tomlin's character. I also really loved the one with the girl who had sex appeal but couldn't hold a tune to save her life. Most were definitely low key, but I found each one really compelling.

The songs punctuate the character arcs - "I'm Easy", "Bluebird" and "Never Get Enough" are good examples but the best is "Idaho Home", where a mental breakdown leads directly from a song about a rambling reminiscence about hard living.

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD fucked around with this message at 15:31 on Mar 13, 2017

Spatulater bro!
Aug 19, 2003

Punch! Punch! Punch!

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:

The songs punctuate the character arcs - "I'm Easy", "Bluebird" and "Never Get Enough" are good examples but the best is "Idaho Home", where a mental breakdown leads directly from a song about a rambling reminiscence about hard living.

Great point. The music was half of the story.

DeimosRising
Oct 17, 2005

¡Hola SEA!


Spatulater bro! posted:

It seemed to me that Nashville did have definite arcs, they just weren't very punctuated. My favorite was the infidelity story with Lily Tomlin's character. I also really loved the one with the girl who had sex appeal but couldn't hold a tune to save her life. Most were definitely low key, but I found each one really compelling.

That actress does a great job, sadly she barely has any other credits cause she died young of anal cancer.

Kangra
May 7, 2012

Here's a whole bunch of shorts, from three sets I saw at a film festival (Cinequest in San Jose/Redwood City).

Theme: 'The Highest Point' (something to do with obsession, I think)

5 A Couple - There's a couple; they have an argument; it's moodily shot; the title is really huge for some reason.

4 Brian Mickler - There's a strong sense of place to this and it's well-directed. It's an interesting set-up, but it left me unsatisfied.

6 Dear Dad - A bit overly sentimental and in the end kind of forgettable. I honestly don't recall enough of it to say more.

9 Limbo - This one has an extremely strong performance, and a solid theatrical sense. It feels like the best scene from some larger film.

6 Modern Houses - There's a hammy quality to this, and it was pretty clear where it was headed, but the performance (by Lili Taylor) pulls the film up a bit. It ends up feeling like a 1980s-era Twilight Zone episode.

8 The Final Show - A nice set-up, good actors, and an amusing script. And any film that uses a lesser-known Cars song ("Hello Again") gets an extra point from me.

2 The Real Wi-Fi Of Baltimore - Literally a list of Wi-Fi networks organized by neighborhood. There is no other context, and no attempt to do anything other than show screenshots of a phone set to a song. Someone got a grant to make this, and someone let it into this festival. It only gets a 2 instead of a 1 because it was short.

8 The School Bag - This is shot like (and feels like) a daytime drama, which for me at least lessens the impact of the ending. It's hard to fault it too much, though.

7 Today They Took My Son - A story of real-world injustice that would have been much better if it had been more specific about its fictionalized characters. Instead it mashes styles together, intercuts real-life pictures, and relies on narration instead of showing action. The result ends up being rather histrionic.

8 Zaar - Intense and suspenseful, with a good story, but it feels a little like it could have been directed and acted just a bit better.

Theme: 'Mindbenders' (like it sounds, unusual in some psychological way)

7 Chosa [The Assignment] - This is the one that actually stuck with me the most. Even though all it really did was create a creepy atmosphere, it did so excellently and for something this short, that's admirable.

8 Echo Torch - There's a strong video game vibe to this one (System Shock and its lineage, and most particularly Singularity, come to mind), and there's a fair amount of unnecessary showing off of the effects. But it does ultimately tell a decent story, and it's a high-quality production to boot.

6 Exo - Very much built around a twist and using tricks to hide it. But it's only just kind-of weird; I'd rather have seen more of the story it was pretending to be than what it actually was.

8 Girl #2- As much as it feels like something we've seen before (a send-up of horror film tropes), this one manages to hold its own by being genuinely funny on top of the main joke, thanks to some committed performers and a great script by Kari Wahlgren.

7 Instapocalypse - Yet another swipe at millenials and their supposed self-obsession. Kind of dumb, but at least mildly amusing.

8 La Petite Mort - There's a straightforwardness to this that makes its absurdism all the more engaging, like it's a perfectly normal artifact of another culture. I probably should have rated this a point higher, in retrospect.

9 Monster - While made rather simply (and even somewhat amateurishly), the single performance is very compelling. It runs an emotional gamut that turns what could have been just a creepypasta into an excellent short film.

3 Nocturne - Stitched-together Cold War public domain films. Nothing original or interesting about it.

4 RedRuby - This just kept getting more on my nerves the longer it went on. Annoying exposition blathers for far too long before you realize this is literally a trailer for a graphic novel. It seems chock full of half-baked and fairly stupid ideas, topped off with a healthy dose of racist exoticization of Asians. The only reason this didn't get a lower score is that the surrealist visuals are pretty fantastic.

6 The Visit - This does have some great performances, but the twist is visible from five miles off, and there isn't much more to the story outside of that. Feels like an episode from the last attempt at The Twilight Zone.


Theme: 'Animated Worlds' (just means they were animated, although Coffee Virgin was semi-live action)

5 A Day With Dad - Mildly amusing cartoon, although it worryingly demonstrates the influence of Minions on filmmakers.

4 Boomerang - A music video of sorts, and I disliked all the decisions made in putting this together. I won't deny that it's competent on some level, which is why it didn't get that low of a score.

4 Coffee Virgin - I wasn't much a fan of the collage style of this one, and while it was frenetic and short, it didn't feel very substantial.

7 Deer Flower - This was very weird (perhaps it'd be less so if I understood the cultural context), but the animation was quite effective. Probably my favorite in terms of animation of this set.

6 Elena and the Shadows - Kind of a neat idea executed with reasonable skill, but I feel like I rated it slightly higher only because the rest of the set was so mediocre.

6 Hope - Could have been very good, but it fails to effectively convey the setting or characters in a way that provides the emotional weight needed for the premise.

7 Ma'agalim - I can't find too much fault with this. It's solid in all aspects, just not great.

6 Olilo - This could have been a neat parable about social isolation, but I felt it didn't work at a few key moments -- in some way it seemed to be mixing up its symbolism. Nicely drawn, though.

6 One Per Person - The animation was acceptable (low-budget derivative of Pixar), although the story shifted in odd directions, making the whole thing lack cohesion.

8 Panic Attack! - This was amusing, brief but effective, and the images flowed nicely.

5 Pearl - I nearly fell asleep during this, and frankly can't recall what happened, other than that it seemed pleasant. I'm not even 100% sure if this was the one shown, because I don't recall seeing the title.

5 Second To None - Seems like there's a new cartoon of people trying to kill each other Looney-Tunes style and failing all the time, and they're never all that appealing. The audience seemed to like it, though.

7 The Aeronauts - The look of this was a bit off-putting to me, and even ugly (if intentionally so). The story is a good one, although at times it was slightly muddled. I didn't catch the political symbolism until reflecting on it just now; this is one I'd rate a bit higher after thinking about it.

5 The History Of Magic: Ensueño - Visually busy is not the same as visually rich. I just didn't find this engaging. I fell asleep in the middle, but it did not seem as if anything of much interest had transpired, despite there being a lot happening on-screen.

7 The Last Bastion - I tried not to judge this unfairly having already seen it (and knowing its budget was likely more than the rest of the films here combined), but even though it's the best of the Overwatch shorts, it takes a bit too long to make its point, arguably because of a desire to show off the game.

4 The Servant - Some of the time this looked good. Most of the time it kept repeating itself and trying and failing to evoke Kafka. It neither made enough sense to work nor was it surreal enough to get by without a coherent story.

sean10mm
Jun 29, 2005

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, MAD-2R World
13 Hours - Have you seen Black Hawk Down? Then just imagine the same thing, but much worse in every single way. That's exactly what this movie is. It's not the BENGHAZI CONSPIRACY OMFG movie people feared, just dumb and above all else loving boring.

Think about something that wasn't even that good about BHD, like how the characters were kind of simplistic cliches. In this movie the 6 main guys are literally written as the exact same white dudebro fuckface. There's just nothing loving there, not even by the standards of The Expendables or something like that.

Compared to other Bay movies it's lovely. I was worried it was going to be some conspiracy garbage but it just stinks in a general way all over.

sean10mm fucked around with this message at 00:35 on Mar 20, 2017

Egbert Souse
Nov 6, 2008

The Americanization of Emily (1962, Arthur Hiller) [TCM DVR] - 3/5
Anatomy of a Murder (1959, Otto Preminger) [Blu-Ray] - 4/5

"Fatty" Arbuckle Comedies featuring Buster Keaton (1917-1919, all directed by Roscoe Arbuckle) [Blu-Ray]

1917: The Butcher Boy, The Rough House, His Wedding Night
1918: Oh, Doctor!, Coney Island, Out West, The Bell Boy, Moonshine, Good Night Nurse, The Cook
1919: Backstage, The Hayseed, The Garage (co-dir by Keaton)

Avg: 3/5, with a few standouts.

One of the great tragedies of film history is the scandal that ruined Roscoe Arbuckle's career. Not only did it wreck him personally, his films drifted into obscurity. Even on this fantastic Blu-Ray set (from Masters of Cinema), many of these films look like they're from well-worn nth generation copies of prints. Thankfully, Arbuckle's reputation was saved largely from Buster Keaton's involvement in 14 (all but one exist today) two-reel comedies starring and directed by Arbuckle. The first thing that's obvious is Arbuckle's talent for film comedy. They're often as brilliantly constructed as Chaplin's work of the time, but with a surreal touch that Keaton would become more famous for. What's admirable is that even with his stardom, Arbuckle was more than happy to let his co-stars steal scenes like Keaton or Al St. John.

Not all of these are great films, but some are every bit as great as Keaton's later work. Coney Island is one, but I think Arbuckle's masterpiece is Out West. He's mocking the films of William S. Hart (though, not as cruelly as Keaton would with The Frozen North) and D.W. Griffith, while much of the humor comes from the fact he's using surprisingly high quality filmmaking to make it funnier. The first scene takes place on a moving train. He could have easily used backdrops or more static shots, but it's funnier because people are really running around on a moving train. There's also a lot of great sight gags that the Looney Tunes guys must have remembered like Arbuckle literally spitting out wads of cotton in a desert on leaning down to appear to guzzle a large puddle of water in a few sips. Keaton gets a great turn as the town sheriff, shooting a card cheat, then coldly shaking his head at seeing his cards ("He would have lost anyways."). There's also a great sequence where Wild Bill Hiccup (Al St. John) is shown to be indestructable as Arbuckle and Keaton conk him on the head with dozens of beer bottles, barely stopping him from terror. Until they start tickling him, which subdues him. There is one awkward scene with cowboys cruelly making a young black man "dance" to their gunfire before a Salvation Army worker comes in to scold them. As Arbuckle was seen cheering it on earlier, she gives him the cold shoulder initially for partaking in it.

The Cook has a lengthy sequence parodying the now-lost Cleopatra (starring Theda Bara), which has both Keaton and Arbuckle doing increasingly ridiculous dances, culminating with Arbuckle wearing a cookware "bikini" and letting a sausage stand in for a poisonous snake. Back Stage has a great running gag with a strong man who makes his girlfriend carry all his luggage and equipment. The Hayseed also has quite a complex plot, reminding me of Keaton's later work. One thing that's funny is that Arbuckle appears in drag in at least a quarter of these and looks about as natural as Bugs Bunny. You also get to see a lot of great physical comedy from Keaton, with the usual stunts and acrobatics. In their first film together, The Butcher Boy, there's a neat running gag with Arbuckle flipping a butcher knife that looks way too dangerous.

These are just the 13 surviving films with Keaton as featured player or rather co-star (after the first few), but Arbuckle's other work is often just as entertaining. He even appeared in a few films with Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd as co-stars. But there would have never been a Keaton without Arbuckle, so his contribution to film comedy deserves its due.

Magic Hate Ball
May 6, 2007

ha ha ha!
you've already paid for this
Anatomy of a Murder is better than 12 Angry Men

GIGA-Reagan
Mar 11, 2017

Hat Thoughts posted:

What's the least overrated pretentious garbage movie you've ever seen?


This took me a while to think about, but when it comes down to it...The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk

Ewar Woowar
Feb 25, 2007

Magic Hate Ball posted:

Anatomy of a Murder is better than 12 Angry Men

It really is excellent. You can tell from his bit alone that George C Scott was going to be something special. Also I was super impressed to find out the judge in it was just that- an actual judge and not an actor. Thought he was fantastic.

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Hat Thoughts
Jul 27, 2012

GIGA-Reagan posted:

This took me a while to think about, but when it comes down to it...The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk

Appreciate the response

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