Last Movie You Saw, Name & Review Movie • Page 199

The years and the brackets need to come back.

 

I made a thread last night after a few whisky sours. More thought needs to go into it

 

That They May Face the Rising Sun - 9/10 What happens when you reach the end of your time in this world and realize you are full of regrets? Everyone knows that a life filled with regret is not worth living. What good is regret, anyway? Regret can't light a fire. Regret can't heat a home. There's a life to be lived, conversations to be had, decisions to be made. Projects to be started and never finished. The rain falls, the sun shines, the grass grows. Young lads become aul lads. Aul lads drop like flies.

What happens when you reach the end of your time in this world and realize you are full of regrets? Sure, what else is there to do but die with them and hope that someone cares enough to lay your head in the right position for you to rest peacefully.

Civil War - 2/10 The more time I've had to think about this, the angrier it has made me. Unrelentingly stupid. A dull, empty, and spineless film that is absolutely terrified of saying anything that could even remotely be viewed as an actual stance, yet somehow still manages to be conceited in its posturing. A lesson in the moral bankruptcy of liberal objectivity.

28 Days Later - 8/10 Hadn't seen this since I was 10 and forgot how merciless and cool it is. So much of it works specifically because of the poor quality handheld DV cameras used for filming. Cillian Murphy is one of Ireland's finest exports, and watching him aimlessly wander through the post-apocalyptic streets of London scored by Godspeed You! Black Emperor is genuinely spine-tingling. The only good movie that Alex Garland has ever written.

28 Weeks Later - 3/10 Completely misses everything that made the original so mesmerizing (naked Cillian Murphy, etc.). A 90-minute chore. Someone needs to buy a tripod for Juan Carlos Fresnadillo.

 

Candyman - 8.5/10
One of the best horror films of the 90s bar none. The titular character is turned into a uniquely terrifying icon by Tony Todd over the course of a single film (yes there are sequels, but nobody cares about those), and even though his motivations are muddy at times, Bernard Rose manages to take what could have been a generic supernatural slasher and twist it into a nightmarish urban fever dream with unforgettable visuals. At times, it feels like a direct midpoint between the romantic horror of many Universal classics and the viciousness of the 80s most gruesome slashers. Virginia Madsen is the hottest a woman has ever been in this film.

The Dentist - 8.5/10
Pure DTV insanity, the place where a film's cheapness somehow makes it more visceral and Brian Yuzna reigns supreme. You don't even have to fear dentists for this one to get under your skin thanks to numerous close-ups of needles, rotting teeth, and dental torture. Another review mentioned Corbin Benson's Nazi-esque attitude towards cleanliness and "purity" and while I never considered that before, it is spot-on. I love that this one just takes place over the span of a single day that devolves deeper and deeper into madness. There are a couple of scenes that, for a film this goofy, are shockingly dark and would likely never play today, making this even more of a unique oddity and relic of the 90s. But hey, you give me anything with a Full Moon Features-esque Casio keyboard score and I'm liable to have a good time. Featuring a young Mark Ruffalo.

 

Wild at Heart - 7.5 or 8/10

the second to last Lynch film i've needed to see before completing his filmography (The Straight Story is left, and i'm waiting for Criterion's eventual release from Lynch's new remaster that was just released overseas, so i expect an announcement in the coming month or two). Nic Cage and Laura Dern give some fantastic performances, despite less chemistry than i imagined, and the overreliance on Elvis and The Wizard of Oz to drive home themes and character traits. Willem Dafoe with shriveled teeth also makes for a creepy time. fun seeing some overlap with the Twins Peaks cast. story could've been a bit more engaging, but for what it was, it was a fun time.

 

Still need to see that one.

 

I have my buddy’s blu ray of that. Just need to sit down and watch it

 

found the Shout! Blu-Ray at a Vintage Stock in Missouri for like $5 back in December. just got around to watching. wish Criterion would get this one too, because the film transfer had a lot of noticeable imperfections.

 

where’s that Wild at Heart release, Criterion? been waiting on that

 

still wild Lynch even touched someone else’s work after Dune

 

i doubt they'd do a boxset of all 10 films (especially since he won't touch Dune), but it'd be cool to have the vast majority under Criterion's supervision in the US.

 

@Nathan what were your thoughts on Red? how did it relate to the rest of the trilogy

 

What kind of relation between the three films are you looking for?

I checked my letterboxd to see if I wrote anything there, and I’d noted the recycling motif: the woman from Blue struggling with the recycling bin finally receives some help in Red, and I found that touching. Red feels sometimes the more aggressive or complicated of the three films, but I think it’s also the most intimate, since there’s so much to the interpersonal dynamics. It’s a film about Fraternity following the French color motif, and the complex dynamics create interesting bonds throughout the characters that involve a lot of unpacking.

I will say on my initial viewing of the trilogy I remember thinking more on Blue and White, I found them more immediately impactful, but I think the trilogy as a whole is an accomplishment. I’m also a predisposed towards stylized color as cinematic motif, and with Kieslowski every frame is elegantly in service of that motif and maintains and invites meaning and thought.

 

Rewatched them all this week including Furiosa

Mad Max - 2.5/5
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior - 3.5/5
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - 3/5
Mad Max: Fury Road - 5/5
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - 4.5/5

 

My Ranking in order

Mad Max
Mad Max 2
Fury Road
Thunderdome

Seeing Furiosa next weekend

 

Dune 2021- 8/10

Dune part 2 - 9/10
Just so completely stunning looking, best explosions I’ve seen in movies, in love with the atheistic.

Iron Claw - 9/10
I was sobbing hard.

 

Evil Does Not Exist Sunday, Furiousa Tuesday, Hit Man Friday, Babes maybe Thursday. Busy movie week.

 

bad

 

The first has become the one I’m most interested in revisiting. Road Warrior was my favorite of the originals when I first saw them. Fury Road and Furiosa feel impossible to choose between at the moment, right now it seems unfair to either film to put “under” the other

 

I love the first Mad Max its very much a part of the Australian New Wave. Its setting in still very grounded in Australia, it hasnt difted into complete fastasy yet and draws the dystiopia directly out of the culture; the shambolic rural towns and their hoons, bikie gangs, beach bums.
George had lost 3 friends to road accidents in rural QLD. Famously the bikies were cast from outlaw gangs who rode their bikes down from Sydney.


In the first one just the cops are leather daddies which is more fun, ineffective in preventing crime and only further inflaming the violence.

I like the location choice and the variety. its not just desert and outback, theres beaches, forest, grass lands. the urban areas feel post apyocalypic but are just typical run down Australian scenes with a supporting cast to match.

Toecutter is hands down the best villian of the series

 

It does have its fair share of bizzare moments. The hospital scene, the baby hit, The ****** in the forest.
I love them, I love that theyre in there and with them it set the record for the most profitable movie ever.

 

The Dentist 2 - 7/10
A solid continuation of a cult favorite that feels slighter in nearly every way EXCEPT for the dental torture. My god, those scenes are hard to watch here. Once again, you don't need to have a fear of dentistry to be squeamish when Corbin Bernsen is indiscriminately drilling teeth and puncturing gums and exposing nerves. Truly gnarly stuff for a 90s direct-to-video horror flick.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - 9/10
I was cautiously optimistic about this one given the new director and timeline; I left feeling like it may be my favorite of the new films. Realistically, any of the films released after Rise could be my favorite on any given day. They're just so much more thoughtful and dense than any blockbuster from the last 15 years that isn't directed by James Cameron. It's ironic that the stakes here feel more real and dangerous considering the film's primary focus on apes as opposed to humans, rendered by some of the best CGI I've ever seen. Characters and their motivations are complex; Proximus Caesar is given the Magneto background, forcing the audience to understand his desire to "evolve" and destroy all human factions, later punctuated by Noa and friends finding old storybooks confirming the way apes used to be "silent" and kept in cages. The back and forth between Noa and Mae, and especially the shot of her clutching her gun behind her back during their final conversation, feels so tense and real. This idea of apes evolving to co-opt a relatively peaceful leader/movement to commit war crimes is awesome and goes to show that oftentimes, our oppressors look just like us. As a whole, the film just looks beautiful, and while I can understand the criticism that it should have been 20 minutes shorter, I think this is a blockbuster giving audiences more to chew on that the last three Star Wars or Marvel films combined. Great performances all-around. I'm already excited to revisit this one.

Brigsby Bear - 9/10
I'm so glad this holds up. I loved it when it first came out, and then for a long time, I struggled to find it anywhere. The Lonely Island guys are talented, but I think it's natural to question how well they could handle something with this much heart. They knocked it out of the park. This film is still so funny and unique and wholesome. Hamill and Samberg are perfect in their (minor) roles. It's funny, I found myself considering this a hopeful and comedic counterpart to I Saw the TV Glow at some points because of its focus on the media we grow up with and our desire to live through that when we're going through trauma. But this film is so unpretentious, just a goofy love-letter to doing what you love and realizing it's never too late to grow into yourself, no cynicism necessary. It's a beautiful sentiment, and the film looks great, too. I can't believe we haven't gotten another Dave McCary-directed film (although it looks like he actually produced I Saw the TV Glow!) or something else penned by or starring Kyle Mooney, although it looks like that's about to change with A24's upcoming Y2K. I can't recommend this one enough.

 

The Iron Claw: 4/5 stars

Well that was depressing. The dad is the villain of the story. Efron was also snubbed for a best actor nom for the Oscar’s.

 

Graduation Day - 5.5/10
Aggressively mediocre and frustrating early 80s slasher with a handful of kills and bizarre moments that make it stand out. Features a seven-and-a-half minute rendition of one of the worst songs I've ever heard. Watch April Fool's Day instead!

The First Omen - 7.5/10
I read that this was similar to Immaculate, but wow - it occasionally felt like I was watching a separate adaptation of the same source material. It's impossible not to compare the two, so while I was ready to call this one slightly more effective in terms of genuine uneasiness and competency, I just feel like the reveal is telegraphed way to heavily throughout, which led to everything after being somewhat unsatisfying. Still, a shockingly solid addition to a franchise I thought was dead in the water. I have to give the edge to Immaculate as I prefer the audacious B-movie reveal (and shocking final sequence) to this film's more deliberate pace and throwback to 70s "son of satan" horror.

Stop Making Sense - 7.5/10
Well, I finally saw it, and while I wouldn't say it made me more of a Talking Heads fan, it certainly was a pretty good time. I love the actual spontaneity of some of the guest musicians, it feels much more lively and interesting than some of Byrne's meticulously planned physicality throughout the show. The best part was acknowledging the influence on the indie music I grew up with (Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire) while also recognizing that, hey, maybe I'm not necessarily missing anything. The Talking Heads are a pretty good band with some great singles that I vastly prefer in this live setting versus on wax. Does anyone know what the cocaine budget was?

Super 8 - 8/10
Really pleasantly surprised at how this one held up. I really enjoyed it when it came out, but of course, I've soured a bit on Abrams since then. And yes, there is no doubt he is imitating Spielberg here even with the man himself on as producer, but he does it better here than a lot of other folks have done it since (looking at you, Duffer Brothers). The character's relationships and emotions feel fleshed out, the film looks pretty good aside from some dark moments that mask the creature design a little too much, and honestly, the child acting is outstanding. I also don't know what critics' beef with the ending was; I really thing it wraps up in a sentimental and beautiful way. It's a sci-fi blockbuster that could use a little more sci-fi that isn't mini-Allspark cubes, but as a whole, the magic is there, and Abrams feels like he's mining nostalgia for himself more so than anybody else, which is the main problem with 80s throwbacks today.

Insomnia - 7.5/10
This is the film I always mixed up with Heat due to being single-word cop thrillers starring Pacino released within 10 y ears of each other. As it turns out, I've seen this one before, and it's pretty good! Just not as good as Heat. I actually appreciate that there isn't some major twist, especially considering high-concept films have become Nolan's downfall in my opinion. Most of what's here feels relatively straightforward if not completely grounded in reality, and Nolan owes a little bit to Fincher for the hard edits and unsettling hallucinations experienced by Pacino here. Everyone talks about Pacino (deservedly) and Williams here, and Williams plays his role well, but I think Hillary Swank also does an excellent job of playing a fresh, morally uncorrupted detective that is slowly becoming suspicious of one of her heroes. The log sequence is great, the setting in general really adds another dimension to the film. The more I write about it, the more I think I really enjoyed it!

 

i mostly enjoyed Super 8, but feel kind of the opposite re: its execution compared to ST. i do agree with you that the Duffer Brothers consistently beat their audience over the head with product placement and pop culture references to say "hey, it's 1985 now! here's a New Coke to prove it! thought you should know!", and it's a pain in the ass to deal with compared to Abram's more subtle approach. that being said, i think Super 8 felt a tiny bit more shallow in the ground it covered, and maybe that's partly because ST is a TV show, or it could be that Abrams didn't feel the need to expand on all his mystery boxes, but i felt like i was left wanting more. like it was good, but it could've been a bit better.