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Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Jun 16, 2024 3:57:53 GMT
Slap Shot - 6/10
Mine:
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - 9/10 Wonderful James Bond adventure.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) - 7/10 Very good MI entry. Lots of tense action.
Two Days (2003) - 5/10 OK dark comedy where a young actor played by Paul Rudd plans to kill himself on camera.
Silent Night (2023) - 4/10 Disappointing action film from John Woo. Some solid action but the who premise is rather lame.
The Marsh King's Daughter (2023) - 4/10 Watchable but below average thriller with Daisy Ridley.
Desperation Road (2023) - 4/10 Again a watchable but below average drama. Mel Gibson stars.
Simpatico (1999) - 2/10 Very dull drama with Nick Nolte and Jeff Bridges.
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Post by dsbeadle on Jun 16, 2024 4:34:38 GMT
Yours Under the Skin (2013, Jonathan Glazer) Haven't seen it since it first came out but I loved it then. I would need to rewatch it to give a better assessment, but I found it lovely, disturbing and hypnotic. 9/10 Mine: The Last Slumber Party (Stephen Tyler, 1988) This movie doesn't deserve any stars. Stars should be taken away from it. It's terrible in every way, shape and form... but I don't think me and my friends have ever laughed so hard while watching a movie before. This is the perfect "bad party movie." Loved it. 1/10 (or 10/10) Thanksgiving (Eli Roth, 2023) I’m not a big fan of Eli Roth as a director. As a horror fan who is friends with a lot of other horror fans, I’ve seen most of them, but something about them just doesn’t really click for me. I find his sense of humor to often be that of a middle school boy. I find his characters extremely annoying. His gore effect/kills are often well done, but he does them in so much excess that I frequently just get tire of them. Overall his films just don’t work for me. Much to my shock, I really liked this one. It has all the problems I usually have with him, but this time he makes it work. It seems more controlled; less juvenile and much more polished. Also, rather than doing his usual exploitation style film, he’s playing firmly into the slasher genre and he does it with love. He uses the classic holiday theme with kills that are visual puns on classic American Thanksgiving traditions. It’s all good fun. Also, while the opening is over the top, for anyone who has worked retail on a Thanksgiving/Black Friday, that felt way too real. When the killer started going after some of the terrible shoppers, there’s a little part of me that sat there going “good for him.” 8/10 Blue Collar (Paul Schrader, 1978) This is week eleven of my examination of the films of Paul Schrader... and this I'm kind of amazed I've kept it up this long. I think it's a testament to how consistent most of his films are. This was his first film as a director, and personally I think it is one of his best. It's a hard hitting movie taking on pretty much any subject that gets in his way. Corporations, unions, laws, whatever... in this film they're all the same corruption putting people against each other to keep their status quo. Frankly it feels almost like a horror movie, because he's pretty much right. Performances here are all solid but special note needs to go to Richard Pryor who takes a rare serious role here and shows that he had true acting talent. He does occasionally slip into Pryor the comedian role when he rants, but he plays his role well here and gives a genuine performance. 8/10 Platoon (Oliver Stone, 1986) I’m not a big fan of war movies as I’ve mentioned on here before. That said, I like Oliver Stone and decided to give it a shot. Glad I did as it’s well made and one of the better war films I’ve seen. 8/10 Avatar: The Way of Water (James Cameron, 2022) Visually a feast for the eyes. It’s well made eye candy for three hours, which is impressive. That said, much like the first film, I can’t really say that I liked it. The world created here is beautiful, but nothing I’m interested in from a plot standpoint and Cameron continues to bludgeon people over the heads with his ideas. I get it, whaling is bad, can we try to have a more interesting plot now? 5/10 Female Yakuza Tale (Teruo Ishii, 1973) This is a sequel to Sex & Fury which I watched and reviewed last week. I loved that movie and was so pleasantly surprised by it. I'd honestly say it's one of my favorite views of the year so far. So what did I think of the sequel? Well, frankly it's a bit of a disappointment. As I mentioned last week, I'm not an overly big fan of the Pinky Violence style films, but where that one had a bunch of artistic flourishes that kept me impressed, this one leans more heavily into the sleazy aspects. We lost the director of the first film and gained Teruo Ishii, whose films I personally find hit or miss. They often have a weird sense of humor and disjointed feel and both of those aspects are very much on display here. Fans of his work may find this an improvement, but I couldn't help but be a bit let down. Complaints aside, there's fun to be had here and the final fight has to be one of the craziest ever put to film. 6/10 The Beast (Walerian Borowczyk, 1975) I don't know what the hell I watched, but it has got to be one of the most uncomfortable viewing experiences I've ever had. 6/10 Samurai Wolf (Hideo Gosha, 1966) Well now, this is a gem of a samurai movie. At only 73 minutes long, this movie doesn't have time to slow down for a second, managing to tell a story of a samurai drifting into a small town, getting involved with helping a courier service, fighting a corrupt official and dealing with a hired killer swordsman. It sounds like it's packing a lot into its short run time, and it is, but the pacing is well done and it doesn't feel like it's cutting things out to get to the "good bits" faster. It's extremely well paced and a whole lot of fun. It must be noted though, this owes just as much, if not more, to the Italian Westerns coming out at the time rather than the classic samurai film. Sure, these are sword fights rather than shootouts, but from start to finish it has the grittier tone of those westerns. It's score also sound like it would have been at home in a Sergio Leone film and doesn't sound like anything else coming out of Japan at the time. This is one I hadn't really heard of until this year and that's a shame. It's a hidden gem of a samurai film and one that all classic film buffs should check out. 9/10 Samurai Wolf II (Hideo Gosha, 1967) A much more somber film than the first one. While this one is shorter (well, only by one minute... but that still puts it only at 72 minutes long), it is also much slower in pace. Where the first one didn't waste a single moment, this one takes its time getting everywhere. It's never boring, and visually it has some stunning moments, it feels like a much different film than the first. While many of the Western genre elements remain, this one felt to me more like a traditional samurai film, with codes of honor being very much at stake. It makes for a more dramatic, if less fun, approach. Of the two films, I prefer the first. This one is still a solid film and well worth a watch for classic movie/samurai fans. A shame they only made two of these. I'd honestly watch a full series of them. 8/10 Eight Men to Kill (Shigehiro Ozawa, 1972) Third and final of the Bounty hunter series starring Tomisaburō Wakayama. This one brings back the director of the first who had skipped out on making the second film. Despite what one may think from the title, this one does not follow our bounty hunter getting a list and going after eight men. In fact, while I didn’t count the exact number of men he kills (more than eight though I believe) the title doesn’t really make sense in the context of the film as it really just follows him trying to recover some government gold. Of the three films, this one is easily my least favorite. There’s still some fun to be had here, but it felt like the laziest of the three in terms of writing. 6/10 Working Girls (Lizzie Borden, 1986) A movie about the day in the life of a sex worker. Didn’t really feel like it had much to say about the subject and looking at it from the point of view of just a slice of life drama, it still had a lot to be desired. 5/10 Love Lies Bleeding (Rose Glass, 2024) If a movie was a kid that grew up in the 80s obsessively watching every Coen Brothers movie as it came out, it would grow up to be this film. It's a damn good crime movie with a bonkers final that needs to be seen to be believed (and even then you might not believe it). Kristen Stewart is really good in this one (as is most of the cast) but I found the two stand outs to be Katy O'Brian and Ed Harris. O'Brian gives a great performance showing both a fun side and vulnerability, while Harris is rather terrifying. Both are excellent. 8/10 Cemetery Man (Michele Soavi, 1994) This is such a delightfully weird movie. It starts off zombie horror movie with a sense of humor, becomes increasingly surreal and finally turns into an Italian style American Psycho with more surrealism. It's certainly not a movie for everyone, but those who delight in its weird sense of humor will never see anything quite like it again. 9/10 The Nevadan (Gordon Douglas, 1950) Not bad, but kind of a bland and forgettable Randolph Scott western. 5/10 Tokyo Living Dead Idol (Yûki Kumagai, 2018) Honestly, this is kind of awful... but it has such an enthusiastic goofy charm to it that I can't even say I disliked it. It's stupid, but it's clear that everyone involved is having a good time and trying to make something different. I cannot in good conscience really recommend it to anyone, but if you want to see a really ridiculous take on zombies, you could certainly do worse. 5/10 We’re Broke, My Lord! (Tetsu Maeda, 2023) A Japanese comedy about the son of a fish merchant who finds out that he's actually the illegitimate son of a feudal lord. He takes over the spot only to discover that his domain is in overwhelming debt. It's a light bit of comedy that I found amusing but nothing spectacular. I do like the colorful look of the film as well as the cheerful nature of it. It's just an entertaining film with no real ambition towards "art" and that's okay. It's worth a watch if you want to spend a silly two hours. 6/10 Session 9 (Brad Anderson, 2001) Atmospheric as hell with a wonderful location. The film follows a team of cleaners, trying to fix up an old asylum. It is the slowest of slow burns and aspects of the plot really don’t fully work for me, but there’s something about it that gets under your skin. 6/10 Thanksgiving - passable time waster 5.5 blue collar - not seen since I was a kid, don’t remember super well platoon - always thought the whole thing was clunky and amateurish. Sheen is pretty bad too 3/10 avatar the way of water - it was a long slog with characters I didn’t care for just like the first one but I did think the final set piece was pretty rad. 5/10
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Post by dsbeadle on Jun 16, 2024 4:36:06 GMT
Slap Shot - 6/10 Mine: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - 9/10Wonderful James Bond adventure. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) - 7/10Very good MI entry. Lots of tense action. Two Days (2003) - 5/10OK dark comedy where a young actor played by Paul Rudd plans to kill himself on camera. Silent Night (2023) - 4/10Disappointing action film from John Woo. Some solid action but the who premise is rather lame. The Marsh King's Daughter (2023) - 4/10Watchable but below average thriller with Daisy Ridley. Desperation Road (2023) - 4/10Again a watchable but below average drama. Mel Gibson stars. Simpatico (1999) - 2/10Very dull drama with Nick Nolte and Jeff Bridges. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - 6.5 pretty fun but a little too tough Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) - far from the best of the series but still fun 7/10
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Post by moviemouth on Jun 16, 2024 5:02:52 GMT
MINE
Red Sorghum (1988 Yimou Zhang) - 7/10
The Great Wall (2016 Yimou Zhang) - 6/10
The Love Bug (1969 Robert Stevenson) - 5.5/10
School for Scoundrels (1960 Robert Hamer) - 5.5/10
Beauty and the Beast (1991 Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise) - 7.5/10
Ezra (2023 Tony Goldwyn) - 7/10
Teen Titans GO! To the Movies (2018 Aaron Horvath & Peter Rida Michail) - 5.5/10
Drift (2023 Anthony Chen) - 6.5/10
It's Love I'm After (1937 Archie Mayo) - 8.5/10
To Live (1994 Yimou Zhang) - 8/10
Watching the Detectives (2007 Paul Soter) - 4.5/10
Peacock (2010 Michael Lander) - 4.5/10
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024 Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah) - 6.5/10
Seven Days to Noon (1950 John Boulting & Roy Boulting) - 6/10
Film Awards
BEST PICTURE - It's Love I'm After BEST ACTOR - You Ge (To Live) BEST ACTRESS - Gong Li (To Live) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - William A. Fitzgerald (Ezra) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Bette Davis (It's Love I'm After) BEST DIRECTOR - Yimou Zhang (To Live) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Red Sorghum BEST SCORE - Beauty and the Beast
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Post by dsbeadle on Jun 16, 2024 5:05:56 GMT
MINE
Red Sorghum (1988 Yimou Zhang) - 7/10The Great Wall (2016 Yimou Zhang) - 6/10The Love Bug (1969 Robert Stevenson) - 5.5/10School for Scoundrels (1960 Robert Hamer) - 5.5/10Beauty and the Beast (1991 Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise) - 7.5/10Ezra (2023 Tony Goldwyn) - 7/10Teen Titans GO! To the Movies (2018 Aaron Horvath & Peter Rida Michail) - 5.5/10Drift (2023 Anthony Chen) - 6.5/10It's Love I'm After (1937 Archie Mayo) - 8.5/10To Live (1994 Yimou Zhang) - 8/10 Watching the Detectives (2007 Paul Soter) - 4.5/10Peacock (2010 Michael Lander) - 4.5/10Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024 Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah) - 6.5/10Seven Days to Noon (1950 John Boulting & Roy Boulting) - 6/10Film AwardsBEST PICTURE - It's Love I'm After BEST ACTOR - You Ge (To Live) BEST ACTRESS - Gong Li (To Live) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - William A. Fitzgerald (Ezra) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Bette Davis (It's Love I'm After) BEST DIRECTOR - Yimou Zhang (To Live) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Red Sorghum BEST SCORE - Beauty and the Beast The Love Bug (1969 Robert Stevenson) - not seen since I was a kid Beauty and the Beast (1991 Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise) - 6.5/10
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Post by jcush on Jun 16, 2024 6:28:12 GMT
Hit Man - I watched it too.
The Queen of Spades - 7/10
Slacker - 7/10
Slap Shot - Only seen it once, should probably rewatch. 7/10
SubUrbia - 7/10
Under the Skin - Great cinematography and score helps make a good atmosphere here. 7/10
First Time Viewings:
Creating the Lord of the Rings Symphony: A Composer's Journey Through Middle-Earth (2004, Pierre Séguin) - 7/10
Practical Magic (1998, Griffin Dunne) - 7/10
The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean (1966, Juleen Compton) - 7/10
The Bruce McMouse Show (1972, Barry Chattington) - 7/10
Put it There (1989, Geoff Wonfor) - 7/10
Hit Man (2023, Richard Linklater) - 7/10
The Color of Pomegranates (1969, Sergei Parajanov) - 7/10
Falling (2020, Viggo Mortensen) - 7/10
Repeat Viewings:
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002, Peter Jackson) - 10/10
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003, Peter Jackson) - 10/10
Alice in Wonderland (1951, Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, & Hamilton Luske) - 7.5/10
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Ang Lee) - 8.5/10
Movie Awards:
BEST FILM: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King BEST ACTOR: Viggo Mortensen - Falling BEST ACTRESS: Zhang Ziyi - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Andy Serkis - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Miranda Otto - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Andrew Lesnie - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers BEST SCORE: Howard Shore - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King BEST SCRIPT: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, & Philippa Boyens - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King BEST DIRECTOR: Peter Jackson - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
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Post by jcush on Jun 16, 2024 6:29:13 GMT
Yours Have wanted to see “Slap Shot” for a long time. Maybe I’ll go looking for it now. I have read the Pushkin short story of “The Queen of Spades” and seen the Tchaikovsky opera, but not this 1949 movie. That will go on my Search list also. Mine The Man In The Iron Mask / James Whale (1939). This is a fairly decent early sword fight actioner to put on if you don’t have anything else to watch. Billed as “Second Soldier,” British horror icon Peter Cushing (Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars: A New Hope to you kids) has his screen debut. Knock on Any Door / Nicholas Ray (1949). A courtroom drama that failed in its first release but is now widely known by classic movie fans. Starring Humphrey Bogart. It addressed an important social issue of its time. Its most famous line is the often quoted “Live fast, die young, and have a good-looking corpse.” The African Queen / John Huston (1951). Back during the early days of Jeopardy, when both home video and the Internet were in their infancy, a Final Jeopardy clue I remember was: “He Won The Oscar For Playing Charlie Allnut.” If memory hasn’t failed me, at least one of the contestants didn’t know the correct question. I was proud of myself for yelling out the answer. I think most who qualify for Jeopardy today would know Humphrey Bogart and “The African Queen.” Bogie plays the gin-guzzling, dirty-shirt wearing river rat Charlie Allnut who, with strait-laced, hymn-singing west African missionary Rose Sayer (Katharine Hepburn), journey down river in the title but unreliable steamboat, The African Queen, to escape German soldiers in 1914. What makes this film such a delight is the growing affection between these two mis-matched people and the personal transformations that brings them together. The two movie legends are funny, heart-warming, and simply amazing together. Quite marvelous. Ne Le Dis À Personne (Tell No One) / Guillaume Canet (2006). A terrific French film based on an American novel by one of my favorite modern mystery/thriller writers, Harlan Coben. This is one of my favorite murder mysteries ever. The African Queen - I'm a fan. Bogart and Hepburn are really good together. 7.5/10
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Post by jcush on Jun 16, 2024 6:32:30 GMT
Thanks for hosting dsbeadle From your movies I've seen... Slap Shot (1977, George Roy Hill) Fabolous movie about small town that has relied on one industry only, grey and boring, at least they had their lousy hockey team, but with economy what will happen... 8/10. The Queen of Spades (1949, Thorold Dickinson), on my wish list My latest... RED 2 directed by Dean Parisot. Starring Bruce Willis, John Malkovitch, Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones. The first movie felt interesting and a bit fresh because of it's seasoned cast, this time it felt that it's been done before and overcomplicating the plot. Still interesting. 6/10. Yes Man 2008 directed by Peyton Reed and based on a book by Danny Wallace. Starring Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Terence Stamp, Bradley Cooper. Overworked banker is talked into a meeting, where a "self helping" guru says say yes to everything and feel good, and for the main person it actually works for awhile. Jim Carey is relativly sane in a nearly normal role, it's the surroundings that is nuts. so-so. 6/10. Bequest to the Nation aka The Nelson Affair 1973 directed by James Cellan Jones and based on a TV-play by Terrence Rattigan from 1966. Starring Glenda Jackson, Peter Finch, Anthony Quayle, Margaret Leighton. Larger than life Lord Nelson returns to solid ground after two years of defending England, and he is treated like a saint wherever he goes, loved by the admiralty and the commoners, except the puritans who can't stand his love affair with "vulgar whore" Emmy Hamilton. This is a costume drama with some great actors, the movie is a bit stilted but keeps up the interest thanks to the acting. The few battle scenes visablie is reportedly "borrowed" from "Damned the Defiant" 1962. 6,5/10. Quand la femme s'en mêle aka Send a Woman When the Devil Fails 1957 directed by Yves Allégret and based on a novel by Jean Meckert. Starring Jean Servais, Edwige Feuillère, Bernard Blier and a youngster named Alian Delon. Paris night club owner kills off one of his opponents at the same time as his lover expects a visit from her ex-husband and daughter. Just because they speak French, it isn't good and this is a rather mediocre production that waves uncertanly between comedy and crime movie. The only reason to watch this movie is if you're interested in seeing future star Alain Delon in his movie debut. 5/10. Sleep, My Love 1948 directed by Douglas Sirk and based on a novel by Leo Rosten. Someone is trying to make Claudette Colbert insane, as it turn out there is more than one person involved in that plot, and hope she commits suicide while sleepwalking. A rather good noir that touches "Gaslight" territory. Surprisingly produced independetly by silent starlet Mary Pickford. 6,5/10. Shadow of a Doubt 1943 directed by Alfred Hitchcock with Thornton Wilder involved in the screenplay .A near masterpiece from a master director, who very early tells us who the villain is of this piece, and let's the family who he have found a sort of sheltar at will find out. A little bit quicker that he tought. Get's a bit tougher to keep up the favorite uncle persona. Needed to fresh up my memory about this movie and there is always a few scenes I've forgotten. By the way, libraries were open until 9 pm? 9/10. Yes Man - I enjoyed it. 7/10 Shadow of a Doubt - Big fan of this one. Strong performances and a compelling story. 8.5/10
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Post by jcush on Jun 16, 2024 6:36:27 GMT
Welcome to the weekly watch thread hosted by me, post your weeks viewing, rate other peoples viewing, have conversations but be respectful. FIRST TIME VIEWING Hit Man (2024, Richard Linklater)NetflixThis is loosely based on the real life of a fake hitman used to entrap people who want to hire him. It’s a very entertaining film and the lead actor does a great job. One of my favourite films of the year so far and top notch Linklater. 7.5/10The Queen of Spades (1949, Thorold Dickinson)A beautifully and eerily shot film about a man obsessed with a secret to win at cards that he believes an elderly woman received from the devil. 6.5/10Slacker (1990, Richard Linklater)YoutubeLinklater’s first film is a low budget free form conversation heavy piece. I enjoyed it enough for what it is. 6/10REPEAT VIEWINGSlap Shot (1977, George Roy Hill)blu rayTo build up attendance at their games, the management of a struggling minor-league hockey team signs up the Hanson Brothers, three hard-charging players whose job is to demolish the opposition. This comedy starring Paul Newman is an absolute classic, fast moving, gritty and very funny. 8/10SubUrbia (1996, Richard Linklater)YoutubeHad not seen this since it came out and it was better than I remembered and more focused And less meandering than I had thought. Some really great scenes, dialogue and performances. 7/10Under the Skin (2013, Jonathan Glazer)NetflixI had not seen this since the cinema where I did not really enjoy my time watching. I did enjoy it more this time but still with some reservations but to a lesser degree. It’s a pretty hypnotic film with a great look and central performance but the first half is quite repetitive and I think it would be better with about 30-45 mins cut out. 6.5/10FIRST TIME DOCUMENTARY VIEWING Remembering Gene Wilder (2023, Ron Frank)NetflixFun documentary about the life of the great Gene Wilder. Good Documentary Filmage: The Story of Descendents/All (2013, Matt Riggle)PrimeFollows Descendents drummer/square-peg Bill Stevenson and his ‘caffeinated retardedness’ as he pushes his rotating door of bandmates to ‘achieve ALL,’ his philosophy of going for greatness at all costs. Good DocumentaryHow to Rob a Bank (2024, Stephen Morse)NetflixIn this true-crime documentary, a charismatic rebel in 1990s Seattle pulls off an unprecedented string of bank robberies straight out of the movies. Good Documentary What Jennifer Did (2024, Jenny Popplewell)NetflixWhen Jennifer Pan calls 911 to report that her parents have been shot, she becomes the primary focus of the criminal case. Average Documentary FIRST TIME TV VIEWING Jinx (2024, Season Two)A belated second season of this documentary show following the disturbed multi millionaire Robert Durst. Good TVWEEKLY FILM AWARDSBEST FILM: Slap Shot BEST ACTOR: Paul Newman - Slap Shot BEST ACTRESS: Scarlet Johansson - Under the Skin BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Austin Amelio - Hit Man BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Parker Posey - SubUrbia BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Otto Heller - The Queen of Spades BEST EDITING: Dede Allen - Slap Shot BEST SCORE: Mica Levi - Under the Skin BEST WRITING: Richard Linklater - Hit Man BEST DIRECTOR: George Roy Hill - Slap Shot Hi, Dark. Early this time. I'll be out of town during the week, I probably won't have the chance to post. Yours: Hit Man 8.5/10 I loved it. I thought it was a blast. Slacker 8/10 I watched it ages ago. I remember liking it. Yeah, it's very experimental. Slap Shot 8.5/10 Loved it, great movie. Paul Newman was fantastic. Under the Skin 5/10 I didn't like it much. I couldn't really get into it. Mine: Bad Boys: Ride or Die 7.5/10 The new one, with Mike and Marcus trying to cfear the name of their former Captain, who's being framed after his death as being on the cartels payroll. I enjoyed it. It's a bit messy, maybe, but some of the action scenes are good and Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are fun together. Lionheart 7.5/10 It's a movie with Jean Claude Van Damme, it's about a soldier in the foreign legion who runs away from it and goes to Los Angeles to help his brother who has big debts, by taking part in an underground street fighting tournament. I enjoyed it, it's prety fun and well made, actually. Mirage 8/10 It's an Edward Dmitryk movie, with Gregory Peck and Walter Matthau. It's about a man working in a corporation in New York, one there's a blackout and important public figure commits suicide in the building where he works. Immediately, things get weird for him, he discovers he suffers from amnesia and it's as if his whole reality started to fall apart. Walter Matthau plays a private detective who tries to help him. I liked it, it has kind of Twilight Zone vibe and I really liked the twists. The cast is good too. The Hanging Sun 4.5/10 It's a movie with Peter Mullan and Charles Dance. It's about a hit man working for a crime family, he wants to leave the life and he escapes to a small fishing village in the North of England to lay low, while his adopted father, who's the head of the crime family, looks for him. I didn't like it, it felt really dull, also therer are some subplots that get a bit ridiculous, IMO. Haven't seen any of yours, but I think Mirage is on my imdb watchlist. I've liked 8 of the 9 Edward Dmytryk movies I've seen.
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Post by jcush on Jun 16, 2024 6:39:23 GMT
First Viewings:I See A Dark Stranger (1946) 5/10 How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022) 8/10 Code Name: Emerald (1985) 6/10 The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) 5/10 Forever Amber (1947) 6/10 The Babe Ruth Story (1948) 3/10 Repeat Viewings:Silver Streak (1976) 7/10 Destination Gobi (1953) 7/10 Silver Streak - I really enjoyed this one when I watched it a couple years ago. 8/10
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Post by jcush on Jun 16, 2024 6:43:47 GMT
Yours Under the Skin (2013, Jonathan Glazer) Haven't seen it since it first came out but I loved it then. I would need to rewatch it to give a better assessment, but I found it lovely, disturbing and hypnotic. 9/10 Mine: The Last Slumber Party (Stephen Tyler, 1988) This movie doesn't deserve any stars. Stars should be taken away from it. It's terrible in every way, shape and form... but I don't think me and my friends have ever laughed so hard while watching a movie before. This is the perfect "bad party movie." Loved it. 1/10 (or 10/10) Thanksgiving (Eli Roth, 2023) I’m not a big fan of Eli Roth as a director. As a horror fan who is friends with a lot of other horror fans, I’ve seen most of them, but something about them just doesn’t really click for me. I find his sense of humor to often be that of a middle school boy. I find his characters extremely annoying. His gore effect/kills are often well done, but he does them in so much excess that I frequently just get tire of them. Overall his films just don’t work for me. Much to my shock, I really liked this one. It has all the problems I usually have with him, but this time he makes it work. It seems more controlled; less juvenile and much more polished. Also, rather than doing his usual exploitation style film, he’s playing firmly into the slasher genre and he does it with love. He uses the classic holiday theme with kills that are visual puns on classic American Thanksgiving traditions. It’s all good fun. Also, while the opening is over the top, for anyone who has worked retail on a Thanksgiving/Black Friday, that felt way too real. When the killer started going after some of the terrible shoppers, there’s a little part of me that sat there going “good for him.” 8/10 Blue Collar (Paul Schrader, 1978) This is week eleven of my examination of the films of Paul Schrader... and this I'm kind of amazed I've kept it up this long. I think it's a testament to how consistent most of his films are. This was his first film as a director, and personally I think it is one of his best. It's a hard hitting movie taking on pretty much any subject that gets in his way. Corporations, unions, laws, whatever... in this film they're all the same corruption putting people against each other to keep their status quo. Frankly it feels almost like a horror movie, because he's pretty much right. Performances here are all solid but special note needs to go to Richard Pryor who takes a rare serious role here and shows that he had true acting talent. He does occasionally slip into Pryor the comedian role when he rants, but he plays his role well here and gives a genuine performance. 8/10 Platoon (Oliver Stone, 1986) I’m not a big fan of war movies as I’ve mentioned on here before. That said, I like Oliver Stone and decided to give it a shot. Glad I did as it’s well made and one of the better war films I’ve seen. 8/10 Avatar: The Way of Water (James Cameron, 2022) Visually a feast for the eyes. It’s well made eye candy for three hours, which is impressive. That said, much like the first film, I can’t really say that I liked it. The world created here is beautiful, but nothing I’m interested in from a plot standpoint and Cameron continues to bludgeon people over the heads with his ideas. I get it, whaling is bad, can we try to have a more interesting plot now? 5/10 Female Yakuza Tale (Teruo Ishii, 1973) This is a sequel to Sex & Fury which I watched and reviewed last week. I loved that movie and was so pleasantly surprised by it. I'd honestly say it's one of my favorite views of the year so far. So what did I think of the sequel? Well, frankly it's a bit of a disappointment. As I mentioned last week, I'm not an overly big fan of the Pinky Violence style films, but where that one had a bunch of artistic flourishes that kept me impressed, this one leans more heavily into the sleazy aspects. We lost the director of the first film and gained Teruo Ishii, whose films I personally find hit or miss. They often have a weird sense of humor and disjointed feel and both of those aspects are very much on display here. Fans of his work may find this an improvement, but I couldn't help but be a bit let down. Complaints aside, there's fun to be had here and the final fight has to be one of the craziest ever put to film. 6/10 The Beast (Walerian Borowczyk, 1975) I don't know what the hell I watched, but it has got to be one of the most uncomfortable viewing experiences I've ever had. 6/10 Samurai Wolf (Hideo Gosha, 1966) Well now, this is a gem of a samurai movie. At only 73 minutes long, this movie doesn't have time to slow down for a second, managing to tell a story of a samurai drifting into a small town, getting involved with helping a courier service, fighting a corrupt official and dealing with a hired killer swordsman. It sounds like it's packing a lot into its short run time, and it is, but the pacing is well done and it doesn't feel like it's cutting things out to get to the "good bits" faster. It's extremely well paced and a whole lot of fun. It must be noted though, this owes just as much, if not more, to the Italian Westerns coming out at the time rather than the classic samurai film. Sure, these are sword fights rather than shootouts, but from start to finish it has the grittier tone of those westerns. It's score also sound like it would have been at home in a Sergio Leone film and doesn't sound like anything else coming out of Japan at the time. This is one I hadn't really heard of until this year and that's a shame. It's a hidden gem of a samurai film and one that all classic film buffs should check out. 9/10 Samurai Wolf II (Hideo Gosha, 1967) A much more somber film than the first one. While this one is shorter (well, only by one minute... but that still puts it only at 72 minutes long), it is also much slower in pace. Where the first one didn't waste a single moment, this one takes its time getting everywhere. It's never boring, and visually it has some stunning moments, it feels like a much different film than the first. While many of the Western genre elements remain, this one felt to me more like a traditional samurai film, with codes of honor being very much at stake. It makes for a more dramatic, if less fun, approach. Of the two films, I prefer the first. This one is still a solid film and well worth a watch for classic movie/samurai fans. A shame they only made two of these. I'd honestly watch a full series of them. 8/10 Eight Men to Kill (Shigehiro Ozawa, 1972) Third and final of the Bounty hunter series starring Tomisaburō Wakayama. This one brings back the director of the first who had skipped out on making the second film. Despite what one may think from the title, this one does not follow our bounty hunter getting a list and going after eight men. In fact, while I didn’t count the exact number of men he kills (more than eight though I believe) the title doesn’t really make sense in the context of the film as it really just follows him trying to recover some government gold. Of the three films, this one is easily my least favorite. There’s still some fun to be had here, but it felt like the laziest of the three in terms of writing. 6/10 Working Girls (Lizzie Borden, 1986) A movie about the day in the life of a sex worker. Didn’t really feel like it had much to say about the subject and looking at it from the point of view of just a slice of life drama, it still had a lot to be desired. 5/10 Love Lies Bleeding (Rose Glass, 2024) If a movie was a kid that grew up in the 80s obsessively watching every Coen Brothers movie as it came out, it would grow up to be this film. It's a damn good crime movie with a bonkers final that needs to be seen to be believed (and even then you might not believe it). Kristen Stewart is really good in this one (as is most of the cast) but I found the two stand outs to be Katy O'Brian and Ed Harris. O'Brian gives a great performance showing both a fun side and vulnerability, while Harris is rather terrifying. Both are excellent. 8/10 Cemetery Man (Michele Soavi, 1994) This is such a delightfully weird movie. It starts off zombie horror movie with a sense of humor, becomes increasingly surreal and finally turns into an Italian style American Psycho with more surrealism. It's certainly not a movie for everyone, but those who delight in its weird sense of humor will never see anything quite like it again. 9/10 The Nevadan (Gordon Douglas, 1950) Not bad, but kind of a bland and forgettable Randolph Scott western. 5/10 Tokyo Living Dead Idol (Yûki Kumagai, 2018) Honestly, this is kind of awful... but it has such an enthusiastic goofy charm to it that I can't even say I disliked it. It's stupid, but it's clear that everyone involved is having a good time and trying to make something different. I cannot in good conscience really recommend it to anyone, but if you want to see a really ridiculous take on zombies, you could certainly do worse. 5/10 We’re Broke, My Lord! (Tetsu Maeda, 2023) A Japanese comedy about the son of a fish merchant who finds out that he's actually the illegitimate son of a feudal lord. He takes over the spot only to discover that his domain is in overwhelming debt. It's a light bit of comedy that I found amusing but nothing spectacular. I do like the colorful look of the film as well as the cheerful nature of it. It's just an entertaining film with no real ambition towards "art" and that's okay. It's worth a watch if you want to spend a silly two hours. 6/10 Session 9 (Brad Anderson, 2001) Atmospheric as hell with a wonderful location. The film follows a team of cleaners, trying to fix up an old asylum. It is the slowest of slow burns and aspects of the plot really don’t fully work for me, but there’s something about it that gets under your skin. 6/10 Platoon - Easily my least favorite of the 4 most famous Vietnam war movies, but I like it. 7.5/10 Avatar: The Way of Water - Visually stunning. I don't love the characters or story, but it's still pretty entertaining overall. 7/10 Love Lies Bleeding - Well made and with good performances. Some memorable moments in there. 7.5/10 Cemetery Man - Watched this for my horror marathon several years ago. Weird, but enjoyable. 7/10 Session 9 - I liked the setting and found it pretty good overall. 7/10
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Post by dsbeadle on Jun 16, 2024 6:44:47 GMT
Hit Man - I watched it too. The Queen of Spades - 7/10 Slacker - 7/10 Slap Shot - Only seen it once, should probably rewatch. 7/10 SubUrbia - 7/10 Under the Skin - Great cinematography and score helps make a good atmosphere here. 7/10 First Time Viewings:Creating the Lord of the Rings Symphony: A Composer's Journey Through Middle-Earth (2004, Pierre Séguin) - 7/10Practical Magic (1998, Griffin Dunne) - 7/10The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean (1966, Juleen Compton) - 7/10The Bruce McMouse Show (1972, Barry Chattington) - 7/10Put it There (1989, Geoff Wonfor) - 7/10Hit Man (2023, Richard Linklater) - 7/10The Color of Pomegranates (1969, Sergei Parajanov) - 7/10Falling (2020, Viggo Mortensen) - 7/10Repeat Viewings:The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002, Peter Jackson) - 10/10The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003, Peter Jackson) - 10/10Alice in Wonderland (1951, Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, & Hamilton Luske) - 7.5/10Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Ang Lee) - 8.5/10Movie Awards:BEST FILM: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingBEST ACTOR: Viggo Mortensen - FallingBEST ACTRESS: Zhang Ziyi - Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonBEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Andy Serkis - The Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersBEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Miranda Otto - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingBEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Andrew Lesnie - The Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersBEST SCORE: Howard Shore - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingBEST SCRIPT: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, & Philippa Boyens - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingBEST DIRECTOR: Peter Jackson - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingNever heard of plastic dome, will look into it Hit Man (2023, Richard Linklater) - 7.5 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002, Peter Jackson) - 3/10 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003, Peter Jackson) - 3/10 Alice in Wonderland (1951, Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, & Hamilton Luske) - 6/10 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Ang Lee) - 5/10
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Post by jcush on Jun 16, 2024 6:46:31 GMT
Slap Shot - 6/10 Mine: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - 9/10Wonderful James Bond adventure. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) - 7/10Very good MI entry. Lots of tense action. Two Days (2003) - 5/10OK dark comedy where a young actor played by Paul Rudd plans to kill himself on camera. Silent Night (2023) - 4/10Disappointing action film from John Woo. Some solid action but the who premise is rather lame. The Marsh King's Daughter (2023) - 4/10Watchable but below average thriller with Daisy Ridley. Desperation Road (2023) - 4/10Again a watchable but below average drama. Mel Gibson stars. Simpatico (1999) - 2/10Very dull drama with Nick Nolte and Jeff Bridges. The Spy Who Loved Me - Great Bond movie. My favorite from Moore. 8.5/10 Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning - Very entertaining action film. 8/10
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Post by jcush on Jun 16, 2024 6:50:45 GMT
MINE
Red Sorghum (1988 Yimou Zhang) - 7/10The Great Wall (2016 Yimou Zhang) - 6/10The Love Bug (1969 Robert Stevenson) - 5.5/10School for Scoundrels (1960 Robert Hamer) - 5.5/10Beauty and the Beast (1991 Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise) - 7.5/10Ezra (2023 Tony Goldwyn) - 7/10Teen Titans GO! To the Movies (2018 Aaron Horvath & Peter Rida Michail) - 5.5/10Drift (2023 Anthony Chen) - 6.5/10It's Love I'm After (1937 Archie Mayo) - 8.5/10To Live (1994 Yimou Zhang) - 8/10 Watching the Detectives (2007 Paul Soter) - 4.5/10Peacock (2010 Michael Lander) - 4.5/10Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024 Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah) - 6.5/10Seven Days to Noon (1950 John Boulting & Roy Boulting) - 6/10Film AwardsBEST PICTURE - It's Love I'm After BEST ACTOR - You Ge (To Live) BEST ACTRESS - Gong Li (To Live) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - William A. Fitzgerald (Ezra) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Bette Davis (It's Love I'm After) BEST DIRECTOR - Yimou Zhang (To Live) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Red Sorghum BEST SCORE - Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast - 8.5/10 It's Love I'm After - Glad you watched this and also liked it a lot. Due for a rewatch for me. 8/10 I almost watched To Live last year after watching House of Flying Daggers and Curse of the Golden Flower. I guess I should watch it.
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Post by dsbeadle on Jun 16, 2024 6:58:18 GMT
Hit Man - I watched it too. The Queen of Spades - 7/10 Slacker - 7/10 Slap Shot - Only seen it once, should probably rewatch. 7/10 SubUrbia - 7/10 Under the Skin - Great cinematography and score helps make a good atmosphere here. 7/10 First Time Viewings:Creating the Lord of the Rings Symphony: A Composer's Journey Through Middle-Earth (2004, Pierre Séguin) - 7/10Practical Magic (1998, Griffin Dunne) - 7/10The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean (1966, Juleen Compton) - 7/10The Bruce McMouse Show (1972, Barry Chattington) - 7/10Put it There (1989, Geoff Wonfor) - 7/10Hit Man (2023, Richard Linklater) - 7/10The Color of Pomegranates (1969, Sergei Parajanov) - 7/10Falling (2020, Viggo Mortensen) - 7/10Repeat Viewings:The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002, Peter Jackson) - 10/10The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003, Peter Jackson) - 10/10Alice in Wonderland (1951, Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, & Hamilton Luske) - 7.5/10Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Ang Lee) - 8.5/10Movie Awards:BEST FILM: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingBEST ACTOR: Viggo Mortensen - FallingBEST ACTRESS: Zhang Ziyi - Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonBEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Andy Serkis - The Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersBEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Miranda Otto - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingBEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Andrew Lesnie - The Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersBEST SCORE: Howard Shore - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingBEST SCRIPT: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, & Philippa Boyens - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingBEST DIRECTOR: Peter Jackson - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingBEST FILM: hit man BEST ACTOR: Glen Powell - Hit man BEST ACTRESS: Zhang Ziyi - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Andy Serkis - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Adria Arjona- Hit man (or would this be lead?) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Crouching tiger BEST SCORE: Alice in Wonderland BEST SCRIPT: Richard linklater - hit man BEST DIRECTOR: Ang Lee - Crouching tiger
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