This is where I got to see Blue Ruin during its festival run. I'm a big fan of the animation and other short film compilations, like most festivals, but here you tend to get nothing but genuine 'outsider art'.
I might have a movie being screen Saturday.
Most of the films will be screened at the Brattle Theater starting on Wednesday the 22nd. It'll run through Sunday the 26th.
This is where I got to see Blue Ruin during its festival run. I'm a big fan of the animation and other short film compilations, like most festivals, but here you tend to get nothing but genuine 'outsider art'.
I might have a movie being screen Saturday.
Most of the films will be screened at the Brattle Theater starting on Wednesday the 22nd. It'll run through Sunday the 26th.
Interesting. I've still never been to the Brattle, but mainly because it seems like they only screen movies on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Might check this out.
Interesting. I've still never been to the Brattle, but mainly because it seems like they only screen movies on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Might check this out.
looking at that list of actors....is it all that debatable? Sam Jackson and John Goodman are good actors too but John C Reilly certainly gives them a run for their money.
looking at that list of actors....is it all that debatable? Sam Jackson and John Goodman are good actors too but John C Reilly certainly gives them a run for their money.
haven't seen that yet even though I love Heidecker's work with Turkington. On the backlog for sure.
John C Reilly's scene with Mark Wahlberg at the recording studio in Boogie Nights is one of the greatest moments in cinematic history. I hope he's in the next pta movie.
This is where I got to see Blue Ruin during its festival run. I'm a big fan of the animation and other short film compilations, like most festivals, but here you tend to get nothing but genuine 'outsider art'.
I might have a movie being screen Saturday.
Most of the films will be screened at the Brattle Theater starting on Wednesday the 22nd. It'll run through Sunday the 26th.
I applaud their attempts to find meaning in everything, but I enjoyed this mostly from a "this is crazy" perspective. I'm sure Kubrick intended some things, but the people in this semi-documentary dive in deep on the minute details of The Shining. It is entertaining, but not as great as I was hoping.
Quatermass And The Pit (1958) - considering this was heralded as Nigel Kneale's finest and loved by a lot of people all round, I was bound to watch this at some point. While there is a movie version that is significantly shorter, there is something immensely charming about watching the original serialized form, which takes roughly three and a half hours, but it rarely feels its length, 1950's sentiments on time for a scene aside.
While starting as seemingly normal business with the discovery of some hominid remains at a construction site, the farther this gets along, the more it goes into unexpected territory. And between solid framing and soundtrack, the production still works well to instill a sense of dread as it goes into the finale. Its writing sensibilities may not survive modern inspection entirely, but it definitely earns its title as a sci-fi classic that influenced many.
One line in particular immediately sounded like it became the basis for
The Guyver series, when commenting on a lifeform 'out of control', along with designs that look surprisingly similar to some used in that manga and subsequent adaptations
.
War of the Worlds (1953) - another celebrated classic that holds up fairly well, but mostly just valuable for seeing how the 2005 remake came to be and which parts screenwriter Koepp had to make up, change, or retake from the novel. The rifleman, Tim Robbins's character in the 2005 movie, is nowhere to be found in the 1953 movie, but the plane on the house, the basement and the eye beam, shields, the pods crashing into a house (through in the remake) and the subsequent Martian hand coming out, and the main character getting dragged out of a car are already there. Hysterical lady became kid in the remake, rightfully so, and even the church and the destruction were the '53 one ends is at the start of the 2005 version (which also tells you something about how modern movies have shifted sequences for current dramatic effects). Even being covered in dust makes it way in the remake, though considering it was made post 9/11 and its context, means something completely different. Additionally, the remake could afford itself a level of sheer brutality the 1953 version never reaches for. Instead, it's theme is more of that bombings during World War 2, where people hid and prayed they would still be there by the end of it. Which also leads this movie to make one significant, and ultimately detraction change in the ending narration: it presents the Martian defeat as a miracle of god placing microbes on Earth, not the novel version where our immunity is earned by a million deaths, which the remake thankfully does have. Also, one scene and concept are actually missing in the remake because humans have no time to prepare in that one: the nuclear bomb. It is used in the '53 version and is very similar (to the frame almost) to the nuke scene in Independence Day (1996), which is probably why it doesn't show up in the remake, since it would be too similar and would confuse audiences or piss them off.
As a 'classic' I think this movie is worth watching, but I found it far more valuable as a writing research tool, and the admittedly charming production aspects (visible fish lines) of 1950's movies. The fact that the craft of making movies was still present on the screen itself gives these movies something special, like being between not-serious and serious, where modern movies expect actors to be all serious when they are surrounded by green screen only. Whatever craft there is, thereby becomes a bit too well hidden, if that makes sense. On a sidenote: there is A LOT of stock footage used in this movie. Almost any military plane or weapon is stock footage.
Them! (1954) - so, I can't prove that Robert Heinlein has seen this movie before writing Starship Soldier / Troopers in 1958/59, but the moment a scratching sound was heard I was reminded Rico hearing scratching sounds (as a sign on bugs digging their way out) in the novel. And of course, the fact that the two fictions both have giant ants in them.
But while Them! is equally restrained by its era, there appears to be a surprising amount being filmed on site and with a lot of extra's on sets.
Despite being a 'schlocky 1950 monster movie' to us now, it does feel like someone put a considerable amount of money into making this movie (though probably not as much as War of the Worlds) and its giant ants seem worthwhile. It's kinda great. I also sense that this movie more than a little bit became the starting point for the Earth Defense Force video games, and for that, it has my thanks. E!D!F!
Song to Song - Everything Malick has been working towards in his last two dramas culminates here in exuberant, heartbreaking fashion. It's his most plot-driven since The Tree of Life, but also his most daring in both structure and form. A good portion of why it works so well is his ensemble, who embody the playful nature of falling into love with such joy that the seemingly off-the-cuff moments register as completely genuine. As the relationships shift and the editing becomes more complex, there's an emotional (and spiritual) weight that offers some of the most affecting work of Malick's career. If this indeed does mark the end to his more experimental, modern phase, this is a wondrous, stirring trilogy capper.
Song to Song - Everything Malick has been working towards in his last two dramas culminates here in exuberant, heartbreaking fashion. It's his most plot-driven since The Tree of Life, but also his most daring in both structure and form. A good portion of why it works so well is his ensemble, who embody the playful nature of falling into love with such joy that the seemingly off-the-cuff moments register as completely genuine. As the relationships shift and the editing becomes more complex, there's an emotional (and spiritual) weight that offers some of the most affecting work of Malick's career. If this indeed does mark the end to his more experimental, modern phase, this is a wondrous, stirring trilogy capper.
Song to Song - Everything Malick has been working towards in his last two dramas culminates here in exuberant, heartbreaking fashion. It's his most plot-driven since The Tree of Life, but also his most daring in both structure and form. A good portion of why it works so well is his ensemble, who embody the playful nature of falling into love with such joy that the seemingly off-the-cuff moments register as completely genuine. As the relationships shift and the editing becomes more complex, there's an emotional (and spiritual) weight that offers some of the most affecting work of Malick's career. If this indeed does mark the end to his more experimental, modern phase, this is a wondrous, stirring trilogy capper.
I can certainly see the negative reviews, esp. if you didn't like To the Wonder or Knight of Cups. It's an evolved form of that style. You could say he's playing the same notes, but in my opinion, doing it remarkably well.
I thought Knight of Cups was decent so I might vibe with Song to Song, especially if you call it an improvement. Plus Fassbender/Malick combo was something I never knew I wanted. Will check it out whenever it's possible.
anyways a few movies: Kong Skull Island
god damn Hiddleston and Brie Larson were basically cardboard cutouts in here. Hiddleston's character especially should one of the more charismatic/scene grabbing heroes in the crew. You've seen him a million times before. Think Indiana Jones, or Brendan Fraser in the Mummy, or Michael Douglas in romancing the stone etc. This dude just sucked.
Good thing there were no leads in this movie though, they evenly spaced everybody's roles out. I liked some of the other actors, particularly John C Reilly. He was pretty funny and the only time the jokes in this movie ever landed.
Kinda boring for a big monster movie tho. Kong action was cool and I liked the giant spider scene. But everything this does, Jackson's Kong did so much better. The Skull Island atmosphere (this is a big one that this movie loses out on), the characters, the action, making you care about the Monkey. Only thing I'd put this over for is the shorter length. Fairly average harmless blockbuster all things considered. Felt phoned in tho.
Better than Godzilla and Jurassic World tho. And I appreciated a lot of the casting in here. Always good to see Shea Whigham and Toby Kebbell for instance. And John C Reilly is always fun. Anyways Godzilla, Jurassic World and Skull Island all share the same writers. There's a big problem here, they gotta fire these bums. I'm excited for the monsterverse because the concept is dope and when the monsters fight its good spectacle. But oh man, change the creative team please. Bless up to Godzilla 2 bringing in a fresh voice on the directing front and especially helping out with the script. Got my hopes on that one improving on these flicks.
Jackie
Aiight I get why some people had a lukewarm response to this. It makes an effort to tease glimpses into how Jackie Kennedy thinks and feels and then pulls back immediately, so I get why people would be frustrated at how its sort of an insubstantial analysis of her. But damn this movie looked gorgeous. Up there with Silence as one of the best looking films of 2016. I loved how they shot her tour of the white house in a 50s tv style format too. Plus Natalie Portman's performance is so good, its a jarring accent but once you get used to it she's really good at Jackie's mannerisms and being consistent with the voice. The scenes when her guard is let down briefly are well acted. I also wish we got more out of the script but she did good with what she was given. You get the sense in here that Jackie O was more intelligent and aware than she was given credit for, and she had to put up this front with the forced smiles and doe-face.
Oh and the soundtrack. Micah Levi da gawd gives it a spacey dreamlike quality that really works with the movie's premise. Jackie's just wandering around the white house, kind of shellshocked by whats happening and how Johnson and everyone else is handling it. And the score totally sells this zombie state she's in.
it's basically a Jackie Kennedy movie that watched a bunch of Lana Del Rey music videos and took some Xanax. If that sounds cool to you then you'll like it, otherwise stay away. I didn't love this but I thought it was a cool take on a historical movie.
I don't feel at home in this world anymore
Man this was great. Definitely gonna be one of those movies I will tune into in the future on a lazy day. Feel good dark comedy with one of the better partnerships I've seen in a minute. Melanie Lynskey is charming as the jaded main character trying to make sense of the ugliness of the world. And then she runs into Elijah Wood, who is basically a nicer and more meek version of Mac from It's Always Sunny. That guy who watched too many kung fu films and thinks he has tactical prowess. It's awesome to see Frodo carve this niche in indie output now.
Because Macon Blair (writer/director) is coming off of some Saulnier movies this shit gets pretty violent when things go south, but the movie never fails to be amusing and irreverent. Recommend this to people who like comedies like Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
Pretty hyped for this dude's next film for sure, and his writing work for Saulnier. These guys are on the list for sure brehs.
The greatest war movie of all time, full stop. Stunning visuals, great performances from Jim Caviezel, Elias Koteas and Ben Chaplin, Zimmer's best soundtrack and incredible battle sequences.
I love this movie! The remake could have been so much better but it dropped the ball on the happy ending among other annoyances. There is a TV show that popped up in the 80's or 90's that continued the original movie 30-40 years later which I liked too. It got pretty violent for a TV show but was a cool take on aliens that survived the germs back in the day.
So the cut of Voyage of Time that I saw was slightly different from the regular IMAX version. This one was 40 minutes long instead of 45 and featured no narration at all. I thought it was pretty sweet, since I liked the creation scenes in Tree of Life a lot, and seeing that stuff on a massive IMAX screen was suitably vertigo inducing. Definitely the most poetic educational IMAX movie you are likely to see, though without narration I obviously didn't know what everything was, but I thought they did a good job of contextualizing things through the editing.
Malick himself is super soft spoken and awkward, so it makes sense why he doesn't like to do interviews so much but he had some interesting things to say. One thing that surprised me was that he said that a lot of the spirituality and soulfulness of this and tree of life isn't really drawn from religion so much as the grandeur of the physical laws of the universe.
He also said he has a ton of stuff left over from this project he'd like to use for something else since he wants to do more nature documentaries, but he said they're harder to get produced (understandably) and he wanted to make a documentary on bioluminescence but David Attenborough beat him to the punch.
A lot of the space scenes in the movie weren't artistic CG renders either, but actual number driven simulations created by scientists that the VFX team just helped bump up the resolution for IMAX.
I've seen people recently sharing their favorite films of each year since they were born. Here's mine:
2017 (so far) - A Ghost Story
2016 - Manchester by the Sea
2015 - Carol
2014 - Inherent Vice
2013 - Inside Llewyn Davis
2012 - Goodbye, First Love
2011 - The Tree of Life
2010 - The Social Network
2009 - A Serious Man
2008 - Let the Right One In
2007 - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
2006 - Children of Men
2005 - The New World
2004 - Before Sunset
2003 - Lost in Translation
2002 - Femme Fatale
2001 - Mulholland Dr.
2000 - In the Mood for Love
1999 - Eyes Wide Shut
1998 - The Thin Red Line
1997 - The Sweet Hereafter
1996 - Crash
1995 - Safe
1994 - Chungking Express
1993 - Jurassic Park
1992 - The Player
1991 - A Brighter Summer Day
1990 - Goodfellas
1989 - The Decalogue
1988 - The Vanishing
I've seen people recently sharing their favorite films of each year since they were born. Here's mine:
2017 (so far) - A Ghost Story
2016 - Manchester by the Sea
2015 - Carol
2014 - Inherent Vice
2013 - Inside Llewyn Davis
2012 - Goodbye, First Love
2011 - The Tree of Life
2010 - The Social Network
2009 - A Serious Man
2008 - Let the Right One In
2007 - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
2006 - Children of Men
2005 - The New World
2004 - Before Sunset
2003 - Lost in Translation
2002 - Femme Fatale
2001 - Mulholland Dr.
2000 - In the Mood for Love
1999 - Eyes Wide Shut
1998 - The Thin Red Line
1997 - The Sweet Hereafter
1996 - Crash
1995 - Safe
1994 - Chungking Express
1993 - Jurassic Park
1992 - The Player
1991 - A Brighter Summer Day
1990 - Goodfellas
1989 - The Decalogue
1988 - The Vanishing
Thats a pretty cool idea! I've just been watching one from each year but making up a list of my favorites would be a whole other challenge. Looks like a new Letterboxd list is in the works...
I'll expand. Structure, in terms of editing out of chronological order, is pushed to another level here and works better on an emotional level. In terms of form, Malick experiments much more with different lenses/cameras and even inserts a black-and-white experimental film. It all adds up to something that feels much more immediate and kinetic, which fits well with his subject matter here.
An exercise in which I realize I watched mostly garbage for the first 20 years of my life, and all my favorite films are pretty much pre-1980. I'm very bad about watching current stuff, and haven't gone back at all really to anything from the 90's and early 2000's.
1989 - Kiki's Delivery Service
1990 - Trust
1991 - The Double Life of Veronique
1992 - Reservoir Dogs
1993 - Sonatine
1994 - Chungking Express
1995 - Before Sunrise
1996 - Fargo
1997 - Princess Mononoke
1998 - Rushmore
1999 - Eyes Wide Shut
2000 - In the Mood for Love
2001 - Mulholland Drive
2002 - Punch-Drunk Love
2003 - Lost in Translation
2004 - Shaun of the Dead
2005 - Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
2006 - Pan's Labyrinth
Tokyo Drift
2007 - Hot Fuzz
2008 - Still Walking
2009 - Fish Tank
2010 - Certified Copy
2011 - Drive
2012 - The Master
2013 - The Double
2014 - Whiplash
2015 - Carol
2016 - The Lobster
Yes, I did pick Hot Fuzz over There Will Be Blood. Shut up.
1993 - Dazed and Confused
1994 - Pulp Fiction
1995 - Heat
1996 - Fargo
1997 - L.A. Confidential
1998 - The Thin Red Line
1999 - Toy Story 2
2000 - In the Mood for Love
2001 - Mulholland Drive
2002 - Adaptation
2003 - Memories of Murder
2004 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2005 - The Squid and the Whale
2006 - Children of Men
2007 - Hot Fuzz
2008 - In Bruges
2009 - Mother
2010 - The Ghost Writer
2011 - The Tree of Life
2012 - The Act of Killing
2013 - Inside Llewyn Davis
2014 - Whiplash
2015 - Mad Max: Fury Road
2016 - The Handmaiden
2017 (so far) - Logan
(I'm putting Hot Fuzz at the top of the very stacked 2007 this time too).
Keep in mind I turn 50 this year. I was actually surprised to find while going through letterboxd that I have seen at least 1 movie (Godfather: Part II is the only movie I've seen from 1974) in every year since I was born. I also struggled a little with "favorite movie" vs. "best movie." There are movies I would consider better movies than those on this list in a given year, but that's different than favorite movie. Like, The Princess Bride is my favorite movie of all time. I love Zombieland, etc.
1967 - The Dirty Dozen
1968 - 2001: A Space Odyssey
1969 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
1970 - MASH
1971 - Dirty Harry
1972 - The Godfather
1973 - The Exorcist
1974 - The Godfather: Part II
1975 - Monty Python and the Holy Grail
1976 - Rocky
1977 - Star Wars
1978 - Superman
1979 - Alien
1980 - The Empire Strikes Back
1981 - Raiders of the Lost Ark
1982 - Blade Runner
1983 - Return of the Jedi
1984 - The Terminator
1985 - Back to the Future
1986 - Aliens
1987 - The Princess Bride
1988 - Die Hard
1989 - Dead Poets Society
1990 - Ghost
1991 - Beauty and the Beast
1992 - The Last of the Mohicans
1993 - Groundhog Day
1994 - Shawshank Redemption
1995 - Braveheart
1996 - Primal Fear
1997 - Titanic
1998 - Saving Private Ryan
1999 - The Matrix
2000 - Gladiator
2001 - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2002 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 - The Incredibles
2005 - Batman Begins
2006 - Casino Royale
2007 - There Will Be Blood
2008 - The Dark Knight
2009 - Zombieland
2010 - Inception
2011 - Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
2012 - The Dark Knight Rises
2013 - The Wolf of Wall Street
2014 - Guardians of the Galaxy
2015 - Inside Out
2016 - Deadpool
1984 was a tough year - The Terminator, Beverly Hills Cop, Nightmare on Elm Street, Amadeus, The Karate Kid, Ghostbusters, Footloose
There were a lot of tough years...quite a few shit years too. Glancing through I found a lot of years I didn't really watch much of note so there's a few years I'm not completely happy with but here it is:
The Towering Inferno 1974
Jaws 1975
Taxi Driver 1976
Sorcerer 1977
Midnight Express 1978
Alien 1979
Cannibal Holocaust 1980
Escape from New York 1981
The Thing 1982
Blue Thunder 1983
The Terminator 1984
The Goonies 1985
Aliens 1986
Predator 1987
Die Hard 1988
Shocker 1989
Total Recall 1990
Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991
Army of Darkness 1992
Falling Down 1993
In the Mouth of Madness 1994
Friday 1995
From Dusk Till Dawn 1996
Event Horizon 1997
Dark City 1998
The Matrix 1999
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000
Thir13en Ghosts 2001
Resident Evil 2002
Big Fish 2003
Dawn of the Dead 2004
The Devils Rejects 2005
Payback 2006
Hot Fuzz 2007
The Hurt Locker 2008
Pandorum 2009
Inception 2010
The Raid 2011
Django Unchained 2012
Evil Dead 2013
Gone Girl 2014
Mad Max: Fury Road 2015
Arrival 2016
1987 - Broadcast News
1988 - Akira
1989 - Henry V
1990 - Miller's Crossing
1991 - Beauty and the Beast
1992 - A Few Good Men
1993 - Schindler's List
1994 - The Shawshank Redemption
1995 - Toy Story
1996 - Romeo + Juliet
1997 - Jackie Brown
1998 - Shakespeare in Love
1999 - Toy Story 2
2000 - Almost Famous
2001 - Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2002 - Catch Me If You Can
2003 - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
2004 - Downfall
2005 - Batman Begins
2006 - Pan's Labyrinth
2007 - Atonement
2008 - WALL-E
2009 - Inglourious Basterds
2010 - Toy Story 3
2011 - A Separation
2012 - Moonrise Kingdom
2013 - The Wolf of Wall Street
2014 - The Grand Budapest Hotel
2015 - Mad Max: Fury Road
2016 - Zootopia
_/¯
