Films Recently Watched

[Silent Member]

The Rules for Everything 9/10

This was so fucking great, and very (darkly) funny (to me at least, the intellectual art house crowd in the cinema took everything at face value, I was the only one giggling to myself, I bet they thought I was a lowly moron. The joke's on them innit).

Edited January 29, 2017 by Gocab

[Bodhidharma]

scott pilgrim v world

 

absolutely love spaced and cornetto trilogy, wanted to check out more of his stuff. hes got a very unique style, does visuals very well. one of my favourite directors

[gnarlybog]

Jackie - great score, great cinematography, but slightly dry. I was hoping the talent involved would elevate the material somehow... If you are not down with Natalie Portman's accent by the first few minutes, you probably won't dig this. 7/10

 

Elle - Quite entertaining, but I wasn't buying any of the character motivations, so some story developments threw me off. I find it amusing that this is the same director who did Robocop (one of the greatest movies of all time). 7/10

 

Manchester by the Sea - Not going to lie, had to wipe tears away at a few moments. Affleck slam dunked it, shattering the backboard.  8/10

 

35 Rhum - Claire Denis is quickly becoming one of the most intriguing directors for me. Sometimes the plots are so loose they barely hold together... as if the movie is an impression or sketch. Perhaps this sounds like unbearable artsy shit but I assure you it is worth your time. I have the hots for the lead actress in this one so maybe my judgement is skewed. 8/10

 

Love Streams - Obsessed with John Cassavetes lately. This is one of his later movies. It is so sprawling and weird that I couldn't help but be in awe. The last half hour feels like the movie is dissolving in every way (suddenly a soundtrack appears, erratic editing, strange cuts). I described it to my friend as his 2001: A Space Odyssey? Highly recommend. 9.5/10

 

Winter Light - One of my favourite Bergman movies so far. Concise, deep and beautiful filmmaking. By the end you feel nourished, like when you finish reading a Russian novel. Perfect catharsis for your winter depression! 9/10

Edited January 29, 2017 by gnarlybog

[peace 7]

why waste your life on such predetermined shite

 

on your deathbed the gods will not reimburse you

 

Seriously.  Zeus will be like, "Dude, I gave you EVERYTHING, and you chose with very, very bad taste.  You have horrible aesthetic sense."

[eugene]

loving - too skeletal, too shallow. the director jeff nichols has this deep affection for this "simple south" archetype and familial relations in that context, and most of the times does portray that with care and warmth which is always apparent and usually provides a good watch (the short scene with the photographer from "life" magazine is especially lovely). but for some reason he decided to really turn the "understated" knob to 11 here and for no understandable reason for me, as it doesn't seem like it adds anything of value.  there's barely any script or even dialogue here, just honestly directed scenes with good acting that push a very simple story on. but there's no exploration of anything interesting, the conflicts and the issues are too familiar and aren't portrayed in some kind of new light to warrant a new film. though maybe it's just a combination of me watching too many movies and holding this academic view where each subsequent film is supposed to add something new and take into account what was done before, dunno

[Rubin Farr]

The Campaign - several lols in this post Trump election era

[kichiguy]

The Rules for Everything 9/10

This was so fucking great, and very (darkly) funny (to me at least, the intellectual art house crowd in the cinema took everything at face value, I was the only one giggling to myself, I bet they thought I was a lowly moron. The joke's on them innit).

 

Oh wow, Kim made a movie!

[Silent Member]

He sure did!

 

Lights out

 

This is pretty sweet if you hate the idea of things hiding in the dark, stalking you and you love jump scares. Nothing special really, and pretty dumb, but effective in what it sets out to do and skilfully put together. 6/10 Highly recommended if you like this sort of thing.

Edited January 31, 2017 by Gocab

[Squee]

He sure did!

 

Lights out

 

This is pretty sweet if you hate the idea of things hiding in the dark, stalking you and you love jump scares. Nothing special really, and pretty dumb, but effective in what it sets out to do and skilfully put together. 6/10 Highly recommended if you like this sort of thing.

 

Agreed. It's dumb but effective.

[Suffocate Peon]

Manchester By The Sea

I liked this and found it easy to watch - coming after American Honey it's the polar opposite approach; economically shot, straight and simple with no indulgence or flair. If I'd watched this unaware of the acclaim it has I wouldn't really pick it out as outstanding, it really is a film where those who love it are the only ones worth listening to. I can't really pinpoint why I wasn't moved, the revelation didn't hit hard because we don't see enough of his life beforehand, and I found the music loud and overbearing and at odds with the understated simplicity. It didn't work for me, and there's a lot of music, very operatic and profound classical pieces that draw attention to themselves.

Casey Affleck for me always carries around with him a sulkiness, it's just more pronounced here. He doesn't seem that different when he has the perfect family to when he doesn't. I wouldn't want a blunt difference, but his previous life and the affect its had on him seems secondary to his relationship with his nephew, which mainly consists of driving him around.

 

He's convincing but I don't think he has range, and it's not a transformative performance where you can't see the actor like a lot of the best Oscar winners in recent memory. I think he'll probably win the Oscar and probably ought to but I'm not sure what people are so impressed by. I was probably more impressed by Shia Labeouf in American Honey (a sentence I never thought I'd write) because he's evolved from the last time I saw him in Lawless, and every other annoying cocky sidekick role he's had. 6/10

 

 

Kubo And The Two Strings

I'm an idiot. I didn't understand any moment of this film. 4/10

 

 

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

It's odd to see Tom Cruise bored. Maybe that's just the character - having not read any of the books, I wouldn't know. Even when threatening people he does it with zero relish, barely getting the words out. He's sort of similar to Daniel Craig in the last few Bond films, just this muted presence. That's his natural state I think, judging them by their interviews Craig is barely conscious and constantly jet lagged and Tom Cruise is dying of hysterical laughter or leaping on the interview sofa. I can't say I've ever seen Cruise appear so lifeless. He's still got charisma and he seems to love doing action films, but he doesn't seem particularly enthused by the material here.

 

The film's story is also a bored boring mess of exposition-delivered events of no apparent consequence, while really at its heart it's about Reacher protecting a 15 year old girl who may or may not be his daughter, and how their relationship grows throughout the film. There's lots of chase sequences which aren't particular exciting, and an end sequence which seems inspired by the opening of Spectre.

 

When I think of even the average Korean thrillers, they have substantially more passion and drama. That's the difference for me, where Hollywood is getting it wrong; the lack of enthusiasm and ambition. It's not even poorly directed, it has a weight and seriousness to it, but it's bland and goes through the motions. I prefer The Accountant more but neither even attempt to deliver great action. Think of every other scene in True Lies, Swarzenegger on a horse chasing the motorbike riding terrorist up a hotel, up an elavator, off a roof...Or the jets and the limousine and the unfinished bridge over water...or the 15 year old daughter (heh) who climbs along a crane hundreds of feet up, and leaps on to a jet...

 

In Never Go Back we get a fight in a kitchen that's so bland that a minute after it occurring I couldn't recall what exactly happened. True Lies has an action scene in a public restroom filled with humour (old man on toilet), tension (kicking down each door), slo motion leaps through the air, brilliant gunplay, destruction. 5/10

Edited January 31, 2017 by Suffocate Peon

[caze]

I watched that Reacher flick, the first was ok, largely thanks to a bizarre appearance from Werner Herzog as the baddie, this one was really bad though. Tom is starting to look pretty old now, he's got serious old man body now, can't see him doing too many more big action films now, which is weird I thought as he ascended to the top of the bridge he'd be able to transcend space and time, but maybe he just has a bit more to go yet.

[eugene]

arrival - obviously it sucked, it has none of the grace and this gradually enveloping feeling of really getting into main character's head as she undergoes this mental change, something that the story manages to evoke so well. it's just all so schematic and tropey when it's supposed to be mind bending while keeping it all emotionally affecting (the overused max richter is the filmmaker's idea to cover that area it seems). and as a turd bonus you get all this stupid international relations and tensions stuff that was shoved in and that wasn't even in the story. i mean why the hell rape it into being "contemporary relevant" (or whatever was the purpose for those additions) when you got such a wholesome and good material whose part of the strength is that it's very focused on one character? and with all that budget they somehow completely messed up/or just got lazy with the visuals of the writing script, which is supposed to be one continuous and elaborate pattern that evolves and expands as more meaning is added, and not just a multitude of discreet circle-like figures. i do hold this belief that a film can be a much more powerful medium than a book due to its engagement with more senses at once, but fuck this shit, it doesn't even come close.

[dr lopez]

lol p much true

 

Anyway I farted during the screening of Manchester by the sea and that's what people reacted to most

[cwmbrancity]

 

why waste your life on such predetermined shite

 

on your deathbed the gods will not reimburse you

 

Seriously.  Zeus will be like, "Dude, I gave you EVERYTHING, and you chose with very, very bad taste.  You have horrible aesthetic sense."

 

 

 

One swallow doesnt make a summer, but loads of em & you'd have to understand olde Zeusy casting your arse into eternal fiyah or whatever He does when your life-long films-watched sheet looks like the wet dream of a Hollywood blockbuster producer in league with the gods of bilge, nahmean

[juiceciuj]

lol p much true

 

Anyway I farted during the screening of Manchester by the sea and that's what people reacted to most

lol

[Guest bitroast]

isn't this just the apoc now poster (can't hear you saying "stop paying attention to hollywood over the sound of my own bored snoring"   )

 

[Guest bitroast]

why bother making an original poster if the film is going to be derivative shlock. at least they made an advertisement that accurately promotes the product. 

[Silent Member]

Marlon Brando looks a bit off in that poster.

[juiceciuj]

why is there a spaceship in it?

[Silent Member]

I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a boat made out of a WW2 bomber plane.

[Rubin Farr]

I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a boat made out of a WW2 bomber plane.

Yeah that was already a movie as well

 

[dr lopez]

i want to see that movie!

[cwmbrancity]

The Signalman (1976).....short, unearthly psychological BBC of the kind really nailed during the 1970's @ times

 

Denholm Elliott plays the lead in a Dickens classic, but it has a similar drifting atmosphere as Picnic At Hanging Rock, def wintry safeness to that sultry madness

[Nebraska]

 

 

whoa! this was TERRIBLE.

 

 

basically some kind of high school "secret order" watching this video on the 7th floor, then once they realize they're fucked, their teacher finds them a tail (lol) to pass on the curse. but that's me actually making it sound interesting. the best part is that the first 5 minutes basically spoils the entire film for you if you haven't watched any of the previous films and/or are unaware of what these films are supposed to be about, and does it horribly by having some jock just narrate the plot to his co-passenger on a plane before getting stung by bees

 

 

one college jock running around stopping hot chicks from watching vhs tapes out of ten

[vertsk8er419]

LION

 

what a movie. overwhelming emotions upon finishing this... literally cried through the credits, went and rewinded the ending w/ the irl footage and cried some more. anyone who loves cinema needs to feel the power of this movie. i saw it 3 days ago and it's still affecting me

Edited February 3, 2017 by impotentwhitecapitalist