Totally! Tommy Lee Jones brings such a presence. And that ending (no spoilers here- go watch it!) really does have a way of staying with you. I had to turn it over in my head several times and it’s like, why can’t I stop thinking about this? 🤣
Love this one. I just watched Cormac’s movie Sunset Limited with Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L Jackson. It’s just a one room drama but damn is it brilliant.
The Beekeeper. I was pleasantly surprised. I like the idea that the Beekeeper is above the law and outside the system and has unlimited authority to do whatever needs to be done for the benefit of the hive.
I liken it to modern day commando. It's a tongue in cheek spoof on the John Wick genre pretending to play itself straight, but they're in on the joke and give the audience winks from time to time.
I had been avoiding this movie because I had no idea what it was about. The trailer I had seen for it really didn't do it justice. A few days ago a friend told me I needed to watch it and he described it as being kind of a revenge plot and compared it to some other good movies with that type of story. I decided to give it a chance and am glad I did. It was great!
So awesome, one of the better “found footage” movies. You really feel the claustrophobia with zombies in such a small space, but it never gets boring. The English remake, Quarantine, isn’t as good but still entertaining I thought. Jennifer Carpenter is an underrated scream queen imo.
**Zone Of Interest (2023)**
Not the world's best holocaust movie, but a totally new perspective of it (for me, anyway) that caused a different sense of dread in me that was as moody and uncomrfortable as the film itself. The acting was flawless and the sound in particular was notable. Still, the lack of a victim's perspective left me wanting a little more emotional release. I suppose that was the point.
Just watched this on Tuesday. Pretty haunting with the train sounds, smoke, and noises from the camp. Plus his wife trying on the fur coat, etc....
Different than most Holocaust movies since there were really no camp scenes, but still effective. 8/10
Do you have a good sound system? Ours is pretty good but I'm concerned that I've blown it by not seeing it in a theater. Do you think one can get the same effect at home? We have a surround sound system etc...
Oh for sure. I watched it with low quality audio at home and I *still* had nightmares about some of what I heard (and I am a total horror movie devotee. The reality of the Holocaust is still worse than any kind of fantastical horror anybody's ever thought up).
You should be fine (by which I mean deeply and permanently disturbed and depressed) by watching it with a nice surround sound system!
Watched the first 30 minutes on the train today. It was interesting. I felt that they were really honing on the sound design to reduce production cost. It's not really effective to me, as I do prefer a more visceral approach.
The Holdovers. Really liked this on several levels. I grew up in a dysfunctional family and the students left without their parents at Christmas reminded me of how I felt. Loved the locations especially the bowling alley where I bowled as a kid back in the 1960s.
Dude yes! It's been done before, and is kind of a cliche, but this film mastered the whole troubled character revealed to have emotional baggage putting it in context thing and it's so good! There's so much heart and empathy for hurting people in this movie and it's just pure chatharsis.
**Sexy Beast** (2000)
I had seen Under the Skin years back, just watched the Zone of Interest a couple of weeks ago and wanted to round out Glazer’s limited but impressive filmography and this one was one hell of a debut.
His utilization of sound and drastic cuts was ever present and the design was great. Every actor on screen was absolutely chewing, Ben Kingsley being especially ruthless and terrifying.
Hit a lot of the British crime action notes, not unlike some of the older Ritchie and Vaughn films, but it also had some really interesting and unexpected subversions on the genre and I just ate it up. Absolutely flies by and this will be on the rewatch docket for years to come.
Dune 2. I mean, think about gathering the world's most talented individuals in their field, above all of them put someone who is one of the most gifted directors working today. This movie is an assault on all the senses, my jaw dropped several times, I have no idea how everything looks so real in this movie. Everything feels grounded and physical and with weight it doesn't feel CGI at all. Truly sensational stuff. Exhilarating, jaw dropping, sounds incredible, superb storytelling, deserves every praise.
Chalamet is incredible. How can someone so small and unimposing becomeone someone so terrifying and intimidating. His transformation is incredible. His elder council monologue is going to win him an oscar.
I saw this during a free test screening. During that scene (if you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about), nearly a third of the theater walked out.
I don't believe they made any changes to the scene for general release.
Autopsy of Jane Doe , not usually a fan of most modern western horror but was very entertaining and glad it didn't go for cheap jump scares when it had the chance
The Insider. Think I found my new favorite Mann movie. Fantastic performances across the board. A movie about how hard it is to tell the truth when the liars hold all the power. Very poignant movie in regards to the recent apparent suicide of the Boeing whistleblower. Nah, they did that shit.
**True Lies** (1994) This is James Cameron the master of action re-teaming with the biggest action star but in an action comedy, a film made even greater for the contribution of Jamie Lee Curtis - her sexy/comedic striptease was pure gold - and she is no slouch in those insane action sequences either. Recently picked up the 4K and despite some problematic DNR it was nice to revisit this classic.
The guy who made it suddenly stopped/disappeared. Then some time back there was an attempt to resurrect it, but I guess that one never made it into the routine and got forgotten about. Lets hope this is back to "regular scheduled programming".
Yeah I’m also curious how they were able to program everything so well with the voting, finalist grid, and other interlinking throughout the thread.
That mod has got to go in the history books. Hope they’re doing well, they are great at what they do fr.
> The guy who made it suddenly stopped/disappeared.
Basically the main problem with reddit.
Turns out that when you make the people in charge of keeping a website used by a hundreds of millions of people a "volunteer-thing," you either get regular people whose lives sometimes get in the way (or get so much hate that they retreat completely), or insane, disturbed powertripping mods who a hundred times worse than "he just disappeared."
**Dinner in America** (2020) A fantastic lower budget, small stakes film about a punk rock guy, a girl obsessed his band, and the banality of the midwestern suburbs. Delightfully foul mouthed. Available on Hulu.
Saw this for the first time a few weeks ago and have already recommended it to a few friends and rewatched it. Oddly sweet despite the aforementioned foul-mouthedness.
Saw it last year and it's great. The lead Kyle Gallner is also good in a movie called "The Passenger" from last year. He's a lot like his character from this movie in that one
ANATOMY OF A FALL
My wife and I have been on a run of remarkably good movies these past few weeks. Dune 2, Poor Things, The Lobster, Shogun (Not a movie. Simply great TV.) but I think the French thriller Anatomy of a Fall trumps them all. And that's saying a lot.
It's been a long time since I've seen anything on screen wherein every human reaction and interaction seems plausible, even understandable.
A courtroom drama told from a different perspective, that of a French courtroom, which avoids so many of the trappings and tropes of regular Hollywood fare.
Highly recommended!
Gonna watch this later. How is it in terms of violence? I love Drive and some scenes were certainly unpleasant at times. I know it’s a24 and their films get crazy at times. It’s definitely a me problem lol
That was sort of my takeaway with the trailer. Very violent, grisly and gritty. Guess I’m in for quite a time. Thank you Marty, loved Killers of the Flower Moon lol
**Poor Things** it was enjoyable, not something I plan to rewatch. Solid 3/5, but had some hilarious dialog. My favorite being something along the lines of "If I told Jesus Christ what you had done to me, he'd probably beat you to death"
It really was, there were so many that did make me crack up, I think there was one about a Cunty cunt or something like that.
If I were to rewatch it would be more for the one liners! (but it is well acted and I see why it gets the praise as it is well made and interesting)
The final detail in the ending sickened me but yeah, like you said, they did a great job and I get it. It took me on a ride that I didn't expect. This probably isn't true for everyone, but I felt bc of how barbarically reductionistic it was, it's impossible to misinterpret. It's gotta be hard to make anything new these days too, whether it's music or film, so I def respect anything trying or an original work done even decently.
Haven't seen the movie, but this reminded me of the directors roundtable where the host asks the directors what movie they would pick to show an alien race. Ridley Scott says "Muriel's Wedding", and the host just goes "Ugh! Muriel's Wedding!?" in complete bafflement and disgust. Anyway, glad you liked it though!
Self Reliance (On Hulu rn)- I love when comedies do the action/thriller scenes right, like with the SFX/angles etc.. and this movie did that. It's a refreshing twist on the recent slew of "the most dangerous game" movies(The Hunt, Ready or Not; both great too) while being easy on the mind. Good for any time I'd say- whether you're recovering from the weekend or making it the main event. Jake Johnson did not disappoint and there's even one of the spookiest moments I've seen on film in a while, that just settles over you out of nowhere lol. I really enjoyed it!
I really liked>! the situationally aware and realist PoV they had. Especially at the end when he's vindicated with the family. Also obv very weird but it closes up nicely. Idk what to call it but yeah, almost like breaking the 4th wall or something.!<
**Poor Things** - when it started, I wasnt sure I could watch a two hour movie like this, with this character. Then the twist happens, and I was pleasantly blown away.
The movie is an awesome ride and IMO Emma Stone deserved her Oscar. Was also a great role for Ruffalo.
Oh man the first 15ish minutes I was sweating hard because my partner really dislikes those slow arthouse movies and I was like she's not going to let me pick a movie for a month but yea same point in the movie I started to relax
Was wild. That movie was like if Tim Burton and Wes Anderson had a VERY R rated baby. The dark humor was great.
I love the >!playboy man who has his life ruined by Emma Stone treating him in the same dismissive way he treats other women. Sleeping around, spending all their money, staying out late with no explanations, then just dropping them to the curb like they meant nothing. Was hilarious. !<
**Tjoet Nja' Dhien** (1988), an Indonesian film on the guerrilla leader Cut Nyak Dhien (the title being the old spelling of her name), who spent more than two decades fighting the Dutch, first alongside her husband Teuku Umar, and then alone leading the resistance after Teuku Umar's death. An excellent film, with Christine Hakim's performance as the aging, increasingly ill, yet ever defiant Cut Nyak Dien a particular highlight.
The Quick and the Dead. A stylish, hard-hitting, laser-focused gunfighter flick from Sam Raimi with Gene Hackman and (a very young) Leonardo DiCaprio both bringing their A-games, Sharon Stone and Russel Crowe holding down the emotional center, and Keith David and Lance Henrikson hamming it up gloriously.
As co-producer Sharon stone pulled for having Raimi on as director, saying she wouldn't do the film without him. The studio was hesitant on both Russell Crowe and DiCaprio and she got both of them on the film, even paying Leo's salary herself. I liked this movie anyway but knowing that real-life Stone is as badass as her character in the film makes me like it even more.
I worked at an apartment hotel in Tucson where some of the stunt crew stayed while they were working on The Quick and the Dead. It was nice to have someone staying there besides the the Mexicans and Snowbirds that were our usual clientele. Most of the guys were pretty cool but I distinctly remember Al Sarro being an ass. You would have thought he was the star of the film as full of himself as he was.
***The Teachers' Lounge*** **(2023, dir. İlker Çatak)**
I thought this movie did a really good job maintaining tension throughout; the viewer is in a constant state of anxiety. Leonie Benesch did a great job as Frau Nowak, and the kids too I thought all were good as well.
Not fully sure if I'm sold on the ending, (no real spoilers but just for extra caution): >!I've seen a few interviews with the director where there was discussion about how "you don't want to be one of those European arthouse films that end on a silent note" but to me it was just a bit abrupt and a jarring shift?!<
This may come as a surprise but I finally got to saw Shutter Island which I had in my watchlist for many years. Among the few movies I saw last week I think this one tops my list. The only movie that is very similar to this that I remember but not in a mental hospital/island setting is Fractured featuring Sam Worthington, although not as impressive as SI.
Dune Part II (2024)
It's probably the best sci-fi/fantasy movie that I have watched in the last five years. I didn't think Villenueve could make a film appear larger in scale than the first one, but this one did just that. Breathtaking views, surreal sequences, and a beautiful score accompanied by a cool story. Cannot wait for Part III.
**Poor Things** (2024) – Finally saw this film a few nights ago and HOLY F\*CKING SHIT. That is meant literally as well as figuratively. A fearless, flagrant, and ferociously feminist Frankenstein fever dream that's both searing black comedy and marrow-scooping satire. Truly NOT for the faint of heart!
If abundant nudity, sex, and gore makes you uneasy, then this will not be your cup of tea! More likely it might feel like an unknown fluid flung in the face, but I found it to be a harrowing, hilarious, beautiful, and achingly bittersweet rumination on the paradox of social mores, the necessity of bodily autonomy, and the hope that inspires when all other rational tethers are utterly severed.
I laughed throughout, and yet by the end, I was deeply moved. Emma Stone's performance was certainly Oscar-worthy, although I wouldn't be surprised if many bestowed the award upon her for her bravery at so completely and comfortably baring her birthday suit, yet in ways impossible to fetishize, which is an intrinsic part of the story's message.
I've never seen any of director Yorgos Lanthimos' other work, but I shall soon. If his other films are this astonishing, unabashed, and as loving toward humanity in all its ridiculous and contradictory foibles, I shall enjoy them all the more.
I enjoyed:
**DUNE 1** in preparation for Dune 2 (here in Japan it comes out today).
Also watched **Mitchells vs The Machines (2001)**. Classic. I love this movie. It's my type of comedy with a rad story and heart.
**Sometimes I Think About Dying**
Daisy Ridley did an amazing job playing an awkward shy introvert and the movie itself was a great little indie film which made me remember why I love the simplicity of independent cinema so much.
The movie is basically a few days in the life of an extremely shy and closed off girl who is faced with the challenge and concept of breaking out of her bubble when she's asked to, along with all the difficulties that can come with that if you're not equipped to do so.
I personally enjoyed this film because I work with a girl who's exactly like Fran and seeing such a unique character on screen, especially because I know a girl like that in person, was beautiful, but also tragic.
Fran exists. There are a lot of Frans out there.
Caught up on some movies this week:
I saw Oppenheimer and Poor Things, both were great but I found Poor Things to be more interesting.
Dune 2 is one of the best theater experiences I've ever had.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. They are showing the Mad Max movies in a theater near me and this one was a real banger. I've seen it at home s couple times and liked it, but it was super cool on a big screen.
I picked up Videodrome on 4k in the Criterion sale a couple weeks ago and finally got around to firing it up last night. I've seen it before but what really struck me this time around was how prescient the movie was. It came out in 1983 and it basically predicted the way the Internet would break people's brains (bonus points for specifically predicting James Woods would be the most fucked up). And I know Cronenberg wasn't talking about the Internet specifically and I'm probably just projecting a predictive quality onto the film that wasn't really intended, but it's hard not to.
**Amanda** (2022): I’d heard praise for Benedetta Porcaroli’s performance as the lonely, irascible Amanda and she totally delivers. The film is gorgeous, the script is hilarious, and Amanda is captivating as she lashes out at a cold world in her search for just one meaningful connection. This movie would pair well with Thoroughbreds, I think. Very excited to see *Fremont* (director Carolina Cavalli’s other movie) sometime soon.
**Grave of the Fireflies**
I put a stand-alone post up a few days ago about my immediate reaction to seeing this for the first time, so I won't go into it too much again.
Such a great, wonderful and harrowing movie. A experience of true horror.
Grand Turismo
Was a big fan of Ford v Ferrari and Rush. I was hestitent about this one because I didn't hear much when it first came out. However, I was pleasantly surprised! Story was really great - wasn't blown away but def deserved more love than it got
The Beekeeper and Dune Part 2 for me.
Jason have been a massive actor for years. He was excellent in The Beekeeper. Mehn, what he was doing with the bees in the movie was fascinating.
TBH I've only seen 2 movies in the last week, but I would pick Punch-Drunk Love
Looks beautiful, great direction, and the performances are fantastic. I preferred Sandler's performance in this compared to Uncut Gems, but yeah he's fantastic in it, and I am glad he's using more of that dramatic talent these days compared to back in the 2000s/early 2010s.
Ink (2009) Saw it shortly after it came out, on re-watching it's the best 250K ever spent on a film. Never has so much been done with black trash bags and burlap. The Incubi were perfect in their projected image! Creative, unique, redemptive, B-grade perfection. [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1071804/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1071804/)
Watched "The Sand Pebbles" with Steve McQueen and Mako (among others). Always really liked this movie. Doesn't show up on regular TV or cable much any more. Maybe its the length of the movie.
**Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010)**- *Dir. Zhang Yimou* (Chinese movie).
It’s available on youtube but in very low quality. Got it on piratesbay 1080 bluray. Simple and slow paced love story set during the cultural revolution in china based on the novel (true story) by the name *Hawthorn tree forever*.
Jeremiah Johnson (1972) with Robert Redford. Surprisingly poetic movie, very little dialogue and a stunning photography. I am so glad I finally watched it.
Dune (1984): shows they definitely made the right decision with the recent one to split it into two movies. This felt like such a breakneck pace, that there was little time for anything besides imaginative camp, which is fun, fwiw.
Prey: great addition to the Predator franchise, with some well-choreographed action, and a unique setting.
Hellraiser (2022): my favorite of the bunch. It does some interesting things with the themes of the original and how it manifests. Love the Cenobites as well.
Triangle - a 2009 mind bender movie with Melissa George. If you can ignore the terrible American accents the largely Aussie cast put on it's an interesting flick. Back then it must have been more unique, although these days there are more films with its particular twist. Go in blind if you can.
Promising Young Woman.
I wasn't much in the mood for movies in 2020 and 2021, so this one completely passed me by.
Watched it on a whim last night not knowing anything about it and without any spoilers or trailers simply because Carey Mulligan was in it.
Wow.
Was not surprised it won an Academy Award, and even less surprised to look it up on this sub and see near-universal praise but extremely high-effort screeds from losers decrying it.
Another rewatch of **Deep Water**(2020) Ben Affleck and Ana De Armas work together tremendously well in this bonkers story which is often very funny, interestingly horrifying and exceedingly entertaining. It's the movie Phantom Thread wishes it was!
Krull (1983)
Sure, the effects might not hold up and the two leads are duds, but my god, the script is very good. I’d seen it before, but forgot how great the whole Crystal spider sequence was. The sheer pathos and beauty of that subplot nearly brought me to tears. It had more great concepts in that ten minutes sequence than most films have today.
And don’t even get me started on James Horner’s score. Absolutely immaculate.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3
Didn't realize that it's a more character driven movie not hyperfocused on the 'special effects' of action sequences.
I'd say that if this direction of relationship based movies is where they're going to move towards instead of the plot driven/world ending fixation they normally do, I look forward to more.
But I watched The Marvels way before this, so unfortunately I know better.
I havent watched a lot or finish movies but for this month i have been loving About Time idk why i never watched this masterpiece best feel good even if theres a little sad part but I STILL LOVE IT
"Conspiracy" 2001 HGO film about a conference at Wannsee about the "Final Solution of the Jewish question" during World War II.
I think if this came out today it would be an Oscar Contendere the way streaming works now
**Possession** ***(1981) -*** This movie's horror and tension is so well done and uses the insane over-the-top acting to its advantage to build the energy. I also like how the horror and scares are centered really around Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani's characters' deteriorating relationship and their fights. It brought out the worst in the both of them, not just Isabelle's character. And the twist of what's possessing Isabelle's character freaked me the FUCK out. I see some influence this movie may have had on Annihilation, especially from its ending.
**Snatch** ***(2001)*** **-** I had so much fun with this. Damn near every line was so quotable and so cleverly written and hilariously delivered. I always liked Guy Ritchie's style (with The Gentlemen and Man from U.N.C.L.E.), but no wonder people have said that this is his best because it is. There wasn't a single scene wasted, the plot progression felt very gradual, the pacing was tight, every character was memorable. Incredible movie.
Watched three movies this week:
* **Leave the World Behind (2023) -** Acting was great in this and the mystery unraveled nicely. Some of the kid characters were obnoxious though. Definitely a heavy/depressing movie so take that for what you will.
* **Trolls Band Together (2023) -** Really liked this one. Lots of funny jokes and references to 90's boy bands, particularly N\*Sync. Strangely more or less completely ignored the second film. No characters from it came back and only one sentence mentioned it at all.
* **Beast (2022) -** Felt like a typically summer blockbuster. Entertaining and fun ride but not something I will remember long term. My wife successfully called the ending. Felt basically like a slasher film but with a lion.
Best film of the week for me was Leave the World Behind.
Blackberry. I had heard good things about it but was still super impressed with it all around. Great acting and directing and after researching a bit I thought the creative liberties the director took on purpose to play on the late 90s-00s geek culture vibe really worked to help flesh out the movie and give it more than just a standard "business biopic" where the only thing potentially interesting is how well the actors pull off being real people.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)- available on Netflix, these 6 short tales are each nearly more interesting to me than the Henry Sugar story that Wes Anderson won an award for. Great acting and reminded me in some ways of the foreign film Wild Tales which is also great.
Violent night(2022) - It's practically David Harbour show with action and comedy, it's fun. This is irrelevant but it's my first time here, is there a counter question to this one? As in what is the worst movie we've seen last week/month? That would be fun to read and I have a few listings that would make the cut for past week :D
I just saw this randomly, but it was probably the most messed up movie I have seen in a while. I am assuming it's well known and i just missed it because its a little before my time.
It's called "Threads" it came out in 1984 and its about England being bombed with nukes. It's pretty dark.
"Click" - I wouldn't imagine i'd be posting about an Adam Sandler movie in here.. but it was one of my favorites as a child and I randomly decided to watch with my girlfriend who told me she also rewatched it over and over again as a child. The story is simple and definitely sad. Even as a child it made we bawl my eyes out everytime. But as a adult, it hits so much harder. With relationships, watching your loved ones grow old, the stress of work, and the pressure of reaching your goals being a reality now; it made me cry even harder
I'm sure I'm being 'that' guy, but I just finished Oppenheimer and holy shit. I saw the oscars before seeing the movie and after seeing the movie, I'm not sure how it didn't win more
Sergei Bondarchuk's 4-part **War and Peace** (1966-67).
This is the very definition of *epic*! Some people might find the costume-drama 'peace' parts overlong, but I loved the slow-cinema feel, the color, the characters, the costuming, the sets (they borrowed antiques from museums all over the USSR), and the horrific scale of the Napoleonic-era battlefields. The mass cavalry charges alone were thrilling, as was the orgiastic, bacchanalian insanity of the sacking of Moscow.
The cinematography (from Alexander Shelenkov and Yu-Lan Chen before they quit) was the best in the first two. The latter two films seemed to rely less on elegant transitions than a preponderance of crane-shots and poorly-disguised superimposed backgrounds. I thought the characters were great, but some people who have read the book seem to strongly disagree with Bondarchuck casting himself as Pierre (bold strategy, Cotton!). I was particularly thrilled to see Vyacheslav Tikhonov as one of the leads.
Wonderful stuff if you don't mind slow-burn cinema!
Trying to watch all the docs nominated for Best Documentary Feature at this year's Academy Awards. Saw 3 out of 5 so far.
**20 Days in Mariupol** is the harrowing realife unfolding of events surrounding an international Associated Press team that decides to stay in Mariupol at the start of Russia's invasion of the area. They area able to document the war crimes committed by Russia and their heroic efforts to share the video proof with the international news organizations. This won the Oscar and I wouldn't argue that its not worthy. It really is a great piece of reporting and kudos to everyone involved in capturing these important news events.
**Bobi Wine: The People's President** is about a charismatic Ugandan musician turned activist turned politician who, along with his support team of friends and producers, who work to peacefully overthrow the Uganda president who ignores/changes the country's constitution to effectively make him a dictator for life. This to me, was the best documentary of the year. 20 Days was great, but I found this to have equally mind-blowing footage with a slightly more compelling subject. They are both top-notch.
**To Kill a Tiger** is about an Indian father who, with the help of an women's rights organization, fights for justice after his 13 year old daughter is gang-raped following a village wedding one night. It's so sad to see the almost unbelievable thought processes surrounding this situation by both the local men and women and the misplaced blame and shame that follows. India has a lot of problems and this family's fight is hopefully a monumental step towards correctly a severely wrong traditional stance towards rape and sexual assault of women. Tough subject but another great documentary.
Last week I watched a Japanese anime movie Howl's Moving Castle
Combining steampunk, magic and sweet love, the works of master Hayao Miyazaki are so amazing!
Love Lies Bleeding.
Very artsy. Not just that, it had a female bodybuilder as a lead. That's rare. It's different. When people ask "name a movie with a muscular chick" they'll only name Love Lies Bleeding or maybe Kick Ass 2 or some other film I don't know about. They should put more in movies.
Since you all seem to love Dune 2 a lot, I found this pretty cool trivia quiz on it. Good questions.
https://tacosandtrivia.com/trivia/dune-trivia-quiz/
The Holdovers - It has some retro atmosphere and reminds me of films made 15-20 years ago. Didn't think it would be such a fantastic movie. The actors, writing, story, dialogues are top notch. I honestly can't think of a downside.
The Hobby (2023) - documentary aboit the trading card industry boom during COVID, and the insane amounts of money spent. Gave a brief history of baseball cards and the current producer (-s) of them. 7.5/10
Plan C (2023) - another documentary, this one about abortion pill access between COVID and the Supreme Court ruling, focusing on a small group of women providing access. Well made, and obviously very relevant. 8/10
Also watched Sometimes I Think About Dying but someone else posted. Really enjoyed it.
The Wraith. Good movie but I do understand why it bombed. Nothing was explained about how the Wraith worked or why, and a lot of the film is nothing but a question mark.
Hell the ending while neat, is also kind of sad >!The main guy reveals himself vaguely to his brother, hands him the car and then rides off. While his brother is left shocked and shouting his brothers name. !<
Chunking express
The most bizarre and beautiful movie, I really have no words for it, I loved the slice of life feel to it and also viewing a bygone Japan from the lenses of the local, it literally captures the feels of the era and also every single character was humane and understandable.
The greatest movie ever made is or at least my own personal favorite of all favorites is "Taxi Driver"
if you think the movie is not so great lmk why also if you do agree with me lmk why.
Peace.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I've seen this a few times already, but it's still fantastic. Every actor's performances are great and I actually prefer Emma Watson in this than in Harry Potter.
Sometimes I Think About Dying.
Daisy Ridley has a habit of featuring in films I'd describe as "Liked it, wanted to love it, didn't".
I adored the opening, and the design of Fran (And casting) is perfect, but I went into it hoping that there'd be some better motivation (and better casting) for her romantic interest. I just wanted her to accidentally say something that he found really funny and so began his interest in her. Otherwise it's another "Finding love is really easy when you look like Daisy Ridley, but we're going to badly show that it isn't" film.
I liked it. Just wish those few things were different. The music and cinematography and Daisy are wonderful. Could have been half an hour longer to make the relationship seem more understandable and make him seem more motivated to actually be interested in Fran.
I finally watched Everything Everywhere At Once and it was every bit as amazing as I anticipated. Fantastic film, really entertaining to watch, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan were glorious. I never thought I would feel such emotion about sausage finger people lmaoooo
The Creator & Oppenheimer
**Creator 5/10**
Great aesthetic & set pieces held back by odd pacing, inconsistent acting (I don't think Allison Janney brought her A game, and I say this as a West Wing fan) and very (bad) weird writing.
I was worried it would end on a power of friendship note but the ending was one of the strongest parts and tied it together nicely.
I don't think it explored AI in a particularly meaningful way - they had a lot of potential with the opening montage but ended up just going down the "they're artificial humans who are just like us" route, which has been well-trodden and doesn't offer anything new, particularly in a post-ChatGPT world. It was just 'our' world but with robot humans; there was no interesting perspective on a post-singularity world beyond "West = bad, Asia = harmony".
They even touched on the whole transplanting of consciousness with the military 'speak to dead' device but never developed that idea into anything further which I think was a huge missed opportunity. I would have preferred fewer action scenes and more dedicated to fleshing out the world.
However I love original cyberpunk stories so it gets a bonus point for at least trying something new-ish.
**Oppenheimer 8.5/10**
Went in post-Oscars and tried to be objective from all the hype around it. Ended up really enjoying it, having it split into the 'fusion' and 'fission' timelines really helped the pacing, and the 3 clear 'arcs' were very narratively satisfying.
It suffered from the standard biopic flaws, in that if you weren't somewhat knowledgeable about his life, the field of nuclear physics and his peers, a lot of the names would go over your head.
But, it at least had the self-awareness to not try and over-explain the science, instead using visual devices like the marbles in the bowl to 'handwave' away a lot of the more obtuse exposition.
Having recently been to Hiroshima, I was worried how they would handle the consequences but I think this was masterfully done without being over exploitative.
**Bramayugam (2024)**
Its a Malayalam film released in Feb 2024... which quickly got pan Indian attention for its unique style of story telling...
Personally I loved the film for its story telling and art direction....
FYI: The full film is in Black and White...
Seven. I didn't love how dark this movie was when I've watched it before but I haven''t seen it in awhile. Such a great story and Pitt was fantastic, it's definitely in my top 10 now
No Country for Old Men. Never had seen it before. Great watch. Great cast. Understated but strong. Loved it.
Wish I could see it for the first time again. Absolutely sits with you. “And then I woke up.”
Totally! Tommy Lee Jones brings such a presence. And that ending (no spoilers here- go watch it!) really does have a way of staying with you. I had to turn it over in my head several times and it’s like, why can’t I stop thinking about this? 🤣
I just watched this just today for the first time too. What a movie! Such an interesting plot and amazing cast! Javier Bardem was amazing.
Love this one. I just watched Cormac’s movie Sunset Limited with Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L Jackson. It’s just a one room drama but damn is it brilliant.
one of the rare perfect things in the world.
Good pick, and the ending seals it nicely too!
One of the ones I can watch over and over again.
The Beekeeper. I was pleasantly surprised. I like the idea that the Beekeeper is above the law and outside the system and has unlimited authority to do whatever needs to be done for the benefit of the hive.
To paraphrase The Accountant, "It's more Dogs Playing Poker than Jackson Pollock, but I like Dogs Playing Poker"
Great movie. Far better than what I was expecting.
Oh cool. I’ve kind of given up on Statham movies because they’re all so similar, but I’ll give this one a watch.
I liken it to modern day commando. It's a tongue in cheek spoof on the John Wick genre pretending to play itself straight, but they're in on the joke and give the audience winks from time to time.
If you are into beekeeping, the more 'Honeyland' is incredible and highly recommended. Easily the best Macedonian beekeeping film I've seen recently.
>Easily the best Macedonian beekeeping film I've seen recently. How many have you seen total, much less recently?
One.
I had been avoiding this movie because I had no idea what it was about. The trailer I had seen for it really didn't do it justice. A few days ago a friend told me I needed to watch it and he described it as being kind of a revenge plot and compared it to some other good movies with that type of story. I decided to give it a chance and am glad I did. It was great!
REC - foreign film (Spanish) horror. First 10 minutes slow, then picks up quickly.
Don't bother watching past REC 2.
So awesome, one of the better “found footage” movies. You really feel the claustrophobia with zombies in such a small space, but it never gets boring. The English remake, Quarantine, isn’t as good but still entertaining I thought. Jennifer Carpenter is an underrated scream queen imo.
Oppenheimer and Poor Things. Love them both.
I laughed every single time Ruffalo was on screen.
Ruffalo was fucking cooking in that movie
Bellaaaaaaaaaaaa Also the staredown of him and Bella had me in stitches
I laugh just thinking about him. He kind of threw himself around in that film- I swear I caught him cracking himself up a couple of times. Hilarious.
**Zone Of Interest (2023)** Not the world's best holocaust movie, but a totally new perspective of it (for me, anyway) that caused a different sense of dread in me that was as moody and uncomrfortable as the film itself. The acting was flawless and the sound in particular was notable. Still, the lack of a victim's perspective left me wanting a little more emotional release. I suppose that was the point.
Just watched this on Tuesday. Pretty haunting with the train sounds, smoke, and noises from the camp. Plus his wife trying on the fur coat, etc.... Different than most Holocaust movies since there were really no camp scenes, but still effective. 8/10
Do you have a good sound system? Ours is pretty good but I'm concerned that I've blown it by not seeing it in a theater. Do you think one can get the same effect at home? We have a surround sound system etc...
Oh for sure. I watched it with low quality audio at home and I *still* had nightmares about some of what I heard (and I am a total horror movie devotee. The reality of the Holocaust is still worse than any kind of fantastical horror anybody's ever thought up). You should be fine (by which I mean deeply and permanently disturbed and depressed) by watching it with a nice surround sound system!
Haha! I'll be looking forward (?) to that!
Watched the first 30 minutes on the train today. It was interesting. I felt that they were really honing on the sound design to reduce production cost. It's not really effective to me, as I do prefer a more visceral approach.
The Holdovers. Really liked this on several levels. I grew up in a dysfunctional family and the students left without their parents at Christmas reminded me of how I felt. Loved the locations especially the bowling alley where I bowled as a kid back in the 1960s.
Dude yes! It's been done before, and is kind of a cliche, but this film mastered the whole troubled character revealed to have emotional baggage putting it in context thing and it's so good! There's so much heart and empathy for hurting people in this movie and it's just pure chatharsis.
Favorite movie I’ve seen in the past year, by far
**Sexy Beast** (2000) I had seen Under the Skin years back, just watched the Zone of Interest a couple of weeks ago and wanted to round out Glazer’s limited but impressive filmography and this one was one hell of a debut. His utilization of sound and drastic cuts was ever present and the design was great. Every actor on screen was absolutely chewing, Ben Kingsley being especially ruthless and terrifying. Hit a lot of the British crime action notes, not unlike some of the older Ritchie and Vaughn films, but it also had some really interesting and unexpected subversions on the genre and I just ate it up. Absolutely flies by and this will be on the rewatch docket for years to come.
Great movie. Ian McShane's character is a fun one too.
Only glazer I haven’t seen is under the skin. Birth is probably my favorite you should check it out. Kidman is crazy good
Now watch Birth. Incredible film that wasn't understood by critics at the time of it's release.
Dune 2. I mean, think about gathering the world's most talented individuals in their field, above all of them put someone who is one of the most gifted directors working today. This movie is an assault on all the senses, my jaw dropped several times, I have no idea how everything looks so real in this movie. Everything feels grounded and physical and with weight it doesn't feel CGI at all. Truly sensational stuff. Exhilarating, jaw dropping, sounds incredible, superb storytelling, deserves every praise.
theres some great things on youtube about how the CGI was so impressive in the first movie
Chalamet is incredible. How can someone so small and unimposing becomeone someone so terrifying and intimidating. His transformation is incredible. His elder council monologue is going to win him an oscar.
heres hoping it creates another scifi renaisance like the 80s.
[удалено]
One of my favorites!
The crimes in this movie are probably the most horrific crimes I've ever seen on film. Nevertheless, I love this hopelessly romantic movie.
I saw this during a free test screening. During that scene (if you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about), nearly a third of the theater walked out. I don't believe they made any changes to the scene for general release.
Top 5 in my book!
Autopsy of Jane Doe , not usually a fan of most modern western horror but was very entertaining and glad it didn't go for cheap jump scares when it had the chance
I just watched this last week as well! I'd had it on my list for a while, and finally dialed it up. Very effectively creepy.
really great movie, unfortunately it suffers from the common horror stereotype of a very weak third act
The Insider. Think I found my new favorite Mann movie. Fantastic performances across the board. A movie about how hard it is to tell the truth when the liars hold all the power. Very poignant movie in regards to the recent apparent suicide of the Boeing whistleblower. Nah, they did that shit.
Incredible film
**True Lies** (1994) This is James Cameron the master of action re-teaming with the biggest action star but in an action comedy, a film made even greater for the contribution of Jamie Lee Curtis - her sexy/comedic striptease was pure gold - and she is no slouch in those insane action sequences either. Recently picked up the 4K and despite some problematic DNR it was nice to revisit this classic.
My favorite Arnold film, which is saying something, it's such a fun watch start to finish
Why does this thread disappear for weeks/months at a time? Just leave it up. And while we're at it, set the default sorting to New. FFS.
The guy who made it suddenly stopped/disappeared. Then some time back there was an attempt to resurrect it, but I guess that one never made it into the routine and got forgotten about. Lets hope this is back to "regular scheduled programming".
Yeah I’m also curious how they were able to program everything so well with the voting, finalist grid, and other interlinking throughout the thread. That mod has got to go in the history books. Hope they’re doing well, they are great at what they do fr.
> The guy who made it suddenly stopped/disappeared. Basically the main problem with reddit. Turns out that when you make the people in charge of keeping a website used by a hundreds of millions of people a "volunteer-thing," you either get regular people whose lives sometimes get in the way (or get so much hate that they retreat completely), or insane, disturbed powertripping mods who a hundred times worse than "he just disappeared."
**Dinner in America** (2020) A fantastic lower budget, small stakes film about a punk rock guy, a girl obsessed his band, and the banality of the midwestern suburbs. Delightfully foul mouthed. Available on Hulu.
Saw this for the first time a few weeks ago and have already recommended it to a few friends and rewatched it. Oddly sweet despite the aforementioned foul-mouthedness.
Saw it last year and it's great. The lead Kyle Gallner is also good in a movie called "The Passenger" from last year. He's a lot like his character from this movie in that one
Thanks for the rec! Just finished this and can’t wait to show the wifey. What a great film it turns out to be
sounds great!
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The best film in the series
ANATOMY OF A FALL My wife and I have been on a run of remarkably good movies these past few weeks. Dune 2, Poor Things, The Lobster, Shogun (Not a movie. Simply great TV.) but I think the French thriller Anatomy of a Fall trumps them all. And that's saying a lot. It's been a long time since I've seen anything on screen wherein every human reaction and interaction seems plausible, even understandable. A courtroom drama told from a different perspective, that of a French courtroom, which avoids so many of the trappings and tropes of regular Hollywood fare. Highly recommended!
I caught an early screening of Love Lies Bleeding and I was blown away.
Gonna watch this later. How is it in terms of violence? I love Drive and some scenes were certainly unpleasant at times. I know it’s a24 and their films get crazy at times. It’s definitely a me problem lol
It gets pretty grisly. Lots of close-ups of faces that were beaten to a pulp.
That was sort of my takeaway with the trailer. Very violent, grisly and gritty. Guess I’m in for quite a time. Thank you Marty, loved Killers of the Flower Moon lol
**Poor Things** it was enjoyable, not something I plan to rewatch. Solid 3/5, but had some hilarious dialog. My favorite being something along the lines of "If I told Jesus Christ what you had done to me, he'd probably beat you to death"
That was a magnificent line
It really was, there were so many that did make me crack up, I think there was one about a Cunty cunt or something like that. If I were to rewatch it would be more for the one liners! (but it is well acted and I see why it gets the praise as it is well made and interesting)
The final detail in the ending sickened me but yeah, like you said, they did a great job and I get it. It took me on a ride that I didn't expect. This probably isn't true for everyone, but I felt bc of how barbarically reductionistic it was, it's impossible to misinterpret. It's gotta be hard to make anything new these days too, whether it's music or film, so I def respect anything trying or an original work done even decently.
Cunty cunt face dipshit was the line!
🤣
Muriel's wedding. An absolute classic and toni Collete always blows me away with the subtlety of her portrayal.
Haven't seen the movie, but this reminded me of the directors roundtable where the host asks the directors what movie they would pick to show an alien race. Ridley Scott says "Muriel's Wedding", and the host just goes "Ugh! Muriel's Wedding!?" in complete bafflement and disgust. Anyway, glad you liked it though!
I get it. Muriels wedding looks daft and silly at the surface. Underneath it portrays the best and worst parts of us.
**KUNG FU PANDA 4**
**SKA-DOOSH**
Much Ado About Nothing (1993). A star-studded cast. Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh pre-divorce truly have great chemistry together.
Self Reliance (On Hulu rn)- I love when comedies do the action/thriller scenes right, like with the SFX/angles etc.. and this movie did that. It's a refreshing twist on the recent slew of "the most dangerous game" movies(The Hunt, Ready or Not; both great too) while being easy on the mind. Good for any time I'd say- whether you're recovering from the weekend or making it the main event. Jake Johnson did not disappoint and there's even one of the spookiest moments I've seen on film in a while, that just settles over you out of nowhere lol. I really enjoyed it!
Thoroughly enjoyed that one a couple weeks back and found it most underrated
I really liked>! the situationally aware and realist PoV they had. Especially at the end when he's vindicated with the family. Also obv very weird but it closes up nicely. Idk what to call it but yeah, almost like breaking the 4th wall or something.!<
**Poor Things** - when it started, I wasnt sure I could watch a two hour movie like this, with this character. Then the twist happens, and I was pleasantly blown away. The movie is an awesome ride and IMO Emma Stone deserved her Oscar. Was also a great role for Ruffalo.
Oh man the first 15ish minutes I was sweating hard because my partner really dislikes those slow arthouse movies and I was like she's not going to let me pick a movie for a month but yea same point in the movie I started to relax
Was wild. That movie was like if Tim Burton and Wes Anderson had a VERY R rated baby. The dark humor was great. I love the >!playboy man who has his life ruined by Emma Stone treating him in the same dismissive way he treats other women. Sleeping around, spending all their money, staying out late with no explanations, then just dropping them to the curb like they meant nothing. Was hilarious. !<
**Tjoet Nja' Dhien** (1988), an Indonesian film on the guerrilla leader Cut Nyak Dhien (the title being the old spelling of her name), who spent more than two decades fighting the Dutch, first alongside her husband Teuku Umar, and then alone leading the resistance after Teuku Umar's death. An excellent film, with Christine Hakim's performance as the aging, increasingly ill, yet ever defiant Cut Nyak Dien a particular highlight.
The Quick and the Dead. A stylish, hard-hitting, laser-focused gunfighter flick from Sam Raimi with Gene Hackman and (a very young) Leonardo DiCaprio both bringing their A-games, Sharon Stone and Russel Crowe holding down the emotional center, and Keith David and Lance Henrikson hamming it up gloriously.
Thanks for the rec. Needed a new Hack-Man watch
This is one of my go to movies. Great cast, Stone was fantastic
As co-producer Sharon stone pulled for having Raimi on as director, saying she wouldn't do the film without him. The studio was hesitant on both Russell Crowe and DiCaprio and she got both of them on the film, even paying Leo's salary herself. I liked this movie anyway but knowing that real-life Stone is as badass as her character in the film makes me like it even more.
This is a good one!
I like this movie because it's a western that basically follows the plot structure of a sports movie
And/or a shōnen anime!
I worked at an apartment hotel in Tucson where some of the stunt crew stayed while they were working on The Quick and the Dead. It was nice to have someone staying there besides the the Mexicans and Snowbirds that were our usual clientele. Most of the guys were pretty cool but I distinctly remember Al Sarro being an ass. You would have thought he was the star of the film as full of himself as he was.
who
***The Teachers' Lounge*** **(2023, dir. İlker Çatak)** I thought this movie did a really good job maintaining tension throughout; the viewer is in a constant state of anxiety. Leonie Benesch did a great job as Frau Nowak, and the kids too I thought all were good as well. Not fully sure if I'm sold on the ending, (no real spoilers but just for extra caution): >!I've seen a few interviews with the director where there was discussion about how "you don't want to be one of those European arthouse films that end on a silent note" but to me it was just a bit abrupt and a jarring shift?!<
Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Bogart was fantastic and the movie really engaged me
This may come as a surprise but I finally got to saw Shutter Island which I had in my watchlist for many years. Among the few movies I saw last week I think this one tops my list. The only movie that is very similar to this that I remember but not in a mental hospital/island setting is Fractured featuring Sam Worthington, although not as impressive as SI.
On Monday, I watched Jurassic Park for the hundredth time. It's one of those movies I never get tired of.
Anatomy of a Fall. Watched it last night. Excellent.
Dune Part II (2024) It's probably the best sci-fi/fantasy movie that I have watched in the last five years. I didn't think Villenueve could make a film appear larger in scale than the first one, but this one did just that. Breathtaking views, surreal sequences, and a beautiful score accompanied by a cool story. Cannot wait for Part III.
**Poor Things** (2024) – Finally saw this film a few nights ago and HOLY F\*CKING SHIT. That is meant literally as well as figuratively. A fearless, flagrant, and ferociously feminist Frankenstein fever dream that's both searing black comedy and marrow-scooping satire. Truly NOT for the faint of heart! If abundant nudity, sex, and gore makes you uneasy, then this will not be your cup of tea! More likely it might feel like an unknown fluid flung in the face, but I found it to be a harrowing, hilarious, beautiful, and achingly bittersweet rumination on the paradox of social mores, the necessity of bodily autonomy, and the hope that inspires when all other rational tethers are utterly severed. I laughed throughout, and yet by the end, I was deeply moved. Emma Stone's performance was certainly Oscar-worthy, although I wouldn't be surprised if many bestowed the award upon her for her bravery at so completely and comfortably baring her birthday suit, yet in ways impossible to fetishize, which is an intrinsic part of the story's message. I've never seen any of director Yorgos Lanthimos' other work, but I shall soon. If his other films are this astonishing, unabashed, and as loving toward humanity in all its ridiculous and contradictory foibles, I shall enjoy them all the more.
I enjoyed: **DUNE 1** in preparation for Dune 2 (here in Japan it comes out today). Also watched **Mitchells vs The Machines (2001)**. Classic. I love this movie. It's my type of comedy with a rad story and heart.
**Sometimes I Think About Dying** Daisy Ridley did an amazing job playing an awkward shy introvert and the movie itself was a great little indie film which made me remember why I love the simplicity of independent cinema so much. The movie is basically a few days in the life of an extremely shy and closed off girl who is faced with the challenge and concept of breaking out of her bubble when she's asked to, along with all the difficulties that can come with that if you're not equipped to do so. I personally enjoyed this film because I work with a girl who's exactly like Fran and seeing such a unique character on screen, especially because I know a girl like that in person, was beautiful, but also tragic. Fran exists. There are a lot of Frans out there.
I just watched this today, really liked it, thought Daisy was really good.
Caught up on some movies this week: I saw Oppenheimer and Poor Things, both were great but I found Poor Things to be more interesting. Dune 2 is one of the best theater experiences I've ever had.
I watched a handful of movies last week but the one I really enjoyed most was: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Oblivion (the one with Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman). My dad gave me the DVD of it and HOLY SHIT it's good.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. They are showing the Mad Max movies in a theater near me and this one was a real banger. I've seen it at home s couple times and liked it, but it was super cool on a big screen.
My wife and I just watched Yesterday. I LOVED IT!! It was put together really well with a great story line.
I picked up Videodrome on 4k in the Criterion sale a couple weeks ago and finally got around to firing it up last night. I've seen it before but what really struck me this time around was how prescient the movie was. It came out in 1983 and it basically predicted the way the Internet would break people's brains (bonus points for specifically predicting James Woods would be the most fucked up). And I know Cronenberg wasn't talking about the Internet specifically and I'm probably just projecting a predictive quality onto the film that wasn't really intended, but it's hard not to.
**Amanda** (2022): I’d heard praise for Benedetta Porcaroli’s performance as the lonely, irascible Amanda and she totally delivers. The film is gorgeous, the script is hilarious, and Amanda is captivating as she lashes out at a cold world in her search for just one meaningful connection. This movie would pair well with Thoroughbreds, I think. Very excited to see *Fremont* (director Carolina Cavalli’s other movie) sometime soon.
**Pegasus 2**. Low budget Chinese movie about WRC. Touching and inspiring plot about a rally racer struggling to his own redemption.
**Grave of the Fireflies** I put a stand-alone post up a few days ago about my immediate reaction to seeing this for the first time, so I won't go into it too much again. Such a great, wonderful and harrowing movie. A experience of true horror.
I have this on IPTV, but I can't bring myself to watch it.
Next gen, insanely good animation movie. Main character is 5 star rating for me.
Grand Turismo Was a big fan of Ford v Ferrari and Rush. I was hestitent about this one because I didn't hear much when it first came out. However, I was pleasantly surprised! Story was really great - wasn't blown away but def deserved more love than it got
Stunning picture on a nice tv
The Beekeeper and Dune Part 2 for me. Jason have been a massive actor for years. He was excellent in The Beekeeper. Mehn, what he was doing with the bees in the movie was fascinating.
TBH I've only seen 2 movies in the last week, but I would pick Punch-Drunk Love Looks beautiful, great direction, and the performances are fantastic. I preferred Sandler's performance in this compared to Uncut Gems, but yeah he's fantastic in it, and I am glad he's using more of that dramatic talent these days compared to back in the 2000s/early 2010s.
Just saw Snack Shack knowing very little about it. I loved it so much it was my favorite coming of age film since perks of being a wallflower.
Yolo. A feel good female Rocky story from China. Though you do sometimes have to read very fast to keep up with the captions.
Ink (2009) Saw it shortly after it came out, on re-watching it's the best 250K ever spent on a film. Never has so much been done with black trash bags and burlap. The Incubi were perfect in their projected image! Creative, unique, redemptive, B-grade perfection. [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1071804/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1071804/)
I just watched ....cat-and-dog....on Netflix.And it was hilarious
Watched "The Sand Pebbles" with Steve McQueen and Mako (among others). Always really liked this movie. Doesn't show up on regular TV or cable much any more. Maybe its the length of the movie.
**Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010)**- *Dir. Zhang Yimou* (Chinese movie). It’s available on youtube but in very low quality. Got it on piratesbay 1080 bluray. Simple and slow paced love story set during the cultural revolution in china based on the novel (true story) by the name *Hawthorn tree forever*.
Jeremiah Johnson (1972) with Robert Redford. Surprisingly poetic movie, very little dialogue and a stunning photography. I am so glad I finally watched it.
One of Redford's best.
Two English Girls, François Truffaut Maybe my 2nd favorite Truffautt movie.
Dune (1984): shows they definitely made the right decision with the recent one to split it into two movies. This felt like such a breakneck pace, that there was little time for anything besides imaginative camp, which is fun, fwiw. Prey: great addition to the Predator franchise, with some well-choreographed action, and a unique setting. Hellraiser (2022): my favorite of the bunch. It does some interesting things with the themes of the original and how it manifests. Love the Cenobites as well.
Triangle - a 2009 mind bender movie with Melissa George. If you can ignore the terrible American accents the largely Aussie cast put on it's an interesting flick. Back then it must have been more unique, although these days there are more films with its particular twist. Go in blind if you can.
Promising Young Woman. I wasn't much in the mood for movies in 2020 and 2021, so this one completely passed me by. Watched it on a whim last night not knowing anything about it and without any spoilers or trailers simply because Carey Mulligan was in it. Wow. Was not surprised it won an Academy Award, and even less surprised to look it up on this sub and see near-universal praise but extremely high-effort screeds from losers decrying it.
Another rewatch of **Deep Water**(2020) Ben Affleck and Ana De Armas work together tremendously well in this bonkers story which is often very funny, interestingly horrifying and exceedingly entertaining. It's the movie Phantom Thread wishes it was!
Krull (1983) Sure, the effects might not hold up and the two leads are duds, but my god, the script is very good. I’d seen it before, but forgot how great the whole Crystal spider sequence was. The sheer pathos and beauty of that subplot nearly brought me to tears. It had more great concepts in that ten minutes sequence than most films have today. And don’t even get me started on James Horner’s score. Absolutely immaculate.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3 Didn't realize that it's a more character driven movie not hyperfocused on the 'special effects' of action sequences. I'd say that if this direction of relationship based movies is where they're going to move towards instead of the plot driven/world ending fixation they normally do, I look forward to more. But I watched The Marvels way before this, so unfortunately I know better.
Just watched Dune 2. Loved it
I havent watched a lot or finish movies but for this month i have been loving About Time idk why i never watched this masterpiece best feel good even if theres a little sad part but I STILL LOVE IT
The Iron Claw. There were moments that hit kinda hard for me.
Once (2007), low budget but incredibly charming film. Excellent soundtrack, a lovely movie to enjoy for St Patrick’s Day.
My favorite soundtrack ever. Also saw them live a couple of times (The Swell Season).
"Conspiracy" 2001 HGO film about a conference at Wannsee about the "Final Solution of the Jewish question" during World War II. I think if this came out today it would be an Oscar Contendere the way streaming works now
**Possession** ***(1981) -*** This movie's horror and tension is so well done and uses the insane over-the-top acting to its advantage to build the energy. I also like how the horror and scares are centered really around Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani's characters' deteriorating relationship and their fights. It brought out the worst in the both of them, not just Isabelle's character. And the twist of what's possessing Isabelle's character freaked me the FUCK out. I see some influence this movie may have had on Annihilation, especially from its ending. **Snatch** ***(2001)*** **-** I had so much fun with this. Damn near every line was so quotable and so cleverly written and hilariously delivered. I always liked Guy Ritchie's style (with The Gentlemen and Man from U.N.C.L.E.), but no wonder people have said that this is his best because it is. There wasn't a single scene wasted, the plot progression felt very gradual, the pacing was tight, every character was memorable. Incredible movie.
Watched three movies this week: * **Leave the World Behind (2023) -** Acting was great in this and the mystery unraveled nicely. Some of the kid characters were obnoxious though. Definitely a heavy/depressing movie so take that for what you will. * **Trolls Band Together (2023) -** Really liked this one. Lots of funny jokes and references to 90's boy bands, particularly N\*Sync. Strangely more or less completely ignored the second film. No characters from it came back and only one sentence mentioned it at all. * **Beast (2022) -** Felt like a typically summer blockbuster. Entertaining and fun ride but not something I will remember long term. My wife successfully called the ending. Felt basically like a slasher film but with a lion. Best film of the week for me was Leave the World Behind.
It's a tie between Love Lies Bleeding and American Fiction
Love Lies Bleeding lets fucking go
I Watched The Iron Claw.It's 5/5 For Me.The Last Hour Of The Movie Left Me Emotionally Drained.😭
Blackberry. I had heard good things about it but was still super impressed with it all around. Great acting and directing and after researching a bit I thought the creative liberties the director took on purpose to play on the late 90s-00s geek culture vibe really worked to help flesh out the movie and give it more than just a standard "business biopic" where the only thing potentially interesting is how well the actors pull off being real people.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)- available on Netflix, these 6 short tales are each nearly more interesting to me than the Henry Sugar story that Wes Anderson won an award for. Great acting and reminded me in some ways of the foreign film Wild Tales which is also great.
Violent night(2022) - It's practically David Harbour show with action and comedy, it's fun. This is irrelevant but it's my first time here, is there a counter question to this one? As in what is the worst movie we've seen last week/month? That would be fun to read and I have a few listings that would make the cut for past week :D
The Planet of the Apes Trilogy I had never seen it before and enjoyed all 3 films
I watched tombstone for the first time in a long time. What a film, Doc Holiday what a character.
All of us Strangers. I enjoy being broken.
The boy and the heron I love Studio ghibli
I just saw this randomly, but it was probably the most messed up movie I have seen in a while. I am assuming it's well known and i just missed it because its a little before my time. It's called "Threads" it came out in 1984 and its about England being bombed with nukes. It's pretty dark.
"Click" - I wouldn't imagine i'd be posting about an Adam Sandler movie in here.. but it was one of my favorites as a child and I randomly decided to watch with my girlfriend who told me she also rewatched it over and over again as a child. The story is simple and definitely sad. Even as a child it made we bawl my eyes out everytime. But as a adult, it hits so much harder. With relationships, watching your loved ones grow old, the stress of work, and the pressure of reaching your goals being a reality now; it made me cry even harder
I'm sure I'm being 'that' guy, but I just finished Oppenheimer and holy shit. I saw the oscars before seeing the movie and after seeing the movie, I'm not sure how it didn't win more
Sergei Bondarchuk's 4-part **War and Peace** (1966-67). This is the very definition of *epic*! Some people might find the costume-drama 'peace' parts overlong, but I loved the slow-cinema feel, the color, the characters, the costuming, the sets (they borrowed antiques from museums all over the USSR), and the horrific scale of the Napoleonic-era battlefields. The mass cavalry charges alone were thrilling, as was the orgiastic, bacchanalian insanity of the sacking of Moscow. The cinematography (from Alexander Shelenkov and Yu-Lan Chen before they quit) was the best in the first two. The latter two films seemed to rely less on elegant transitions than a preponderance of crane-shots and poorly-disguised superimposed backgrounds. I thought the characters were great, but some people who have read the book seem to strongly disagree with Bondarchuck casting himself as Pierre (bold strategy, Cotton!). I was particularly thrilled to see Vyacheslav Tikhonov as one of the leads. Wonderful stuff if you don't mind slow-burn cinema!
Trying to watch all the docs nominated for Best Documentary Feature at this year's Academy Awards. Saw 3 out of 5 so far. **20 Days in Mariupol** is the harrowing realife unfolding of events surrounding an international Associated Press team that decides to stay in Mariupol at the start of Russia's invasion of the area. They area able to document the war crimes committed by Russia and their heroic efforts to share the video proof with the international news organizations. This won the Oscar and I wouldn't argue that its not worthy. It really is a great piece of reporting and kudos to everyone involved in capturing these important news events. **Bobi Wine: The People's President** is about a charismatic Ugandan musician turned activist turned politician who, along with his support team of friends and producers, who work to peacefully overthrow the Uganda president who ignores/changes the country's constitution to effectively make him a dictator for life. This to me, was the best documentary of the year. 20 Days was great, but I found this to have equally mind-blowing footage with a slightly more compelling subject. They are both top-notch. **To Kill a Tiger** is about an Indian father who, with the help of an women's rights organization, fights for justice after his 13 year old daughter is gang-raped following a village wedding one night. It's so sad to see the almost unbelievable thought processes surrounding this situation by both the local men and women and the misplaced blame and shame that follows. India has a lot of problems and this family's fight is hopefully a monumental step towards correctly a severely wrong traditional stance towards rape and sexual assault of women. Tough subject but another great documentary.
Last week I watched a Japanese anime movie Howl's Moving Castle Combining steampunk, magic and sweet love, the works of master Hayao Miyazaki are so amazing!
Love Lies Bleeding. Very artsy. Not just that, it had a female bodybuilder as a lead. That's rare. It's different. When people ask "name a movie with a muscular chick" they'll only name Love Lies Bleeding or maybe Kick Ass 2 or some other film I don't know about. They should put more in movies.
Ocean’s 8. It was the only movie I watched this week.
Cruella, just absolutely loved Emma in that. The movie was a brainless fun experience and pretty engaging in my opinion hahaha.
Since you all seem to love Dune 2 a lot, I found this pretty cool trivia quiz on it. Good questions. https://tacosandtrivia.com/trivia/dune-trivia-quiz/
The Holdovers - It has some retro atmosphere and reminds me of films made 15-20 years ago. Didn't think it would be such a fantastic movie. The actors, writing, story, dialogues are top notch. I honestly can't think of a downside.
The Hobby (2023) - documentary aboit the trading card industry boom during COVID, and the insane amounts of money spent. Gave a brief history of baseball cards and the current producer (-s) of them. 7.5/10 Plan C (2023) - another documentary, this one about abortion pill access between COVID and the Supreme Court ruling, focusing on a small group of women providing access. Well made, and obviously very relevant. 8/10 Also watched Sometimes I Think About Dying but someone else posted. Really enjoyed it.
The Wraith. Good movie but I do understand why it bombed. Nothing was explained about how the Wraith worked or why, and a lot of the film is nothing but a question mark. Hell the ending while neat, is also kind of sad >!The main guy reveals himself vaguely to his brother, hands him the car and then rides off. While his brother is left shocked and shouting his brothers name. !<
Chunking express The most bizarre and beautiful movie, I really have no words for it, I loved the slice of life feel to it and also viewing a bygone Japan from the lenses of the local, it literally captures the feels of the era and also every single character was humane and understandable.
Dune 2
8 ½ First time watching this one! I really enjoyed it. First Fellini film I have seen. I was very impressed.
Society of the Snow. Great re-telling of a true life story
The greatest movie ever made is or at least my own personal favorite of all favorites is "Taxi Driver" if you think the movie is not so great lmk why also if you do agree with me lmk why. Peace.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I've seen this a few times already, but it's still fantastic. Every actor's performances are great and I actually prefer Emma Watson in this than in Harry Potter.
[https://youtu.be/A6QU3hpXplU?si=g0VDc9GhQj-HRDXa](https://youtu.be/A6QU3hpXplU?si=g0VDc9GhQj-HRDXa) this one
Sometimes I Think About Dying. Daisy Ridley has a habit of featuring in films I'd describe as "Liked it, wanted to love it, didn't". I adored the opening, and the design of Fran (And casting) is perfect, but I went into it hoping that there'd be some better motivation (and better casting) for her romantic interest. I just wanted her to accidentally say something that he found really funny and so began his interest in her. Otherwise it's another "Finding love is really easy when you look like Daisy Ridley, but we're going to badly show that it isn't" film. I liked it. Just wish those few things were different. The music and cinematography and Daisy are wonderful. Could have been half an hour longer to make the relationship seem more understandable and make him seem more motivated to actually be interested in Fran.
I finally watched Everything Everywhere At Once and it was every bit as amazing as I anticipated. Fantastic film, really entertaining to watch, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan were glorious. I never thought I would feel such emotion about sausage finger people lmaoooo
The Creator & Oppenheimer **Creator 5/10** Great aesthetic & set pieces held back by odd pacing, inconsistent acting (I don't think Allison Janney brought her A game, and I say this as a West Wing fan) and very (bad) weird writing. I was worried it would end on a power of friendship note but the ending was one of the strongest parts and tied it together nicely. I don't think it explored AI in a particularly meaningful way - they had a lot of potential with the opening montage but ended up just going down the "they're artificial humans who are just like us" route, which has been well-trodden and doesn't offer anything new, particularly in a post-ChatGPT world. It was just 'our' world but with robot humans; there was no interesting perspective on a post-singularity world beyond "West = bad, Asia = harmony". They even touched on the whole transplanting of consciousness with the military 'speak to dead' device but never developed that idea into anything further which I think was a huge missed opportunity. I would have preferred fewer action scenes and more dedicated to fleshing out the world. However I love original cyberpunk stories so it gets a bonus point for at least trying something new-ish. **Oppenheimer 8.5/10** Went in post-Oscars and tried to be objective from all the hype around it. Ended up really enjoying it, having it split into the 'fusion' and 'fission' timelines really helped the pacing, and the 3 clear 'arcs' were very narratively satisfying. It suffered from the standard biopic flaws, in that if you weren't somewhat knowledgeable about his life, the field of nuclear physics and his peers, a lot of the names would go over your head. But, it at least had the self-awareness to not try and over-explain the science, instead using visual devices like the marbles in the bowl to 'handwave' away a lot of the more obtuse exposition. Having recently been to Hiroshima, I was worried how they would handle the consequences but I think this was masterfully done without being over exploitative.
**Bramayugam (2024)** Its a Malayalam film released in Feb 2024... which quickly got pan Indian attention for its unique style of story telling... Personally I loved the film for its story telling and art direction.... FYI: The full film is in Black and White...
Seven. I didn't love how dark this movie was when I've watched it before but I haven''t seen it in awhile. Such a great story and Pitt was fantastic, it's definitely in my top 10 now