2024 MOVIES DISCUSSION THREAD

[odessasteps]

I had given up by the Sci Fi channel.if you had said Comedy Central . …

[Curt McGirt]

Comedy Central was the other one I was gonna mention actually. We finally got it in time for South Park. 

[driver]

Finally got Sci-Fi(roommate pronounced it Sky-Fi) when I moved into an apartment complex that had it's own cable system. That was '96-ish. Most interesting thing on it then was a show about a lady werewolf in England.

[Curt McGirt]

My grandparents had it down in Missouri. I'd get to watch Dark Shadows!  One big regret I have is recording Heartstoppers: Horror at the Movies (a horror doc/clip show hosted by George Hamilton), which you can't find anywhere now, and I taped over it on accident.

[Andrew POE!]

Movies today....

The Turin Horse (Mubi leaving next week)

Spoiler

One of the bleakest movies I've ever seen, yet I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Although it played fast and loose with the setting (I didn't know there were Hungarians in Italy), the movie shows a rough existence and everything that happens didn't feel like I was seeing acting; I was seeing two people having to have a hand-to-mouth existence and it was documented on film.

I know this: if grocery stores like Kroger/Walmart/Publix/Costco start charging too much for food, just buy a bag of potatoes and boil them to eat for one meal a day. You'll save money.

Silver Linings Playbook (Netflix leaving at the end of the month)

Spoiler

David O. Russell's best movie....he managed to make a movie that is informed by other movies, but isn't directly copying them as much. There are elements of Alvin Sargent's work in the movie (Ordinary People) and late '70s/'80s romantic dramas, but it does it's own thing.

The first hour or so is really good - there's manic energy starting out, likely due to the focus on Bradley Cooper's character and his bipolar disorder.

The movie somewhat slides off the rails at the Eagles game. Pat Jr. (Cooper) sees his counselor at the game and the counselor is seemingly fine with going to Pat's house after they get arrested. It somewhat strains credibility with the setup for the bet (and why no one spoke up to even say gambling on a game is a bad idea I don't know).

The bet leading to the dance competition and the conclusion lost it for me - rather than the movie talking seriously about mental illness and life after that, it becomes a vehicle to get Pat Jr. (Cooper) and Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) together.

Robert De Niro had a great scene where he was telling his son Pat Jr how they want to spend time together.

 

[Travis Sheldon]

2 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

My grandparents had it down in Missouri. I'd get to watch Dark Shadows!  One big regret I have is recording Heartstoppers: Horror at the Movies (a horror doc/clip show hosted by George Hamilton), which you can't find anywhere now, and I taped over it on accident.

Check it out on Internet Archive and thank me later!

[Curt McGirt]

It won't give me anything when I try that. Any help?

EDIT: Nevermind. Thanks for reminding me, anyway. (the title plus Internet Archive in Google finally worked) https://archive.org/details/hollywood-heart-stoppers-horror

Edited April 9 by Curt McGirt

[Travis Sheldon]

1 hour ago, Curt McGirt said:

It won't give me anything when I try that. Any help?

EDIT: Nevermind. Thanks for reminding me, anyway. (the title plus Internet Archive in Google finally worked) https://archive.org/details/hollywood-heart-stoppers-horror

I would have dropped a link, but I usually have trouble leaving them here.

Glad you found the film.

IA's search is frustrating.

[Curt McGirt]

Yeah I tried a bunch of permutations of the title. If I'd thought to separate "heart" and "stoppers" it might've worked. I was getting nothing, like blank fields, except for putting "heartstoppers" under the videos section.

[Andrew POE!]

Movies today...having to turn in early due to an early start tomorrow.

The Unspeakable Act (leaving Mubi next week)

Spoiler

Movie is a bit dry and a bit distant given the subject matter. I got a sense of the main character and the approach for the movie handcuffed the characters a bit. Both the main character and the character's brother did really well given the material.

You would think a movie about incest would have more emotion instead of a slightly sarcastic tone throughout it.

Femme (saw at the theater)

Spoiler

Palpable sense of tension throughout the entire movie - almost like a horror film at times. The moment that Preston (George MacKay) finds out who Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) really is was insane.

The first 30 minutes or so made my anxiety go through the roof for Jules - every interaction he had with Preston post-beating made me wonder if or when the mask would slip and if Preston would know or figure it out.

The cinematography at the start was other wordly. Quite a few of the shots throughout the movie were memorable - some of the more frantic scenes weren't as disorienting as I thought they would be.

Definitely worth checking out.

 

[Dolfan in NYC]

What's that saying about giving a mouse a cookie...

 

[Technico Support]

Gotta respect the hustle of the sweet con Snyder has discovered. 

Waiting for Tommy Wiseau to ask for 4 million in crowdfunding to fix The Room.

[(BP)]

Some may laugh, but if every one of the people he believes streamed Rebel Moon existed and donated a dollar…

[HarryArchieGus]

On 4/8/2024 at 10:48 PM, Andrew POE! said:

Movies today....

The Turin Horse (Mubi leaving next week)

  Hide contents

One of the bleakest movies I've ever seen, yet I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Although it played fast and loose with the setting (I didn't know there were Hungarians in Italy), the movie shows a rough existence and everything that happens didn't feel like I was seeing acting; I was seeing two people having to have a hand-to-mouth existence and it was documented on film.

I know this: if grocery stores like Kroger/Walmart/Publix/Costco start charging too much for food, just buy a bag of potatoes and boil them to eat for one meal a day. You'll save money.

Silver Linings Playbook (Netflix leaving at the end of the month)

  Reveal hidden contents

David O. Russell's best movie....he managed to make a movie that is informed by other movies, but isn't directly copying them as much. There are elements of Alvin Sargent's work in the movie (Ordinary People) and late '70s/'80s romantic dramas, but it does it's own thing.

The first hour or so is really good - there's manic energy starting out, likely due to the focus on Bradley Cooper's character and his bipolar disorder.

The movie somewhat slides off the rails at the Eagles game. Pat Jr. (Cooper) sees his counselor at the game and the counselor is seemingly fine with going to Pat's house after they get arrested. It somewhat strains credibility with the setup for the bet (and why no one spoke up to even say gambling on a game is a bad idea I don't know).

The bet leading to the dance competition and the conclusion lost it for me - rather than the movie talking seriously about mental illness and life after that, it becomes a vehicle to get Pat Jr. (Cooper) and Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) together.

Robert De Niro had a great scene where he was telling his son Pat Jr how they want to spend time together.

 

I got a chance to see a screening of Turin Horse here in Toronto at the Lightbox. It was a deeply moving experience. One of my all time favorite screenings. This was Bela Tarr's retirement film, and what a way to go out. As much as I loved Turin Horse, I've moved very slowly thru the rest of the catalog. His movies are so profoundly emotional that, for me, they require time around them to just sit still and meditate on the subjects. I've loved the first 2 and half hours of Satantango, but have been sitting on the rest for over a year now. I'll take this as a reminder. 

Silver Linings Playbook is my favorite of the Russell catalog as well. I actively disliked Bradley Cooper before seeing this. I'd thought he was resting on his good looks, but I'm happy to admit when I'm wrong. His performance here is so goddamn good. I've loved his work as both an actor and director since Silver Linings. Tho, I'm sure there's some 'one for them' films I've passed by. Especially loved him in his Maestro and Licorice Pizza. I hope Jennifer Lawerence makes some worthwhile films again. I loved her so much paired with O Russell - this, American Hustle and (the underrated?) Joy. 

[elizium]

The Turin Horse is my favourite apocalypse movie. It is just outstanding

[Andrew POE!]

4 hours ago, HarryArchieGus said:

I got a chance to see a screening of Turin Horse here in Toronto at the Lightbox. It was a deeply moving experience. One of my all time favorite screenings. This was Bela Tarr's retirement film, and what a way to go out. As much as I loved Turin Horse, I've moved very slowly thru the rest of the catalog. His movies are so profoundly emotional that, for me, they require time around them to just sit still and meditate on the subjects. I've loved the first 2 and half hours of Satantango, but have been sitting on the rest for over a year now. I'll take this as a reminder. 

Silver Linings Playbook is my favorite of the Russell catalog as well. I actively disliked Bradley Cooper before seeing this. I'd thought he was resting on his good looks, but I'm happy to admit when I'm wrong. His performance here is so goddamn good. I've loved his work as both an actor and director since Silver Linings. Tho, I'm sure there's some 'one for them' films I've passed by. Especially loved him in his Maestro and Licorice Pizza. I hope Jennifer Lawerence makes some worthwhile films again. I loved her so much paired with O Russell - this, American Hustle and (the underrated?) Joy. 

I ended up getting a copy of Satantango on Blu Ray. I also got Happy Hour on Blu Ray too. Both of those movies together is over 13 hours of movies and a test of endurance and will.

I still think about The Turin Horse after seeing it. I'm finding that for movies if I'm engrossed in it, I lose all sense of time. If it doesn't capture my interest or feels like work to watch, I don't bother (The Unspeakable Act was that for me until I finished. When Night Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism I couldn't even finish after over an hour).  Although it's not remotely similar, Bela Tarr reminds me of Lars Von Trier in a lot of ways - both are about stretching the limits of filmmaking in different ways. Lars Von Trier seems to be about shocking his audience and commentary about the sad state of the world while Tarr shocks his audience differently with the commentary as well.

Spoiler

The scene with the guy visiting to buy some brandy and talk about how screwed up the world is just sticks with me.

I was surprised with Silver Linings Playbook because David O. Russell tends to be hit or miss with me. As I mentioned earlier, I loved American Hustle. Amsterdam was too disjointed for me. Yet Silver Linings Playbook stuck the landing and really committed to it despite some obvious shortcomings. I'll have to watch Joy as well. Jennifer Lawrence honestly seems to be the perfect actress for Russell - her characters always seem sure of themselves and aren't afraid to push back when they don't like something.

[Andrew POE!]

More movies today...

Whiplash (leaving Netflix at the end of the month)

Spoiler

J.K. Simmons is an absolute jerk in this and reminds me so much of college professors I knew. He isn't interested in hand holding his students, but he crosses the line into emotional abuse. The movie takes that to the logical end as the student in this movie realizes how much he didn't need it and Fletcher (Simmons) basically killed his joy for creating jazz music and playing drums. Yet he comes back at the end to play a session.

Husbands (leaving Criterion Channel at the end of the month)

Spoiler

Before there were male driven movies in the '80s, there was John Cassavetes. This is leaving Criterion Channel at the end of the month and I figure I watch this.

One scene literally is reminiscent of Jules Et Jim where they are walking across a bridge and then run a race.

The 20+ minute scene where they sing and harass a woman about her singing (including Peter Falk appearing completely naked briefly) is the most uncomfortable scene I've ever seen.

A lot of people think Cassavetes is chauvinistic or doesn't pass a comment about his characters' actions of chauvinism. Sadly, I think the movie presents the three male characters as imperfect people - yet they don't face consequences. What they did in London should have gotten them kicked out of the casino then the hotel. Two of the women clearly didn't like the men they were in a room with and were there against their wills. One woman was so shocked that she went into the rain crying out in her native language than to continue to stay in the same room.

The movie calls itself a 'comedy' but the three characters are the only ones in on the joke. The only comparison I can have is guys I knew in college and in high school that were absolutely disgusting towards each other and toward women, but yet hung out with each other. The dialogue consists of in-jokes and put-downs and at no point do they dive into something deep. If they do, it's immediately laughed at.

I would rate it 4 stars for what the movie strives to do and executes. No, you won't like any of the three male characters; but that's not the point. I'm just glad I don't know guys like them or want to be like any of them.

 

[Andrew POE!]

More movies today....

Lagaan (leaving Netflix next week)

Spoiler

I'm not familiar with Bollywood cinema, but this is a really great sports film. Aamir Khan has Tom Cruise-like charisma throughout the movie (although he's more of a Tom Hanks type of actor).

The movie does drag a bit towards the end, but is compelling overall.

Rush (leaving Netflix next week)

Spoiler

Great movie about two Formula One rivals. Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl perfectly capture James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Ron Howard really went all out on the racing scenes. There's a few spots that drug a bit, but enjoyable from start to finish.

Stray Dogs (leaving Mubi next week)

Spoiler

I'm conflicted about this movie. Some of it is incredibly well shot and setup perfectly. Other times, it's as much of a statement as it is test of an audience's patience, will, and perseverance.

The story told is one told through what we see on the screen. There's also the story untold or not shown. The story we see is about homelessness - the man and his two kids are expected to survive in a world without a safety net. The woman they meet helps them and provides a stable life. One of the shots that stuck with me is the guy singing a song to the point he's in tears. There's also the infamous "cabbage scene" and the two final scenes near the end where both the man and woman stare at something off-screen.

The story untold is how the man got the job holding a sign in the first place. How bad does the job market have to be where that is the only job for him. Does he lack discernible skills or abilities to be able to work a higher salary? Or does have the skills/abilities but he goes in for interviews and the companies pretty up the reason for not hiring? "We're sorry Mr. _____ but you are not what we are looking for at this time. Thank you for your interest." Then after he leaves the room, "Thank God that's over. That guy smells like shit and hasn't showered in months." The apartment complex that hired him doesn't care. "I don't give a fuck if you are a fucking doctor and a fucking heart transplant came in! I want you to hold this sign until the end of your shift! Then I might pay you if you actually drum up business!"

When making this film, I wonder how much Tsai Ming-liang knew he would have varied reactions - some people think this is a masterpiece of cinema and some people think this is taking the piss out of arthouse cinema. At times, while watching it, I wondered if both reactions could be true at the same time. I almost wonder if the director was laughing to himself when he went about this. "I'm going to have scenes of people pissing, shitting, eating, have a guy cry in anguish over a head of cabbage, and have two people stare at a wall for closing to 20 fucking minutes."

In some ways, the closest comparison I can make is to Bela Tarr, another director with long movies and long shots. Both Ming-liang and Tarr talk about the desperation and loneliness of the modern world, but in different ways.

This is something else as a movie.

 

[HarryArchieGus]

On 4/10/2024 at 7:30 PM, Andrew POE! said:

I'll have to watch Joy as well. Jennifer Lawrence honestly seems to be the perfect actress for Russell - her characters always seem sure of themselves and aren't afraid to push back when they don't like something.

Full disclaimer, Joy is kind of a TV Movie of the Week. The story is somewhat by the numbers. That said, I love what O Russell gets out of this simple set-up. Lawerence is wonderful, but so too many of the performances here. I really like the work Russell gets out of late career Deniro. I find him endlessly funny.

On 4/10/2024 at 8:04 PM, Andrew POE! said:

Husbands (leaving Criterion Channel at the end of the month)

  Hide contents

Before there were male driven movies in the '80s, there was John Cassavetes. This is leaving Criterion Channel at the end of the month and I figure I watch this.

One scene literally is reminiscent of Jules Et Jim where they are walking across a bridge and then run a race.

The 20+ minute scene where they sing and harass a woman about her singing (including Peter Falk appearing completely naked briefly) is the most uncomfortable scene I've ever seen.

A lot of people think Cassavetes is chauvinistic or doesn't pass a comment about his characters' actions of chauvinism. Sadly, I think the movie presents the three male characters as imperfect people - yet they don't face consequences. What they did in London should have gotten them kicked out of the casino then the hotel. Two of the women clearly didn't like the men they were in a room with and were there against their wills. One woman was so shocked that she went into the rain crying out in her native language than to continue to stay in the same room.

The movie calls itself a 'comedy' but the three characters are the only ones in on the joke. The only comparison I can have is guys I knew in college and in high school that were absolutely disgusting towards each other and toward women, but yet hung out with each other. The dialogue consists of in-jokes and put-downs and at no point do they dive into something deep. If they do, it's immediately laughed at.

I would rate it 4 stars for what the movie strives to do and executes. No, you won't like any of the three male characters; but that's not the point. I'm just glad I don't know guys like them or want to be like any of them.

 

Nice review. I read similarily on my initial viewing, but I was deeply fascinated by this film and went back to it many times over. To me it feels like a documentary. I like how completely unafraid it is to examine bad behaviour/toxic masculinity. The Comedy tag is ridiculous, and a disservice to the film. There are a lot of great stories surrounding this production and especially the editing process. The original cut shown to a UK audience was apparently far more entertaining, and more of an actual comedy. Ben Gazzara was said to have really shined in this earlier cut - providing many laughs. Cassavetes hated the response as it wasn't the film he was trying to make. He ended up altering the film drastically to what was ultimately the film we see now. I love the Cassavetes catalog, but in part I love it from diving in deeper with his sort of philosophy - specifically reading 'Cassavetes on Cassavetes'. The films are very unique, and very challenging, and, to me, far more interesting when understanding Cassavetes ambitions and motivations. Not that somebody more intuitive than I couldn't find much of this in the actual celluloid. I recommend 'Cassavetes on Cassavetes' and also the documentary that accompanied the Criterion set called 'A Constant Forge'. The doc sums up pretty well some of what can be learned from the aforementioned book. 

Edited April 12 by HarryArchieGus

[Andrew POE!]

8 minutes ago, HarryArchieGus said:

Full disclaimer, Joy is kind of a TV Movie of the Week. The story is somewhat by the numbers. That said, I love what O Russell gets out of this simple set-up. Lawerence is wonderful, but so too many of the performances here. I really like the work Russell gets out of late career Deniro. I find him endlessly funny.

Nice review. I read similarily on my initial viewing, but I was deeply fascinated by this film and went back to it many times over. To me it feels like a documentary. I like how completely unafraid it is to examine bad behaviour/toxic masculinity. The Comedy tag is ridiculous, and a disservice to the film. There are a lot of great stories surrounding this production and especially the editing process. The original cut shown to a UK audience was apparently far more entertaining, and more of an actual comedy. Ben Gazzara was said to have really shined in this earlier cut - providing many laughs. Cassavetes hated the response as it wasn't the film he was trying to make. He ended up altering the film drastically to what was ultimately the film we see now. I love the Cassavetes catalog, but in part I love it from diving in deeper with his sort of philosophy - specifically reading 'Cassavetes on Cassavetes'. The films are very unique, and very challenging, and, to me, far more interesting when understanding Cassavetes ambitions and motivations. Not that somebody more intuitive than I couldn't find much of this in the actual celluloid. I recommend 'Cassavetes on Cassavetes' and also the documentary that accompanied the Criterion set called 'A Constant Forge'. The doc sums up pretty well some of what can be learned from the aforementioned book. 

Yeah, I'll have to seek out the other Cassavetes movies. I'm not really a fan but at the same time there is a lot of what he does that I see in other movies later - I wonder if John Hughes' movies like The Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles or Ferris Bueller's Day Off or Scorsese's movies like Casino and Goodfellas would be slightly different if it weren't for Cassavetes. Maybe it's a bit of a stretch for his influence. Criterion Channel has a few of his famous ones - although it's missing quite a few and missing most of his '80s work. Love Streams is part of Criterion collection but not on the channel yet. I may just need to get them on Blu Ray when I get a chance.

[HarryArchieGus]

7 minutes ago, Andrew POE! said:

Yeah, I'll have to seek out the other Cassavetes movies. I'm not really a fan but at the same time there is a lot of what he does that I see in other movies later - I wonder if John Hughes' movies like The Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles or Ferris Bueller's Day Off or Scorsese's movies like Casino and Goodfellas would be slightly different if it weren't for Cassavetes. Maybe it's a bit of a stretch for his influence. Criterion Channel has a few of his famous ones - although it's missing quite a few and missing most of his '80s work. Love Streams is part of Criterion collection but not on the channel yet. I may just need to get them on Blu Ray when I get a chance.

It's interesting that you see his influence in Hughes. Scorsese was a devout follower of Cassavetes. As mentioned that doc called A Constant Forge is a great primer. I can't remember if you've seen A Woman Under the Influence? That's his masterpiece. Shared pretty equally with his wife Gena Rowlands who delivers one of the greatest performances I've ever seen. 

I have that blu ray, but honestly Love Streams is probably best to tackle after the 60s/70s films. That's the most challenging of the bunch. I'm not yet sure what to make of it. Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Shadows and Faces are all far more accessible if not exactly accessible.  

[Andrew POE!]

4 minutes ago, HarryArchieGus said:

It's interesting that you see his influence in Hughes. Scorsese was a devout follower of Cassavetes. As mentioned that doc called A Constant Forge is a great primer. I can't remember if you've seen A Woman Under the Influence? That's his masterpiece. Shared pretty equally with his wife Gena Rowlands who delivers one of the greatest performances I've ever seen. 

I have that blu ray, but honestly Love Streams is probably best to tackle after the 60s/70s films. That's the most challenging of the bunch. I'm not yet sure what to make of it. Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Shadows and Faces are all far more accessible if not exactly accessible.  

John Hughes has a lot of other influences too - George Lucas from American Graffiti spring to mind for me for the teen movies and Fellini springs to mind as well for the Vacation movies he wrote, but I think it's more of the fact that he has "Chicago as a character" like Scorsese and Cassavetes have "New York City as a character" in their films. How he accomplishes it is vastly different - Cassavetes is more of a frame of reference than an actual influence like it was for Scorsese.

[Andrew POE!]

Movies on Friday

Rebels of the Neon God (Mubi, leaving Wednesday)

Spoiler

Compared to the later Stray Dogs, a much better movie but a bit more conventional. The movie is better to me because it does have the same slow, methodical approach that Stray Dogs did but more compelling to view. The parallel stories work really well and show vibrant world and characters. Hsiao Kang (Lee Kang-sheng) is an absolute weirdo and follows Ah Tze (Chen Chao-jung) and Ah Ping (Jen Chang-bin) rather creepily without them knowing - I was surprised one of them didn't hear footsteps while they were stealing the arcade boards. Hsiao Kang jumping up and down like a school kid in his underwear when he sees the motorcycle vandalized was the height of weirdness.

I found it amazing that Ah Tze was seemingly fine with living in an apartment that's flooded half the time.

For the video gamers out there, there's lots of Street Fighter II gameplay and a few top down shooters in the arcade scenes.

Monkey Man (saw at the theater)

Spoiler

Movie was really good, although it seemed almost a plot point by plot point lift of the first John Wick. (Just replace the mom with the dog and you would have John Wick)

The camerawork and editing is abysmal at times, but the action and the familiar plot carry the movie. Side characters are introduced to act as a mechanism to propel the story and propel the main character's goal. None of them play into the finale at all.

There isn't a Lance Reddick or a Ian McShane level actor that can stand equal to Dev Patel's John Wick in this. Sobhita Dhulipala as Sita and Vipin Sharma as Alpha come close, but they aren't interesting and lack a compelling story.

It's a great movie to catch in the theater and as you're waiting for John Wick 5 to come out.

 

[driver]

I watched Poor Things. It is definitely a very interesting movie. It's also the most accessible of the director's movies that I've seen.

[Andrew POE!]

Movies today - was out of town most of the day so I didn't watch as much:

Neighbouring Sounds (leaving Mubi next week)

Spoiler

Great amount of Hitchcockian tension throughout the movie about upper class Brazilian families living on a street with security guards. Throughout the entire movie, I felt like something violent or brutal would happen but that wasn't really the case. I think the tension had to do with the camera angles and it was shot rather up close at times.

I'll definitely check out the director Kieber Mendonca Fiho's other movies.

Play Misty For Me (leaving Netflix at the end of the month)

Spoiler

Movie shows promise at times with some unintentional hilarious parts - the opening titles literally uses the same font as the Gilligan's Island TV show and Jessica Walter as Evelyn overacted to the point of hilarity. One of the songs sounds like a instrumental soundalike to The Rolling Stones and is completely out of place in the movie.

The sequence set to "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" to the Monterey Pop Festival was inspired filmmaking.

The last 10 minutes were rather rushed - the final part in the house was dimly lit to the point that it was hard to follow.

Clint Eastwood later figured out his way to make movies - including the underrated Jersey Boys and Changeling to the Oscar winning Million Dollar Baby - so this is a nice start.