[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

Dragonheart sounds like a perfect triple feature with Willow and Ladyhawke.

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

4 hours ago, Technico Support said:

As someone who grew up in, and thankfully got out of, that particular milieu, I can attest to the fact that yes, this is how those people talk.

There's a great deleted scene in Reservoir Dogs where Pink and White are driving around trying to figure out a solution for Orange's injury, and White talks about a nurse he knows.  Her name is Bonnie, and he refers to it as "this Bonnie situation."  @Andrew POE! this will make sense after you see Pulp Fiction.

Good to note. I'll probably watch Pulp Fiction this weekend, depending on what I got going on.

[DVD/BR Collector Thread for the Physical Media Enthusiasts]

22 minutes ago, Zimbra said:

Oh dammit, Criterion is doing a Wes Anderson set with his first 10 movies.

https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/8208-the-wes-anderson-archive-ten-films-twenty-five-years

I will never financially recover, &c

I'm considering getting it despite already owning the non-4K Criterion releases and a few on regular Blu Ray.

If they announce a Pedro Almodovar box set, it's over.  

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

Movies today....a lot of short films.

The Insider (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 5/5 stars

Spoiler

The Insider as a movie is completely, compulsively watchable. Every scene adds to the story and it's not hard to get wrapped up in the story. In a way, the two parallel characters - Dr. Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) and Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) - are echoes of Mann's earlier Heat. The difference being the tension in Dr. Wigand's life over Brown & Williamson crushing him in some form or fashion.

The human aspects of Crowe's character as Dr. Wigand are easily detectable, early on in the movie. He is forced to leave the job he had while caring for his daughters and with health insurance coverage. He is contacted by Bergman over something not even related to what he knows and can blow the whistle on - just documents sent to CBS News & 60 Minutes from a competitor for interpretation. Eventually, Dr. Wigand feels comfortable enough to share his story.

Pacino as Bergman seems to fall into a habit of later career Pacino roles he's done since Scent of a Woman. But here, you can sense the righteous indignation in the character and the dramatics that Pacino provides. I loved the scene where Bergman lays it out for the management. "And Jeffrey Wigand, who's out on a limb, does he go on television and tell the truth? Yes. Is It noteworthy? Yes. Are we gonna air it? Of course not. Why? Because he's not telling the truth? No. Because he is telling the truth. That's why we're not going to air it. And the more truth he tells, the worse it gets!"

With the sense of parallelism for the characters, this is the crux of the movie. Both are acting and reacting to forces greater than themselves - Wigand with Brown & Williamson, Bergman with CBS. It's not just those two characters that have to deal with this. Other characters within the story, like Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer) and Ron Motley (Bruce McGill) react to these pressures in their actors' performances. I loved the scene with McGill lashing out during a deposition.

From watching this movie with today's lens, it's not surprising that 60 Minutes folded and shot down a story due to threat of lawsuit. Today, the current administration is seeking to do that again over the editing of an interview with Kamala Harris. The current President Donald Trump sues 60 Minutes over the story and Paramount is settling and hoping to quell it so the FTC can approve their merger with SkyDance. Sound familiar? Bergman lays out in a scene that CBS Corporate wants to quash the Dr. Weyand tobacco story for....a merger with Westinghouse with CBS and the financial windfall for those in management and in legal. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Even then, Michael Mann did an incredible movie that's more character based than some of the other movies he's done. It goes back to his work on Thief for an examination of the characters involved. The cinematography in this isn't as neon filled and atmospheric as Thief, but there's a bit more subtlety with the movie. Mann in this had more closeups on Pacino and Crowe to show those characters thinking through situations. I liked the scene in the hotel room where Crowe's character is just seated and daydreams about his daughters until the hotel room attendant tells him to "take the fucking call" and snaps out of it.

The Insider is a classic.

Pauline Alone (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 3/5 stars

Spoiler

Meeting people is NOT easy. I'll have to check out more work from Janicza Bravo - she had something with the quirkiness of this short film. I had seen Zola and liked that quite a bit.

Socializing is hard today.

Pete (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 3/5 stars

Spoiler

For an animated short, it tells a lot. Basically, it's about a kid named Pete that wants to play baseball. In the halcyon days of his childhood, he wasn't understood regarding the difference between the gender he was born into and the gender he belonged in.

The animation style is a mixture of watercolors and computer animation, which seems a bit like a lo-fi version of the Pixar short films from their early days.

The end result is of course Pete is Pete Barma today.

Nana (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 3/5 stars

Spoiler

This nana is nuts. She half cooks sausages, kills defenseless joeys, and beats up drunks with a stick. "I love my nana and I want to be her when I grow up." I'll stay away from Australia now.

Killing Time (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 3/5 stars

Spoiler

Apparently, trying to commit suicide is hard work. Just don't do it.

Darkly funny at times.

Fannie's Film (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 3/5 stars

Spoiler

Almost Chantal Akerman-like short film about a woman named Fannie who cleans a NYC dance studio. Similar in spirit to Dis-moi except about one woman.

The Red Tree (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 4/5 stars

Spoiler

History is best when observed and remembered. A short documentary film about a terrible time in Italian history where people were exiled to an island on account of who they were and who they loved.

Everything with this is shot like a fever dream.

Green Bush (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 3.5/5 stars

Spoiler

Interesting short film about a radio station in Aboriginal country of Australia. It seems like a "night-time broadcast" but is more compact than that. At times, you wonder if the people that arrived were ever really there.

Snow Falling on Cedars (Peacock, leaving on 5/31) - 4.5/5 stars

Spoiler

1999 might have been the greatest year in modern cinema history. We had Fight Club, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, The Green Mile, Girl Interrupted, The Matrix, 10 Things I Hate About You, Magnolia, The Insider among others. We also had little known movies that grew much bigger in the years since like Election, eXistenZ, Being John Malkovich, All About My Mother, The Limey, The Wind Will Carry Us, and so forth.

Snow Falling on Cedars should be included in this conversation.

The thing about this movie is so much of it is rooted in modern American cinema and rooted in the more esoteric arthouse cinema. The movie is a lot of things - it is a courtroom drama, it is a romantic drama, and it is a meditation on Japanese/American relations. It can be complained that the narrative for the movie is completely impossible to follow. Which is true but also false.

Snow Falling on Cedars functions on the level of memories. It mimics the way a person's thought process goes at times. One minute, we think about our childhood, another minute we think about a summer job we took in high school, another minute we think about marrying a person we've fallen in love with. Over the course of a fulfilled life, memories aren't told in sequential order.

In a lot of ways with that said, this movie feels like To Kill A Mockingbird directed by Terrence Malick. Ismael (Ethan Hawke) harbors love for a woman that he's been in love with his whole life Hatsue Miyamoto nee Imada (Youki Kudoh). In an absolutely brilliant scene, Ismael recalls when he was rejected in a letter amidst the battleground of WWII and losing his arm in battle while Hatsue reads her letter in a Japanese internment camp to her mother. Her voice repeat and overlap as Hatsue recalls her memories while Ismael recalls his as the music swells up during the scene.

Another incredible scene for scope and size is of the citizens on the island silently being sent away via boat to Japanese internment camps. It recalled a bit of the later The Brutalist to me, except in reverse. The American Dream is taken away from these people because of policies at the time regarded them as 'the enemy.' The scene afterwards where a young Ismael is riding a half-empty school bus says a lot about the aftermath of this action - a lot of Ismael's friends also went to the camp and it's not the same.

Largely what holds the movie together is the trial of Kabuo Miyamoto (Rick Yune). Kabuo is placed on trial due to a fellow fisherman named Carl Heine (Eric Thal) being killed. Kabuo's past is recalled as his family tried to buy land from Carl's parents only for Carl's mother Etta (Celia Weston) to renege on the deal due to sentiment about Japanese Americans at the time. Naturally, there is a presumed motive for Kabuo that the prosecutor Alvin Hooks (James Rebhorn) wishes to exploit with using evidence from the sheriff Art Moran (Richard Jenkins). Representing Kabuo is Nels Gudmundsson (Max von Sydow).

The scenes where Nels is presenting his closing argument recalls To Kill A Mockingbird quite a bit. Nels appeals to the jury's sense of humanity and to look past ethnic groups regarding Kabuo's innocence. This connection with To Kill A Mockingbird is also touched upon with Ismael's father Arthur Chambers (Sam Shepard). I loved the scene where Arthur fields calls about what he wrote in support of Japanese Americans. Ismael during Arthur's funeral is asked to remember Arthur's support of other people. In the last 10 minutes or so of the movie, it seems Ismael has remembered. New evidence is discovered and Kabuo is free.

Cinematography throughout this movie doesn't seem like a standard Hollywood movie. A lot of risky and unique choices are taken - dialogue is spoken, but it cuts to a character looking at something and standing. It then cuts into a character directly talking. As I mentioned, memories serve as a narrative choice; in some scenes, characters remember their long past as children and then remember the recent past, sometimes one after the other. It takes a bit of time to get into the narrative of the movie and for it to make sense. If anything, it's not boring.

The drawback with this is Ethan Hawke as a lead isn't that compelling to watch; a lot of the other actors involved had better scenes like von Syndow and Shepard. Even then, I can't find too many faults with this.

Snow Falling on Cedars is a great movie from 1999.

 

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

15 minutes ago, HarryArchieGus said:

C’mon! Suggesting an actor may be ‘racist’ for following a script or playing ‘white trash’ characters is a ridiculous stretch. Further, you watch more than enough movies to know the strategy of QT’s Reservoir Dogs is authenticity. It’s not remotely a stretch to assume these ‘villains’ would speak like that. 

You're right. But after watching a bunch of movies I began to notice things and presumed something about Keitel.

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

Movies today....no Quentin Tarantino, but a lot of Michael Mann, man.

Thief (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 5/5 stars

Spoiler

Thief, like Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation, is a romantic film.

The difference being the romance for a life wishing to be lead versus a life currently being lead. Frank (James Caan) keeps in his wallet a collage that he's gathered through the years. The collage reminds him of children he wants to have and the mentor that's long since past.

So much of Thief is grounded and within its own reality that can resemble our own at times. Frank as a character is in the lineage of Cary Grant's character John Robie in To Catch A Thief or Michel in Pickpocket or Cobb in Inception; Frank knows of no other life but wants out of it. This "last job" is his way out. The movie goes through highly technical aspects of safecracking and uses a lot of closeups of that - the opening scenes where Frank uses a drill to enter a safe then the camera is placed over the hole is a wonder.

What I liked the most were the character moments with Frank. The diner scene with Jessie is a stand out and famous scene, but I loved the scene with Mrs. Knowles (Marge Kotlisky) at the child adoption agency. "You did not ask about us. You didn't ask what kind of people we are. There is a child waiting, and you are denying us him, and him us. Who the hell are you?" Frank just wants a normal life with Jessie regardless of his past and current situation.

I loved the scenes with Frank and Okla / Dave (Willie Nelson). Nelson gives his character such warmth and humanity that you forget that Okla is a criminal in prison. Yet the friendship with Okla touched Frank completely; he names his adopted child after Okla's real name Dave.

The scene on the beach after the successful robbery feels like an ending to another movie - the music in the scene sets the tonality of triumphant finality as Frank walks shirtless on the beach with Jessie looking forward as the camera pans upward to end the scene. In that moment, Frank feels like an actual human being, not a tool of someone else's usage.

There are also scenes that remind you of Frank's life and the criminal elements he encounters. Whenever the police pick him up then later rough him because of a desire of their cut. There's also the chilling scene with Leo (Robert Prosky) as Frank is on the ground. The camera has a tilted POV as Leo looks downward at Frank. "You got a home, car, businesses, family, n' I own the paper on ya whole fuckin' life."

Once the final job is completed, Frank destroys everything. He blows up his house, the bar he frequented, and the cars in the car lot he worked. I loved the shot of the photograph being left on the ground of the car lot; this signifies the finality for Frank's criminal life. Frank then goes into the safehouse of Leo, akin to Charles Bronson's character in Death Wish, to take out the criminal elements that have so much control over his life.

Eventually, Frank completes it. And walks away with a bulletproof vest. The movie ends much way it began with James Caan as the solitary figure on the screen.

Michael Mann shows so much in this that it feels like he's spent his entire career remaking this movie. There are elements of this that showed up in Blackhat, Heat, and Collateral. Other lesser movies like Den Of Thieves stole aspects from this movie - the description of how the heist goes down in Thief for the final robbery of the movie is somewhat like what was in Den of Thieves.

Frank as a character has heart and testosterone but also brains. Frank is almost a socialistic figure, but is confident in what's owed him. "You are making big profits from my work, my risk, my sweat. But that is okay, because I elected to make that deal. But now, the deal is over. I want my end, and I am out."

I absolutely loved the shot compositions, setups, and camerawork throughout this movie. The soundtrack is incredible and adds to the movie, much like Goblin's soundtrack to Argento's Deep Red added to that movie. It doesn't feel like a movie made in 1981 and has a timeless quality to it.

Thief is just incredible.

Manhunter (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 4/5 stars

Spoiler

Manhunter as a movie is awashed in 1980s style (moreso than Thief was), but at times it doesn't completely nail the landing.

The biggest thing that works against Manhunter is the pacing; William Petersen as Will Graham seems more involved in the murders than the actual killer is. Osgood Perkins used a similar effect with Longlegs, which its main character turned out to be trained by the killer in that movie. Manhunter is a bit different and Graham is asked directly about his obsession over the investigation not to affect him.

I did like the scene where Graham explains what he is doing is to son as the repetitiveness of the grocery store aisles added an unsettling yet calming nature to the scene.

The highlight is Brian Cox as Dr. Hannibal Lecter; his characterization as Lecter reveals his intelligence and his menace. It's not hard to note the scene where Lecter was able to obtain Graham's home address through a simple phone call.

Tom Noonan as Francis Dollarhyde, the film’s primary antagonist, brings an eerie quality to the role. He manages to evoke both menace and sympathy in equal measure, which gives the character an interesting, though somewhat underdeveloped, duality. However, his storyline feels a bit rushed, and there’s not enough exploration of his motivations to make him as memorable or as terrifying as one might hope. I did like the scenes where he kidnapped the reporter Freddy Lounds (Stephen Lang) and shows him slide shows of before and after of people he's murdered; Lounds realizes what this will lead to next for him. The payoff with the figure in the burning wheelchair in a parking deck is unsettling.

The last 30 minutes or so is excellent as Graham and the people he's working with try to get to St. Louis since they have tracked down Lounds. I loved the synchronization of Graham diving through a window in slow motion to a drum fill from Iron Butterfly's "In Gadda Da Vidda." Although the movie uses a lot of repeated shots in the final scenes, it seems more of a stylistic approach than anything.

I absolutely loved the blue coloring and lighting in Graham's house shown at various times in the movie.

The soundtrack was decent at times but a bit repetitive. Some of the songs chosen that were needledropped into scenes didn't really add to the movie, like "Strong As I Am" when Lounds stalks Reba (Joan Allen) and the ending song "Heartbeak." The Iron Butterfly usage added to Lounds as a character and explains a bit of his motivation - which seems influenced by William Blake's poetry and paintings.

Despite some issues with the pacing and some of the aspects, Manhunter is a solid thriller.

Dangerous Animals (saw in the theaters) - 3/5 stars

Spoiler

Dangerous Animals is as much a serial killer movie as it is a statement on toxic masculinity. Twenty years ago, this movie would had Tucker (Jai Courtney) be the hero and having to rescue those he brought on his boat from the sharks; a sense of culpable deniability would be in effect. Then it would be revealed that he couldn’t control it happening and did it anyway.

Instead, it's almost known about from the jump (and from the trailers too) that Tucker is feeding (mostly female) victims to the sharks in open waters off the coast of Australia. Not much is told about Tucker and his motivation, but he seems to relish in the infamy of surviving a shark attack as a child and keeping souvenirs from his killings; much like Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs and the "Tooth Fairy" in Manhunter. After that, what's done is awashed in horror genre tricks and musical motifs. While watching it, I almost wondered if the conclusion would have Tucker get away with it after all, just to find more victims for another day.

Heather Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) has other ideas - Harrison is very much the "Final Girl" like in Friday The 13th and A Nightmare On Elm Street except she's more hands-on with ensuring her survival. Most other horror/slasher genre films doesn't have their female protagonist turning the broken handle of a bucket into a makeshift knife or purposely break her own thumb and bite it off to escape handcuffs. Heather does that and maddeningly doesn't finish off Tucker when she has a chance later on. It makes her as a character a bit frustrating and lead me to wonder if she wouldn't end up surviving the movie anyway.

The other person involved, Moses (Josh Heuston), picks up clues as to Heather's whereabouts and eventually finds where Tucker's boat is parked. He then manages to sneak onboard and the movie leads me to believe that Moses would be able to rescue Heather, but pulls the rug out. Tucker, when Moses is captured, revelles in the toxic masculinity today about calling men 'soft' and somehow seemingly Tucker is "like the shark." "You're nothing like a shark. You lower than that," says Heather causing Tucker to flare up in anger.

I loved a lot of the cinematography throughout the movie - the lighting wasn't too dark but wasn't too brightly lit either. The lighting did a thing where it revealed information within the movie at key points - a lingering shot on the sign for watertight restrictions for example. Also, I found it telling that the dog would bark repeatedly towards Tucker until he scared it off (not sure where the dog went to once all the action towards the end started).

There were a bit of touch and go CGI - the remaining torso of one of the victims in the water and the finale where the shark grabs Tucker while his arm is outstretched. Those scenes weren't quite as good as they needed to be.

The first act does take a bit of time in getting started, but once the movie starts with the main conceit, it's really well filmed and suspenseful. Hopefully, Sean Byrne can do another horror/suspense movie soon.

The Last of the Mohicans (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 3.5/5 stars

Spoiler

The Last of the Mohicans is an interesting film in Michael Mann's filmography. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought Ridley Scott made this. It seems to fit with a lot of historical/period dramas that floated through the 1990s - A River Runs Through It, Legends of the Fall, Amistad, Howards End, The English Patient, etc.

Story wise it's very much a standard historical drama - Nathaniel Poe (no relation) played by Daniel Day Lewis basically is saving the English throughout this entire movie. This is despite they not trusting him and very much regarding him like the French / Indians on the French side. Nathaniel falls in love with Cora Munro (Madeleine Stowe), who is the daughter of Col. Edmund Munro (Maurice Roeves). Magua (Wes Studi) doesn't like the English and wants to kill them all, leading them into an ambush.

Nathaniel and his adopted dad Chingachgook (Russell Means) and his adopted brother Uncas (Eric Schweig) lead the British troops that were ambushed back to the fort. The siege scenes reminded me a bit of the siege in Glory in terms of the lighting.

I did like the story choice of having the conflict be between Magua and Poe; it presented something different than what American filmmaking would do with Native American characters and had a degree or nuance and conflict between the characters. It wasn't just racial stereotypes; there is an element of colonialism with Nathaniel Poe though. He speaks and understands English but also the language of his adopted family. More about the conflict within himself between the two cultures could have worked a bit better.

The highlight for the movie is the cinematography. The shots have an almost painterly/oil painting aesthetic to the lighting and to the closeups taken. Of course, the wide angle shots are really magnificent to watch. I can say I felt some of the shots where bodies were falling off of cliffs near the end didn't look as good as they should.

Even then, who is argue about The Last of the Mohicans? It's a half-way decent historical drama with two really pretty people in the leads.

 

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

2 hours ago, zendragon said:

Also if your are going to continue reviewing QT films (and I hope you do!) you should read Rebels on The Back Lot

I had reviewed Jackie Brown (its in one of the movie threads from the last two years), so I may go through the rest of them.

If I read books in addition to watching movies every day, I would likely die.

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

2 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

I thought maybe that's the lowest score I've seen anybody give Reservoir Dogs, but of course I went back and Ebert gave it 2 1/2. Siskel probably gave it a thumbs down. Too bloody. Anyway, you should like Pulp Fiction a good deal better... I hope. Trust me, it's worth it, if just to be able to NOT say to people "I haven't seen Pulp Fiction". 

Any time Reservoir is on TV it gets a bit of a watch, just for the dialogue. What can I say, I'm a sucker for his writing. Something I just realized is that it's not only a crime drama but a hangout movie. About half and half, really. 

Yeah, I'm not quite a prude compared to Ebert about violence (I could give a crap about 'experiencing empathy through movies'), but Reservoir Dogs story wise just wasn't doing it for me.

 

1 hour ago, zendragon said:

One of the special editions had an essay where she said "Its a movie about the white underclass, the people who don't get to see the results of white privilege" . I feel a lot the dialogue in his movie is authentic, like I can imagine certain people I've know using that sort of language (I do feel the Dead ***** Storage scene in PF is excessive) there is also a theme in lot of his movies that racism didn't stop with the emancipation proclamation. Its not like The Help where the civil right movement is essentially boiled down to one bitchy white lady  

I also somewhat view the usage of racism in Reservoir Dogs to be because "these are low class white people that felt comfortable with each other to say this." Although Harvey Keitel saying it in Reservoir Dogs, then in Bad Lieutenant (I think he did, I probably need to re-watch it) and in Blue Collar starts to feel like a choice from him.

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

Yeah, it's weird - I have more of a desire to see the movies that influenced Reservoir Dogs than actually liking Reservoir Dogs.

I knew someone in college who almost verbatim quoted Steve Buscemi's lines about not tipping when we went to a restaurant one time. He were being serious. Anyone that prescribes to that philosophy is probably a prick.

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

Movies today...

The Last Picture Show (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 4/5 stars

Spoiler

To be fair, I don't really feel like I watched this movie. Falling asleep for a few hours broke up the movie for me, so I'm not sure if my assessment is fair to those reading this or fair to those who've seen the movie and are reading this or fair to those who made the movie.

With that said, The Last Picture Show made me reflect on life in my hometown growing up. For years, there was only one movie theater in town. Now, the theater has been turned into a county governmental building. There are more than one movie theater. There was one main stretch of road stretching from downtown all the way through 'commercial areas' that had a grocery store. We felt like we were something when a Publix opened. Then when a Walmart was opened. Suddenly, more chain restaurants were opening up along this stretch of road.

The town reflects what it produces. For awhile, it was manufacturing of aluminum, textiles, bedding, foam mattresses, canned goods, car manufacturing parts, tires. Then it became distribution centers. Then soldiers for wars in the United States. Football players for larger colleges in the state and in the country. Then houses that people couldn't afford to live in and got foreclosed on. Then nothing.

The Last Picture Show reflects a similar cycle of death and rebirth in a small town. The movie begins as it ends showing the movie theater. At the end, the movie theater closed. The reason being that other forms of entertainment pop up, like television. The remaining character of the movie Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) is in stasis with this life. He runs a pool hall and takes care of a truck that his best friend Duane (Jeff Bridges) has while he fights in the Korean War. There's no guarantee that Duane will return alive - such is the nature of all wars. Sonny ends an affair with Ruth (Cloris Leachman) but with a touch of sadness and grief as they console each other, console their lives.

Throughout the movie, we never see what the characters do outside of the small town. We never see the trip to Mexico Duane and Sonny take, only the aftermath. We never see Sonny and Jacy (Cybil Shepherd) going to Oklahoma to get married, just their return trip and having to follow a state trooper to see Jacy's parents (including the extremely hot Ellen Burstyn who predicted Kathleen Turner's roles in this movie).

To be honest, there isn't much in the way of a 'plot' for this movie. But for teenagers in a small town, what is there to do? The three characters - Sonny, Duane, and Jacy - are focused on sex throughout the movie. Jacy wants to lose her virginity and goes to a skinny dipping pool and gets brushed off. "Come back to me when you've lost your virginity." Jacy eventually does to Abilene (Clu Gulager). Sonny and Duane get in a fight over Jacy with rapid, quick cuts between the two until Duane hits Sonny with a bottle over his face.

With that said, there's a reason why The Last Picture Show is raved about a lot. In a lot of ways, this movie is a response to the French New Wave films of Godard's Breathless and Truffaut's The 400 Blows. One of the classroom scenes is set up almost exactly like the classrooms in The 400 Blows were. Where the French New Wave depicts the nothingness of Parisian life for a few characters and the theaters of French cinema, The Last Picture Show depicts the nothingness of American life for a few characters and the theaters of American cinema. It's telling that the last movie shown at the theater is Red River; the American Western is evocative of a nostalgia for a life that's no longer there.

With the Last Picture Show, there is no nostalgia, but the life that was there is gone.

Emma. (Peacock, leaving on 5/31) - 3.5/5 stars

Spoiler

For period dramas/comedies, Emma. feels a bit like what Wes Anderson would do with the coloring and symmetrical framing in a lot of the shots. This is due to the director Autumn de Wilde being a photographer first; a similar effort with Peppermint Soda also occurred on account of its director Diane Kurys being a photographer first.

Anna Taylor-Joy as Emma leads the characters that are full of Anderson-esque quirks; with Johnny Flynn as George Knightley essentially fighting against being in love with her. Mia Goth and Josh O'Connor's inclusion brings expressiveness to their characters, although both are somewhat acting with a modern lens.

Emma. isn't a bad Austen comedy/drama with exquisite details and costumes.

A Taste of Hunger (Hulu, leaving on 5/26) - 2.5/5 stars

Spoiler

Nicely shot melodrama but ultimately a bit empty story wise. The story is told in flashback with the main drama being about Carsten (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) trying to get a Michelin star in the restaurant he runs with his wife Maggie (Katrine Greis-Rosenthal). Carsten and Maggie are both a bit abusive towards their children (Carsten especially with yelling at her for dropping an oyster onto a sauce he has).

The movie is really worth it for the scenery, but at times feels a bit too "TV movie" (even with the spoken language being Danish) for me.

Reservoir Dogs ("hey, you really should watch Reservoir Dogs") - 3.5/5 stars

Spoiler

Watching this for the first time in 2025, it's hard to believe that this movie was so influential on other crime dramas in the 1990s and that Quentin Tarantino became such an influential director.

Reservoir Dogs as a story is so undercooked at times - we never see the heist actually happen, just about 90 minutes of the aftermath of the heist (and a prologue to the heist) from various times leading up to it.

What makes this work are the memorable needledrops throughout the movie. "Stuck in the Middle With You" while Mr. Blonde / Vice Vega (Michael Madsen) dancing around then chops off a cop's ear. Blue Cheer's version of "Hooked On A Feeling" as the police car follows some of the heist participants.

There is some decent characterization with Harvey Keitel's character Mr. White having a friendship towards then end with Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), who turns out to be an undercover officer. Having to kill Mr. Orange bothers Mr. White as much as it sounds like it does. What's interesting is Mr. White and Keitel's Bad Lieutenant are almost the same character wise.

Also, the dialogue for this hasn't aged well at all. The white actors saying racial epithets throughout the movie gets old really quick.

Reservoir Dogs isn't a bad watch, but isn't as good as Tarantino's later work.

 

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

2 hours ago, HarryArchieGus said:

Also, highly recommend the new documentary/biopic spoof 'Pavements'. Especially or mostly to fans of the legendary band. I'd only seen one Alex Ross Perry film prior - Her Smell. I was completely underwhelmed by that movie - save for a couple of scenes. After seeing this excellent new movie, I'm curious if there's another ARP title that might be in my wheelhouse.

I have reviews floating around for Queen of Earth and The Color Wheel in the movie threads. I liked Queen of Earth a bit better due to Elisabeth Moss. YMMV with both though.

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

Movies today...not as much today due to family stuff.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (saw in the theaters) - 3.5/5 stars

Spoiler

"Truly, for some men nothing is written unless they write it." -Sherif Ali, Lawrence of Arabia

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning as a movie is the culmination of the entire series, yet feels surprisingly underwritten and surprisingly empty. Through the entirety of the nearly 3 hour run time, the story for this feels like it should have been included in "Part One," Dead Reckoning. Much of the story beats were story beats that began in Dead Reckoning and even there seemed to hint at something much greater for the characters. The Final Reckoning seemingly abandons some of these story beats and add in new ones as it reaches its climax.

With The Final Reckoning, the movie is Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and Ethan Hunt alone. The character in this is set up as an avatar for Cruise's Scientology but with Jackie Chan's stunts. Hunt - i.e. Cruise - is the only one who can save mankind from "The Entity," an entirely faceless, voiceless AI that acts in accordance to chaos. The Entity at the start of this movie seeks to take over every country's nuclear arsenal and use it. Why? Only "The Entity" knows. We don't learn anything about "The Entity" than we did at the start of Dead Reckoning. It seemingly became alive and self-aware as the Russian nuclear sub sank in the Arctic, with the implication that someone caused it to do so. With this, "the Entity" does what it wants. It caused the sinking of the sub seemingly for funsies.

The characters seem to think that not having an adversial relation to other characters throws it off, but it turns into a bit of 'deus ex machina' in those moments. Hunt seemingly doing a Jedi Mind Trick to disarm Paris (Pom Klementieff) and Theo Degas (Greg Tarzan Davis) and then agree to team up with him. In the previous movie, Paris was told by Gabriel (Esai Morales) that "she will betray him" because it was foretold to him by "The Entity." The implication being that Paris was to do something for Gabriel / "The Entity" in the wider scheme of things. In this installation? Nothing, not a thing. Paris is just a French speaking IMF member and seemingly happy with being part of Hunt's team. Degas was to bring Hunt in along with Briggs (Shea Whigham) "dead or alive." Now? Degas just go along with teaming up with Hunt because Hunt touched him with the Power of Friendship. Forget that Degas is now an enemy of the United States because he disobeyed a direct order.

Speaking of Briggs, the revelation that he's actually the son of Jim Phelps with Hunt seemingly knowing this is a bit...impossible. (Unless being strapped to the Mobius Chair, I mean connecting to the Entity told Hunt this).

The depressing thing about this movie is the realization that this is a fantasy. Angela Bassett as Erika Sloane, now President of the United States, is a fantasy. The United States, at least during my lifetime so far, will never elect a female President, much less a POC as female President. The choice of Bassett's character as President implies in this movie that someone like Donald Trump would order Hunt to be killed even if Hunt is trying to save the world, would probably have launched the nuclear missiles, and called the Entity "fake news" any way, thus dooming everyone in Mission: Impossible world. Angela Bassett as President is the person we needed in that moment. Too bad the real world doesn't reflect such a person.

The annoying thing about the story for The Final Reckoning is how slim it seems. There's an extended sequence showing Hunt voicelessly going through the downed Russian sub to retrieve the source code. The sequence was at least 20 or so minutes long. It was magnificently shot and beautiful, but didn't add to the story at all. The problem is this is where the movie excels with these wordless, dialogue less sequences. The dialogue that is there is threadbare at most and non-existent at worst.

The character arcs that were in the previous installations are almost non-existent as a result. We don't learn why the Entity discards Gabriel between Dead Reckoning and the start of The Final Reckoning; for something motivated by calculations and computations, the choice to do so is seemingly an emotional choice. Yet, Gabriel seemingly believes that he can "control" the Entity when in the previous movie, he almost as said that he cannot control the Entity. Hunt wants to "kill" the Entity but in the end, the Entity is contained on a flash drive. If they wanted to pick up the series again after this movie, someone could get the flash drive and unleash the Entity again on the world.

The other aspect that the movie mentions is "if the Entity is shutdown, the whole entire internet will be brought down too" and it will trigger a worldwide recession/economic collapse. In the climax of the movie, several different spinning plates are (clumsily) spun at the same time, but yet....there's no economic collapse. Civilization didn't collapse because the Entity was contained.

Which brings me to the climax of the movie. Three of the characters have new 'powers' that weren't used in the previous movies or in the last entry but know how to use them now. The re-introduced William Donloe (Rolf Saxon) knows how to dismantle a bomb despite the character saying "I don't know how to dismantle a bomb." Paris because she knows how to kill people seemingly knows how to keep Benji (Simon Pegg) alive while Grace (Hayley Atwell) hacks a server (while being talked through it by Benji). Meanwhile, Hunt is chasing Gabriel in a biplane recreation of the Fallout finale and plugs in the "Poison Pill" to the source code, which somehow brings the Entity into the secure location whilst falling through the sky, seemingly not near a Wifi tower or an Ethernet port or any frequency (how the fuck that is supposed to work, I have no clue). Then, we get a message from Luther (Ving Rhames) after Luther gets killed off basically offering hope and affirmation that the world can quit fighting and work towards peace (which sadly is a fantasy in the age of Trump).

Which leads me to Luther's death. Rhames had the best part in the entire movie - his character compared to the earlier entries is resigned to his fate and is fine with being a 'voice of reason' for Hunt. Although part of me was hoping that Luther would show in the ending as the various characters silently eye each other before disappearing amongst the citizens.

Other actors involved like the normally great Hannah Waddingham, a non-comical Nick Offerman, Tramell Tillman, returning from Dead Reckoning Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, and underused Tommie Earl Jenkins are merely bit players in Mr. Cruise's Wild Ride.

The thing with watching this installation in the theaters is the run time did sway people away from it and there were fewer people watching it too. To be honest, The Final Reckoning is the last of the "1990s/2000s action blockbusters" from Hollywood. At the time this series was started, action adventure films were more in vogue than they are now. Nowadays, it's atrocious children's movies, smaller budget movies, comic book/video game/teenage wish fulfillment movies, and right wing conservative movies in the theater. The Last Rodeo, which I saw last night, had MORE people seeing it than seeing The Final Reckoning today.

And to be honest, story wise, The Last Rodeo and Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning are virtually similar for being disappointing but for different reasons. The Final Reckoning, unlike The Last Rodeo, deserves to be shown in as large of a film format as possible. The Last Rodeo needs to be shown to a steamroller.

As I mentioned with the quote at the start, The Final Reckoning in a few lines directly referenced "nothing is written" from Lawrence of Arabia. Some of the shots in the movie approaches the grandeur of David Lean's epic style filmmaking. Some of the scenes where the team meets Donloe reminded me a bit of The Thing. And the shot of Hunt being found under the ice is positively glorious and angelic to watch as Grace lives up to the meaning of her name as she rescues him.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is great to watch in theaters, but is a bit too long overall.

Lady Macbeth (Peacock, leaving on 5/31) - 4/5 stars

Spoiler

Lady MacBeth as a character described in the play MacBeth with many scholars is a figure that wishes to move away from motherly pursuits and in some analysis wants to be a witch. She desires power within the context and wants MacBeth to commit regicide, so she can be the Queen of Scotland.

Lady MacBeth, the erstwhile character named Katherine played by Florence Pugh, doesn't desire to become a Queen; she desires vengeance for afflictions from the men she encounters. In the first several minutes of the movie, her husband Alexander (Paul Hilton) makes her strip naked while he lays down and goes to sleep. Katherine is regarded as less than a person by nearly everyone, while the men gathering together mock her. This treatment especially holds true from Boris' father Boris (Christopher Fairbank). Boris, in one scene, makes Anna (Naomi Ackie) crawl on all fours out of the room on account of all the wine being gone.

Katherine exacts her revenge first starting with Boris, then on Alexander, then on a boy sired by Alexander named Teddy, then finally on her co-conspirator Sebastian (Cosmo Jarvis). In the first three instances, Sebastian assists Katherine in completing the murders or covering up for her while she commits the murder. Sebastian reveals what happens and he isn't believed over Katherine, on account of class differences.

What makes Lady MacBeth is the sound, the absence of sound, and the placement of sound. In some ways, the camera setups resembles Roy Anderrsson's work with static setups and nearly motionless camera movement. A lot of times early on, scenes would repeat to denote the delineation of time as the actors move through the house and do various tasks (like Anna helping Katherine get dressed and Anna opening the shutters).

Several times in the movie, Katherine would venture outside to the cliffside for a desire of freedom. There's also a frequent shot of her in a blue dress; the final shot of the movie has Katherine by herself pregnant in a blue dress.

The drawback with Lady MacBeth is much of the story is a bit plain, although the performances especially Pugh were great. The actors in this production seem to move a bit like people rather than performers; it conjured to mind some of Ingmar Bergman's films although there is less dialogue compared to Bergman.

Even with that said, Lady Macbeth is an intense film to watch.

 

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

Movies today....

Next Friday (HBO Max, leaving on 5/31) - 2.5/5 stars

Spoiler

Next Friday isn't nearly as funny as Friday and at times seems a bit too serious. The story in this is honestly spread too thin - Craig (Ice Cube) and his cousin Dey Dey (Mike Epps) have to come up with money to save the house Elroy Jones (Don Curry) and Dey Dey live in while dealing with three Hispanic brothers and Deebo (Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr) hiding in Willie Jones (John Witherspoon)'s animal control truck.

The bits with Witherspoon were hilarious - especially the call back to the original movie with Willie running into a neighbor coming out of the bathroom.

Chris Tucker's presence in this is sorely missed and the movie is less funny as a result.

Directing wise, this movie is really standard and doesn't really have that much in interesting choices. I did like the shot of Deebo coming out of the animal control truck - it seemed like a shot found in a slasher movie.

Dancer in the Dark (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 5/5 stars

Spoiler

Dancer in the Dark as a movie does what Emilia Perez tried to do and failed to do: it presents a musical in a bleak and depressive world of its characters. With this, Selma (Bjork) is a character that cannot separate fantasy from reality, fact from fiction. Throughout the entire movie, she believes things that are simply not true - she wants to save up money for an operation for her son Gene (Vladica Kostic). The oppressive life the character leads is almost too much and almost indicative of small town life; there's no escape or refuge. Selma has to work at a factory because it's the only game in town.

Selma has friendships with several people without really realizing they don't like her as much as she almost naively thinks they do: she befriends a local policeman named Bill (David Morse) and works with a girl named Kathy (Catherine Deneuve). Selma also tries to do local community theater and a production of Sound of Music without really participating in the rehearsals.

At crucial points, the musical numbers occur. The aftermath is much worse off than when they started. The musical numbers throughout the movie are shot differently and have brighter lighting even with the digital cameras; those numbers really stand and seem to serve as a 'break' from reality. In the musicals that Selma admires, life is presented as much better than it actually is on account of singing in a musical. The characters' lives are much better and much fuller. In Dancer in the Dark, Selma imagines the same thing for herself while also addressing the darkness (both literally and figuratively) of her life; she discounts seeing anything anymore and being able to in "I've Seen It All." She counts out the steps to her execution in "107 Steps." She imagines the man she falsely claims is her father also singing to her in the courtroom in "In The Musicals, Part 2." She imagines everyone in the factory joining her in "Cvalda." At the end of the number, she causes a machine to break and is then fired from her job to punish her for making them repair the machine.

The ending is absolutely sudden and soul crushing to watch. Selma is still within the fantasy of musicals until the very end. The last verse on screen is there to absorb the shocking of the ending. Yet, her son's vision is saved and his life goes on.

The thing with Dancer in the Dark is there will be no other movie like this ever again. Other movies since it tries to show the banality and darkness of life but is too polished. Lars Von Trier did a musical (despite not really being a director for musicals) in the style he usually does his movies; harrowing stories and characters placed through the emotional wringer. He doesn't wish to 'entertain' as much as display a sense of hopelessness. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

The Last Rodeo (saw in the theaters) - 1/2 / 5 stars

Spoiler

That's a genuine legend right there. A legendary unintentional comedy.

For a movie about a serious subject like a child having a fucking brain tumor, everyone's line reading in this movie is just terrible. A typical exchange:

"Charlie."
"Joe."
"I need you to come back."
"You remember the last time I did?"
"Yeah."

No emotion, no character work, just nearly 2 hours of Neal McDonaugh trying to be Clint Eastwood except he's playing a fictional bull riding champion with Myketi Williamson as his "bull fighter." (The difference between "bull rider" and "bull fighter" isn't explained in this movie nor do they attempt to explain anything with bullriding). You'd probably need to watch 8 Seconds if you want to watch a movie where they explain bullriding for rubes like me. As it is, it feels like WWE but with guys wearing tight jeans and tight shirts and cowboy hats. Nothing homoerotic about this movie at all, no sir. Neal McDonaugh is also shirtless several times in the movie if that's your thing.

You know the movie is in trouble when it starts listing production companies and the movie title as if this is a PowerPoint presentation. "Oh shit, we need an intro! Let's get the intern to do it!" and then the worse usage of Kuleshov effect as Neal McDonaugh and a bull stare at each other. Will McDonaugh have his first on-screen kiss with a bull?

The dialogue in this is something out of an Aki Kaurismaki or Roy Andersson movie except they're being serious. Everyone talks at one sentence at a time. Sure, we have "Simple Man" playing in a nice sequence where Joe Wainwright (Oh God, I wish Rufus Wainwright's "April Fools" was in this movie to save us) re-learns to ride a bull on a mechanical bull. Charlie pulls up to try to talk him out of doing something stupid for grandson, like riding a bull again.

The elephant in the room with this premise is why socialized medicine and universal health care would have solved every fucking problem that Cody (Graham Harvey) had with an unexpected brain tumor. Yes, okay fine, more would be paid into taxes for it for Joe Wainwright. Whatever. Jimmy Mack (played by Christopher McDonald), who you know has an offshore account somewhere in the Bahamas, would have to pay more. "But we're 'Mericans, man, that's for the Democrats to be for communist medicine! America means you go through something on your own and drive yourself into ruin financially because Land of the Free and Home of the Brave! 'Merica!" Okay dude, go eat your food and watch Joe Rogan podcasts and FOX News. But none of this shit of the people competing in the Pabst Blue Ribbon - I mean, Professional Bull Riding league - having to provide some of their money for Cody's recovery would have to happen. The central conflict being because of a healthcare system that is broken and the main character deciding the way out is to do something as risky and dangerous as bullriding is dumb, sad, and heartbreaking. The other movie I saw today had Bjork's character saving her money in a tin to pay for a surgery. Joe Wainwright has virtually nothing beyond insurance except for fame. Bjork's character did more planning than Joe Wainwright did throughout the entire movie.

The movie never talks about any of these points other than Joe Wainwright saying "it's my problem" and he didn't want to include anyone. Okay, dumbass, why the fuck didn't you include anyone when your wife also had the same fucking brain tumor? Why push away your daughter Sally (Sarah Jones), who in an actually great scene, lays out why your sorry ass had to be cleaned up, picked up, and dusted off due to alcoholism? Why are you repeating the same mistakes you made except this time you don't drink alcohol (congratu-fucking-lations you don't drink alcohol)? Why is Joe Wainwright as a character have zero character arc and doesn't learn anything? I guess if Cody needs another brain tumor removal operation, Joe will climb upon another bull to earn money for him.

The only great scene of actual acting was between Sally and Agisa Williams (Irene Bedard) where they talked about a clock that is next to Cody's hospital bed. It's great because the actors made the characters seem like actual people.

McDonaugh at times tries to make Joe Wainwright seem like an actual person, albeit a bit of a prick. Williamson also tries as well and relishes in busting Joe's balls the entire movie. Billy Hamilton sounds terrible and sarcastic and like a douchebag robot whenever he appears on screen. Jimmy Mack sounds like Will Ferrell in Eastbound & Down - I kept waiting on him to give Joe a speech about "letting the boy watch" before Joe goes bull riding. Every other person has a punchable face and a punchable voice (the PBR announcers made me want to reach through the screen and punch both of them in the face, especially Clint Adkins).

Just watch National Anthem. It's a better movie about rural Western culture and it's beautifully shot.

Jon Avnet as a director did a Hallmark/Lifetime movie with this. Just cry into your copy of Fried Green Tomatoes and watch that instead.

Friday After Next (HBO Max, leaving on 5/31) - 2.5/5 stars

Spoiler

A bit better than Next Friday with more verbal gags and extended jokes that go throughout the movie. Katt Williams as Money Mike is a national treasure and should be protected.

The humor with Craig (Ice Cube) and Dey Dey (Mike Epps) is a bit sexist compared to the earlier ones, but it does work out in the end.

It's crazy how One Of Them Days uses a similar plot line as this movie; even down to the climatic party that various characters appear in.

Not a bad effort, just a bit average.

 

[DVD/BR Collector Thread for the Physical Media Enthusiasts]

On 5/20/2025 at 6:06 PM, Curt McGirt said:

We were talking about this on the Discord: There's a 14-disc (!) Mario Bava collection coming out on Shout Factory, and Severin is also releasing four individual discs of Lamberto Bava. And Kino is putting out Danger: Diabolik! So, woof. 

I want the 14 disc Mario Bava collection NOW. Give me Fulci collection and Argento collection and that's giallo heaven.

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

Movies today....

The Grapes of Wrath (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 5/5 stars

Spoiler

For a director like John Ford, this is probably his most progressive leaning and Socialist leaning movie. Even then, compared to the book and what John Steinbeck wrote about the plights of the working poor, the grueling cruelty of capitalism, and poverty, The Grapes of Wrath as a movie doesn't quite bear its fangs as much as it should.

The fault for that is several things: the Hays Code and the fear of producer Darryl Zanuck of agitating the audience for the pro-socialism message of the book.

Even then, this is one of the most beautifully photographed and shot movies I've ever seen. The cinematography in this alone is ahead of its time by decades. Some of the shots recall the beauty of Italian neorealism in addition to that film style's focus on the common people and the way of life for them.

The movie has one of the most beautiful and naturalistic openings I've ever seen - Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) simply walking to a store along an opening road. He takes a ride with someone, after appealing to their sense of humanity. "Just because you have a sticker doesn't mean you have to listen." The shot of Joad being dropped off stuck with me. "It was for homicide!"

Joad gets to his parents' house (with a wonderful shot of the mailbox) and finds the house empty. He runs into Muley Graves (John Quanlan) who is on the run (with again a tremendous shot using a lantern as a light source). Tom eventually finds his family after hiding out from the law.

As we learn more about the Joads and others like them, they are at the mercy of land deedholders; capitalism rewards the deedholders, who by virtually having more money can remove families from lands that have been theirs for decades. Quanlan had a great line in flashback recounting what happened: "There ain't nobody gonna push me of my land! My grandpa took up this land 70 years ago, my pa was born here, we were all born on it. And some of of us was killed on it! ...and some of us died on it. That's what make it our'n, bein' born on it,...and workin' on it,...and and dying' on it! And not no piece of paper with the writin' on it!"

The Joads go to California with a promise of work based on a flyer. The movie resembles a road trip, like what later movies like National Lampoon's Vacation and Little Miss Sunshine would do. The Joads meet a person who tells them to turn back around since he just came back from there himself. There's a sense that the Joads cannot do anything but keep going.

Throughout the movie, various family members and friends leave the Joads. Jim Casy (John Carradine), who is the socialistic heart of the movie, gets wised to what is really going on and the working conditions for everyone. He wants to organize a strike and he doesn't live after the law finds him and others. As Tom Joad said, "That Casy. He might have been a preacher but he seen things clear. He was like a lantern. He helped me to see things clear." In some ways, the movie is almost making the statement that socialism doesn't pay (but yet doesn't speak out against capitalism either). Tom Joad doesn't understand what those in power say about those for socialism: "Listen, what is these reds? Every time ya turn around, somebody's callin' somebody else a red! What IS these reds, anyway?" This also happened earlier in the movie when the guy talked about what he lost and saw in California too and gets accused of having socialistic tendencies too.

Towards the end, Tom Joad has a revelation about the way the world (and the United States) works. He sees himself as almost a revolutionary figure, even if he doesn't fully understand the length and breadth of it. "Then it don't matter. I'll be all around in the dark - I'll be everywhere. Wherever you can look - wherever there's a fight, so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever there's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there. I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad." Like his entrance into the movie, Joad's exit has him walking albeit further in the distance.

The ending to the movie is vastly different than the book. Ma Joad (Jane Darwell) and the family ride off with their fates unknown. Yet Ma Joad is insistent that they will survive. "Rich fellas come up an' they die, an' their kids ain't no good an' they die out. But we keep a'comin'. We're the people that live. They can't wipe us out; they can't lick us. We'll go on forever, Pa, 'cause we're the people." It seems to be almost a cop-out of an ending; throughout the movie, there was no guarantee of survival for the characters. In all likelihood based on the ending, the family would dwindle down until there was no one left. But got to love Hollywood censorship and producer meddling into a work to avoid any sort of controversy.

Despite the diluted story and characters, The Grapes of Wrath is still an incredible movie just from a purely technical standpoint and holds up well today.

Lilo & Stitch (2025) (saw in the theaters) - 3/5 stars

Spoiler

Lilo & Stitch (2025) doesn't do anything new story-wise compared to the animated 2002 version, but is decent for the most part. The introductory scenes with Lilo (Maia Kealoha) had a bit of The Florida Project mischievousness as well as bad relations with other kids. The movie quickly drops this sub-thread with the introduction of Stitch (Chris Sanders) as Stitch (or Experiment 626) crashes to Earth.

The movie stresses throughout the theme of family togetherness; sometimes it works with Lilo and Stitch but other things not as well with Lilo and her older exasperated sister Nina (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong). Agudong is a bit underwhelming at times and the movie doesn't quite hit the emotional highs it needs to otherwise.

I did like the slightly The Birdcage-esque relationship between Dr. Jumba Jookiba (Zach Galifianakis) and Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) as they try to follow Stitch on Earth and capture him. Also, following Stitch is Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance) and the movie actually referenced Men In Black with the line "I'm the first, last, and only line of defense." I also dug the reference to Thor: Ragnarok as Jookiba kept falling through the holes while human before reverting back to his alien version. (They go for a different less funny joke payoff instead; I found myself silently saying "I've been falling for 30 minutes" in my seat).

Dean Fleischer Camp did the incredible Marcel The Shell With Shoes On, so a lot of the technical aspects of the movie were great although a bit safe. Compared to the earlier movie, it wasn't as overwhelmingly moving like Marcel was with dealing with emotions that children have to go through sometime. Lilo & Stitch did talk about Nina and Lilo's parents' death and it informed the narrative.

Even then, Lilo & Stitch isn't a bad live action remake.

Donnie Darko (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 2/5 stars

Spoiler

This is the first time I watched Donnie Darko all the way through. I had somehow saw the ending while channel surfing premium cable one time and thought, "huh, I wondered what happened."

Having seen it - it's not hard to figure out the movie plot or character wise. It's just so much of the plot is so inconsequential. None of the plot threads introduced early on actually play a role in the story of the movie at all.

This movie feels like it would be what maladjusted teenagers in the early 2000s considered 'deep,' just like watching Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction or American Beauty or The Boondock Saints. I haven't seen Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction so it's probably not fair to lump those movies with this. But everything involved with this movie feels 'in the moment' of 2001 rather than any bit of 1980s nostalgia.

The movie starts and feels very John Hughes like so it lead me to believe that the characters involved would be high school students just trying to make it through high school in 1988. Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) is found lying down on the highway. How he got there? Who knows, the movie doesn't seem interested in presenting anything that would fill in the blanks or even a character examination for that moment. So is it trying to be like David Lynch? Yes, and maybe too hard.

A lot of the story threads at the movie progresses just aren't that interesting. Why is Frank the Rabbit (James Duval) appearing only to Donnie? The movie lead me to believe that Frank the Rabbit was an ID to Donnie and acts in ways he doesn't wish to (the broken water pipe, burning down Jim Cummings' house, etc). I also thought it would be similar to what Jonathan Glazer did in Sexy Beast and Frank be a personification of the Devil (where Don Logan is buried under a pool and meets him for the first time). Instead, nope, Frank the Rabbit is really a teenager without the mask, he's not a Future Version of Donnie coming back to tell Donnie to do things (a la what happened in the video game Infamous). We later see Frank hit Donnie's 'girlfriend' Gretchen (Jena Malone) with a car and kill her. That moment doesn't even seem earned, it just seemed like "then this happened" like the way a teenager describes events.

Donnie and Gretchen's relationship is unrealistic and actually pretty unsettling to be honest. Gretchen seems to be drawn to Donnie despite Donnie telling her at the jump to "GTFO and don't see this dude again." Apparently, Donnie telling her that he is 'hearing things too' like her father is a turn-on (Richard Kelly must have never talked to women). Instead, Gretchen and Donnie stay together and are drawn to each other, despite Donnie being absolutely a creep and probably has a lock of her hair in a jar somewhere. I hope this wasn't the writer Richard Kelly's way to be 'cool' because I got creepy serial killer vibes from Donnie Darko throughout the movie. I'm not sure exactly how this was fine in 2001, but in 2025, it hasn't aged well at all. But hey, Jake Gyllenhaal and Jena Malone look pretty holding hands.

There's also the story thread with Karen Pomeroy (Drew Barrymore) being fired for teaching about Graham Greene's short story and that apparently being the cause of the water pipe destruction. Kitty Farmer (Beth Grant) basically did "Moms For Liberty" before that was a thing and wants to ban Graham Greene, yet she coaches a group of girls that wouldn't be out of place in Cuties. Not to mention the movie casually mentioning Jim Cunningham (a wasted Patrick Swayze) having child pornography in his house. Richard Kelly seems to want to make a point about the hypocrisy of right wing figures in America, but he never comes out and says it. It's almost like what Sam Mendes did in American Beauty where it was shock for the sake of it being shocking.

The movie then decides towards the end, "you remember everything you saw in about an hour and some change? We're going to undo it all in about five minutes with everything going backwards and have it go back to the beginning of the story but with Donnie Darko having 'new knowledge.'" Donnie Darko decides to stay in the bed as a plane turbine falls through the roof (from the time later in the movie where Donnie's mom and his younger sister were in a plane crash yet the turbine was thrown backwards in time). It's not just nonsensical, it's just bad writing.

After ripping apart Donnie Darko, I can say the positives are Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko has a bit of charisma (although one of the voices he uses at the psychiatrist's office sounds like Chris from Family Guy). Jake and Maggie as his sister Elizabeth have palpable relationship due to the two being related. The music needledrop choices were actually great - I liked the opening with Donnie riding a bicycle to "The Killing Moon," and the montage to "Head Over Heels." Of course, everyone talks about the cover of "Mad World" at the end and it was nice.

But holy crap is the rest of the movie just not that good. It seems to be an exercise in style rather than narratively anything substantial. it tries to meld John Hughes and David Lynch along with other directors and the resulting movie is dull, uninteresting, and shallow. There's no 'deeper meaning' to Donnie Darko that I can tell. (It's also possible my taste in movies is terrible and this movie is actually great, but I'm not seeing the same thing).

 

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

49 minutes ago, J.H. said:

Speed 2: Cruise Control - Why do I do this to myself?

The second Keanu backed out that should've been the end of this project. Has Jason Patric ever look ed so bored to be in a movie?

Is it me or is Willem Dafoe's character pretty much like a D-level Batman villain? I mean, guy invents a naval guidance system but due to dangerous materials he used he now has to use leeches (on his dick?) to suck out copper from his bloodstream. Surely Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown could take this guy out without destroying an entire pier!

Just fuckvthis entire movie!

James

Is it Home Alone 3 and Home Alone 4 level of "this sequel wasn't needed" bad?

I'm surprised there isn't a Speed 3 (or Sp3ed, I mean it's right there). I'm sure they could have gotten an actor that appeared regularly on The WB/UPN/The CW to play the lead. Get Scott Speedman to be the lead, it's built into his last name in the first place.

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

Movies today....had to do work stuff, so not as much as usual.

The Real Thing (Mubi, leaving on 5/31 / mini-series) - 3.5/5 stars

Spoiler

Having watched all 10 episodes, in a lot of ways, this feels very much like Jonathan Demme's Something Wild but with Japanese culture. Somewhere along the way, it becomes less of a 1:1 copy of Something Wild and more of an examination of love and life within Japanese culture.

Tsuji (Win Morisaki) can be considered a stand-in for Jeff Daniels' character in Something Wild. He is stuck in a rut in his life and having to balance two different girlfriends that work with him at the same company. Both Hosokawa (Kei Ishibashi) and Minako (Akari Fukunaga) want different things from Tsuji. Hosokawa has an almost motherly nature towards Tsuji and wants to stay with him and support him. Minako has a "student/senior" situation with Tsuji (which seems to be common in Japanese culture). Tsuji somewhat takes advantage of Minako's inexperience and lack of awareness for her situation.

Everything is going relatively good until Tsuji meets a woman named Ukiyo (Kaho Tsuchimura). From background and past alone, Ukiyo is like Melanie Griffith's character in Something Wild; the difference being that Ukiyo is more helpless to her situation and wants protection but doesn't know where to turn for it. At the start of their meeting, Ukiyo's car is stuck on a train track as Tsuji pushes it off the tracks - that's very much a metaphor for Ukiyo as a character. She's stuck with no direction and requires a push.

As the mini-series progress, we learn more about Ukiyo's background and how the various men in her life require more than she is capable of giving. Wakita (Yukiya Kitamura) wants money from Ukiyo that Tsuji pays up for her. Tadashi (Shohei Uno) is married to her and could be considered like Ray Liotta's character from Something Wild (although a bit more benign). Introduced in the last two episodes, Daisuke (Shugo Oshinari) had done a suicide pact with Ukiyo and is the public face of a company; he tries to get Tsuji to work for him. Through a financial collapse of the company does Tsuji learn the truth that he managed to dodge the bullet on joining.

It's through the introduction of Daisuke and in the last two episodes does the mini-series invert what was expected and done in Something Wild. Tsuji gives up on life essentially and quits trying to pursue or protect Ukiyo. Everyone loses contact with Tsuji and he quits his job. The main character of the mini-series switch from Tsuji to Ukiyo. Ukiyo spends years searching for someone that didn't want to be found and gives Wakita to locate him.

At that point, it's then wondered "Was pursuing love really worth it for these characters?" Tsuji expected the norm of society to save him and for Ukiyo to fix herself through his actions. The truth is vastly different. In some ways, Tsuji as a character is not really the hero the mini-series presents; a few times, he presents a bit of a misogynist streak by actually blaming Ukiyo for getting pregnant while talking to Hosokawa. He tells Minako he didn't really love her which completely damages her as a person (she shows up to work with blonde hair and gets reprimanded for 'dressing like a child").

What Koji Fukada seems to be examining with his country's culture is somewhat akin to Lars Von Trier's examination of similar themes in his movies. The difference is Fukada is a bit more readily television friendly (since this mini-series appeared on Nagoya TV) versus Von Trier's more explicit depictions.

Amadeus (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 5/5 stars

Spoiler

The difficulty of talent boils down to who got there first in a field.

For Amadeus, the movie is the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce). Mozart in this is both the hero and the villain of his own story; his giggling, almost supernatural laugh is both mocking and amusing, as if it's a joke that no one other than he gets. Throughout the movie, it is about four different relationships Mozart has: one with his rival and sometimes friend Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), one with his wife Constanze (Elizabeth Berridge), another with his father Leopold (Roy Dotrice) and another with the German emperor Joseph II (Jeffrey Jones). Each relationship requires different things of Mozart; like all currency, it's spent and it's stretched too thin, which is a theme in this movie.

The movie starts almost like a Gothic horror movie; Mozart's music is playing as someone yells out "Mozart! I confess! I killed you!" and two men attempt to sway him with sweets. The man is carried out through the streets to a psychiatric hospital. Like all things with Milos Foreman and calling back to his earlier One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, the hospital is utterly maddening as various men have their arms stretched out to Father Vogler (Richard Frank). The movie functions as a 'jailhouse confessional' as Salieri tells the story from the start about Mozart and his unbelievable talent even as a child.

Salieri in a scene early on is told by Father Vogler "All men are equal in God's eyes." Salieri responds measured and increduously, "Are they?" Salieri's lack of faith is a reflection of a feeling of failure in himself. He loves music as much as Mozart does, but feels he inadequate in talent and in ability. Mozart, at various points, admires Salieri (in the aftermath of his opera's performance) and ridicules Salieri (in playing a piece in style of Salieri then farting out loud or taking a piece written by Salieri and picking it apart). Watching this movie, I wanted at some point for Salieri to air out his grievances with Mozart, but that never happens. That, after all, is the job of everyone else.

This mixture of friendly and adversarial relationship caused Salieri to denounce God and any idea of the spiritual; in his words, "God killed Mozart and left me here as punishment."

Mozart's relationship with his wife is prickly at best. Constanze secretly goes to take music he wrote to Salieri to audition as a tutor for the emperor's relative, but is taken aback when Mozart arrives drunkenly with a woman he just met. Mozart and Constanze's relationship is introduced almost out of the blue after the first performance of Marriage of Figaro. Mozart's lead female vocalist reacts angrily at the sight of her after the German emperor leaves. The two characters really have more of an argumentative approach compared to Salieri and Mozart do and those two were supposed to be rivals.

Next is the relationship between Mozart and his father Leopold. The noteworthy mask is worn by Leopold when Mozart decides to go out for the evening with him in tow. Leopold's mask has both happiness and sadness on either side; meaning that the mask, like the actual emotions, can be turned on a dime. Leopold has his head turned towards Mozart with the happy side appearing; it cuts to Mozart looking pleased. Leopold's head turn towards Mozart and shows the side angry or sad. Finally, he pulls off the mask and is ready to go.

The other aspect that is interesting were the scenes when Leopold visited Mozart and ask him how he's doing financially. Mozart responds that 'he's fine' while he doesn't even know how he's going to make money; there's something true to life with this. It called to mind for me those that attend college and assume quite a bit of student loans just to complete their studies. How they will pay for it? They don't know - some of us it took over 20 years to get paid off. Some of us, less than that. Some of us will work the rest of our lives to pay off student loans regardless of if we can find a job or not.

The final relationship is with Mozart and Emperor Joseph II. Emperor Joseph II plays favorites with Salieri, essentially playing the two against each other. Mozart is contemptuous of royalty and of authority (just like Foreman's character in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest!) and if it were anyone else, he would be dead. Mozart's talent and abilities carry him further than anyone else would have gone and he knows it. One scene I liked was Mozart's explanation for working on the Marriage of Figaro. Mozart curses out and says "I'm crass, but what I'm writing is not." Eventually, of course, we see the performance of the Marriage of Figaro and Joseph II loves it (just ignore him yawning once).

The mask that I mentioned earlier comes back to play throughout the movie. Salieri, as part of his plan to "achieve [Mozart's] death," assumes the disguise as a benefactor wanting Mozart to write a requiem for Mozart's father. In this form, the mask goes from a costume figure at a party to a personification of Death or of the Devil. Mozart attempts to 'bargain' with the person, requesting more time, as if he is trying to bargain with Death itself for more time on the earth. It's like what Bergman did in The Seventh Seal with playing chess with Death; except this time, Mozart is writing his music with Death. Salieri assists Mozart out of costume as Mozart dictates to him his work.

Mozart dies with both ends of the candle having been burnt out after Constanze arrives to find him unable to wake up. In a darkly comic moment typical of Czech New Wave films, the undertakers take Mozart's coffin through the streets then just dump his body into a pauper's grave. Like anything else, money takes more precidence than anything else; like Constanze mentioned when meeting with Salieri "he can't hang on to money, it just slips through his fingers as fast as he gets it."

The really extraordinary thing as I watched Amadeus is the amount of detail and color with everything in the production. No one actor wears the same costume as another actor. The colors of the outfits vary with each person; the texture of the wigs even look different with the background players. Set design has a similar maddening eye for detail; things like chandeliers don't look the same from each other and have a different shape for each piece in the chandelier. Wallpaper in the sets vary; Emperor Joseph II's palace has a brighter coloring versus the common opera house shown with the performance of The Magic Flute.

What I loved as well was the choices made with cinematography; lighting throughout the movie has a 'grounded' feel even with a period piece setting. Streets look ominous and dark as characters transverse them. I especially loved how the camera cut quickly between the performers and Mozart as he conducts (although not historically accurate, it's fine for what this movie is trying to do).

The drawback is towards the end it dragged a little bit. What killed Mozart is a bit anti-climatic in some ways; it can be almost argued that Salieri's disguise and his attempt to lure Mozart to write a mass for money killed Mozart. Mozart is a mess and not the same person we saw at the start of the movie.

And that ending is incredible. " I will speak for you, Father. I speak for all mediocrities in the world. I am their champion. I am their patron saint." and "Mediocrities everywhere... I absolve you... I absolve you... I absolve you... I absolve you... I absolve you all." Salieri realizes that he can't hope to have been like Mozart, so why even bother trying?

Still, Amadeus is an absolutely perfect movie. It took the standard biopic movie formula and added a dose of psychology to the characters and just incredible direction, cinematography, performances, and editing with the movie. I'm going to get the 4K Blu Ray release. It's that great.

 

[2025 Upcoming Movies Thread]

3 hours ago, odessasteps said:

Is that like Scaritti Politti? 

That movie sounds like the Perfect Way to get people to stay home than to go to the theaters.

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

Movies today...not as much due to work and going out tonight.

Topology of Sirens (Mubi, leaving on 5/31) - 4.5/5 stars

Spoiler

The closest movie that is similar to this in tone and in vibe is Janet Planet. For locations, probably Play Misty For Me. A sunny, rural, summertime in California type of movie. Cas (Courtney Stephens) inherits her aunt's house and finds an ancient French hurdy-gurdy with mini-tapes stored away. She meets with friends and they discuss various cultures' names for sunshowers, the history of pipe organs in churches, and riding in boats with a sailor who tells of islands in Indonesia having their own language. Cas and her friend Whitney (Whitney Johnson) record in the house with various instruments loops and sounds.

The movie has an unique wavelength and vibration. There isn't really a plot as there is a feeling; at times, it seems to disappear up its own ass. But there's something positively glorious to watch about it; this is to be a movie to be experienced on headphones. Every sound, noise, and music played adds to the atmosphere.

I didn't quite understand the two younger women (labeled as Tracker Siren and Scribe Siren) played by Samantha Robinson and Langley Hemingway and how those characters related to the story; the characters seem bewildered by the modern world like escalators and metro transit rides. They arrive at the house towards the end of the movie, but it's a bit difficult to figure out what happened after that.

Still, the ending is pure stillness as Cas watches a baseball team take a field. The director for this, Jonathan Davies, actually worked on another baseball movie I saw recently, Eephus.

It's A Disaster (Mubi, leaving on 5/31) - 2.5/5 stars

Spoiler

It's A Disaster is more similar to Save Yourselves! than to This Is The End or The World's End for "end of the world" comedies. Compared to all three, it's much more of a smaller-scale comedy that focuses on the interactions with the characters rather than a defining story arc for the characters.

What seems to be at play for the characters is the sense of unresolved issues with each of the couples. Tracy (Julia Stiles) started dating Glenn (David Cross) from an online dating site without really realizing what he thinks or believes (which comes into play at the end of the movie). Her whole character is worried about dating guys that "are obviously crazy." Glenn is a history teacher, but it turns out to be Biblical history. So the chance for the apocalypse is up his alley.

The rest of the characters are dealing with relationship issues; the nerve gas attack forces them to focus on where it went wrong for them in the relationship. For one couple, Hedy (America Ferrera) and Shane (Jeff Grace) break it off during the brunch. Another couple, Pete (Blaise Miller) and Emma (Erinn Hayes) break up during the brunch only to get back together by the end of the movie.

The ending of the movie leaves the characters' fate unknown; it is likely they will die due to running out of oxygen or eventual seeping of the nerve gas into their house.

It's A Disaster as a movie is a bit basic with a lot of the scenes and a lot of camera setups; it feels more like an extended episode of a TV series than a standalone movie. It is notable for the fact that Julia Stiles was in this movie. Stiles having done franchise films like the Bourne series and of course Save The Last Dance seems to fit in with the comedy troupe approach the movie takes.

 

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

1 hour ago, Curt McGirt said:

Have you seen Sonatine yet? Definitely go see that. You can find it for free online somewhere, I think maybe even Youtube.

EDIT: Ah, you are in luck. A few screens to jump through, but it's there, in a multitude of subs and perfect video. https://www.lookmovie2.to/movies/play/1691481683-outrage-beyond-2012

No, I haven't seen Sonatine. I'll probably 'drown myself' in Kitano filmography soon.

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

6 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

Beyond Outrage was, I think, my favorite one. Maybe you wanna go backward?

I do, but I can't find the first two on free streaming anywhere. They're on Amazon Prime / Warriors & Gangsters, but I'm not sure I want to subscribe to another streaming service. Depending on where I'm at with this month for what I want to finish for stuff leaving this month, I may consider it.

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

Movies today....

Outrage Coda (Mubi, leaving on 5/31) - 3/5 stars

Spoiler

I'm not exactly sure watching Outrage Coda before seeing Outrage and Beyond Outrage is the best way to go with this. Compared to other Takeshi Kitano movies I've seen, it seems a bit overloaded with exposition. It's therefore hard then to get a grasp on the characters or who the characters are; you could literally use AI to plug in the names and you would have the same story.

Kitano plays Otomo who is serving Mr. Chang (Tokio Kaneda) as an aging Yakuza. The various families within the organizations are fighting amongst themselves and there's a lot of violent scene - including one scene that's like the "red wedding" from Game of Thrones but with machine guns during a meeting.

Otomo at the end commits seppaku because he took things to far.

In a lot of ways, this is Kitano's last yakuza film because he hasn't done those types of movies since then. I wonder if at some point Kitano is going to settle into a type of director Woody Allen became where he still told the same type of stories with his movies but within much younger actors.

Incompatible With Life (Mubi, leaving on 5/31) - 4.5/5 stars

Spoiler

Absolutely gut-wrenching documentary to watch; it's very rare that the director Eliza Capai is both the subject or the documentary director of her own movie. With this documentary, she talks to various women who wanted to have babies but, due to various reasons, are unable to.

Abortion as a choice is never easy. The women within the movie end up feeling like they have to do so and follow whatever legal hoops Brazil decides they must follow to do so. As one of the subjects puts it, "If you're anti-abortion, why do you want to punish the child with having birth? You're putting a punishment about the child."

Some of the women are able to bounce back; one couple decide to try again a year after the abortion for another baby. Too often in the documentary do couples break up over resentment and pain over what happened. A common image throughout the documentary is of the ocean and of water; the ocean is usually associated with birth since all life came from the sea at one point.

The movie cites a law in Portugal where abortion is safe and legal for women and resulted in no deaths to women needing to seek abortion. It cites that in Brazil every two days, a woman dies from an illegal abortion procedure. For a viewer in the United States, Roe v. Wade was codified law for years until the current administration decides to take that away; thus making it harder for women in similar scenarios in this documentary to even be able to do anything about needing to terminate a pregnancy to stay alive. But I guess those making the laws have to score "brownie points" with God rather than caring about people while twisting themselves into knots about how "they care about life of the child."

The problem with this documentary is it will not convince anti-abortionists to consider another point of view; but it's hard to fix the hearts of those who won't let it.

Incompatible With Life may be a documentary to see once and only once.

Bring Her Back (saw in the theaters) - 4.5/5 stars

Spoiler

"Grapefruit."

Time is a flat circle.

Bring Her Back, with it being my first exposure to Danny and Michael Philippou, is probably one of the most hopeless horror movies I've seen in awhile. In some ways, it's like an Australian version of an giallo movie with the hallmarks of the style in place, The Babadook meets All The Colors of the Dark.

The movie begins with handheld camera footage of some sort of ritual. A child is held as its eyes are vacant and devoid of light. The person holding the camera walks around the room as a person is hung up. A person is shown kneeling in a circle with an older man placing his hands on the person's head.

It then goes to present time and we see a young blind girl standing with a group of teenage girls appearing out of focus. A person comes up behind her but she doesn't claim to know the person. Her name is Piper (Sora Wong) and the person leading her away is her brother Andy (Billy Barratt). The thing about the characters in the introduction is they seem to be trapped in a hopeless situation from the start; their father is found dead in the shower as Piper searches for a knife to enter the locked bathroom.

Piper and Andy are given up a choice and don't want to be split up, unlike the other Australian movie I've seen about children that lost their parents Memoir of a Snail. They are matched up with Laura (Sally Hawkins). Laura greets them in a similar fashion and enthusiasm to Hawkins' character in Happy-Go-Lucky.

As we learn throughout the movie, not all is quite what it seems. Laura lies to Andy about things he did (such as punching her sister and attacking the other young person in the house). The other young person in the house Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips) does quite a few things that made me squirm in my chair and yell out "My God!" in the theater. (Knives are meant to cut, not to eat).

As the movie progresses, the truth is slowly revealed about Laura and how Oliver came to live in her house; it turns out what we saw in the introductory scenes were recorded by Laura as she attempts to revive her drowned daughter.

There is a lot of symbolism with circles in this movie - in addition to the chalk outline we see at the start, the house is in encased in a chalk outline surrounding the lands. Oliver, if he attempts to leave the circle of the lands, falls down and convulses. The final scene of the movie has Laura and her deceased partially eaten daughter in a circle in a swimming pool.

As always, there are scenes that reminded me a bit of Hitchcock (you can't do a giallo style movie if you don't have Hitchcock in there). One scene had Andy standing in the shower and seeing a person who looks like his father (a la Psycho). At another point, Laura has Piper wearing her daughter's clothes in an attempt to remake her as her daughter (a la Vertigo).

Cinematography throughout the movie has a mixture of dull greys and dark reds in the shots; there's a lot of usage of out of focus shots in the movie. The out of focus shots are especially true with scenes involving Piper since she is blind and can only see shapes. One scene that stuck out to me was when Piper found Andy's dead body and felt around his mouth for his braces.

Bring Her Back is probably one of the better horror movies so far this year in my view. I will need to seek out and watch Talk To Me after this.

 

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

6 hours ago, J.H. said:

Russell Madness - Imagine Air Bud but replace basketball with pro-wrepro-wrestling,  add a talking monkey voiced by Will Sasso, John Ratzenberger and way too much melodrama for what is obviously a "family film" and... you get Russell Madness.

You cannot tell me that they had to change the name of this movie from Russell Mania for fear of being sued by WWE. All this and you know the stupidest thing about this movie is that it hot made in 2015!

James

So they go from being worried about being sued by WWE to probably being sued by Motion Picture Ventures.

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

Movies today....if you like those Curt, I have some more.

In Bed With Victoria (Mubi, leaving on 5/31) - 3.5/5 stars

Spoiler

In Bed With Victoria feels a bit like a 'trial run' of Anatomy of a Fall in some ways. Victoria (Virginie Efira) is an attorney in France who goes to a wedding where Vincent (Melvil Poupaud) and Eve (Alice Daquet) are there.

From the start of the movie, seemingly everything in Victoria's life is ruled by chaos. We see her kids with a babysitter trying to argue with Victoria; Victoria promptly fires him. The wedding has a dog there and a chimp and is something out of a Fellini movie with the amount of chaotic actions like the couple drunkenly singing. The credits start with Eve being stabbed and holding a napkin over her abdomen.

From there, Victoria is asked by Vincent to defend him against the attempted murder charge with Victoria cautioning against even her doing so due to the conflict of interest. The movie in some ways is an anti-romantic comedy; Victoria is around men that are really wrong for her and have something against her. Her ex boyfriend David (Laurent Poitrenaux) publishes a blog clearly using her and her past in the written work and Victoria confronts him about it. Vincent is likely bipolar due to what his wife alleges and they get back together, only for another ex of his to cite something that happened 8 years old. Victoria then meets with Sam (Vincent Lacoste) at the wedding, who works for her as a babysitter / live-in assistant. Eventually, Sam and Victoria end up together (despite Sam stealing from her).

The movie centers around the two legal maneuvers and Victoria completely crashes out. Victoria has to serve out 6 month suspension for a person associated with Vincent's case contacting her despite Victoria clearly telling her, she can't have contact. The head of the legal board rants about how "he doesn't even take a lunch with someone connected with a case of his" despite Victoria making it clear she didn't want the person contacting her. During the rant, Victoria passes out.

In Bed With Victoria, in some respects, doesn't work as well as it should for the story. Victoria as a character is unlikable; really, all the characters involved are unlikable. It makes it harder to 'root' for Victoria to become victorious in the story; her past gets brought up a lot and it seems like she is continuously being punished for her actions. The ending has her and Sam continuing their relationship with a passionate kiss, so she does in a sense achieve a closure.

Compared to Justine Triet's body of work, In Bed With Victoria seems like a 'bridge' from her great debut In Age of Panic to her classics with Sibyl and Anatomy of a Fall. Triet's work in this is more polished and there's a lot of the cinematographic traits from Sibyl and Anatomy of a Fall in this, having used the same cinematographer Simon Beaufils for all three movies. Editing and camerawork are also very polished and poised; it seems more like a standard dramatic/romantic film. The story for the movie is the new wrinkle in the formula.

For the most part, In Bed With Victoria isn't bad, but is a shape of things to come for Justine Triet.

Summer of 85 (Mubi, leaving on 5/31) - 4/5 stars

Spoiler

Summer of 85 isn't exactly original. Call By Your Name got their first with the focus on a doomed love affair in the 1980s; the difference with Summer of 85 is the two guys are closer to age.

Much focus of the movie is on death; to be young is to die. Alexis (Felix Lefebvre) begins the story with his being arrested; the implication at the start is he murdered someone in a crime of passion. The story is told in flashback; Alexis goes off sailing and nearly dies from a capsized boat until he is rescued by David (Benjamin Voisin).

The movie details their love in 1980s cinema style; every shot is evocative of the time period and director Francois Ozon uses The Cure's "In Between Days" as the opening song as the camera pans over the French coastside. It's pictuaresque and it seems like a vacation. I loved the montage set to "Sailing" as the two are in a nightclub, riding a boat, and riding a motorcycle.

What breaks up David and Alex is David considered Alex to be "boring" and "happy." David wants more with other people and views Alex as a summer fling rather than a stable relationship. It's likely in 1980s France, homosexual relationships weren't widely accepted as they are now or at least not spoken about; so there's a sense of homophobia or fear of being hurt/killed that fueled this change for David.

What's interesting is the sense that David's mother (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) wants David and Alex to be friends to give David stability in his life. She's not aware of their actual relationship. Even in court when Alex is brought on charges of grave deseceration, their relationship isn't mentioned; instead, it's about a vow both took with each other and both competing for love of Kate (Philippine Velge).

Francois Ozon as a director has great and interesting films and is always willing to be challenging for conventions and sensibilities.

The Wiz (saw in the theaters) - 4.5/5 stars

Spoiler

Watching The Wiz in 2025 feels very different. This is especially true after watching Wicked in theaters.

Much is said about the comparison of the movie to the source material, which isn't a fair comparison. Some movies that stick closely to the source material are deadly boring to watch. The Wiz feels really familiar and feels like the 1939 version from Victor Fleming but told differently and with specific references. The New York of The Wiz is a bit dark and a bit underground; some of the scenes are dimly lit. The fact that a New York director like Sidney Lumet did this (and never did a musical since then) is a testament to his abilities as a director.

Diana Ross as Dorothy Gale ran so Cynthia Erivo could sprint. Ross is completely expressive on screen - it's hard not to be moved during the opening number as the camera setups change when the family is looking at the new baby arriving. Gale is left out in the cold, both figuratively and literally. Gale is teased about not moving out and, to be honest, it's pretty easy to see why she wouldn't; "l can't see how going south of 125th Street ever made anybody's life better."

Her dog Toto runs outside, which begins the adventure as Gale is trapped in a snow tornado and sent to Oz. The scenes at Gale's family home have a soft lighting to it and made everything looked lived in (with the biggest ham I've ever seen in a movie). The Oz that Gale goes to looks like New York City and looks like areas of New York City but are different. It's somewhat reminiscent of MGM musicals and the look their sets would have; this would also show up in Xanadu too (another movie blasted for its execution).

Since the movie is following the Wizard of Oz progression to a tee, Gale meets the various characters along the way including the Scarecrow (Michael Jackson). (BTW, I wanted to get a pack of Reese Peanut Butter Cups after looking at the Scarecrow's nose, probably should have bought some at concessions). A hilarious Nipsy Russell as the Tin Man - "The genius who created me only took care of my dashing good looks, my razor sharp wit and my irresistible attraction to the wrong women." Ted Ross as the Cowardly Lion or Fleetwood Coupe Deville (his real name made me bust out laughing).

Eventually, they meet up with "The Wiz" (Richard Pryor), who wants them to kill Evillene (Mabel King). I will say that the scenes after meeting "The Wiz" and getting captured by Evillene's "Flying Monkeys" (monkeys on motorcycles) were a bit rushed. It did lead to an incredible scene with Ross singing the finale as she meets Glinda (Lena Horne) and the camera is focused on her. Ross had tears streaming during the finale, which really shows how involved emotionally she was with the song. She had probably the most expressive face I've seen in a movie musical as her character returns back to Harlem and back home.

As I mentioned, the lighting for the movie didn't do any favors and some of the scenes towards the end were a bit rushed. But locations modeled after real locations in NYC gave it a 'lived in' feeling; I really loved the playground set when Gale lands in Oz. At times, some of the scenes evoked horror movies - especially when Gale's friends were being tortured by Evillene.

The Wiz as a movie is a lot better than it's given credit for being.

Violent Cop (Mubi, leaving on 5/31) - 4/5 stars

Spoiler

Violent Cop as a movie could be filed next to Dirty Harry and the later 1992's Bad Lieutenant. Takeshi Kitano as Azuma is completely droll; oftentimes, he's so serious he's funny. I busted out laughing at the scenes where he didn't pay taxi fare, made someone else pay it, two people tell him it cost 1750 yen, and then he wants to borrow 10,000 yen. He gets told things and doesn't respond; you can't help but to think his reaction in his head is "Okay whatever, I don't care."

Azuma finds out that a friend on the police force Iwaki (Sei Hiraizumi) is responsible for narcotics trade through the police department; he tries to root out who is responsible for Iwaki's suicide. He then finds himself kicked off the police force. The conclusion of the police leaves Azuma dead and his former partner now resuming the drug trade - this conclusion is not usual for police/noir dramas.

Throughout the movie, there's an elongated noir style with saxophones in the background music and very long takes. Kitano as an actor tends to be almost too dry in his humor that you will either get or you won't.

Having seen his later work, Violent Cop is really great but still rather murky on story details at certain points.

 

[2025 Movie Discussion Thread]

Movies today...not as many as usual.

Friendship (saw in the theaters) - 5/5 stars

Spoiler

Tim Robinson is my spirit animal.

Friendship captures the loneliness and awkwardness of being a man in 2025. It’s hard not to see a guy you know or work with (and sometimes being that guy) in this movie. Tim Robinson as Craig has this awkwardness writ large throughout the movie with every raised voice, squinting of his eyes and arm gestures. For example, during a cancer support group meeting, Craig’s wife Tami (Kate Mara) reveals that she hadn’t experienced an orgasm, the revelation being something Craig isn’t aware of.

Craig has a relatively boring existence until the wrong package is delivered to him one fateful day. Craig takes the package to the new neighbor Austin (Paul Rudd). Austin has the knowing smile and knowing look, as if he has a secret to life Craig isn’t aware of. “Stay curious,” he says after their first meeting.

From there, Friendship goes through Craig and Austin hanging out as they go through the sewer to city hall, go through a forest and pick mushrooms, and eye a yellow Corvette in a nice soft focus scene. Throughout the movie, Craig envisions a fantasy that’s not even close to reality: he envisions acceptance and companionship with a guy and his friends without really knowing the full story about Austin or realizing the truth about Austin.

Throughout the movie, we ourselves do not know the truth about Austin; his life as a weatherman isn’t as idyllic as Craig thinks. Austin gets reprimanded by one of the morning hosts for messing up a line, gets sent to a mall in a Renaissance Fair outfit and wears a toupee. The movie makes it thought that both characters would learn from each other; the truth is neither learned a thing from the other. The encounters for both damaged both in some way. As is said half way through the movie by Craig, “Men should not be friends with each other.”

Where it falls apart for Craig is when Austin tells him, “we’ve had some good hangs, but we shouldn’t continue this friendship.” This is where the movie goes from being a “guys comedy” to a dark comedy in the vein of Being John Malkovich. Craig loses everything - his wife, his job and his sense of self. In a funny yet tragic scene, Craig goes to a phone store to take something harder than alcohol. The clerk has him pay $100 to lick a psychedelic toad (maybe the guy from Bird should give the clerk pointers about this). Craig goes on a journey. He went to Subway and ordered a Black Forest Ham from a guy that looks like Austin with grey hair. Is this his future or Austin’s future? Who knows. The payoff is Craig saying “it only felt like a minute” and being the most unimaginative drug trip ever.

The other aspect with it is Tami leaves him for her ex boyfriend after Craig attempts to recreate his adventures with Tami in the sewers. Naturally, people think he was trying to kill Tami (and so did Tami).

The conclusion has Craig buying a van for Tami and going to get a birthday gift for his son. He goes over to Austin’s house and jumps over the fence and sneaks in. He pulls out the gun he stole from earlier. Craig has completely lost it. “I do one strange thing and that’s it? No more hanging out?” It’s hard not to feel myself in that situation; I’ve had guys in college basically say something about my not coming (obviously brandishing a gun isn’t the solution).

Craig experiences yet another break from reality and says goodbye to Austin and to the group of guys. The reality is he’s in the back of a police car looking at Austin. Austin gives a look and a wink and a nod, a la Jeremiah Johnson. Or did he?

Friendship for the most part is a great movie that goes against type for comedies. I loved a lot of the cinematography choices; it uses closeups and abrupt cuts to make the situation funnier than it should be. The comedy for Friendship is pitch dark and taps into Robinson’s comedy work on I Think You Should Leave.

Friendship is a great friend to have.

Caught By The Tides (saw in the theaters) - 3/5 stars

Spoiler

Even after watching it, I'm not sure I understand Caught By The Tides.

The movie isn't a 'love story' on the level of Before Sunset. It is similar to another Linklater movie - Boyhood. The progression from 2001 to 2006 to 2022 is interesting, in terms of actors aging and how it being filmed had changed. 2001 era had a lot of footage shot in 4:3 aspect ratio with 2006 using early digital cameras and 2022 having more of HD digital camera usage.

In some ways, this movie is like when a band puts out a "B-sides, outtakes, and rarities" album while their main work is in the background. Jia Zhangke's intent seems to be (loosely) documenting a relationship - or rather more appropriately a toxic love story - between a manager Bin (Li Zhubin) and a model/singer/club girl Qiaoqiao (Zhao Tao). Their relationship seems to be similar to a prostitute/john rather than actual love.

It's somewhat sad watching how the movie proceeds - those that are partying and in the club all the time become the checkout person at a supermarket. Qiaoqiao looks for Bin, who leaves for a corrupt/shady deal while everyone is affected by the Three Gorges Project and are displaced. Qiaoqiao puts out a missing person bulletin on nightly news. Yet, when they reunite, Qiaoqiao doesn't want to have anything to do with Bin. Bin tells her what happened in his life, but we never hear her respond. The movie ends as she joins a jogging group as the snow falls.

What I found interesting is the conjunction of technology through the years. In 2001, we see Bin asleep in a computer cafe with the sounds of Counter-Strike in the background. In 2006, a video is shown of a robot shaking hands with a human. The camera focuses on the handshake then cuts to Qiaoqiao asleep and clutching a phone; people feel changed to technology even then. A few scenes later, we see Bin arriving via plane in 2022 masked. Everyone has a tablet, or a phone or a laptop on the flight; technology has them in its grip and won't let go. Qiaoqiao talks to a supermarket robot, who seems to detect she's sad and provides quotes from Mother Teresa and Mark Twain without it fully understanding the context of either.

With this being my first exposure to Jia Zhangke, he's an interesting filmmaker. It's rather easy to find the movie 'boring' since the plot and the acting isn't exactly spelled out. The story being told is rather obtusive in nature. It seems to serve at first as an anthropologic view of the region rather than focused on the two characters. It's not until the movie goes further does the relationship between the two begin to solidify. A lot of the early scenes in 2001 show other people or just show Qiaoqiao by herself having to deal with cat-calls or Bin by himself.

Caught By The Tides isn't easy to get caught on.

A Fish Called Wanda (Criterion Channel, leaving on 5/31) - 4/5 stars

Spoiler

For some reason when I was younger, I had a desire to see this movie, but my parents never let me watch it all the way through. I got as far as the introductory scenes and that was it. The introductory scenes are brilliant - the actor's name is right next to their face as they appear on screen. The film's title shows up next to a fish swimming in an aquarium. A few movies since then have done something similar.

Also for some reason, I would get confused between this and The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. I thought the latter was a "sequel" starring different actors but taking place around the same time (and the aquarium would appear in it too). It may have been the similarity of Helen Mirren and Jamie Lee Curtis' characters and the fact that both wear lingerie. (Jamie Lee Curtis in bra and panties in this was the object of many young boys' affection). The things young boys think of growing up....

Sticking with A Fish Called Wanda, it's a slightly off-kilter caper where every character has quirks and are double-crossing each other. Wanda (not the fish this time) is played by Jamie Lee Curtis and attempts to influence Archie (John Cleese). Archie is serving as bannister in the UK for George Thomason (Tom Georgeson). Side note: It's absolutely brilliant bit of comedy have Tom Georgeson playing a character named George Thomason. Surprised that he wasn't named Georgeson Thomason to really mess with people's head.

Anyway, Thomason (or Georgeson) is planning a robbery with Wanda, Otto West (Kevin Kline), and Ken Pile (Michael Palin) and they were successful with the robbery. The way the robbery occurs is within the first 15 minutes and so compact with how the scenes were done. The scenes move quickly and the edits were done quickly, which makes the robbery feel like it's done quickly. The other aspect is the robbery scenes were done almost entirely without dialogue.

Once the characters get the jewelry to the safe, they split. Except for Thomason who puts the jewelry in a safe. Or so we think.

Otto and Wanda head back to get the jewelry and find that it's gone. The movie then has Wanda and Otto trying to think of ways to get the jewelry back in addition to other schemes. Wanda has to seduce Archie in a film noir-esque manner. Otto assists, but sometimes doesn't. Ken tries to stop a witness from testifying and cruelly yet humorously kill the witness' dogs one by one. To be honest, doing that didn't age well. There could have been better ways to handle it (pick up the dogs while she's asleep and give them to other people? I don't know, anything but killing them).

Each character in the movie has an unique quirk that plays into the story. Archie is married to a rich wife Wendy (Maria Aitken) and is fluent in Italian and Russian. Otto can't stand to be called "stupid" and has a very rudimentary command of Italian. Wanda is a bit impulsive and doesn't plan out what she will do that well. Ken has a stutter (in yet another thing that didn't age well) and keeps an aquarium. George was IDed in a lineup as the getaway driver and lashes out in court over Archie and Wanda having a relationship.

What's interesting is the fact that this is Charles Crichton's only directorial feature in the 1980s after having not directed a feature since the 1960s. It's somewhat a shame he didn't do more after the 1960s or did a follow up after this movie. Even then, it's a great comedy with a lot of absurdities and more straightforward as a comedy compared to what Cleese did with Monty Python.