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[Blader]

Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces
I'm now completely caught up on Twin Peaks. As a standalone movie, well, this really isn't much of one; it's a collection of deleted and extended scenes from Fire Walk with Me, the vast majority of which were removed or trimmed down clearly for good reason. I think some of the criticism aimed at FWWM is due to its ignoring many of the show's characters, but as seen here, most of them have nothing to do with Laura's story and their scenes in the movie are pretty irrelevant. Even the post-finale scenes with Cooper and Annie, while great to see, have nothing to do with FWWM's focus on the last days of Laura's life. So cutting them, while regrettable, makes sense in the grand scheme of things. I think there are a couple scenes here between Laura and Donna, along glimpses of the Palmer and Hayward families, that should've been left in, though.

All in all, while its deletion from FWWM is understandable, this is still an interesting addition to the Twin Peaks canon.
6/10

 

[Borgnine]

Eye in the Sky: 7/10. I thought this was going to be some liberal bullshit, which it is, but it was also really tense. Neat that it only takes place in like 3 locations, they probably shot it in an afternoon.
Everybody Wants Some: 6/10. Mostly obnoxious, a few laughs. Lea Thompson's daughter cute af.
House of Tolerance: 8/10. The rating isn't even for all the tits, although there are some great ones. Never heard of this, just saw some random letterboxd friend watched it so I checked it out. Surprisingly engaging period piece about some whores. One of the better movies I've watched in a while.

 

[Garmonbozia]

Come and See is one of the most emotionally draining movies I've ever watched. It's both surreal and shocking and knowing that basically everything shown actually happened makes me almost lose faith in humanity.

 

[Nameless]

The Neon Demon - 8 - worth it for the visuals and soundtrack alone.
Backcountry - 6.3 - tense build up is better than the pay off. limps to the finish line.
Logan - 9.3 - excellent. As brutal as it is heartfelt. Top 3 film in the genre easily.
Passengers - 6.8 - well shot & acted, does the premise a disservice by how safe it plays it. Last act especially formulaic.
The Devil's Candy - 8.5 - classic occult horror with a contemporary twist. bangin score.
Kong:Skull Island - 8.1 - big dumb fun and satisfying monster flick that's nice to look at.
Split - 8.8 - Yooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Catfight - 6 - dark comedy needed to be darker and/or funnier. bad ending. Solid performances by the leads.

 

[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

I can't wait to write up the Handmaiden and Fast & Furious 8 cos they were both great, but for now


I have no idea why terrible Disney channel original films like The Swap are so appealing. Maybe cos of their terrible-ness? They're very cute I guess. Maybe its an appeal to that old fashioned sentiment Disney puts in these things, that everything is black and white and everyone is nice and everything will work out ok in the end. Maybe.

Anyway, The Swap is a (tv) film where two overprivileged kids from perfect small town USA swap by their magical mobile phones, and while trying to reverse the process, have to figure out the various kinks and problems in each others live and fix em.

So, the plot is nonsense, it all looks ridiculously clean and sterile, the soundtrack is horrible, the acting is appaling, and the life lessons are nonsense.

Yet there's just something about these Disney channel films I find appealing. No idea why. Can't wait for the next one though!

 

[lordxar]

Judge Dredd I always enjoy watching this which I realized that it has a nice futuristic city like the Fifth Element and that is always something I like to get immersed in. The movie manages to not be cheesy even though Stallone runs around in tights with cheap, plastic armor on. The biggest flaw for me was towards the end where it gets to be a bit too Demolition Man. How I never noticed that before is a mystery to me because I've watched the hell out of both.

Ghostbusters I think I need to do an all time favorite list so I can endlessly adjust it and figure out where this goes. Top 10 I'm sure but could it crack the top 5....?

 

[TrynUrLuck]

Taxi Driver - Been meaning to watch it for the first time and it did not disappoint, solid 9/10

 

[Sean C]

Fast Five (2011): Still the franchise's overall best installment, probably, though I think they've maintained a pretty solid quality level from this point onward. The action and racing scenes aren't marred by bad CGI this time around, both because of more practical effects and the mere fact that the visual effects they do use are better. Rewatching this now makes

Spoiler

Elena's death in F8 sadder, because she was a pretty solid character here, for what screentime she has.

The larger team really clicks here; Gal Gadot, who I thought was shaky in F4, is a lot better this time around.

 

[Ridley327]

Akira: Part of me wants to knock this film down harder simply because of being familiar with the manga between the times I've seen this, partially due to the film being pretty goddamned incomprehensible without it and partially due to the film feeling very rushed with it in mind (not helping was the fact that the manga itself was still nowhere close to being finished when the film was made). But then you sit down and remember that you will never not marvel at what kind of technical marvel the film was, with its breathtaking animation, sharp visual detailing that brings to life pages of the original manga in ways you never thought could have been possible, and the strong sense of direction that Katsuhiro Otomo brings with its various action sequences that are almost too many to count. And then you recall the soundtrack that plays against it all, that glorious and haunting symphony of percussion and vocalizing that might be too good for human ears. In spite of the fact that it's a fundamentally imperfect telling of the story, everything else about it is so overwhelmingly peerless that you forget about any wrongdoing that it stands to be accused of.

 

[Sean C]

Akira: Part of me wants to knock this film down harder simply because of being familiar with the manga between the times I've seen this, partially due to the film being pretty goddamned incomprehensible without it and partially due to the film feeling very rushed with it in mind (not helping was the fact that the manga itself was still nowhere close to being finished when the film was made).

I've heard various people say that, but I've never read the manga and I followed the film just fine.

 

[Apt101]

Trouble With the Curve (2012): A short and sweet feel good movie. The story focuses on strained family relations and arrested development, with a little romance and a splash of whimsy to lighten the mood. Overly sentimental for my tastes. A sports commentary that is surprisingly light on the sports.

 

[UrbanRats]

I've heard various people say that, but I've never read the manga and I followed the film just fine.

I've read the manga after and i've also perfectly understood the film (also because it doesn't shy away from some awkward exposition, here and there).

I'm practically alone in thinking this, but i think the movie is a more interesting approach to the story than the manga.
I know missing the last arc of the manga is the biggest problem moved against it, because it's sort of instrumental to the theme of rebelling against an authority, and then handling that power, but i think the movie shifted the focus elsewhere anyway, that arc would've been out of place.
If you listen to Geinoh Yamashirogumi's music, there's the religious under(over?)tones to bring it into a more metaphisical level, to connect the idea of bonds and social unity, with that of a cosmic perspective (Tetsuo literally implodes into a new universe, and there's the fundamental energy running through organisms since the inception of the universe as a literal plot point, which is not very much detached to out physical reality).

It's the best astrophysical wank this side of 2001.

BTW i also think the manga is an absolute masterpiece, especially on a technical level (as someone who draws myself, i can't but be in awe at the level of craftsmanship of basically every panel in it)

-
Salt and Fire - (Werner Herzog, 2017) This film feels like it was made on the side, while shooting Into the Inferno, there's plenty of clumsy dialog, and a lot of comically bad acting, but in the second half it starts to feel more and more like a Herzog movie, and what the fuck is Lawrence Krauss doing there? Lmao, though he was the best part of it all.
Herzog is no stranger to this kind of approach though, and his soul is still in this,

Spoiler

dancing

.

 

[Infernostew]

Salt and Fire - (Werner Herzog, 2017) This film feels like it was made on the side, while shooting Into the Inferno, there's plenty of clumsy dialog, and a lot of comically bad acting, but in the second half it starts to feel more and more like a Herzog movie, and what the fuck is Lawrence Krauss doing there? Lmao, though he was the best part of it all.
Herzog is no stranger to this kind of approach though, and his soul is still in this,

Spoiler

dancing

.

Is this free streaming? I've had this on my radar for a while.

 

[UrbanRats]

Is this free streaming? I've had this on my radar for a while.

Not sure where else it is, outside of Amazon (us), but it should be out in the UK next week, if you don't want to jump through hoops of proxies and shit.

BTW the soundtrack is dope.

 

[omgkitty]

Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces
I'm now completely caught up on Twin Peaks. As a standalone movie, well, this really isn't much of one; it's a collection of deleted and extended scenes from Fire Walk with Me, the vast majority of which were removed or trimmed down clearly for good reason. I think some of the criticism aimed at FWWM is due to its ignoring many of the show's characters, but as seen here, most of them have nothing to do with Laura's story and their scenes in the movie are pretty irrelevant. Even the post-finale scenes with Cooper and Annie, while great to see, have nothing to do with FWWM's focus on the last days of Laura's life. So cutting them, while regrettable, makes sense in the grand scheme of things. I think there are a couple scenes here between Laura and Donna, along glimpses of the Palmer and Hayward families, that should've been left in, though.

All in all, while its deletion from FWWM is understandable, this is still an interesting addition to the Twin Peaks canon.
6/10

Someone went through and put Missing Pieces back into FWWM in accordance with the original script and where it makes sense. If you google "FWWM Q2" you should be able to find it.

 

[Nameless]

Rogue One - 7.0 - decent as far as retcons go, some fun set pieces along with a snoozer or two. I didn't give much of a fuck about any of the protagonists and it lacked the quality pacing good Star Wars films have. Honestly I can't see myself rewatching this, certainly not anytime soon. Dug Mendelsohn's performance, though. It almost made up for the complete waste of Mads... almost.

 

[kevin1025]

Amanda Knox

A real good documentary on the whole situation. It takes a stance on the evidence, and I agree with that stance, so for me it was really well done. But for those that believe she's guilty, this movie may be not so good to you.

Everybody Wants Some!!

The spiritual successor to Dazed and Confused. That movie is on a whole other level, so this couldn't compare unless it was perfect... but it's pretty damn great. Glen Powell's Finnegan is the standout, he is a ton of fun to watch. Blake Jenner continues to surprise me, as he did in The Edge of Seventeen. I keep expecting little from him and then he does a good job. Zoey Deutch is also awesome. It's one of the best hangout movies, but still isn't a home run like Dazed and Confused (had to make a baseball pun, I mean, come on!).

Blair Witch

Shaky cam? Check. Noises? You betcha. Otherwise? Disappointment. Never really clicked for me, despite the ear cameras being a neat idea.

Clouds of Sils Maria

Finally watched it, since I'm seeing Personal Shopper tomorrow. This is my first Assayas film (I saw the first part of Carlos back in the day but not the full three-part or film version). I liked the hell out of it. Juliette Binoche does a fantastic job, and the text she is looking at in a new light and how it reflects on her own life is really fascinating. But Kristen Stewart is the thing that caught me by surprise in here. She was finally given something worthwhile, and she nailed it. This makes me all the more excited for Personal Shopper.

The Magnificent Seven

It could never live up to what came before, in both wild west and Japanese form. I came out of it enjoying the action setpieces but not a whole lot else. It felt too "written"; I don't know if that's the right word, but it didn't feel right, like too much of it was conventional. Plus they wasted Vincent D'Onofrio, which is the biggest crime a movie or show can make.

Edit: Oh hey, I'm still the last post! It's a ghost town! I must have cursed the thread as reply #666.

Joy

This movie was a little cold for me, like it was made at arm's length. It's a little messy at points, and if it weren't for Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro, the movie would be a total loss in my eyes.

 

[mariachi507]

Moonrise Kingdom - I'm going to get this out of the way, but I'm not really a Wes Anderson guy. I like his movies to various degree, but also believe that he works against himself. It's like he has to fill a quota of random Wes Anderson like tropes of quirkyness, and because of that he doesn't really reach his potential and floats in a state of non progression. My favorite of his work that I've seen up to now is The Grand Budapest Hotel, and for one of his movies to really connect with me I believe it has to overcome it's Wes Andersonisms, which TGBH does. I thought he was going to do the same with Moonrise Kingdom, but after a good first two acts it just becomes another Wes Anderson movie in the last third. Despite doing so, it's still enjoyable.

Verdict: 7/10

The Graduate - It's still an iconic piece of cinema and remains as funny as it ever was. As I get older I look at the movie differently though, I really sympathize with Mrs. Robinson with my favorite scene being the one where Benjamin tries to have a conversation with her. During that scene we are shown a woman who has left all of her dreams behind and we now understand her motivations for her actions. Benjamin is also a creep. The only real issues I have with the movie is that Elaine Robinson is underdeveloped as a character, and the scenes where the movie is fixated on her are rushed and undercooked. The finale more than makes up for it though. Also, Simon and Garfunkel are the shit.

9/10

McCabe and Mrs. Miller - My first Robert Altman picture and it certainly will not be my last. When you hear the word "western" you probably picture lots of dust and dirt, along with saloons, stylistic gunfights, etc. Altman seemed to be more interested in turning our expectations of the western on its head. The setting is mix mash of a western combined with the locale's you'd see more in something like Twin Peaks. There are pines, lots of pines along with rain and snow while the film gives off a dreamlike atmosphere filled with haze and fog. From a production and cinematography standpoint, this film is a masterpiece. Luckily, the rest of the films components measure up as well. You will not find a John Wayne like character in McCabe. While he attempts to pass off a persona more akin to The Duke, his stupidity and shortcomings show a very flawed character. The film is filled with characters of all types, but as we are dropped in and out of their conversations throughout the its runtime we are exposed to the flaws of everyone. This is a dark and depressing movie that displays the cruelties of being a small cog against the bullies and leaders of society. Also, Leonard Cohen is the shit.

9/10

 

[Fancy Clown]

The ending to McCabe and Mrs. Miller is sooooo good

 

[Ridley327]

Ninja Scroll: Solid ultraviolence that knows to keep the pace barrelling along and the fights extra bloody and duplicitous, while still allowing for Kawajiri to play around with bold color palettes for a very stylish look. I liked the brevity approach to the fight themselves, as it does a good job of instilling the high level of skill that each ninja displays and makes sure that the varied cast all get their licks in. Kawajiri can't quite help himself and does insert one icky scene of involved sexual assault, though it is pretty brief and doesn't get too graphic, and manages to have some kind of strange relevance to the conclusion of a particular fight. The straightforward nature of the story might be its weakest element, as there's really not much room for anything other than violent fight sequences, which does come as a bit of a disappointment in the shadow of Wicked City, which had a far more intriguing blend of genres to play around with, but this does a fine job of being exactly what it sets out to be.

 

[old manatee]

The Founder - I was looking forward to this, but it's not very good. It's supposed to be the story of Ray Kroc, who is a complete piece of shit, but it's easy to forget that because like 80% of the movie is reverential shots of old-timey McDonald's stores and families eating hamburger sandwiches. Keaton is pretty good here, but there just isn't much to work with.

 

[TheFlow]

Digimon Adventure Tri. – Chapter 1: Reunion 2015
★★★★
Grew up on this series as a kid, and it feels so good to be back. The characters are more grown, and straying from their ideologies back when they were kids.

 

[Blader]

The ending to McCabe and Mrs. Miller is sooooo good

It's not among my favorite Altmans, but that whole third act is great. And very Great Silence-y.

 

[Fancy Clown]

It's not among my favorite Altmans, but that whole third act is great. And very Great Silence-y.

Like Mariachi it was my introduction to Altman, and it's certainly convinced me to check out his other work. What are your favorites?

 

[Sean C]

Fast & Furious 6 (2013): I think this is about as good as the fifth film, with the series' best antagonists to date. When you consider that the fifth film ended by teasing the return of Michelle Rodriguez, I'm not even sure what the point of introducing Elena in said film really was, since she's immediately shuffled for the exit here (though as it turned out the writer would find one last use for her).

 

[Cripplegate]

The Long Goodbye. Now. All of you.

 

[Discotheque]

The Long Goodbye. Now. All of you.

Of the Altman movies I've seen this would be my favorite

 

[Infernostew]

Short Cuts is my favorite Altman.

 

[mariachi507]

The ending to McCabe and Mrs. Miller is sooooo good

The ending contained my favorite part of the whole movie. Spoilers for those who haven't seen it,

Spoiler

the lead bounty hunter had been disrespecting McCabe constantly and after hearing how McCabe had killed a man with a derringer he just shrugged it off saying "that's man never killed anyone." At this point the audience believes the same thing as we're shown how pathetic McCabe is on multiple occasions.
Finally after McCabe gets shot in the back by the blunderbuss, the lead bounty hunter approaches to ensure that McCabe is dead. Then BAM, he gets shot right in the forehead with a derringer, it's fucking beautiful.

Then you get hit with the last shot of the film which is eerily similar to the final shot of a certain 80s gangster movie and I'm trying to decide which one did it better but can't make my mind up about it.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

Of the Altman I've seen:

- The Long Goodbye is my favorite. Fantastically moody neo-noir with all that overlapping dialogue, and character, and haze. Elliott Gould is just fantastic in this.

- The Player is a lot of fun. A satirical takedown of Hollywood.

- Images, and 3 Women are for the Polanski and Bergman fans, respectively.

- Short Cuts is early 90s Magnolia. If you haven't seen that, Magnolia is late 90s Short Cuts. I feel like I've described these movies accurately and well enough for everyone to understand.

- Nashville is a bit scattershot, but you will find something to love. It's basically a satirical collage of the Tennessee country and gospel music scene with a huge cast, and lots of music performances. A snapshot of the times.

- Gosford Park is another one of his ensemble pieces. Basically British period piece Clue with some class division underpinnings. Very charming movie.

And yeah, McCabe and Mrs. Miller is great too.

Someone else take it from here with a deeper dive.

 

[Blader]

Like Mariachi it was my introduction to Altman, and it's certainly convinced me to check out his other work. What are your favorites?

The Long Goodbye, MASH, The Player, and Gosford Park. McCabe might be #5.

The only Altman I didn't like was 3 Women, which gave me a headache. I've also only seen Nashville once, but it was in school and I fell asleep (all my screenings were at like 8pm and I was coming off like a 14-hour day at that point, so don't count that as a mark against the film :lol).

 

[MidnightCowboy]

Don't sleep on California Split. It's classic Altman through and through, overlapping dialogue, relaxed pace, Elliot Gould being dope. Very fun movie with a pretty somber ending.

 

[swoon]

i tried to find my ranking, but Nashville, Split, Long Goodbye, Women, Park are all tops and prob better than most films, especially his followers.

 

[True Savior]

There's Short Cuts and there's everything else.

 

[Woorloog]

Watched Chaplin's Modern Times.
It is brilliant. And very funny.
I've seen the film before but so long ago i didn't get everything. Like the red flag and the Tramp getting mistaken for a communist.
Interestingly spinning/revolving is a repeating visual motif in the film. The factory has spinning wheels and gears, the Tramp spins around while high on cocaine and while carrying the tool box. Dancing. And repeating events can be seen as revolving as well.
Also, considering the film was made in 1936, it is kinda science-fictioney as well, especially the feeding robot and the video surveillance system the factory boss has.

 

[brianjones]

Don't sleep on California Split. It's classic Altman through and through, overlapping dialogue, relaxed pace, Elliot Gould being dope. Very fun movie with a pretty somber ending.

70s elliott Gould is the greatest

 

[swoon]

Speaking of prime Elliot Gould, silent partner is on filmstruck and is pretty great. It gets weirdly grim , but a solid heist film.

 

[Mifune]

Speaking of prime Elliot Gould, silent partner is on filmstruck and is pretty great. It gets weirdly grim , but a solid heist film.

There's a scene with a fish tank that my parents wouldn't let me watch as a kid.

 

[swoon]

Yea, is really rough especially for an otherwise very light film

 

[Fancy Clown]

Well, I got some watching to do. The Long Goodbye sounds dope.

 

[Rhomega Beta]

The Founder: Ah, McDonald's. It's a cultural touchstone of America. It's part of who we are, for better or for worse. If you're interested in the company and how it got started, this is certainly worth a watch, not just how Ray Kroc essentially pulled out the rug from under Dick and Mac McDonald's feet, but the two brothers tell how they got started, including a nice looking-down shot of a chalk outline of the restaurant used for training before it's even built.

Yet of course, there's the way of Ray Kroc running the show. By the way, Michael Keaton is great here. It's devious and unfair, but it works. It feels like greed is a necessary evil to capitalism. If it wasn't for Ray Kroc, McDonald's would just be this 5-restaurant chain, mostly in California. Then again, maybe that wouldn't be so bad. Maybe they would have expanded on their own anyway, given time.

It's not enough for me to hate McDonald's, but to keep in mind that its origins aren't all sunshine and lollipops.

 

[TheFlow]

Digimon Adventure Tri. – Chapter 2: Determination 2016
★★★★★
OK that end battle gave me everything I could ask for. Way to get it together Joe.

 

[lordxar]

Ghostbusters 2 This still blows.

Ghostbusters 2016 Watched the extended version this time and still really enjoyed it. Not sure that the extras made much difference but I can firmly say I still love this nearly as much as the first.

 

[PassiveObserver]

Anyone seen Altman's Secret Honor? I gave it a shot once and couldn't quite tune it, but I like the concept on the face of it. Philip Baker Hall doing a 90 min monologue as Richard Nixon. Think I'm not too familiar with Nixon's presidency so I kinda glazed over on my first try, but I'd love to revisit it.

 

[BaronLundi]

Well, I got some watching to do. The Long Goodbye sounds dope.

It's fantastic.

 

[omgkitty]

 

[UrbanRats]

Needs less frames.

 

[omgkitty]

Needs less frames.

It's the best I could find

 

[mariachi507]

Well, you guys have decided what my next Altman is going to be.

 

[JTripper]

Children of Men really is a masterpiece. Didn't think too much of it when I saw it for the first time a few years ago but it hit me like a brick this viewing. Those long takes, Michael Caine's nostalgic tragedy of a haven, the beauty and tension of that last sequence. It's just so goddamn good.

I really need to rewatch Y Tu Mama now, cause that was my favorite Cuaron for a while but Children of Men might just take that spot over.