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therattle posted:I haven’t watched Tar yet as I know it’ll stay on BAFTA view for a while as it’ll get nominations. I didn't much care for Tár, but moreso because the cancel culture/non-binary student strawman cringiness. It was very well made and acted, and I can see why people liked it a bunch. On the other hand, Saint Omer was absolutely my favourite film of the year and I'm super stoked to rewatch it and make everyone come with me when it comes to TIFF. It took me a bit to figure out what it was doing in the courtroom scenes and warm up to it, but it absolutely staggered me. Everyone should see it. Jessica Kiang wrote about it really well https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/saint-omer-review-1235361516/
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Jan 6, 2023 02:44
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| # ¿ May 19, 2024 10:26 |
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smug n stuff posted:This was absolutely the worst part of TÁR—the student character felt totally inauthentic—no student at Julliard would be totally incapable of talking about Bach, for Christ’s sake. It’s still my favorite movie of the year, because of, I think, almost literally every other scene in the movie, but that bit’s very clumsy. My interpretation is that she was unaware. The whole movie hinges on her isolation from the consequences of her actions, and her increasing confrontation with the protests/ghost of the student she pushed to suicide causes her to end up there. She's then confronted with the most naked depiction of her transactional relationships and thus epiphany and vomiting I also wasn't a huge fan of the movie's depiction of SE Asia or her hometown. While it's from her perspective, it also feels like the movie is being derogatory with the editing choices. Art cinema! Also speaking of odd arthouse choices, the new Castaing-Taylor/Paravel, De Corporis Humanis Fabrica, is incredible (Caniba was too rough and evil for me). Follows the delightfully visceral day of a French hospital. It also introduced me to the fact that a bunch of Parisian hospitals have absurdly misogynistic explicit orgy murals in their break rooms as holdovers from machismo doctor culture. https://medium.com/tryangle-magazine/the-secret-pornographic-tradition-french-hospitals-dont-want-you-to-know-81f53063b8f1
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Jan 6, 2023 04:25
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Gaius Marius posted:Holy SpiderGood idea, bad execution. Stretches feel like the film going through the motions, and most of the characters have very little to do in the second half. Tonally the movie can never decide what it wants to be besides a condemnation of the Regime and social mores of Iran. It switches between a serial killer POV thriller, a woman facing sexism movie, a social critique and all with zero connection between the component parts. Yeah it's not very good. It really revels in the misogynistic violence and the serial killer perspective before completely shifting tone in the second half. Just a lot of gut punches for not much payoff. I'm still pretty mystified by the hype other than the (justified) anti-repressive male theocracy thing. Then again, I disliked Border too. I don't think Ali Abassi is for me. I do get to see Puss in Boots tomorrow and am cautiously optimistic, before a Saint Omer weekend rewatch which may help me sort out my thoughts on that masterpiece.
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Jan 20, 2023 06:27
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Saint Omer is finally out in Canada and I finally rewatched it and you should watch it too. It's so striking seeing it again how clear and unsubtle the presentation is. Diop shows her documentary roots by laying out the stakes and themes from the start, but lets the creativity of fiction and cinematography allow even more audience interpretation of shifts and gaze. I wrote about it, and if you get a chance to see it on a big screen you should. Guslagie Malanda is incredible. http://lawrencedebbs.home.blog/2023/01/26/saint-omer-and-the-art-of-not-looking-away/
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Jan 29, 2023 16:26
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smug n stuff posted:Has anyone seen Pacifiction (getting US release this weekend after being out forever overseas)? Trying to decided whether to see it, seems like europeans really liked it (Cahiers du Cinema named it #1 film of 2022) but american critics reviewing it for the US release have been pretty bad. I saw it at TIFF and it's pretty good, though it could stand to lose 45 minutes. It's mostly a vibe piece with some wonderful cinematography that comments on colonialism and hollow diplomacy and hosed up people. If you go in and just let it wash over you it's solid, though it is almost 3 hours long. I know this won't help your decision, but I don't regret watching it, and it has a lot of very memorable scenes/settings that are still with me. It is lacking a central soul to the conceit (that kinda works thematically but lets it down filmically), but it's a languid bath in Tahiti, you won't regret it if you have a free afternoon.
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Feb 17, 2023 23:50
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Wowwww Schrader's new film is so terribly thought out. Just every poor decision you can think of while the man works out his issues. I can't believe they actually got a whole production crew to film this weird old man fantasy.
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May 24, 2023 03:52
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It's a deepfake. The real cosplayer goes by illusion_alchemy on Instagram. Kinda scary how good it goes over.
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Oct 29, 2023 13:56
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I'm very happy to see Erice's Close Your Eyes (Fermer les yeux) on that list. It's his first movie in four decades, and while the framing is a tad clumsy it's an incredibly human movie that I adored seeing it at TIFF. I hope it gets a wide-ish release since the guy definitely deserves some plaudits beyond Spirit of the Beehive.
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Dec 1, 2023 18:54
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| # ¿ May 19, 2024 10:26 |
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Watched two holiday movies only one of which I'd recommend Last Holiday (2006) is a perfect hug of a movie. Queen Latifah works in cookware sales and has never really got her life going before she is diagnosed with a terminal illness. She decides to go to a fancy hotel to live it up and teach the true meaning of life to a bunch of rich snobs. It has insane chemistry, it has LL Cool J, it has only good vibes. Don't let the mixed reviews scare you away, it's well-directed, dripping with charisma and life, it has no drama. It has Roger Ebert recognizing what is important: Roger Ebert posted:One of the movie's best scenes comes when she gives advice to the tycoon's mistress -- who is conventionally sexy, but senses that Georgia [Queen Latifah] is sexy in a transcendent way because of who she is. The mistress is sexy to look at. Georgia is sexy when you see her. The men at the other table can't take their eyes off. Something I can see myself rewatching multiple times. Just a classic human film. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) - This was in Kanopy's unconventional holiday list and while it's got a great reputation and an insane cast it just did not vibe for me. I think just a lot of 90s/2000s comedy lands on the cringe side of things. The misogyny, gay jokes—even while tongue in cheek—just turns me off (wetter than Drew Barrymore in a grunge club). The twisty plot and neo-noir shenanigans sure but it lands so try-hard that there's no warmth to it. But hey I also didn't like The Nice Guys so maybe I'm just not a detective comedy guy. Segue fucked around with this message at 12:36 on Dec 25, 2023 |
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Dec 25, 2023 01:38
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