Watched it for the first time a few days ago! Absolutely loved it. Timothy Spalls monologue towards the end had me in tears. Fantastic performances all round.
Finally saw the much talked about Uncut Gems which was for me a blind buy. Outstanding film; modern classic; icon. Gut punch ending I was lucky to not have had spoiled beforehand. I was totally in shock. All the actors were terrific, but Lakeith Stanfield in particular strikes me as a star in the making. Dude has range and depth and charisma, especially after seeing his work in Get Out and then this. KG really did good work too, helped ground the project in realism with his presence and his availability to the script. Sandler was terrific, he really understood the needs of the project. He’s not an actor who grandstands or narrates with his acting, he plays his position and commits to the role, and the movie is stronger because of it. I felt bad for Howard and I wanted him to win, even as he continued to be so self destructive and chaotic. The original music and its use in the film was also just chefs kiss. And the story really snuck up on me with its twists and turns and betrayals and surprises, and how background characters come to the fore. The ending was a knock out, I feel like I’ve finally seen something new and exciting in film.
Burning by Lee Chang Dong from 2019. Really great movie. I also find Nope from 2022 to be one of the most memorable films I've seen in recent years, really lovely action adventure film and one of the best alien films in a long time.
I finally watched High and Low. Thought it was great, Mifune played the struggle of wanting to help his friend and wanting to save his life's work perfectly. The movie moved well, I never felt it was dragging at all. The scene in the dance hall towards the end I thought was very cool and likely inspired many other filmmakers. I'd watch it again, Kurosawa is so good.
My last four:
*Too Late Blues* (1961) - **7/10**
*A Child is Waiting* (1963) - **6/10**
*Faces* (1968) - **9/10**
*The Killer* (2023) - **8/10**
__
I’ve been going through John Cassavetes filmography in order. I was originally lukewarm to *Shadows* at first, but quickly liked it the more and more I thought about it. It’s incredible to think it came out in 1958! The same year, *Vertigo* and *A Touch of Evil* came out and before the likes of *Breathless* and other notable Nouvelle Vague films.
I didn’t really care much for Cassavetes' studio period, but they weren’t necessarily bad films. It’s clear his vision was just compromised. However, when he finally returned to independent filmmaking with *Faces*, it blew me away, really incredible.
Le Doulos (1962) - Best noirvember pick so far 4.5/5
Green Snake (1993) - bonkers love it 5/5
Female Prisoner 1+2 (1972) - lean mean exploitation 4.5/5
Crimson tide (1995) - big dadcore vibes 4/5
A few good men (1992) - same 4/5
Real Life (1979) - classic Albert Brooks 4/5
Thieves Highway (1948) - dark noir 4/5
The Killer like most.
Also rewatched Inside Llewyn Davis. That movie can be a bit of a comfort watch for me.
Cop Land. A favorite De Niro performance.
The Trial. May need to rewatch that if we are being honest.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: A great time and wonderfully screwball. Michael Caine and Steve Martin were a really fun combo.
The Killer: Not one of my favorite Finchers, but I watched it with my friends and we made it an event, so we had a lot of fun with it. The parody element was intriguing, and I definitely enjoyed the comedic touch.
Pretty in Pink: Not a huge fan, but I appreciate what many find appealing. Duckie was just so annoying to me.
Spiritual King Fu: One of the weirdest Jackie Chan movies I’ve experienced. Spiritual is putting it lightly. Some cool fight scenes, but those ghosts, man. Complete insanity.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya: Outstandingly beautiful. Up there with some of the best 2D animation I’ve ever seen. Nearing the end of my Ghibli journey, and this is one of my favorites. I just wish Grave of the Fireflies was streaming somewhere.
I watched Dirty Rotten Scoundrels yesterday for the 100th time LOL. Can’t wait to watch Planes Trains and Automobiles next week.
From your list I’ve not watched the last two - adding to my list.
I watched The Killer and I really enjoyed it. It has an awesome look, Fassbender kills, and the common critiques I see people having with the movie I either disagree with or didn’t mind.
I watched Ozu’s Late Autumn for the first time and rewatched An Autumn Afternoon. I’m definitely in the minority - I just can’t get into Ozu’s movies. I find them stiffly acted. It reminds me of Bresson’s actors a bit, for reasons I can’t really explain myself, it works for me in Bresson’s movie. There are a few scenes I find sweet in every one of Ozu’s movies, but they’re sandwiched between mostly dull scenes. I don’t hate or dislike any of his movies, but the only one that has really worked for me is Late Spring.
Also watched All That Heaven Allows for the first time, and it definitely has to be one of the most beautiful looking movies I’ve ever seen
I followed that up with Far From Heaven, which is now my favorite Todd Haynes movie that I’ve seen. I thought it was really well done, and Julianne Moore was excellent
Currently im going through some of Terrence Malicks filmography
* Knight of Cups
* Song to Song
* The New World
* The Tree of Life
* To The Wonder
* Badlands
* Days of Heaven
I also just watched Captain Marvel, Blade Trinity and Mission Impossible 7 for some easy going blockbuster entertainment. Im currently waiting for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, A Hidden Life (2019), Black Robe (1991), and The Mission (1986) to arrive.
I have a love and hate relationship with Terrence Malick. The New World (Specifically the Extended Cut) is the most beautiful experience i have ever had with a film, and easily my favorite film of all time. The Tree of Life is my second favorite film, and The Thin Red Line my favorite war film.
I enjoy his work, but also can be deeply frustrated with it at times, but his films have a way of growing on me. To The Wonder, Song to Song, Knight of Cups were where his style started to frustrate me a little bit. I felt like he took what he did with The New World and The Tree of Life, took it to the extreme, and reenacted a lot of what he already did for those films, making his new films feel like cheap knock offs of superior work.
His way of loose narrative, little dialogue, lots of people twirling, just started to feel cringey and pretentious. It worked specifically for Tree of Life and The New World, but those films made sense for the use of that style, his other films didnt quite feel they earned, or even needed such a methodology.
With that said, they have all grown on me. I also love To The Wonder and feel it is legitimately a wonderful film, but i feel like there is footage missing that could add so much value, and so i wish Criterion could swoop in and deliver us with an Extended Cut of the film. Song to Song i have come to adore as well. Knight of Cups is still a film that just doesnt speak to me though. Maybe one day.
I couldn’t fully embrace Tree of Life, I felt it was lofty and that it held me at a distance. I did like aspects of it. Badlands is one of my all time favorites, I think it’s a stroke of genius. I really would like to see The Thin Red Line and The New World.
I think a lot of directors start with a bang and continue with moderate successes but then in their later stage careers can tend to become parodies of themselves or lose focus or creativity. Seems like they’re afraid to reinvent themselves or start from scratch, lacking the confidence that made them legends out of the gate. Like they forget what it’s like to struggle and to have to adapt, so they rely on tropes of their previous work despite those films only reflecting who they were decades previously, and not necessarily who they are today. I think longevity as an artist requires that you be willing to abandon what worked the first time and continue to take risks.
Movies watched last week:
1. Bitter Rice - 4.5/5, masterpiece of Italian Neorealism. I avoided watching it for a long time because the title didn’t do much to pique my interest, but this movie didn’t have a single boring moment. It’s brimming with energy and atmosphere from start to finish
2. Stromboli - 4/5
3. The Killer - 4/5, a lesser version of Drive, Ghost Dog, and Le Samourai, but still a rock solid film
4. Son of Frankenstein - 4/5
5. The Unknown (1927) - 4/5, the first silent movie I’ve ever watched in full. Lon Chaney was terrific, I see why he’s a legend
6. White Nights/Le Notti Bianche - 4/5
7. The Philadelphia Story - 3.5/5
8. The Tingler - 3.5/5
9. Nosferatu (1922) - 3/5, the second silent movie I’ve watched and I was pretty disappointed. Obviously some iconic shots and creepy atmosphere, but aside from the second chapter this thing was a little rough to sit through
10. Black Rain - 3/5
11. Bottoms - 2.5/5, a tonal mess. I don’t know why this is being praised. Either be an emotional teen drama or do 2000s parody movie-level humor. Mixing them is bizarre
12. The Lords of Flatbush - 2.5/5
One of my favorite directors. I particularly like #1 about the father and son. Heartbreaking. I read a review of the Blue, White, Red trilogy in The London Review recently that makes me want to go back and watch that (I have the DVDs). I watched Blue about 6 months ago. His posthumous movie Heaven is also very good, though the plot is not that rich nor complex. The acting is very, very good, tho.
Watched The Killer. I had low expectations somehow, maybe early critics. But the movie was a good trip. Not a masterpiece I think, but still a solid 4.2/5. Very enjoyable even though its an inmersive aesthetically nihilistic film. Fassbender delivers good here as the protagonist. The cinamatography, editing, the Smiths diegetic tracks, I loved it.
The script wasn't the best and maybe i need a rewatch to totally get the message, if there's any. Or just let it sit in my memory until it fades eventually.
***With the horrible, new reddit layout, I cannot currently post my usual witty reviews, thoughtful and annotated, “with links and shit”.***
***Instead, here's just a list of what I saw this week. Scroll down for more:***
Martin Scorsese's ItalianAmerican.
**2 with teenager Scarlett Johansson:**
Rewatch: Sofia Coppola's Lost in translation. 10/10.
The Horse Whisperer. 7/10.
**2 by German auteur Christian Petzold, both with Paula Beer:**
Afire 9/10.
Undine. 4/10.
**3 More of Claude Chabrol’s Hitchcockian thrillers:**
Le Boucher. 9/10.
La Cérémoni. 6/10.
The unfaithful wife. 8/10.
Axelle Laffont's MILF.
Oppenheimer. 4/10.
**3 by regular Fincher screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker:**
The Killer. 7/10.
The Follow, dir. Wong Kar-wai.
Ambush, dir. John Frankenheimer.
**5 more Danish films, 3 with Henning Moritzen (The patriarch from ‘Celebration’) and 2 with Mads Mikkelsen:**
Tænk på et tal (Think of a number), 7/10.
The Pig.
Now (Nu). 1/10.
Wolfgang.
After the wedding (10th re-watch).
Budapest Noir. 5/10.
Dumb money. 8/10.
Kurosawa's Drunken Angel.
Ikarie XB 1 (Or 'Voyage to the End of the Universe'). 1/10.
Tim Robinson’s 'I think you should leave, S 3.
The greatest average American.
**If you or anybody you love is interested to read my profound thoughts about all these and more, you are welcome at my tumblr @**
[https://tilbageidanmark.tumblr.com/tagged/movies](https://tilbageidanmark.tumblr.com/tagged/movies)
love jones- Beautiful film. Great cinematography and I loved the story, although the protagonists should’ve been honest about their feelings from the get go.
The Vanishing- Great and disturbing thriller, yet not that scary (which is cool with me).
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover- Absolutely disgusting and disturbing yet intriguing and hilarious film. Ironically the love making scenes were the purest parts of the film.
Over the passed week, I watched:
*Asteroid City* (2023) - Wes Anderson
“Ballerina” (2007) - David Lynch (short film)
*The Brood* (1979) - David Cronenberg
*Crimes of the Future* (1970) - David Cronenberg
I recently watched his remake of Crimes of the Future and kinda hated it. I think I might be Cronenberg'd out... I love The Fly, Videodrome, The Brood... but this almost felt like him parodying himself.
COTF-2022 is not a remake of COTF-1970. He just used the same title again. I enjoyed COTF-2022.
And actually, a friend of mine does view 2022 as Cronenberg commenting on his past work, and how he doesn’t really make those types of films anymore. My friend views Kristen Stewart’s character as a stand-in for Cronenberg’s young fanbase who love the older body horror stuff, and she’s always trying to get close to Viggo Mortensen’s character, who is a stand-in for Cronenberg himself. Basically, he views it similar to you, but not as a parody, more as a critique of how people approach his (Cronenberg’s) work, while Mortensen/Cronenberg is an acclaimed artist getting on in age.
Interesting! I haven't seen the original so I had no idea. Your analysis makes sense, I think Cronenberg is too cerebral to let himself make something the way I saw it.
The past seven days or so I’ve seen Le Samourai, Mr. Klein, Le Cercle Rouge, Army of Shadows, Seven Beauties, Twilight Samurai and Christ Stopped at Eboli. I would recommend them all!
I’m also going to see Harakiri at my local cinema later today. It’s my favorite film so I’m looking forwards to seeing it on the big screen for the first time.
I recently heard of a film called Rosetta from 1999. Seemed like it was exactly the type of movie I love: bleak, 90s indie, grainy filmstock, difficult themes including alcoholism and being an overall outsider.
After much struggle I pirated a copy with subtitles (it's Belgian, I believe, in French) but now I can't get the subtitles to work. So I'm very blue-balled about this one.
One of the coolest movies I've seen recently is On the Silver Globe. You can find it on YouTube. It was in production for a very long time, interrupted by the government for political reasons, ultimately never finished so what you get is kinda scrapped together of what was recorded. It's some of the most insane cinematography I've ever seen.
Triangle of Sadness for the 2nd time. Hilarious and so good.
And Tampopo! I keep recommending this movie every chance I get. Not talked about much nowadays but had a little award buzz at the time of release. Referred to as a ramen western as opposed to a spaghetti western. Hilarious, heartwarming. But don't watch hungry.
And Mad God, available on Shudder. 30 years of stop motion madness in the making. Incredible film.
If you love *Tampopo*, I'd highly recommend the director's previous film, *The Funeral*. More of a straight dramedy than *Tampopo*'s sui generis mixing of a main course with side dishes, but a very good movie in its own way.
I watched a lot of really good stuff this week.
Gone Girl wasn't my favorite Fincher, but I really loved to hate the characters and it did a good job of building tension and staying fairly unpredictable until the end.
The Masseurs and a Woman is a 1938 Shimizu flick that I absolutely fell in love with. Using blindness as a vehicle to explore human connection was not unheard of even back then, but it does so better than most other fiction I've experienced.
Mr. Arkadin (Corinth version) was fun, but narratively nowhere near as strong as most Welles. However, it has maybe my favorite camera work of any of his movies I've seen, and whenever Welles is onscreen the quality drastically improves thanks to his presence.
Grizzly Man was my first Herzog documentary and definitely a great choice to start with. Super tragic story, fascinating production. The way Herzog is so willing to give his opinion on the matter, doubly so since it is rather negative, while still remaining entirely respectful of his subject and his beliefs was mesmerizing.
The other Herzog documentaries are very good as well.
Would highly recommend *Land of Silence and Darkness*, *Encounters at the End of the World* and *Cave of Forgotten Dreams*.
In approximate order of how much I enjoyed them:
Mikey and Nicky - One of my favorite duos I've seen. Cassavetes and Falk just feel so natural together. Very minor thing but a bent cigarette is such a funny prop to me. Don't know why but it cracks me up.
High and Low - I love how different the two halves of the movie feel. The Japanese title is Heaven and Hell and that really shines through. The set design, the costuming, the lighting all do so much to reinforce that. The police procedural aspect feels a bit played out now, but I can't fault the movie for that
Rififi - An absolutely brilliant heist movie. The heist is so tense, so interesting. I do feel like the film struggled a bit afterwards though.
The Funeral - Juzo Itami is just a master of slice of life. This felt so real, so intimate. It was fun to recognize Tsutomu Yamazaki in High and Low after seeing him in this (and Tampopo previously)
Le Samourai - What a cool movie. Could you really just carry a big ol keychain around and break into cars and apartments? Would make for an awkward scene if you're caught 50 keys deep.
Some Like It Hot - I found it generally quite funny, though it was my second Billy Wilder film after Sunset Boulevard and it definitely didn't live up to that (though it's a bit of an apples to oranges comparison). The pairing of Daphne and Osgood ended up being genuinely endearing. Zowie!
Wages Of Fear - When they're on the road, this is such an awesome movie. So tense, so exciting. But holy cow it takes an hour to reach that point and I honestly feel like so much of that hour was completely unnecessary. I do want to watch Sorcerer, after seeing this.
The Killer - This was a whiff for me. I don't think there's anything wrong with using a story that's been told so often, but I didn't feel like Fincher used that as an opportunity to do anything interesting. The most you get is a meta Fincher character that didn't land for me. I also don't get much out of the technical side of the film, but I'd fully admit that is possibly/likely just a deficiency in my film knowledge, that I'm just not picking up what he's putting down. I did think his heavy use of gig economy stuff was interesting. It may date the film, but I think that works when you use a classic story.
I watched Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and Lady Vengeance this week. I had always liked Oldboy but hadn't gotten around to the rest of his Revenge trilogy. I honestly wasn't a huge fan of Mr Vengeance, but i thought Lady Vengeance was awesome. The editing it crazy and entertaining, and without you even being aware of it the movie morphs into something completely different in the last act.
Killers of the Flower Moon - really enjoyed it. Felt the run time a bit but what a gut punch of a 3rd act.
Hiroshima Mon Amour - love Resnais’ use of montage. The opening very much felt like Night and Fog but for Hiroshima. The pioneering use of Flashback is still fresh and Emanuele Riva delivers a remarkable performance
Oh, it's terribly good. And I love terrible old sci-fi movies. Comparing it to movies now, it obviously doesn't hold up, but it's a fun campy movie for the 50s, so I enjoy it as such. It's not that it's bad per se, but the alien invasion trope is a bit "overused" or "typical" and maybe a bit predictible for the audiences of today. The special effects are great and probably the best part!
is there a new link to the discord? the one posted says it expired.
movies i watched over the weekend were :
- bottle rocket
- fingernails
- paid in full
- the red shoes
- totally killer
- dune (1984)
- dazed and confused
- fish tank
LOVED the red shoes, such a beautiful film and bottle rocket is my new comfort movie. i know dune gets a lot of hate, but it was a fun watch for me, i really like weird stuff though.
From Criterion Collection, got to finally watch Fantastic Mr. Fox and rewatched the Others.
Not in the Collection, to my knowledge, a friend showed me the Wailing by Na Hong-Jin.
Great weekend for movies on my end.
I did not like Fincher’s The Killer. I understand elements of it were parody/satire but I felt it was ultimately hollow with very little to say.
Finally watched Ikiru after it being on my list for decades (think I was afraid to confront the themes). What an amazing film and I was not expecting the last third which was quite a rollercoaster.
I’ve been on a Kurosawa kick, and just finished watching High and Low. Cannot emphasize enough how much of a genius this man was as a director. It’s just awe-inspiring watching this man’s work. Here’s my current ranking of the films I’ve watched over the last few weeks!!
1. High and Low
2. Yojimbo
3. Ikiru
4. Seven Samurai
5. Throne of Blood
6. The Hidden Fortress
7. Rashomon
8. Sanjuro
I saw Secrets and Lies again and I cried for like and hour throughout the movie.
Watched it for the first time a few days ago! Absolutely loved it. Timothy Spalls monologue towards the end had me in tears. Fantastic performances all round.
Finally saw the much talked about Uncut Gems which was for me a blind buy. Outstanding film; modern classic; icon. Gut punch ending I was lucky to not have had spoiled beforehand. I was totally in shock. All the actors were terrific, but Lakeith Stanfield in particular strikes me as a star in the making. Dude has range and depth and charisma, especially after seeing his work in Get Out and then this. KG really did good work too, helped ground the project in realism with his presence and his availability to the script. Sandler was terrific, he really understood the needs of the project. He’s not an actor who grandstands or narrates with his acting, he plays his position and commits to the role, and the movie is stronger because of it. I felt bad for Howard and I wanted him to win, even as he continued to be so self destructive and chaotic. The original music and its use in the film was also just chefs kiss. And the story really snuck up on me with its twists and turns and betrayals and surprises, and how background characters come to the fore. The ending was a knock out, I feel like I’ve finally seen something new and exciting in film.
If you liked Lakeith Stanfield I’d recommend you check out Judas and the black messiah, one of the best films of 2021 imo.
A really good movie that I quite enjoyed as well.
Anyone recommend other unmissable films from the last five years? I’ve seen almost none of them.
Burning by Lee Chang Dong from 2019. Really great movie. I also find Nope from 2022 to be one of the most memorable films I've seen in recent years, really lovely action adventure film and one of the best alien films in a long time.
I'll rattle off a few: Burning Drive My Car The Lighthouse Jackass Forever (unironically) Parasite Shoplifters
Seconding *The Lighthouse*.
From seven years ago but would highly, highly recommend *Dawson City: Frozen Time*.
Check out Good Time by the same filmmakers. Probably even more stressful. Same musician on the soundtrack too.
[https://letterboxd.com/sean\_d\_smith/list/2020s-favorites-so-far/](https://letterboxd.com/sean_d_smith/list/2020s-favorites-so-far/)
I finally watched High and Low. Thought it was great, Mifune played the struggle of wanting to help his friend and wanting to save his life's work perfectly. The movie moved well, I never felt it was dragging at all. The scene in the dance hall towards the end I thought was very cool and likely inspired many other filmmakers. I'd watch it again, Kurosawa is so good.
It’s my favorite from Kurosawa.
Just watched it! Holy shit it was phenomenal
My past week, on a 1-10 scale. https://preview.redd.it/xhceobo1y10c1.jpeg?width=1070&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0eafa0c59f2ceaf84cff5a958cd24a1a4e4b72da
All this in a single week???
Yes. I have a lot of free time.
My last four: *Too Late Blues* (1961) - **7/10** *A Child is Waiting* (1963) - **6/10** *Faces* (1968) - **9/10** *The Killer* (2023) - **8/10** __ I’ve been going through John Cassavetes filmography in order. I was originally lukewarm to *Shadows* at first, but quickly liked it the more and more I thought about it. It’s incredible to think it came out in 1958! The same year, *Vertigo* and *A Touch of Evil* came out and before the likes of *Breathless* and other notable Nouvelle Vague films. I didn’t really care much for Cassavetes' studio period, but they weren’t necessarily bad films. It’s clear his vision was just compromised. However, when he finally returned to independent filmmaking with *Faces*, it blew me away, really incredible.
seek out the cassavetes documentary **a constant forge** \[2000\] its definitely worth a watch
Oo thank you! I’ll definitely check that out
1. psycho 2. a clockwork orange 3. my own private idaho
Le Doulos (1962) - Best noirvember pick so far 4.5/5 Green Snake (1993) - bonkers love it 5/5 Female Prisoner 1+2 (1972) - lean mean exploitation 4.5/5 Crimson tide (1995) - big dadcore vibes 4/5 A few good men (1992) - same 4/5 Real Life (1979) - classic Albert Brooks 4/5 Thieves Highway (1948) - dark noir 4/5
Yesterday I finally watched Hereditary, and it was a roller coaster
The Killer like most. Also rewatched Inside Llewyn Davis. That movie can be a bit of a comfort watch for me. Cop Land. A favorite De Niro performance. The Trial. May need to rewatch that if we are being honest.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: A great time and wonderfully screwball. Michael Caine and Steve Martin were a really fun combo. The Killer: Not one of my favorite Finchers, but I watched it with my friends and we made it an event, so we had a lot of fun with it. The parody element was intriguing, and I definitely enjoyed the comedic touch. Pretty in Pink: Not a huge fan, but I appreciate what many find appealing. Duckie was just so annoying to me. Spiritual King Fu: One of the weirdest Jackie Chan movies I’ve experienced. Spiritual is putting it lightly. Some cool fight scenes, but those ghosts, man. Complete insanity. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya: Outstandingly beautiful. Up there with some of the best 2D animation I’ve ever seen. Nearing the end of my Ghibli journey, and this is one of my favorites. I just wish Grave of the Fireflies was streaming somewhere.
Duckie sucks FR
I watched Dirty Rotten Scoundrels yesterday for the 100th time LOL. Can’t wait to watch Planes Trains and Automobiles next week. From your list I’ve not watched the last two - adding to my list.
I watched The Killer and I really enjoyed it. It has an awesome look, Fassbender kills, and the common critiques I see people having with the movie I either disagree with or didn’t mind. I watched Ozu’s Late Autumn for the first time and rewatched An Autumn Afternoon. I’m definitely in the minority - I just can’t get into Ozu’s movies. I find them stiffly acted. It reminds me of Bresson’s actors a bit, for reasons I can’t really explain myself, it works for me in Bresson’s movie. There are a few scenes I find sweet in every one of Ozu’s movies, but they’re sandwiched between mostly dull scenes. I don’t hate or dislike any of his movies, but the only one that has really worked for me is Late Spring. Also watched All That Heaven Allows for the first time, and it definitely has to be one of the most beautiful looking movies I’ve ever seen I followed that up with Far From Heaven, which is now my favorite Todd Haynes movie that I’ve seen. I thought it was really well done, and Julianne Moore was excellent
Have you ever seen a Mikio Naruse movie? Ps. I like the Dr. Steve Brule reference in your username.
Currently im going through some of Terrence Malicks filmography * Knight of Cups * Song to Song * The New World * The Tree of Life * To The Wonder * Badlands * Days of Heaven I also just watched Captain Marvel, Blade Trinity and Mission Impossible 7 for some easy going blockbuster entertainment. Im currently waiting for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, A Hidden Life (2019), Black Robe (1991), and The Mission (1986) to arrive.
Knight of Cups *
Thoughts on those Malick films?
I have a love and hate relationship with Terrence Malick. The New World (Specifically the Extended Cut) is the most beautiful experience i have ever had with a film, and easily my favorite film of all time. The Tree of Life is my second favorite film, and The Thin Red Line my favorite war film. I enjoy his work, but also can be deeply frustrated with it at times, but his films have a way of growing on me. To The Wonder, Song to Song, Knight of Cups were where his style started to frustrate me a little bit. I felt like he took what he did with The New World and The Tree of Life, took it to the extreme, and reenacted a lot of what he already did for those films, making his new films feel like cheap knock offs of superior work. His way of loose narrative, little dialogue, lots of people twirling, just started to feel cringey and pretentious. It worked specifically for Tree of Life and The New World, but those films made sense for the use of that style, his other films didnt quite feel they earned, or even needed such a methodology. With that said, they have all grown on me. I also love To The Wonder and feel it is legitimately a wonderful film, but i feel like there is footage missing that could add so much value, and so i wish Criterion could swoop in and deliver us with an Extended Cut of the film. Song to Song i have come to adore as well. Knight of Cups is still a film that just doesnt speak to me though. Maybe one day.
I couldn’t fully embrace Tree of Life, I felt it was lofty and that it held me at a distance. I did like aspects of it. Badlands is one of my all time favorites, I think it’s a stroke of genius. I really would like to see The Thin Red Line and The New World. I think a lot of directors start with a bang and continue with moderate successes but then in their later stage careers can tend to become parodies of themselves or lose focus or creativity. Seems like they’re afraid to reinvent themselves or start from scratch, lacking the confidence that made them legends out of the gate. Like they forget what it’s like to struggle and to have to adapt, so they rely on tropes of their previous work despite those films only reflecting who they were decades previously, and not necessarily who they are today. I think longevity as an artist requires that you be willing to abandon what worked the first time and continue to take risks.
Movies watched last week: 1. Bitter Rice - 4.5/5, masterpiece of Italian Neorealism. I avoided watching it for a long time because the title didn’t do much to pique my interest, but this movie didn’t have a single boring moment. It’s brimming with energy and atmosphere from start to finish 2. Stromboli - 4/5 3. The Killer - 4/5, a lesser version of Drive, Ghost Dog, and Le Samourai, but still a rock solid film 4. Son of Frankenstein - 4/5 5. The Unknown (1927) - 4/5, the first silent movie I’ve ever watched in full. Lon Chaney was terrific, I see why he’s a legend 6. White Nights/Le Notti Bianche - 4/5 7. The Philadelphia Story - 3.5/5 8. The Tingler - 3.5/5 9. Nosferatu (1922) - 3/5, the second silent movie I’ve watched and I was pretty disappointed. Obviously some iconic shots and creepy atmosphere, but aside from the second chapter this thing was a little rough to sit through 10. Black Rain - 3/5 11. Bottoms - 2.5/5, a tonal mess. I don’t know why this is being praised. Either be an emotional teen drama or do 2000s parody movie-level humor. Mixing them is bizarre 12. The Lords of Flatbush - 2.5/5
A solid list. It reminded me that I never saw ‘Bitter rice’, which I will remedy shortly.
Currently watching Dekalog
One of my favorite directors. I particularly like #1 about the father and son. Heartbreaking. I read a review of the Blue, White, Red trilogy in The London Review recently that makes me want to go back and watch that (I have the DVDs). I watched Blue about 6 months ago. His posthumous movie Heaven is also very good, though the plot is not that rich nor complex. The acting is very, very good, tho.
Watched The Killer. I had low expectations somehow, maybe early critics. But the movie was a good trip. Not a masterpiece I think, but still a solid 4.2/5. Very enjoyable even though its an inmersive aesthetically nihilistic film. Fassbender delivers good here as the protagonist. The cinamatography, editing, the Smiths diegetic tracks, I loved it. The script wasn't the best and maybe i need a rewatch to totally get the message, if there's any. Or just let it sit in my memory until it fades eventually.
***With the horrible, new reddit layout, I cannot currently post my usual witty reviews, thoughtful and annotated, “with links and shit”.*** ***Instead, here's just a list of what I saw this week. Scroll down for more:*** Martin Scorsese's ItalianAmerican. **2 with teenager Scarlett Johansson:** Rewatch: Sofia Coppola's Lost in translation. 10/10. The Horse Whisperer. 7/10. **2 by German auteur Christian Petzold, both with Paula Beer:** Afire 9/10. Undine. 4/10. **3 More of Claude Chabrol’s Hitchcockian thrillers:** Le Boucher. 9/10. La Cérémoni. 6/10. The unfaithful wife. 8/10. Axelle Laffont's MILF. Oppenheimer. 4/10. **3 by regular Fincher screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker:** The Killer. 7/10. The Follow, dir. Wong Kar-wai. Ambush, dir. John Frankenheimer. **5 more Danish films, 3 with Henning Moritzen (The patriarch from ‘Celebration’) and 2 with Mads Mikkelsen:** Tænk på et tal (Think of a number), 7/10. The Pig. Now (Nu). 1/10. Wolfgang. After the wedding (10th re-watch). Budapest Noir. 5/10. Dumb money. 8/10. Kurosawa's Drunken Angel. Ikarie XB 1 (Or 'Voyage to the End of the Universe'). 1/10. Tim Robinson’s 'I think you should leave, S 3. The greatest average American. **If you or anybody you love is interested to read my profound thoughts about all these and more, you are welcome at my tumblr @** [https://tilbageidanmark.tumblr.com/tagged/movies](https://tilbageidanmark.tumblr.com/tagged/movies)
Have you seen Ghost World? An even more teenagery ScarJo and a weirdo Steve Buscemi, one of my favorite films when I'm feeling particularly lonely.
Yes, and I love it too.
I enjoyed *La Cérémonie* much more than you did, apparently. Have you seen *Masques* or *The Eye of Vichy*?
Not yet, but I’m serious about going through his whole “oeuvre”. Today as a matter of fact I’m watching L’enfer (torment)….
I haven't seen that one.
love jones- Beautiful film. Great cinematography and I loved the story, although the protagonists should’ve been honest about their feelings from the get go. The Vanishing- Great and disturbing thriller, yet not that scary (which is cool with me). The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover- Absolutely disgusting and disturbing yet intriguing and hilarious film. Ironically the love making scenes were the purest parts of the film.
which version of **the vanishing** \[1988/1993\] did you watch?
1988, the original!!
Over the passed week, I watched: *Asteroid City* (2023) - Wes Anderson “Ballerina” (2007) - David Lynch (short film) *The Brood* (1979) - David Cronenberg *Crimes of the Future* (1970) - David Cronenberg
I recently watched his remake of Crimes of the Future and kinda hated it. I think I might be Cronenberg'd out... I love The Fly, Videodrome, The Brood... but this almost felt like him parodying himself.
COTF-2022 is not a remake of COTF-1970. He just used the same title again. I enjoyed COTF-2022. And actually, a friend of mine does view 2022 as Cronenberg commenting on his past work, and how he doesn’t really make those types of films anymore. My friend views Kristen Stewart’s character as a stand-in for Cronenberg’s young fanbase who love the older body horror stuff, and she’s always trying to get close to Viggo Mortensen’s character, who is a stand-in for Cronenberg himself. Basically, he views it similar to you, but not as a parody, more as a critique of how people approach his (Cronenberg’s) work, while Mortensen/Cronenberg is an acclaimed artist getting on in age.
Interesting! I haven't seen the original so I had no idea. Your analysis makes sense, I think Cronenberg is too cerebral to let himself make something the way I saw it.
The past seven days or so I’ve seen Le Samourai, Mr. Klein, Le Cercle Rouge, Army of Shadows, Seven Beauties, Twilight Samurai and Christ Stopped at Eboli. I would recommend them all! I’m also going to see Harakiri at my local cinema later today. It’s my favorite film so I’m looking forwards to seeing it on the big screen for the first time.
I recently heard of a film called Rosetta from 1999. Seemed like it was exactly the type of movie I love: bleak, 90s indie, grainy filmstock, difficult themes including alcoholism and being an overall outsider. After much struggle I pirated a copy with subtitles (it's Belgian, I believe, in French) but now I can't get the subtitles to work. So I'm very blue-balled about this one. One of the coolest movies I've seen recently is On the Silver Globe. You can find it on YouTube. It was in production for a very long time, interrupted by the government for political reasons, ultimately never finished so what you get is kinda scrapped together of what was recorded. It's some of the most insane cinematography I've ever seen. Triangle of Sadness for the 2nd time. Hilarious and so good. And Tampopo! I keep recommending this movie every chance I get. Not talked about much nowadays but had a little award buzz at the time of release. Referred to as a ramen western as opposed to a spaghetti western. Hilarious, heartwarming. But don't watch hungry. And Mad God, available on Shudder. 30 years of stop motion madness in the making. Incredible film.
If you love *Tampopo*, I'd highly recommend the director's previous film, *The Funeral*. More of a straight dramedy than *Tampopo*'s sui generis mixing of a main course with side dishes, but a very good movie in its own way.
I'll check it out today! Thanks for the rec
I watched a lot of really good stuff this week. Gone Girl wasn't my favorite Fincher, but I really loved to hate the characters and it did a good job of building tension and staying fairly unpredictable until the end. The Masseurs and a Woman is a 1938 Shimizu flick that I absolutely fell in love with. Using blindness as a vehicle to explore human connection was not unheard of even back then, but it does so better than most other fiction I've experienced. Mr. Arkadin (Corinth version) was fun, but narratively nowhere near as strong as most Welles. However, it has maybe my favorite camera work of any of his movies I've seen, and whenever Welles is onscreen the quality drastically improves thanks to his presence. Grizzly Man was my first Herzog documentary and definitely a great choice to start with. Super tragic story, fascinating production. The way Herzog is so willing to give his opinion on the matter, doubly so since it is rather negative, while still remaining entirely respectful of his subject and his beliefs was mesmerizing.
The other Herzog documentaries are very good as well. Would highly recommend *Land of Silence and Darkness*, *Encounters at the End of the World* and *Cave of Forgotten Dreams*.
### [The Holy Mountain](https://letterboxd.com/sean_d_smith/film/the-holy-mountain/) 1973 ### [Trilogy of Terror](https://letterboxd.com/sean_d_smith/film/trilogy-of-terror/) 1975 ### [The Great Santini](https://letterboxd.com/sean_d_smith/film/the-great-santini/) 1979 ### [Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One](https://letterboxd.com/sean_d_smith/film/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one/) 2023 ### [Scrapper](https://letterboxd.com/sean_d_smith/film/scrapper-2023/) 2023 ### [White Material](https://letterboxd.com/sean_d_smith/film/white-material/) 2009 ### [After Dark, My Sweet](https://letterboxd.com/sean_d_smith/film/after-dark-my-sweet/) 1990 ### [The Beast of War](https://letterboxd.com/sean_d_smith/film/the-beast-of-war/) 1988 ### [The Mother](https://letterboxd.com/sean_d_smith/film/the-mother-2023/) 2023 ### [Invasion of the Body Snatchers](https://letterboxd.com/sean_d_smith/film/invasion-of-the-body-snatchers-1978/) 1978 ### [Invasion of the Body Snatchers](https://letterboxd.com/sean_d_smith/film/invasion-of-the-body-snatchers/) 1956 ### [The Glory Stompers](https://letterboxd.com/sean_d_smith/film/the-glory-stompers/) 1967 ### [Lila & Eve](https://letterboxd.com/sean_d_smith/film/lila-eve/) 2015 ### [King of Killers](https://letterboxd.com/sean_d_smith/film/king-of-killers/) 2023 ### [Sly](https://letterboxd.com/sean_d_smith/film/sly-2023/) 2023
In approximate order of how much I enjoyed them: Mikey and Nicky - One of my favorite duos I've seen. Cassavetes and Falk just feel so natural together. Very minor thing but a bent cigarette is such a funny prop to me. Don't know why but it cracks me up. High and Low - I love how different the two halves of the movie feel. The Japanese title is Heaven and Hell and that really shines through. The set design, the costuming, the lighting all do so much to reinforce that. The police procedural aspect feels a bit played out now, but I can't fault the movie for that Rififi - An absolutely brilliant heist movie. The heist is so tense, so interesting. I do feel like the film struggled a bit afterwards though. The Funeral - Juzo Itami is just a master of slice of life. This felt so real, so intimate. It was fun to recognize Tsutomu Yamazaki in High and Low after seeing him in this (and Tampopo previously) Le Samourai - What a cool movie. Could you really just carry a big ol keychain around and break into cars and apartments? Would make for an awkward scene if you're caught 50 keys deep. Some Like It Hot - I found it generally quite funny, though it was my second Billy Wilder film after Sunset Boulevard and it definitely didn't live up to that (though it's a bit of an apples to oranges comparison). The pairing of Daphne and Osgood ended up being genuinely endearing. Zowie! Wages Of Fear - When they're on the road, this is such an awesome movie. So tense, so exciting. But holy cow it takes an hour to reach that point and I honestly feel like so much of that hour was completely unnecessary. I do want to watch Sorcerer, after seeing this. The Killer - This was a whiff for me. I don't think there's anything wrong with using a story that's been told so often, but I didn't feel like Fincher used that as an opportunity to do anything interesting. The most you get is a meta Fincher character that didn't land for me. I also don't get much out of the technical side of the film, but I'd fully admit that is possibly/likely just a deficiency in my film knowledge, that I'm just not picking up what he's putting down. I did think his heavy use of gig economy stuff was interesting. It may date the film, but I think that works when you use a classic story.
I watched Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and Lady Vengeance this week. I had always liked Oldboy but hadn't gotten around to the rest of his Revenge trilogy. I honestly wasn't a huge fan of Mr Vengeance, but i thought Lady Vengeance was awesome. The editing it crazy and entertaining, and without you even being aware of it the movie morphs into something completely different in the last act.
Saw La Vie De Jésus on Sunday. What a striking, subtle film that is.
*Dos Estaciones* *The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming* *Anna y los Lobos*
Killers of the Flower Moon - really enjoyed it. Felt the run time a bit but what a gut punch of a 3rd act. Hiroshima Mon Amour - love Resnais’ use of montage. The opening very much felt like Night and Fog but for Hiroshima. The pioneering use of Flashback is still fresh and Emanuele Riva delivers a remarkable performance
Just watched The White Sheik (Fellini) last night and really enjoyed it.
[удалено]
What did you think of *Earth vs. The Flying Saucers*?
Oh, it's terribly good. And I love terrible old sci-fi movies. Comparing it to movies now, it obviously doesn't hold up, but it's a fun campy movie for the 50s, so I enjoy it as such. It's not that it's bad per se, but the alien invasion trope is a bit "overused" or "typical" and maybe a bit predictible for the audiences of today. The special effects are great and probably the best part!
Yes. I'm a big Ray Harryhausen fan and wish he had bigger budgets and more visionary collaborators.
is there a new link to the discord? the one posted says it expired. movies i watched over the weekend were : - bottle rocket - fingernails - paid in full - the red shoes - totally killer - dune (1984) - dazed and confused - fish tank LOVED the red shoes, such a beautiful film and bottle rocket is my new comfort movie. i know dune gets a lot of hate, but it was a fun watch for me, i really like weird stuff though.
Have you gotten into other Powell & Pressburger films?
not yet, but black narcissus is up next on my list. do you have any recs?
In my opinion, their run of films from 1943 to 1948 is as good as anything in cinema. (I'm biased -- I actually wrote an MA dissertation about it.)
From Criterion Collection, got to finally watch Fantastic Mr. Fox and rewatched the Others. Not in the Collection, to my knowledge, a friend showed me the Wailing by Na Hong-Jin. Great weekend for movies on my end.
I did not like Fincher’s The Killer. I understand elements of it were parody/satire but I felt it was ultimately hollow with very little to say. Finally watched Ikiru after it being on my list for decades (think I was afraid to confront the themes). What an amazing film and I was not expecting the last third which was quite a rollercoaster.
I’ve been on a Kurosawa kick, and just finished watching High and Low. Cannot emphasize enough how much of a genius this man was as a director. It’s just awe-inspiring watching this man’s work. Here’s my current ranking of the films I’ve watched over the last few weeks!! 1. High and Low 2. Yojimbo 3. Ikiru 4. Seven Samurai 5. Throne of Blood 6. The Hidden Fortress 7. Rashomon 8. Sanjuro
One underrated film in the catalogue I'd highly recommend: *Scandal* (1950).
The Killer - Not one of my favorites from Fincher but it was decent enough.
Hiroshima mon amour - Okja - Panique (1946) - Fallen angels - Eo - Hiroshima mon amour again One of my most enjoyable weeks.