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Movies You've Seen Recently |OT| May 2017

PART I (well, just Eraserhead at the bottom)
PART II

Blue Velvet (1986): Is there anyone on Earth with better delivery than Kyle MacLachlan when it comes to Lynch style dialogue? I swoon every time he speaks, it's crazy. Blue Velvet remains a strong statement in Lynch's filmography, partly because it's his most overt "NOPE, SOMETHING'S DEFINITELY WRONG UNDERNEATH ALL THIS AMERICANA" messages, and partly because Dennis Hopper's crass, loud, insane, and insanely quotable "Frank Booth" is a template for every loud scumbag to come, both in Lynch's work, and through inspiration in other movies. I think this is my most watched Lynch, and I still find myself invested in the mystery, tensing up and anticipating scenes as if it was the 1st viewing. This marks a turning point in Lynch's career after the monumental failure that was Dune, and the result is a hard left turn towards a mid budget erotic mystery/thriller housing wherein a lot of techniques and motifs are birthed to be iterated on again and again in the decades to follow. I wonder what would've happened had Dune been a success.

Wild at Heart (1990): This is a whole lot of energetic nonsense. Lynch at his most playful, accompanied by a classic Nicolas Cage performance which basically amounts to an unstable Elvis. Not to be outdone, Laura Dern provides as much fire to the movie as Cage bringing a bubbly, sex crazed, Marilyn Monroe energy to almost every scene she's in. This movie doesn't fit together as smoothly as some of the others, relying on kind of flimsy flashbacks periodically to fill in the gaps for basically every narrative revelation, but there are a bunch of excellent one-off scenes throughout that keep things moving, and keep the movie entertaining. Special shout out to Willem Dafoe for the extra sleazy character he brings to life here, who is in one of the more ridiculous slapstick scenes in anything Lynch has done, which says a lot. Bunch of fun Twin Peaks actor cameos as well, as this was filmed right after the pilot.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992): I feel like this has been talked about enough recently so I won't say too much. I tend to fall of the side of Fire Walk With Me being a collection of great scenes rather than a great standalone movie. It's always felt like part of something bigger IMO, more so in 2017 as Twin Peaks works its way through a 3rd season. Still though, it IS great. Sheryl Lee gives herself up completely to the material and delivers an incredibly overlooked broken, hysteric performance. It's crazy how this was ravaged on release. Talk about a much needed reassessment.

Lost Highway (1997): And again with the reassessments. I don't know if this has had as big a turnaround in consensus as Fire Walk With Me (not talked about nearly as much), but it should. I get the sense that people largely felt that this was an exercise in aimless titillation and obscure Lynchisms, but damn this is good stuff. Yeah sure, on one hand it's very mid-90s trashy erotic thriller, but on the other hand it's mid-90s trashy erotic thriller with a boatload of atmosphere (especially in the first act OMG), a fun central idea to unpack and theorize over, and some great Twin Peaks style breaks in reality (right on the cusp of Lynch's narrative grounding becoming intertwined with "The Dream State" to the point that it gets hard to distinguish one from the other). Can we talk about this ridiculous tailgating monologue? Or this wild Nine Inch Nails/Bowie/90s rock accented soundtrack? Or that amazing
Mystery Man scene
at the party? Or those finals shots? Yeah, I like this one.

The Straight Story (1999): The Forgotten Gem. So I mentioned this yesterday because I hadn't seen it since like 2001/2002 (and I recall being bored with it), so I just had to say something. Yeah, this movie is top tier David Lynch. People seem to either forget it exists or rank it lower than it should because it's a VERY different kind of story than what we're used to getting from who, The Elephant Man notwithstanding, became known as a modern champion of free flowing, R-rated, surreal oddities, but The Straight Story stands strong against his best work. The plot is based on the real life trip by 73 year old Alvin Straight across 2 states in America's heartland on a riding lawn mower to see his brother. Pretty much one of the slowest road movies you'll ever see. But within that, it manages to pack in so much heart, so much regret, so much melancholic contemplation; you're almost shocked that Disney let this come out in the state it's in.

Yeah, that's right, DISNEY. This is a G rated family movie. The main reason it gets away with this without falling into outright depression is due to the sharp, beautiful writing that complements the weight of these characters with surgically precise characterization. With only a few lines you get a sense of the history of the characters, the bond they have with each other, and the values they hold dear. And the more they talk, the more you fall in love with them. Hell, sometimes it's not even about dialogue as the camera floats along giving you methodical looks at faces and landscapes that tell you everything you need to know. At least half of the movie is watching Richard Farnsworth, who was actually suffering through cancer and arthritis during filming, struggle to do things, and you understand through sheer physicality the importance of this journey to Alvin, and what the role meant to Farnsworth. Through all this, what is by far Lynch's most straightforward movie (PUN INTENDED, OBVI), you can still feel his hand with every odd aside in dialogue, with every uptick in intensity and subjectivity, with every chance encounter. Don't let the story fool you, David Lynch is still in there. To top it all off, the ending is pure perfection. Even the soundtrack is possibly Angelo Badalamenti's best work.

This is a profoundly human movie from one of the people you'd least expect to deliver it. If you call yourself a Lynch fan and haven't seen/been avoiding this, watch it. If you didn't think much of it in your younger years, rewatch it. If you just don't like it at all, learn to live with the fact that you're a terrible person.

Mulholland Drive (2001): Bruh, it's Mulholland Drive. Do I need to type anything about this movie? 10/10, top 5 of the millennium, creeping up my greatest of all time list, moody as hell, great soundtrack, funny, terrifying, hypnotic, beautiful, mystifying, layered, masterpiece.

Inland Empire (2006): I've seen this twice now, and even if I wanted to explain this movie, I couldn't. This is relatively tame for about an hour, then it careens off the deep end FOR 2 MORE HOURS. A purposely ugly, non-stop nightmare fever dream tumbling in every direction simultaneously. The infamous SD video aesthetic and uncomfortably tight camerawork (filled with an absurd number of push ins) serve to make this whole thing even weirder. I can't even track the forward momentum of this movie. It's a completely uninhibited David Lynch directing a completely insane Laura Dern. On top of all this it contains 3 of the most strangely grotesque Lynch images of his career, which is weird because 2 of em aren't even really that bad. What and how even is this movie? Like, I get it, but I don't get it. A mess you can't take your eyes off of. And those credits? Wat? You'd probably fail a drug test a week after surviving this movie.

How did Justin Theroux manage to get roped into this and Miami Vice in the same year? Oddly enough, they both have a controversial super digital and intimate handheld visual style (though MV looks a hell of a lot better than Inland Empire), and they both feature Nina Simone's Sinnerman on the soundtrack (remixed in MV). What was in the water in 05-06?
_________________________________


Anyway, Lynch feature rankings

1. Mulholland Drive
2. Blue Velvet
3. The Straight Story
4. The Elephant Man
5. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
6. Eraserhead
7. Lost Highway
8. Wild At Heart
9. Inland Empire
10. Dune

Twin Peaks is a separate thing. Too much material to rank it with his movies. The good parts of Twin Peaks are top tier though, and Lynch's episodes in seasons 1 + 2 are some of his best work. We'll see how Season 3 shapes up by the end, but the first four episodes are great and, thankfully, a step back from Inland Empire......... Whoo boy, Inland Empire. Never again.
 
Ranking Lynch films is almost impossible. It would be like choosing your favourite child... Except for Dune, that's the child you lock in the attic and feed raw meat until one day, it escapes and goes on a murderous rampage in a college dorm.
 
Inland Empire is the only thing I haven't seen from Lynch. I just can't bring myself to do it. I'll take the plunge one of these days...

edit - I understand the consensus on Dune, but I do still find it immensely singular and watchable. Brad Dourif is incredible in that movie.
 
I really like Wonder Woman, despite its flaws. It has a lot of heart and feels like old fashion superhero films, and by that I mean I was reminded of Superman: The Movie, The First Avenger, and glimpses of Spider-man 2. The film's strongest part is its 2nd act, with the 1st act being okay and 3rd being a bit weak and schlocky (but it has strong moments within, and ultimately did not ruin the film).
 

Skulldead

Member
Just saw Hardcore Henry. Wow what a gloriously fucked movie. Seriously, just get drunk and watch this shit its amazing.

This is the Crank like movie i never know that i wanted, it take itself not seriously and make parody of so much video game in such subtle way, i can't recommend this movie enough !

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War

Got that DVD sealed for like 5-6 years, decide to open it and finally watch it. I would like to make a long review to how good this movie is. But just the fact that i have cry at the end , can't remember the last time it happen, probably for Grave of the firefly, make it a must see for any fan of Korean cinema and war movie in general. Also + 1 for all the realistic gore, it really help to add to the mood of the movie. It seriously became one of my favorite movie of all time.
 
I really like Wonder Woman, despite its flaws. It has a lot of heart and feels like old fashion superhero films, and by that I mean I was reminded of Superman: The Movie, The First Avenger, and glimpses of Spider-man 2. The film's strongest part is its 2nd act, with the 1st act being okay and 3rd being a bit weak and schlocky (but it has strong moments within, and ultimately did not ruin the film).

When I originally looked at the list of summer movies, I put WW near the bottom. I knew I'd see GotG Vol 2 (and I did and I liked it), but assumed things like Alien: Covenant, Guy Ritchie's King Arthur (I'm a bit of an Arthurian nut), PotC and even The Mummy would top my list.

But as personal stuff has kept me away from the cinema for the most part, I've had time to absorb the reviews and decide most of those will wait for Redbox/Netflix or just avoid altogether.

I'm pretty hyped to see WW.
 

Blader

Member
Becoming Bond
A pretty amusing, and at times genuinely affecting, account of George Lazenby's life up to and including Bond, and how things fizzled out afterward. A lot of the film is told through recreations of Lazenby's stories (who, btw, has one hell of a memory), which sound annoying on paper but are actually well done and funny. Even if you know the basics of how Lazenby, with no acting experience, bullshitted his way into headlining the biggest film franchise on the planet, replacing one of the world's biggest movie stars, seeing it play out is still really crazy, and particularly how it's punctuated by an abrupt and not especially thought-out decision to drop Bond after the one movie. His biggest regret in life, though, seems reserved way less over Bond and more after his one who got away, a moment that tugs at the heartstrings a bit. Overall, an entertaining, insightful and occasionally heartfelt recreation of the one-time Bond actor. Just don't expect much of the actual On Her Majesty's Secret Service to be covered here.
7/10

One More Time with Feeling
On the one hand, an interesting behind-the-scenes document of the recording of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' most recent album, Skeleton Tree. On the other hand, an incredibly powerful, poignant, and thought-provoking portrait of grief and the impossibility of mourning the death of a child. The way the film skirts around the subject, before addressing it somewhat more head on, feels pretty true to the way a lot of people grieve: talking, but not really talking, about the loss, because once you start you delving into it, then you're really deep in it. It's at times heartbreaking but also inspiring, not necessarily because it ends on an optimistic note (obviously it doesn't) but because the way Cave articulates his grieving, and how grief factors into his life and art, is so interesting that it almost doubles as a manual for others who are grieving and how they can even begin to process it -- even if that wasn't really his intention. A really interesting documentary, even if you know nothing of the band.
8/10
 

Icolin

Banned
Becoming Bond
A pretty amusing, and at times genuinely affecting, account of George Lazenby's life up to and including Bond, and how things fizzled out afterward. A lot of the film is told through recreations of Lazenby's stories (who, btw, has one hell of a memory), which sound annoying on paper but are actually well done and funny. Even if you know the basics of how Lazenby, with no acting experience, bullshitted his way into headlining the biggest film franchise on the planet, replacing one of the world's biggest movie stars, seeing it play out is still really crazy, and particularly how it's punctuated by an abrupt and not especially thought-out decision to drop Bond after the one movie. His biggest regret in life, though, seems reserved way less over Bond and more after his one who got away, a moment that tugs at the heartstrings a bit. Overall, an entertaining, insightful and occasionally heartfelt recreation of the one-time Bond actor. Just don't expect much of the actual On Her Majesty's Secret Service to be covered here.
7/10

One More Time with Feeling
On the one hand, an interesting behind-the-scenes document of the recording of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' most recent album, Skeleton Tree. On the other hand, an incredibly powerful, poignant, and thought-provoking portrait of grief and the impossibility of mourning the death of a child. The way the film skirts around the subject, before addressing it somewhat more head on, feels pretty true to the way a lot of people grieve: talking, but not really talking, about the loss, because once you start you delving into it, then you're really deep in it. It's at times heartbreaking but also inspiring, not necessarily because it ends on an optimistic note (obviously it doesn't) but because the way Cave articulates his grieving, and how grief factors into his life and art, is so interesting that it almost doubles as a manual for others who are grieving and how they can even begin to process it -- even if that wasn't really his intention. A really interesting documentary, even if you know nothing of the band.
8/10

Oh man, One More Time with Feeling is so amazing. Broke me repeatedly, especially as a fan of Nick Cave.

Hopefully more people can see it.
 

pauljeremiah

Gold Member
Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War

Got that DVD sealed for like 5-6 years, decide to open it and finally watch it. I would like to make a long review to how good this movie is. But just the fact that i have cry at the end , can't remember the last time it happen, probably for Grave of the firefly, make it a must see for any fan of Korean cinema and war movie in general. Also + 1 for all the realistic gore, it really help to add to the mood of the movie. It seriously became one of my favorite movie of all time.

Agreed it is a fantastic war film, with a very deep story and a fantastic score to boot too. I imported it on blu-ray a few years ago and try to watch it at least once a year.
 

Nameless

Member
RAW - 9.35 - Bloody, oddly erotic, bloody take on the 'coming of age' genre. Premise aside it's a film about youth, discovering & managing new appetites, and all the excitement/novelty/room for recklessness involved in having the world truly begin to open up to you for the first time -- something that everyone should be able to relate to. RAW disturbed me and shocked me but it also made me nostalgic for my late teens/early 20s in a way few films have. Dope soundtrack, infectious visual style, and sibling dynamic I can't get out of my head. This might be my film of the year so far.
 

Icolin

Banned
The Two Escobars

Rewatching this for the first time in awhile, and it's still as raw, poignant and, frankly, sad as I remember it being. Granted, part of the reason I enjoy this documentary so much is because I have Colombian roots and I'm a massive football fan, but I think non-Colombians or non-football fans can still find a lot to enjoy about this film.

And rewatching this made me feel all the more thankful that the Colombian side of my family made it out before the violence got really bad.
 

Toothless

Member
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is clearly the most ambitious film in the franchise. Verbinski goes for broke here, and it results in one of the most convoluted and bloated blockbusters in the modern day. Yet, despite this being annoying at points, the film is almost always engaging, thanks to the strong quintet of characters at the center of this story (Jack, Elizabeth, Will, Barbossa, and Davy Jones, to be clear). A bit too much lore is introduced this go-around; a lot of the expository moments might've fit better in Dead Man's Chest, but it's always visually stunning. The final hour of the film is both utterly riveting and remarkable on how it ends the trilogy absolutely perfectly. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is easily the most flawed of the trilogy; however, thanks to the strong characters and wonderful setpieces, it still is a highly entertaining blockbuster with strong staying power. 7/10

Cars is one of Pixar's most controversial, and for good reason. It's certainly a mixed bag of the film. The world of it reminds remarkably ill-conceived compared to any other one the studio has presented, and the characters populating it are highly forgettable and generic. Yet, it's hard not to like it on some level. The theme of progress's natural oblivion hits heavy in the second half, and Wilson's voice-acting thankfully improves by that point. Paul Newman's presence adds a natural gravitas to his character's scenes, allowing them to come close to the Pixar standard. The film always looks good, and the wacky scenarios from this dumb world still can please from time to time. Whenever the film invokes iconography from other automobile-focused films, amusement naturally arises. However, the climax is barely earned to make really wonder why Doc Hudson and Lightning McQueen actually changed. Cars is easily one of the weakest Pixar films, but all around, it's average in a watchable way, with enough fun moments or well thought-out scenes to be worth a watch. A disappointment for its time, but just fine for today. 6/10

The Red Turtle is a truly fascinating animated film. Featuring no dialogue and having a strong dramatic story, it's entirely compelling for the entire 80-minute runtime. The score is utterly beautiful, and the traditional animation is fluid and often gorgeous. Sometimes though, its simplicity works against the film. Despite its unconventional nature, the story the film tells is sadly not as intriguing as it believes it is. However, The Red Turtle is still a very good film, thanks to its unique approaches and beautiful animation and music.

The Virgin Suicides truly captures the frustration of adolescence. More intriguingly though, it does this by constantly portraying the differences between what males and females are encouraged to become. Coppola directs with a subtle style that truly puts the audience in both the sisters' and the boys' places. Woods stands out the most from the ensemble, but there's no weak points here. The Virgin Suicides is just a very solid indie dark dramedy that knows how to balance those two elements in a way to truly make the audience feel. A quite good film. 8/10

The Circle is an utterly moronic pseudo-intellectual affair. The script is full of hackneyed arguments about tech everyone has already heard, and it doesn't go any deeper than a typical Facebook comment argument might go. Ponsoldt directs it all with a very generic "flair" to the point where one would wish it was shot closer to a Lifetime movie than the slick dullness that's presented. The cast, which is admittedly great, all falls into three categories: wasted, delivering a poor performance, or shockingly elevating their role into being somewhat watchable. The last of those is only accomplished by two actors, Gillan and Paxton, and it's no coincidence they're the only two that escape this movie with their reputation slightly intact. Well, those two actors and Danny Elfman, who delivers a pretty fun techno score that makes this film much more tolerable than it should be. Overall though, The Circle is a massive failure, being far too obvious and moronic to bring forth any interesting ideas about tech while being full of mediocre acting, writing, and directing. An utter waste of time for everyone involved. 2/10

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is famously a very witty film. Indeed, it is consistently hilarious in a variety of ways, with the entire Monty Python crew delivering funny moments time and time again. Chapman clearly is highlight of the film, but really, they're all spectacular. However, the lack of structure can grow tiring in a sense. This movie is exhausting in both good and bad senses, and while the anarchy might seem fun in one scene, in the next, it might just cause pure annoyance. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is oddly inconsistent, but when it hits, it's really quite spectacular. It's as great as it can be considering its structure, and worthy of its status as a comedy classic even it doesn't do it entirely for me. 7/10

Kon-Tiki begins with a great half-hour of set-up that seems to promise a rollicking adventure tale. Unfortunately, what follows is an unstructured voyage, which sounds interesting on paper but in actuality is dull and without memorable characters to anchor the larger-than-life moments. The actors all do a fine job, and the direction stages the few action scenes at sea well, but there's very little reason to care about anything that takes place. Kon-Tiki has all the elements in place for a great film except for a decent script, and thus, it falters entirely thanks to severely lacking that important part.

Prometheus is a tremendously silly film. The unfortunate thing is it doesn't recognize this until the last half hour of the film. Up until that point, it's painful to watch thanks to its moronic characters making constantly stupid decisions and unearned self-importance while dealing with heavy themes at a high school level of understanding. Only Michael Fassbender's scenes are watchable, as he embodies David with an alluring enigma that truly captures the audience's attention.

However, once the last half hour hits (beginning with a thrilling surgery scene), the film embraces its schlockiness and becomes actually entertaining thanks to ridiculous setpieces and archetypes paying off in typical, yet satisfying ways. The cast outside of Fassbender is wasted on the paper-thin roles and Pearce's sheer presence doesn't work at all, not even in a fun sense. Scott directs it all with panache; it's really just the script that lets him down horribly. Prometheus certainly isn't a good film, but if you stick with it long enough, it becomes a decent blockbuster, although one that's still a disappointment considering the talent involved. 4/10

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides removes the two primary reasons the first three films in the franchise are legitimately special blockbusters: strong ensemble work and Gore Verbinski's wonderful mix of strong worldbuilding and innovative action. This go-around, Jack is the only interesting character, with Barbossa feeling horribly out of character for the entire first half of the movie, with a very poor explanation why when the film finally comes around to explaining it. McShane and Cruz are both wasted in toothless roles, and the other two new characters are entirely forgettable. The action is never really exciting, and as a whole, the film feels longer than any other film in the franchise, despite being the shortest one yet. Marshall clearly does not know how to direct action, and its really just painful. However, Jack Sparrow, Gibbs, and (for half of the movie) Barbossa all feel somewhat right in this film, although making Jack the main character was a terrible choice. It's not a great film, but it's watchable simply because neutered Pirates of the Caribbean is still pretty unique in tone compared to most of the other franchises out there. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides should be a complete failure; it's only the strength of the franchise's tone and its returning elements that will prevent one from abandoning ship. 4/10

Much like its protagonist, Cars 2 accidentally stumbles into being a good film. It's highly obnoxious with an incredibly stupid plot. The spy storyline is bizarre considering the preceding film; it's akin to if Citizen Kane 2 was an action/sci-fi movie. Mater is a horrible lead and the lessons the film teaches are utterly moronic. Yet, this all works in its favor. The Cars universe is inherently stupid, and this film realizes it in all its glory. It rapidly desecrates the consistent nature of the world in a sheer loony way. The action is ridiculously over-the-top and brutally violent for a G-rated film. Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy are humorously terrible lead voices for an action animation, and Caine and Mortimer add some silly credentials as spies with way too many gadgets to fit in their small car bodies.

Really, the film comes across as an accidental satire on the state of CG-animation. You've got the overcomplicated gags, horribly ridiculous amounts of characters to sell toys, and life lessons that really should never be taught at all, underscored by unfortunate social (including racist!) implications and the insane mess that is the Cars universe. Yes, Cars 2 is, by traditional judgment, the worst Pixar film by far, but if one views it as a spectacular failure, they'll find a hilarious parody of how formulaic CG-animated movies can be, with legitimately great action and so-stupid-they're-brilliant jokes that leads to a highly watchable mess-terpiece. 6/10

Hellraiser is awful. Lacking any real story structure or even scares, it forgets that in order for a horror film to work, you have to care for at least one character in it. The characters are thinly sketched and it chooses not to identify its protagonist until the last half hour. The effects are really cool; the prosthetic work is always cool to see it, but that's essentially it for items of interest here. Hellraiser is a generic horror movie with great effects, but absolutely terrible elements in everything else. Awful. 1/10

20th Century Women is a well-made dramedy that never truly is exemplary until its final moments. That said, its elements come together make a very good film. Bening and Gerwig are both spectacular, being utterly unrecognizable for most of the film. Really, the entire ensemble is excellent, and all have their moments to shine. Mills' script remains compelling throughout, and his use of montage in this really mesmerizes. 20th Century Women is a solid dramedy about motherhood and feminism, although it never truly takes off into becoming an absolutely groundbreaking one - and that's perfectly fine. An enjoyable watch. 7/10

Alien: Covenant is a film in constant struggle. It cannot decide whether it wants to be a spectacular sequel to Prometheus, building off characters and moments from that film that justifies its existence, or if it wants to be a generic Alien sequel, full of forgettable characters and dull setpieces. It's clear Scott would rather it be the former, but he directs the generic Alien scenes well, making them be slightly more enjoyable than they could be others' hands, but that's not enough to make them truly needed here.

Fassbender unsurprisingly is the best part of both of these films, in a dual role that makes him the most memorable part of this. Scratch that, that's underselling him too much; Fassbender delivers the best performance in a blockbuster since 2015, making his characters utterly compelling, overshadowing the actual monsters present here in sheer terror. It's a truly remarkable performance in an otherwise sadly unremarkable film.

The rest of the ensemble can be lumped together as "forgettable." Technically, the film always looks good, and it's also just really nice to see a hard-R gritty sci-fi horror in this day and age. Besides those simple joys and Fassbender, Alien: Covenant remains a large disappointment, being so close to greatness, but being too concerned with the franchise's own history to touch it. 6/10
 

overcast

Member
I haven't seen Inland Empire or Wild At Heart honestly.

And I have never heard The Straight Story. What is that? It looks so.. normal.
 
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