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Movies You've Seen Recently |OT| May 2017

The Phantom of the Opera (1925): I've wanted to see a version of this story, and this one has come up as one of the better versions. Also features Lon Chaney Sr., whom I haven't seen before. The movie wastes no time in setting up the Phantom character. What strikes me is the film's use of light and shadow in setting the mood and its use in some scenes like having the Phantom seen in shadow, or flickering lights during an opera performance. The makeup is good too, and you see it relatively early on. I don't think PotO is that great a story, but it's a well-made movie.
 

Divius

Member
Cannes 2017 awards

Camera d’Or:
Jeune Femme (Montparnasse-Bienvenüe) (dir: Léonor Serraille)

Best Screenplay:
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (dir: Yorgos Lanthimos); You Were Never Really Here (dir: Lynne Ramsay)

Jury Prize:
Loveless (dir: Andrei Zvyagintsev)

Best Actress:
Diane Kruger, In the Fade (dir: Fatih Akin)

Best Actor:
Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here (dir: Lynne Ramsay)

Best Director:
Sofia Coppola, The Beguiled

Grand Prix:
120 Beats per Minute (dir: Robin Campillo)

Palme d’Or:
The Square (dir: Ruben Östlund)
 
Get Out

Yo. YO. That was gotdamn brilliant. Wow. Instantly one of my favorite movies ever. Can't believe Dave Chappelle's Block Party has been overtaken not once, but twice now. Crazy, right?

Man I thought for sure he was about to get shot at the end there. My heart sank when I saw those lights, but my dude Rod "top flight security of the world" Williams was there to save the day. Bless.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Edit: Alternate ending is straight trash. Glad it was not used.
 
I said in the Cannes thread that The Square was the most exciting thing in the main competition this year, and I'm still surprised that it won. I thought for sure 120 Beats per Minute would take it.

Best moment of the closing ceremony was either the acceptance speech for the short film award (the guy literally walked up to the mic and said "fucking amazing" and then walked away), or Andrey Zvyagintsev thanking Will Smith for being real.
 
I'm impressed that You Were Never Really Here took home two awards. I'm impressed that Lynne Ramsay pulled a good movie out of a Jonathan Ames book.

I'm starting to think this might be the most exciting movie coming out of Cannes.
 

Sean C

Member
Tramps (2017): Essentially what you'd get if you decided to make a low-rent Before Sunrise for small-time criminals (even if
in the end what they're carrying turns out to be not very criminal
). The actors are likeable, and the movie is cute, if entirely inconsequential. One of those low-budget independent productions that Netflix buys to fatten its list of new offerings.

Office Space (1999): First time watching this. It's fine, and an interesting look back at the 1990s white collar scene (an era that feels more and more remote as time passes and the economy changes). And all that vintage technology. But for what has become a cult comedy, most of the characters really aren't that memorable, and Jennifer Aniston is totally wasted in a love interest role.

The Spectacular Now (2013): Rewatched this for the first time since I saw it in theatres. In the intervening period, a lot of the actors have continued to rise in esteem, including the now Oscar-winning Brie Larson, who I wasn't really familiar with at the time (amusingly, this movie casts Larson and Kaitlyn Dever as classmates, while Short Term 12, released the same year, cast them as guardian and troubled teen, respectively). There's a lot of teen movie tropes built into the structure of this, but it really doesn't feel like a standard teen movie, particularly in its intelligent handling of the main characters' healthy-but-also-unhealthy relationship. Also,
Shailene Woodley's character getting blindsided by a truck is one of the best audiencing-jolting moments I've seen in recent cinema.
 

~Kinggi~

Banned
HardcoreHenry_Poster.jpg
Just saw Hardcore Henry. Wow what a gloriously fucked movie. Seriously, just get drunk and watch this shit its amazing.
 
Lynch Block

Waiting for the next Twin Peaks episode has me thirsty for some more Lynch, and that is when I realized I have not seen too many of his works. Shame on me.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me - I watched this a couple of weeks back but haven't wrote on it. Lynch was somehow able to make a film that is completely bleak and depressing while putting this coat of beauty on it as well. I have a hard time critiquing FWWM as a film since it's essential to have seen the tv show before watching to get the most out of it. Some side characters aren't fleshed out in the movie or are doing anything related to the main plot, but where I was familiar with them because of the show their scenes didn't feel that out of place to me. The structure is a bit wonky as well with how the film is split up with the FBI investigation and Laura Palmer's story, but I wouldn't change a thing. I don't know how anyone could watch the final scene with Badalamenti's "Voice of Love" playing and not feel anything from it.

Verdict: 9/10

Eraserhead - An absolute assault on the senses and one hell of a debut. I can't speak enough about the sound design which was worked on for an entire year I believe. Along with industrial setting and the visuals, watching this film in the dark with a good pair of earphones is a unique experience.

Verdict: 8.5/10

Blue Velvet (Rewatch) - I have to admit that there are parts of Blue Velvet that don't work for that well. It mainly has to do with the relationship between Jeffrey and Sandy. Their relationship was undercooked and scenes conveying the heartbreak related to it just made my eyes roll. The last third loses a bit of steam as well after 'Jeffrey's neighborly ride' but picks up again with the final showdown. Visually and atmospherically Lynch tapped into this dream-like world that he has gone back to multiple times. That along with his portrayal of the seedy underbelly of this "Leave it to Beaver" like world is what makes Blue Velvet as memorable as it is.

"Let's Fuck!"

Verdict: 8/10

The Straight Story - In another director's hands the story of Alvin Straight would have been your typical family flick, but Lynch elevates the material with his touch. Some scenes are just as intense as the one's you would find in his darker works, while he still brings those oddball memorable characters that we always get attached to. The tears are well earned when they come.

Oh, and this might be Angelo Badalamenti's best work even though it's not the typical soundtrack you'd expect from him.

Verdict: 9/10

Wild at Heart - Fun, Sexy, and a bit Ridiculous. That's all I've got to say really.

Verdict: 7/10

Mulholland Drive (Rewatch) - I rewatched this last year after more than a decade had passed from my first viewing and it blew my mind. This viewing has firmly placed it in my top ten I believe. It's a masterpiece.

Verdict: 10/10
 

Apt101

Member
Dog Eat Dog - a terrible attempt to ape Tarantino. Completely unlikable characters when they were clearly gunning for humorous antiheroes. They had some great actors but they were given parts that just didn't fit them. So much boring dialog that was trying to be heady. Ugh.

War Machine - if you know coming into it the real events this film is satirizing it's pretty good. Otherwise I could see a clueless viewer thinking Pitt's acting was hammy and the story boring. I didn't like it a lot, but it was OK.
 
Lost City of Z's strongest assets are its patience, and its scope. Not content to lure us into the jungle for one grand adventure, the film keeps pulling us back--denying us the satisfaction of discovery so as to place us squarely in the shoes of Charlie Hunnam's (who turns in a surprisingly good performance) Fawcett, forced to return on multiple expeditions and the personal stakes grow each time. Eventually the physical space between the jungle and Fawcett'a home country break down and shots of the jungle are occasionally merged with the beautifully realized set dressings of 20th century Britain. The visual language of desire is a stronger, more elegant, vehicle for the film's themes than its script, which often stumbles over itself when characters continuously remind us just what it is that's motivating Fawcett. His wife is also wasted in a role that seems to try and break through gender roles through her wants and desires, but it is shirked off screen far too long for her to feel like the fillmakers lived up to the aspirations they had set for her character, instead spending most of its interest on a cabal of old British men when Fawcett is home (although perhaps that's the point, that at such a time the rigidity of gender roles in society was not something that could be overcome no matter how equitable a marriage may seem).

Despite some of its failures when the film gets too talky, it never loses sight of its ability to make the jungle portions of the film quite exceptional. The murky filters on the lenses turn everything to a greenish blue haze, and each venture is fraught with peril and wonder. It is through these expiditions that Fawcett's character is most clearly and smartly defined, as you see who he is and who he has become by what or who he is willing to risk with every venture. The film's ending is uncertain and uneasy, a feeling that perfectly captures what pulls Fawcett, and us, through the jungle.
 

lordxar

Member
Gertie The Dinosaur I went through some shorts on my watchlist the other day and this stood out. It's from way back in 1914 and out there on YouTube. Kind of a fun little piece about a guy that draws up this dinosaur to dance and move around. Pretty revolutionary at the time and honestly it still looked pretty good all this time later. A bit jerky in the motion but a fun bit regardless.

III - The Ritual This is some Russian film out on Netflix that I gave a shot. It's got a lot of Silent Hill vibes to it and has a great atmosphere but falters in the third act. They tried some weird change of villain twist that fucked it all up. If they continued down the path they were exploring and had a decent resolution this would have been great.

Cheaper by the Dozen (from 1950) When I watched Desk Set I thought it was this...I remembered seeing some film where dude was timing buttoning his shirt up to see if button up or down was faster and that he was into efficiency. Kind of a random memory really. Anyway this guy was rigid as hell and definitely set in his ways even for a dude from the 50's. Really similar to a few people I knew from that time period. In fact an old boss of mine was about the same. For a comedy I thought this was pretty meh but the part where the birth control woman shows up was actually pretty funny. It goes along well enough and eventually I got into the groove of this and was kind of wondering how it would wind up only to find out they just gut punch you at the end.

12 Years a Slave Still don't really have words to put to this. As far as the film itself I didn't care for how it jumped around. That was pretty jarring at times to figure out who was who. Otherwise it has a good cast that really put out something good. Story though...that's a rough one. You get to see what slaves had to endure way back in the day and it wasn't anything good.
 
I wish I hadn't wasted my time with Snatched. Amy Schumer must be the unfunniest comedian I can recall seeing. The vast majority of her material is fat jokes, jokes about her vagina or her breasts, or that incredibly unfunny American comedy thing right now, riffing presumably without a script, poor performances from the rest of the cast with a completely uncompelling narrative and little theme, predictable gags and set pieces, and it looks and sounds awful. What a horrible film.
 
Ghostbusters (2016)

I liked it. Some of the jokes and comedic moments fell flat, but it was still quite fun and enjoyable. Kate McKinnon was great. Chris Hemsworth too.

⭐⭐⭐½
 

kevin1025

Banned
Lost City of Z's strongest assets are its patience, and its scope. Not content to lure us into the jungle for one grand adventure, the film keeps pulling us back--denying us the satisfaction of discovery so as to place us squarely in the shoes of Charlie Hunnam's (who turns in a surprisingly good performance) Fawcett, forced to return on multiple expeditions and the personal stakes grow each time. Eventually the physical space between the jungle and Fawcett'a home country break down and shots of the jungle are occasionally merged with the beautifully realized set dressings of 20th century Britain. The visual language of desire is a stronger, more elegant, vehicle for the film's themes than its script, which often stumbles over itself when characters continuously remind us just what it is that's motivating Fawcett. His wife is also wasted in a role that seems to try and break through gender roles through her wants and desires, but it is shirked off screen far too long for her to feel like the fillmakers lived up to the aspirations they had set for her character, instead spending most of its interest on a cabal of old British men when Fawcett is home (although perhaps that's the point, that at such a time the rigidity of gender roles in society was not something that could be overcome no matter how equitable a marriage may seem).

Despite some of its failures when the film gets too talky, it never loses sight of its ability to make the jungle portions of the film quite exceptional. The murky filters on the lenses turn everything to a greenish blue haze, and each venture is fraught with peril and wonder. It is through these expiditions that Fawcett's character is most clearly and smartly defined, as you see who he is and who he has become by what or who he is willing to risk with every venture. The film's ending is uncertain and uneasy, a feeling that perfectly captures what pulls Fawcett, and us, through the jungle.

I agree with you on everything you said! The things that don't work as much weigh the film down, but the high high's and the old school David Lean-style epic way it unfolds really make up for any faults I had with it. So glad I got to see it on the big screen.

My hype for The Beguiled is reaching critical levels.

And it's only a few weeks away!
 
The reviews I've seen of Coppola's The Beguiled haven't sounded all that hot.


Eh, I don't care about reviews of Coppola's work. Marie Antoinette has a 55 on RT and I loved that movie. I think she is an incredible filmmaker and I'll see whatever she makes. Plus I'm​ a big fan of OG Beguiled.
 

Wensih

Member
Get Out

Yo. YO. That was gotdamn brilliant. Wow. Instantly one of my favorite movies ever. Can't believe Dave Chappelle's Block Party has been overtaken not once, but twice now. Crazy, right?

Man I thought for sure he was about to get shot at the end there. My heart sank when I saw those lights, but my dude Rod "top flight security of the world" Williams was there to save the day. Bless.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Edit: Alternate ending is straight trash. Glad it was not used.

I wouldn't call the alternate ending trash, much more poignant, but I'm glad it ended the way it did. Guy needed to catch a break, and seeing those sirens and car pull up was still enough to instill fear in everyone watching until the twist.

I was really thinking we would have another Night of the Living Dead type ending.
 

Wensih

Member
Super hyped for The Square. I absolutely loved Force Majeure and the premise sounds like it could be completely bonkers. Also, looking forward to The Killing of a Sacred Deer as Lanthimos is slowly becoming one of my current favorites and just coming off The Lobster which was my favorite film of last year.

Inferno you see any other Greek New Wave Cinema? Watched Attenberg and Chevalier this weekend, both phenomenal Greek films.
 

kevin1025

Banned
Southside With You

Someone on Letterboxd called it "Before White House". It's the best description you could give it. Really ended up liking it, it's simple but mega charming and gives insight to the characters (not sure if it gives insight to the real Obamas, but you never know), and is well paced and well acted.

The 13th

I was angry through the whole thing. And for that, it's effective. Definitely a doc to watch. As a Canadian and just a human being, it had a big impact.

Louis C.K.: 2017

Fantastic. It isn't as perfect as some of his other specials or stand-up routines, but I laughed the whole way through and had a good time!

Raw

I don't like movies anymore. I squirmed like mad. The theatre would not relent its hold. Why would you do this to me? 8/10.
 
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales: Johnny Depp continues to debase himself in this tedious slog of a movie that's more lifeless than the undead pirates that haunt it. Someone needs to send this franchise to its watery grave before I forget what I liked about the first couple entries.

Sit this one out, boys.
 
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales: Johnny Depp continues to debase himself in this tedious slog of a movie that's more lifeless than the undead pirates that haunt it. Someone needs to send this franchise to its watery grave before I forget what I liked about the first couple entries.

Sit this one out, boys.

I can't even tell, is that the last one?
 

kevin1025

Banned
I can't even tell, is that the last one?

The final trailer said "the final chapter", or something to that effect, and then the director was asked and he said it meant it's the beginning of the end. They wanted to do two more before this one was made, so you never know. With Depp's flakiness during production, I'm not sure Disney will bankroll another one, at least with him.
 

Icolin

Banned
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales: Johnny Depp continues to debase himself in this tedious slog of a movie that's more lifeless than the undead pirates that haunt it. Someone needs to send this franchise to its watery grave before I forget what I liked about the first couple entries.

Sit this one out, boys.

Is Bardem good? Only interested in it because of him, despite actually liking the first 2 Pirates movies.
 
I can't even tell, is that the last one?

It's the most recent one, which hopefully will be the last one but I'm sure it'll be too bankable.

Is Bardem good? Only interested in it because of him, despite actually liking the first 2 Pirates movies.

Not really. I mean he's fine, he just has absolutely nothing to work with. His character mostly just repeats "Jack Sparrow" over and over again with a thick accent. Certainly nothing worth seeing the movie for.
 

Crumbtiny

Member
Watched Train to Busan yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's on Netflix (US) so definitely give it a watch.

Just finished Last Shift a few minutes ago. Someone told me it was decent and unnerving, but i thought it was a bit of a dud. Well acted and all, but story was just kind of meh.

Watching Southbound right now. I really like the idea of anthology films and had a lot of fun with Trick r Treat. I'm only on the first story in Southbound, but so far it's interesting.
 

Blader

Member
What's the view here on Walter Hill's The Driver with Ryan O'Neal? One of my local indie theaters is doing a a screening next month (double feature w/ Baby Driver but not sure if I'll be able to get passes for that) and was thinking of checking it out.
 

Jimothy

Member
Lost City of Z's strongest assets are its patience, and its scope. Not content to lure us into the jungle for one grand adventure, the film keeps pulling us back--denying us the satisfaction of discovery so as to place us squarely in the shoes of Charlie Hunnam's (who turns in a surprisingly good performance) Fawcett, forced to return on multiple expeditions and the personal stakes grow each time. Eventually the physical space between the jungle and Fawcett'a home country break down and shots of the jungle are occasionally merged with the beautifully realized set dressings of 20th century Britain. The visual language of desire is a stronger, more elegant, vehicle for the film's themes than its script, which often stumbles over itself when characters continuously remind us just what it is that's motivating Fawcett. His wife is also wasted in a role that seems to try and break through gender roles through her wants and desires, but it is shirked off screen far too long for her to feel like the fillmakers lived up to the aspirations they had set for her character, instead spending most of its interest on a cabal of old British men when Fawcett is home (although perhaps that's the point, that at such a time the rigidity of gender roles in society was not something that could be overcome no matter how equitable a marriage may seem).

Despite some of its failures when the film gets too talky, it never loses sight of its ability to make the jungle portions of the film quite exceptional. The murky filters on the lenses turn everything to a greenish blue haze, and each venture is fraught with peril and wonder. It is through these expiditions that Fawcett's character is most clearly and smartly defined, as you see who he is and who he has become by what or who he is willing to risk with every venture. The film's ending is uncertain and uneasy, a feeling that perfectly captures what pulls Fawcett, and us, through the jungle.

Great opinion.
 
What's the view here on Walter Hill's The Driver with Ryan O'Neal? One of my local indie theaters is doing a a screening next month (double feature w/ Baby Driver but not sure if I'll be able to get passes for that) and was thinking of checking it out.

Seminal movie in terms of terse, tough, lean, no nonsense nighttime crime thrillers. You can follow the line from American noir, to french noir, through The Driver, to Thief (1981), to modern stuff like Drive (2011). I'd definitely jump at a The Driver/Baby Driver double feature, if only to see how Edgar Wright twists what influences he took from the movie into his rapid editing style.
 

Ridley327

Member
What's the view here on Walter Hill's The Driver with Ryan O'Neal? One of my local indie theaters is doing a a screening next month (double feature w/ Baby Driver but not sure if I'll be able to get passes for that) and was thinking of checking it out.

It's one of the leanest, meanest action-thrillers out there. Simple yet engaging story that doesn't rely on a ton of dialogue, the characters are referred to only by their profession (The Driver! The Detective! The Player!), and it's packed to the gills with excellent stunt driving and great little glimpses of a lesser seen part of LA as seen through those cars. Basically, imagine Drive if it was bit more like Bullitt.
 
What's the view here on Walter Hill's The Driver with Ryan O'Neal? One of my local indie theaters is doing a a screening next month (double feature w/ Baby Driver but not sure if I'll be able to get passes for that) and was thinking of checking it out.

its a classic

need to pick up the blu ray one of these days
 

Borgnine

MBA in pussy licensing and rights management
What's the view here on Walter Hill's The Driver with Ryan O'Neal? One of my local indie theaters is doing a a screening next month (double feature w/ Baby Driver but not sure if I'll be able to get passes for that) and was thinking of checking it out.

Do it.
 

kevin1025

Banned
There should be at least five less.

What ones would you cut?

I would've agreed this with this had I not seen, and disliked, Rogue One as much as I did.

I think my 4-star Letterboxd review was too kind. That third act is bewitching, so it's a difficult one to score for me.

Fingers crossed we start getting 3 Star Wars a year.

Let's Marvel this thing and see what happens. They'll have me there, along with some of us other suckers, at least!
 
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