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Andrew POE!

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Posts posted by Andrew POE!

  1. Saw two more today:

    Jackie Brown (leaving Netflix at the end of the month) - One of the more story driven Quentin Tarantino movies that doesn't go over the top with 'shocking' material and told a competently well done story while keeping Tarantino's worst impulses in check.

    Amsterdam (leaving Max on March 19) - Beautifully shot and at times competently directed but such a waste of time for everyone involved.

    Spoiler

    The movie spends much of its time making a mockery of war wounds and play it up as a farce rather than focusing on the central plot about the committee to install a general as president. If you don't like Taylor Swift (somehow), you'll be happy to see her get killed in the first 20 minutes. The setup of the movie would lead you to believe that everyone would potentially be out to get the three main characters but undoes that half way through the movie.

    I enjoyed American Hustle because it literally copied/pasted Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas and left me with those vibes to want to see Goodfellas again. This, it made me want to watch better movies that exist.

  2. Got back from the theater and saw....

    Problemista - Essentially "Job Hunting in Late '20s/Early '30s: The Movie." Tilda Swanson's character literally gave me anxiety every time I saw her on screen. Glenn Close's character from The Devil Wears Prada but overwhelmed and on cocaine, meth and caffeine combined.

  3. More movies watched today:

    Vice (leaving Peacock at the end of the month) - Not a bad movie although a bit superficial about its examination of Dick Cheney. Christian Bale is incredible as the Vice President (although at times it sounded like his version of Batman doing Dick Cheney than anything how the former VP talks). I loved how it combined text on screen, actual news footage, and actors/actresses superimposed on actual footage to form the movie.

    Mon Oncle D'Amerique (leaving Max at the end of the month) - My first time watching an Alain Resnais film. Absolutely brilliant. The lecture from a real life scientist adds to the storylines presented but is separate at the same time. It's over 2 hours long but it flies by due to the acting, direction, and overall structure of the movie.

  4. 13 minutes ago, Matt D said:

    I hate even mentioning these but American Pie and Superbad? American Pie hit right when I was the right age. Breakfast Club was my preference though. That and maybe Rushmore.

    I haven't seen Superbad but American Pie almost blatantly copies at times from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The only difference is it's much grosser and Stifler is a much grosser, less cooler version of Mike Damone.

  5. More movies watched:

    Fast Times At Ridgemont High (Peacock, leaving it at the end of the month) - I've never seen this before so it was a bit of a surprise to me. Great '80s movie and did something a bit different with the story. Basically inspired every other high school age movie that came after it (while it in turn was inspired by American Graffiti). It's crazy watching the mall and seeing malls now be half-empty wasteland with closed businesses and scam operations.

    One Life - Just saw this. Above average film that really should be on Hallmark or Lifetime than movie theaters tbh. Inclusion of Anthony Hopkins and Helena Bonham Carter elevates the movie. Decent acting from them and final 30 minutes were amazing.

    • Like 1
  6. 6 hours ago, HarryArchieGus said:

    Kalatozov! Your post reminds me that there's more than Cranes, I am Cuba and Letters Never Sent. Have you seen either of those other two? I am Cuba has a camera sequence that is mindboggling by any standard of any day. 

    Very curious about Perfect Days. 

    No, but I think they are on streaming or I have a way of seeing them. Not sure when I'll watch them but I know I want to do so soon.

    Kalatozov so far from what I've seen is what Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola got a lot of their ideas from. There's one sequence in The Cranes Are Flying where the camera is following Tatiana through a crowd that got emulated in tons of later movies and is before Steadicam was invented.

    • Like 1
  7. Love Lies Bleeding - Decent movie although somewhat superficial. Essentially a film noir lesbian movie.

    Spoiler

    Some genuinely gross scenes throughout the movie. The first scene in the bathroom where Lou (Kristen Stewart) had to clean out the toilet of a ton of poop about made me want to vomit.

     

    • Like 1
  8. More movies.

    Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (Netflix, leaving on April 1) - Early Scorsese movie that's a bit like Peter Broganovich films in some ways. You can tell it's a Scorsese movie - the scene in the car with "Daniel" playing, the scene going into the house with Mott the Hoople playing. The kid in the movie was annoying (which is the point). I don't see how Kris Kristofferson didn't end up as the leading man of the '70s. He and Ellen Burstyn are just incredible to watch. Harvey Keitel of course is scary as hell to watch.

    Perfect Days - Went to a local arthouse theater to catch this.

    Completely meditative as a movie but never boring. The first 30 minutes will depend on a person's interests: they'll either get caught up in the day to day minutae depicted or pulling their hair out waiting for 'something' to happen.

    I found myself enjoying it and enjoying the rhythm of life in the movie - it taught me to pay attention to routines. Most films that depict 'day to day life' try to make it something bigger than it actually is. The movie just shows the quiet dignity of working a job and living a life. In most movies, guys like Hirayama's co-worker would get the girl and the focus would be on that. Instead, well....it doesn't work out.

    How Koji Yakusho didn't get a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars, I don't know. I guess the Academy didn't want to nominate someone just living their life, scrubbing toilets, listening to Lou Reed and Patti Smith, going to the same restaurant for contention for an Oscar.

    EDIT: Finished this this afternoon on Max...

    The Cranes Are Flying - So far ahead of it's time it's scary. If you told me this movie came out this year, I would believe you. The fact that it came out in 1957 and seemingly predicted a lot of technique that show up in later films (hand held camera shots, close up on an actor/actress' face during emotional scenes, the ending scene has been used in tons of later films) is unbelievable.

    If there had been justice in the world, Tatiana Samoilova would have gone to Hollywood and been as famous as Audrey Hepburn or Natalie Wood. The whole film is her.

    • Like 1
  9. Some more films from yesterday and this morning:

    Savages - Movie from Oliver Stone with Blake Lively and Benicio Del Toro. Basically a drug trade movie. The movie practically peaks in the first 10 minutes. "I get orgasms and he gets wargasms" (an actual line). Blake Lively can't act.

    Pepe Le Moko - 1930s French crime movie. The movie pretty much predicted the amoral thief in later years. Jean Gabin is George Clooney before George Clooney existed. Superior to Savages in every way.

    • Like 1
  10. 2 hours ago, HarryArchieGus said:

    What a great year for film! This was easily my favorite collection of 'Best Film Nominees' that I can remember. I'm always happy to see films and filmmakers I like get a commercial boost from the Academy. Particularly happy to see Zone of Interest take some hardware. I've long loved Glazer and was glad to see him get a nod for arguably his best yet, but especially happy for 'Best Sound'. I suspect the picture will play well on the small screen, but seeing this movie in the cinema was so captivating. Too unnerving for most I'd have to assume. What a year for Sandra Huller! Also glad to see Justine Triet win for the Anatomy of a Fall screenplay. There were a lot of films that challenged the times and momentum-building-relentless-misinformation, and AOAF was amongst the best. Teachers Lounge, which didn't win, also felt like a great awareness raiser. Lanthimos' Poor Things too! Between that and the Curse - what a great year for the talented Emma Stone. Nice to see Da'Vine Joy Randolph's wonderful supporting role in the excellent Holdovers take the win. Also, pleased to see first time director Cord Jefferson take home some hardware. I loved American Fiction. Oppenheimer and Nolan were certainly well deserving. I loved KOTFM and Barbie too. Past Lives was very thoughtful and really good. High(est) voter on the Maestro too. I'd argue more ppl would've been on board with it had they had the opportunity to see it in the cinema. Great sound picture. I was a little disappointed that maybe my favorite movie of all Kaurismaki's Fallen Leaves didn't get any of the Academy rub, but that's somewhat to be expected. Strange hearing Wes Anderson win for that strange and really interesting (I need to see it again) short take a win while not getting any attention for the excellent Asteroid CIty, but the field was strong nonetheless. Again, what a year!

    I agree - I managed to see all but two of the Best Picture nominations (Maestro & KOTFM) and I'm very close to wanting to have them all on Blu Ray. The second The Zone of Interest and Anatomy of a Fall especially show up on Amazon, I'm getting them.

    Sandra Huller should have been somehow nominated twice for Best Actress. Either of her roles this year were incredible.

    Spoiler

    It chills me to the bone to think about her scene wearing a coat from "Canada," which is the name of stolen goods from people in Auschwitz and wanting work done on the coat

    The crazy thing is I saw almost all of them this past week. Honestly that and seeing Dune Part Two has renewed my interest in film (even though I didn't like Dune Part Two that much).

    I'll have to check out Fallen Leaves.

    I manage to watch everything Wes Anderson puts out and I wasn't in love with Asteroid City. The acting was incredibly flat and emotionless for me.

     

    • Like 1
  11. Watched more films leaving various streaming services, here's my thoughts:

    Love Simon (leaving Hulu) - I dug the hell out of this movie. Sometimes, high school teenage movies just hit the spot. Living in Georgia myself, I was surprised that Simon didn't encounter more problems. Not really any dull sections of the movie, although Martin made me cringe every time I saw him (which is the point).

    A Day in the Country (leaving Hulu) - Jean Renoir movie from the 1930's and rather short. Sylvia Bataille is a gorgeous woman and carried the movie. Although the kiss scene towards the end hasn't aged well at all.

    Get On Up (leaving Netflix) - Movie was a tad long and a bit disjointed with its nonlinear format but Chadwick Boseman is incredible as James Brown. The movie doesn't really sink in regarding his life. I loved the sequence leading towards the end though.

  12. Oppenheimer wins Best Picture. All the other movies in the field were robbed. 😉 To borrow a phrase from Steve Earle, I'll stand on Christopher Nolan's coffee table in my cowboy boots to say that The Zone of Interest, Barbie, Anatomy of a Fall, American Fiction, and The Holdovers were better movies.

  13. Christopher Nolan won for Best Director even though Justine Triet, Yorgos Lanthimos and Jonathan Glazer are right there. (I haven't seen Killers of the Flower Moon to have an opinion about it)

    The Zone of Interest scared the shit outta me and I'm still thinking about the movie even after watching it. Jonathan Glazer should have won. The only thing I remember about Oppenheimer is how confused I was about everything going on and how I wonder how there were two women that looked exactly the same.

  14. 51 minutes ago, odessasteps said:

    I thought Banshees was really good but never need to see it again. 

    I would agree. I thought Padraic (Colin Farrell) ended up as an asshole and Colm (Brendan Gleeson) was a complete asshole who did a stupid thing that he can never undo. The movie was more of a gimmick than a story.

    Spoiler

    Colm complained about how 'being good' won't lead to him doing something memorable yet he hangs out with the local policeman and write a song that to be honest didn't sound that great or memorable.

     

  15. Just saw two more movies. I may have found something besides doing Platinum trophy hunting on PlayStation:

    Carol (Netflix, since it's coming off the service next week) - Great movie and Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are absolutely gorgeous.

    American Fiction - Just saw this in theaters. I loved the commentary and what the movie was trying to say. The ending did my head in. It can be compared to  a Woody Allen movie minus the main character getting the girl. Jeffrey Wright's character is much better written than any characters from Woody Allen though.

    Spoiler

    I do wonder if everything in the almost two hours leading to the ending didn't happen or what the truth actually is (did Monk make up everything about his family and his writing the book under a pseudoynm for the film or was is it all true? The film doesn't answer that)

     

    • Like 1
  16. Just saw Drive-Away Dolls.

    Spoiler

    Hilarious but dark movie and basically a Coen Brothers movie in all but name. Margaret Qualley literally acted like Johnny Depp from Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas meets George Clooney from O Brother Where Art Thou? Short movie but sticks the landing. Pedro Pascal plays a severed head.

     

    • Like 1
  17. Just saw The Zone of Interest.

    Spoiler

    The Zone of Interest was almost sleep inducing due to how it was presented (which I wonder if that was the point). What the movie was about was unnerving because of the sounds you hear in the distance and what the characters are seeing that you cannot see. The music was completely terrifying. I can recommend it in a sense, but the movie sticks with you after it's done. The ending scenes stick out in my mind.

     

  18. 1 hour ago, Curt McGirt said:

    Couldn't they have explaned those things with a few lines of dialogue, or even a good old fashioned voiceover?

    Why would they do that when they can make 'cinema' that people like Hideo Kojima love?

    • Haha 1
  19. So I watched quite a number of films this week:

    Dune Part Two - Jesus Christ, this movie was dull. I was looking at my watch about an hour into the film.

    Spoiler

    I dug the first 30 minutes with the overlapping voiceovers and the maneuvering around the Harkonnen enemies - very Kurosawa-esque with how that was set up. But the rest of the movie was boring and did little to explain ANYTHING and little to make you care about anything. The first movie did a better job of explaining the world - it showed you and it told you. This, I have no understanding of why Paul Atreides doesn't want to be the person of Fremen legend. He doesn't want it either. Then he takes a drink of sandworm blood, has a drug experience where he realizes things that aren't explained, and....all of sudden he wants to embrace his destiny?

    Why did Chani seem to be for him doing it at the start, then seem against it, then is really against it and gets moody about it when Paul embraces his destiny? The last five minutes gave me whiplash - he tells Chani he will always love her....then asks for the hand of the Emperor's daughter in marriage. Chani should have walked up to Paul and slapped the shit outta him again for that. No wonder she was like 'f this, I'll ride a sandworm' at the end of the movie.

    The Holdovers - '70s style movie with '80s style characters. After seeing Dune Part Two, this hit the spot and was better for me. Story, characters, character motivation, attention. There were moments that weren't that good (middle of the film was a bit ponderous).

    Anatomy of a Fall - Slower paced movie but really well done. A lot of the complaints I read online were that it was 'boring,' which wasn't the case for me.

    Mission: Impossible II - Holy shit 2000 was a strange time for movies. Unintentionally hilarious and just bad at times. I loved the first 30 minutes though and it was very stylish. Problem is it turns into "Tom Cruise shoots dudes, you never see him shoot them, you see a cut to them getting shot." And motorcycle jousting made me bust out laughing.

    Repo Man - Bud wouldn't want Ethan Hunt in his car either. The movie doesn't offer any explanation as to the car or the purpose of it, which is the point.

  20. On 3/4/2024 at 3:45 PM, AxB said:

    per Fightful, Mike Santana is now gone from AEW. He's off the roster page and not because his name starts with The.

    I wonder how things would be different if Mike Santana got out of his own damn way in AEW and patched things up with Ortiz. Maybe they've would had multiple tag title reigns.

    Well, Mike Santana will do okay for awhile due to AEW connections then languish on the indies.

    • Like 1
  21. 12 hours ago, Steventon said:

    If they really wanted to have Seth and Cody torch Rock all they would have to do is bring up how much of a flop Black Adam and the XFL were. But that may cut too close to the bone.

    And mention overpriced tequila that The Rock owns, which if you have to watch Black Adam you'll need it.

    The Rock is playing chess and Seth Rollins is playing checkers. Friday will be a massacre. Rollins' career will die the same year as CM Punk's did in the main event.

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