Films Recently Watched

[Enthusiast]

 

this is one of those instances where the story being told is more interesting than the film trying to tell it

 

 

Very well put. 

[T3551ER]

 

^ Fountain has been on my watchlist for a long time, I almost forgot about it. 

 

Thanks for the other recs. I've seen the 1996 Arrival on a long transoceanic flight as a kid. Probably dated now but I liked it a lot, really freaked me out. It's decent, like a decent film length X-files episode. 

 

 

Yeah I loved that movie (and also Villeneueve's Arrival). 

 

Yeah, the Villeneuveneneneve's Arrival was the one I was thinkin' of. . . didn't even know there was a '96 film by that name starring emilio estevez sheen n whatnot

 

Banshee Chapter - fairly decent horror movie that weaves in a lot of (fairly interesting) conspiracy theory stuffs including "number stations" and has a character who is blatantly (I mean, at one point, he says "Buy the ticket, take the ride!" FFS) inspired by Hunter S. Thompson. . . and, honestly, the guy does a pretty good job w/ the role. Good for a lazy Sunday afternoon. 

[Schlitze]

This gotta be one of the most goof filled pages in recent memory

[dr lopez]

lol just u mate

[caze]

lol

[GetSquirrely]

lol

[Schlitze]

dang

[whosebrian]

guff

[iococoi]

hjönk

[Roo]

 

These were the ten best films I finally saw for the first time in 2018:

 

1. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954)

2. NGE: The End of Evangelion (Anno & Tsurumaki, 1997)

3. The Deep Blue Sea (Terence Davies, 2011)

4. Suspicion (Hitchcock, 1941)

5. Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977)

6. Phantom Thread (PTA, 2017)

7. Fat City (Huston, 1972)

8. Marie Antoinette (Sofia Coppola, 2006)

9. California Split (Altman, 1974)

10. The Ghost & Mrs Muir (Mankiewicz, 1947)

 

So far in 2019 The Duellists (Ridley Scott, 1977) has been amazing, entered my top echelon of favourites and will be nigh impossible to beat for the overall year.

thanks for this list. I thought at first that your #3 was the Samuel L. Jackson movie Deep Blue Sea lol. 

Fat City looks promising, really looking forward to checking out The Duellists too. Phantom Thread was also on my year end list, definitely think it is Anderson's most mature movie (guess that sounds pretentious, but it really sinks its teeth in like none of his other films, saw it like two months ago and still think about it sometimes). My favorite Anderson film is Inherent Vice, fucking hilarious and a really fun time, also the story was adapted by one of America's most gifted novelists, Thomas Pynchon. 

 

Haha yeah that was why I felt the need to qualify with director/year.

 

I get that same feeling with Phantom Thread. I wasn't as adoring of the film on release, but those 2nd and 3rd viewings were knockouts that (like you) linger. I read Inherent Vice around the time that film was announced (early 2013 I think it was), it ended up being my first Pynchon (an author I've come to adore). So have a lot to thank PTA for certainly. I think his 5 new millennium films are far superior to his more derivative, nakedly influenced but still very impressive 90s films.

 

I've been on an obsessive Ridley Scott kick of late, finding that I dig almost all his films and can rewatch them endlessly, and The Duellists is an out-and-out 3rd best almost on level pegging with Alien & Blade Runner.

 

My top 10 from Ridley would look like this:

 

10/10

1. Blade Runner (final cut)

2. Alien

3. The Duellists

 

9.5/10

4. Legend (although beware, took a few viewings to fall on its wavelength, initially came off as a laughable misfire. Only seen Goldsmith cuts)

 

9/10

5. Thelma & Louise

6. Kingdom of Heaven (theatrical is fine, but pref Director's Cut)

7. Alien Covenant (seems a very divisive, poorly received film but I love it, easily the best Alien film since Alien3)

 

8.5/10

8. Matchstick Men

9. The Counselor

 

8/10

10. White Squall

 

Also 8/10: Black Rain, The Martian, Gladiator

 

Most of the rest are solid to decent. Exodus and Robin Hood are the only ones I don't rate in some way, but I'll give them another chance at some point.

Edited February 19, 2019 by Roo

[Roo]

On Villeneuve I've been like this:

 

Great: Sicario

Strong, worth seeing in cinemas: Blade Runner 2049, Prisoners, Incendies

Cringey but okay watch: Arrival, Enemy

 

He has tendencies which I really dislike, especially when tackling heady concepts. Villeneuve films ultimately can't resist the juvenile urge of Cianfrance-esque, twisted generational melodrama coupled with b-grade, suffocating Lynchian gravity and Nolan-cranked circuitry. In some cases the story and filmmaking is strong enough to overcome this, but Enemy is like a repository for his irritating traits, and Arrival's third act kills the film for me.

 

He is a tantalising director, one of the only guys regularly making blockbusters nowadays who is often worth checking out, but to a point.

Edited February 19, 2019 by Roo

[usagi]

Villeneuve films ultimately can't resist the juvenile urge of Cianfrance-esque, twisted generational melodrama coupled with b-grade, suffocating Lynchian gravity and Nolan-cranked circuitry.

 

lol

 

Enemy was what made me pay attention to him.

[Guest]

On Villeneuve I've been like this:

 

He has tendencies which I really dislike, especially when tackling heady concepts. Villeneuve films ultimately can't resist the juvenile urge of . . . Nolan-cranked circuitry. 

 

I enjoyed Arrival, watched it twice, thought it was far superior to Nolan's Interstellar, which ruins everything by leaving nothing to the imagination. They both should get points, though, for their efforts. They are up against 2001 with the subject-matter they chose, and that will always be a losing battle so long as celluloid exists. I actually liked the final act of Arrival, but my rating might be heavily influenced by the Max Richter song on the soundtrack. Felt that it handled the whole time-is-out-of-joint thang in a poignant way. I saw it for the first time in theaters with my brother and he thought that the lead character was selfish for deciding to have the kid anyway but I disagreed. 

 

Also, I might take some flack for this, but the final two batman films in the Nolan cycle are top-tier for me in terms of blockbusters. Citizen Bane. Shit is nice! 

[Rubin Farr]

 

 

These were the ten best films I finally saw for the first time in 2018:

 

1. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954)

2. NGE: The End of Evangelion (Anno & Tsurumaki, 1997)

3. The Deep Blue Sea (Terence Davies, 2011)

4. Suspicion (Hitchcock, 1941)

5. Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977)

6. Phantom Thread (PTA, 2017)

7. Fat City (Huston, 1972)

8. Marie Antoinette (Sofia Coppola, 2006)

9. California Split (Altman, 1974)

10. The Ghost & Mrs Muir (Mankiewicz, 1947)

 

So far in 2019 The Duellists (Ridley Scott, 1977) has been amazing, entered my top echelon of favourites and will be nigh impossible to beat for the overall year.

thanks for this list. I thought at first that your #3 was the Samuel L. Jackson movie Deep Blue Sea lol.

Fat City looks promising, really looking forward to checking out The Duellists too. Phantom Thread was also on my year end list, definitely think it is Anderson's most mature movie (guess that sounds pretentious, but it really sinks its teeth in like none of his other films, saw it like two months ago and still think about it sometimes). My favorite Anderson film is Inherent Vice, fucking hilarious and a really fun time, also the story was adapted by one of America's most gifted novelists, Thomas Pynchon.

Haha yeah that was why I felt the need to qualify with director/year.

 

I get that same feeling with Phantom Thread. I wasn't as adoring of the film on release, but those 2nd and 3rd viewings were knockouts that (like you) linger. I read Inherent Vice around the time that film was announced (early 2013 I think it was), it ended up being my first Pynchon (an author I've come to adore). So have a lot to thank PTA for certainly. I think his 5 new millennium films are far superior to his more derivative, nakedly influenced but still very impressive 90s films.

 

I've been on an obsessive Ridley Scott kick of late, finding that I dig almost all his films and can rewatch them endlessly, and The Duellists is an out-and-out 3rd best almost on level pegging with Alien & Blade Runner.

 

My top 10 from Ridley would look like this:

 

10/10

1. Blade Runner (final cut)

2. Alien

3. The Duellists

 

9.5/10

4. Legend (although beware, took a few viewings to fall on its wavelength, initially came off as a laughable misfire. Only seen Goldsmith cuts)

 

9/10

5. Thelma & Louise

6. Kingdom of Heaven (theatrical is fine, but pref Director's Cut)

7. Alien Covenant (seems a very divisive, poorly received film but I love it, easily the best Alien film since Alien3)

 

8.5/10

8. Matchstick Men

9. The Counselor

 

8/10

10. White Squall

 

Also 8/10: Black Rain, The Martian, Gladiator

 

Most of the rest are solid to decent. Exodus and Robin Hood are the only ones I don't rate in some way, but I'll give them another chance at some point.

Body of Lies is a pretty decent spy movie.

[dr lopez]

Enemy runs circles around a film like kingdom of heaven in basically every element of filmmaking. Not sure what you’re on about

[tec]

Watch the Tangerine Dream cut of Legend, this is an IDM messageboard ffs.

[T3551ER]

Watch the Tangerine Dream cut of Legend, this is an IDM messageboard ffs.

lol

 

edit: nvm

 

lol

Edited February 19, 2019 by T3551ER

[Roo]

Watch the Tangerine Dream cut of Legend, this is an IDM messageboard ffs.

I'm a big Tangerine Dream fan (including their scores), but as a non-American viewer the Goldsmith cuts are the most available (and his score is beautiful, I can't imagine Legend without it). Americans generally get the crappiest cuts anyway compared to their western brethren.

[Roo]

 

 

 

These were the ten best films I finally saw for the first time in 2018:

 

1. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954)

2. NGE: The End of Evangelion (Anno & Tsurumaki, 1997)

3. The Deep Blue Sea (Terence Davies, 2011)

4. Suspicion (Hitchcock, 1941)

5. Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977)

6. Phantom Thread (PTA, 2017)

7. Fat City (Huston, 1972)

8. Marie Antoinette (Sofia Coppola, 2006)

9. California Split (Altman, 1974)

10. The Ghost & Mrs Muir (Mankiewicz, 1947)

 

So far in 2019 The Duellists (Ridley Scott, 1977) has been amazing, entered my top echelon of favourites and will be nigh impossible to beat for the overall year.

thanks for this list. I thought at first that your #3 was the Samuel L. Jackson movie Deep Blue Sea lol.

Fat City looks promising, really looking forward to checking out The Duellists too. Phantom Thread was also on my year end list, definitely think it is Anderson's most mature movie (guess that sounds pretentious, but it really sinks its teeth in like none of his other films, saw it like two months ago and still think about it sometimes). My favorite Anderson film is Inherent Vice, fucking hilarious and a really fun time, also the story was adapted by one of America's most gifted novelists, Thomas Pynchon.

Haha yeah that was why I felt the need to qualify with director/year.

 

I get that same feeling with Phantom Thread. I wasn't as adoring of the film on release, but those 2nd and 3rd viewings were knockouts that (like you) linger. I read Inherent Vice around the time that film was announced (early 2013 I think it was), it ended up being my first Pynchon (an author I've come to adore). So have a lot to thank PTA for certainly. I think his 5 new millennium films are far superior to his more derivative, nakedly influenced but still very impressive 90s films.

 

I've been on an obsessive Ridley Scott kick of late, finding that I dig almost all his films and can rewatch them endlessly, and The Duellists is an out-and-out 3rd best almost on level pegging with Alien & Blade Runner.

 

My top 10 from Ridley would look like this:

 

10/10

1. Blade Runner (final cut)

2. Alien

3. The Duellists

 

9.5/10

4. Legend (although beware, took a few viewings to fall on its wavelength, initially came off as a laughable misfire. Only seen Goldsmith cuts)

 

9/10

5. Thelma & Louise

6. Kingdom of Heaven (theatrical is fine, but pref Director's Cut)

7. Alien Covenant (seems a very divisive, poorly received film but I love it, easily the best Alien film since Alien3)

 

8.5/10

8. Matchstick Men

9. The Counselor

 

8/10

10. White Squall

 

Also 8/10: Black Rain, The Martian, Gladiator

 

Most of the rest are solid to decent. Exodus and Robin Hood are the only ones I don't rate in some way, but I'll give them another chance at some point.

Body of Lies is a pretty decent spy movie.

I saw that in cinemas and caught up with it again last week. Opinion hasn't budged, it's a solid film but a modest success at best. I'd have films like Black Hawk Down, Prometheus and American Gangster ahead of it personally.

[Roo]

Enemy runs circles around a film like kingdom of heaven in basically every element of filmmaking. Not sure what you’re on about

Each to their own, I know Villeneuve has a lot of fans on these boards.

[Rubin Farr]

Oh yeah. Those wigs look like Spinal Tap huh

 

[Rubin Farr]

A Clockwork Orange is getting a new theatrical run in UK:

 

[iococoi]

clockwork orange is the new black mirror

[Taupe Beats]

Went and saw Ceylan's The Wild Pear Tree last night. Not sure anyone can shoot a rural landscape better than Ceylan, but there are few worse as far as dialogue and narrative structuring. Bloodless, unfocused, and rather misogynistic for no discernible reason.

[prdctvsm]

 9/10