Andrew POE! Posted November 14, 2024 Posted November 14, 2024 I'll probably watch The Yin and Yang of Mr. G at some point. Just no sleep it and maybe it'll happen. Movies today.... Harriet (Netflix, leaving on 11/15) - 3/5 stars Spoiler Somewhat standard biopic with an excellent performance from Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman, Harriet at times plays the story straightforward and doesn’t really offer much in shot composition/acting/character/cinematography variety. It is exactly what you think a biopic about a person in history would be. The movie approaches the grander sense of scale of the character to the moment in history towards the end, but for the most part Harriet's decisions to seek freedom and then seek freedom for her family is personal and smaller scaled. The movie has elements of spiritual and mystical to explain Harriet's abilities but the visions being in black and white were a tad annoying. Leslie Odom Jr as WIlliam Still and Janelle Monae as Marie Buchanon were admirable in their roles and Joe Alwyn as Gideon Brodess was villainous throughout (although the movie had me wondering if his character would be sympathetic to Harriet until he struck her). I did detect somewhat of a sapphic love affair between Harriet and Marie but that was largely unspoken (and hey Janelle Monae can make anyone fall in love with her without trying). The bulk of the relationships in the movie were with Harriet and her husband and then Harriet and her parents. Cinematography wise it has a lot of dark green and blues as the characters move through the story under the cover of night or in daylight during the scenes in Philadelphia. Camerawork is decent with the shot selection and composition and some of the flashback scenes are a bit close to Ridley Scott in some ways. I did like how the scene where Harriet jumped off the bridge into the river was shot as the camera showed the scale of the river to the bridge. I liked one of the montage scenes where Harriet brought in people to William Still. The movie did drag a bit towards the middle of the movie as people were looking for Harriet. There weren't a lot of issues with the movie's pace but it did have a tendency to not be that memorable half way through the movie. For the most part, Kasi Lemmons directed a decent movie but this isn't among her best yet still serviceable. The movie was a bit more focused than her later Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody, which I reviewed last month. Tyrel (Mubi, leaving on 11/30) - 3/5 stars Spoiler The movie really didn't remind me of Get Out as much as it was an earlier version of Close To You in some ways. It's more about the microaggressions that occur for Tyler (Jason Mitchell) as he goes to a guy's birthday party and is the only black person in the entire group. Obviously, it's uncomfortable for both him and the audience. A lot of the movie has more in common with mumblecore in terms of aesthetics and filmmaking approach. Some of the more distinct scenes like hitting a doll of Donald Trump with a machete and burning a painting of Jesus while R.E.M. is playing felt like natural occurrences at a party than anything really scripted. One scene that stood out was Tyler going to the neighbor's house and finding out that the woman has a mixed race son and meets her husband, who seems uncomfortable by Tyler's presence as much as recognizing that he didn't need to be there. It seems to be a statement that just because they are both black doesn't mean they will instantly get along with each other. Tyrel isn't bad but is fairly decent if a bit unmemorable. Sadie McKee (Criterion Channel, leaving on 11/30) - 3.5/5 stars Spoiler Movie honestly doesn't have a lot going for it other than Joan Crawford's performance as the titular Sadie McKee. There's a lot of closeups on her throughout the movie - there was nearly a five minute scene where the camera was locked on her looking at Franchot Tone with the most steel-eyed stare ever. The problem is the rest of the movie isn't nearly as strong as Crawford's performance. Her character through her arc is with three different men - I felt the earlier parts of the movie with Tommy (Gene Raymond) were better and did more interesting scenes - such as a scene on a New York subway / train car in the 1930s - and had more of a better arc. When Jack Brennan (Edward Arnold) meets her, is married and he's drunk most of the time, the movie dragged a bit until the end. Clarence Brown as a director seemed to be a decent studio director, although I probably need to watch more of his work to evaluate what sort of style he has as a director. It does seem to be focused on really great close-up shots where you can see actors' facial expressions in scenes. Still, this is a perfect example of a movie being elevated by an actor's performance than anything else. Lifeforce (Criterion Channel, leaving on 11/30) - 4/5 stars Spoiler This is utterly bewildering to watch. The first 1 hour and 30 minutes had some very tight plotting, decent characters, and a nice sci-fi story and atmosphere. It had built up a nice Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets Close Encounters of the Third Kind meets Hammer films' Dracula with a Bernard Hermann-like score from Henry Mancini about three alien bodies that came back from a derelict space ship in Halley's Comet. It was intriguing what the bodies were and what they were doing to other people. Col. Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback) and Col. Colin Caine (Peter Firth) had a nice Van Helsing and Jonathan Harker vibe in their quest to find the aliens and destroy them. Then the last half hour of the movie happened. I don't know what happened in the last half hour. It turned into Megalopolis. Cannon Films were like, "we've given you this money! Direct this shit! We don't care what happens as long as it looks cool! Fuck it, you want zombies? You got it! Just give us naked women! And stuff blowing up! Because we're Cannon Films!" while the executives were shotgunning beer and watching MTV. None of what happened in the last 30 minutes makes any sense. I still don't understand what exactly I watched at that point. Col. Caine is running through Raccoon City - I mean London - to go to a cathedral because another character told him that's where the Space Girl (Mathilda May, who spends the entire movie naked) is. Patrick Stewart shows up as Dr. Armstrong (and as a preview of what he would do on Star Trek: The Next Generation, calls someone "Commander") only to somehow have the alien transfer to him (? I don't know, it changed from what happened in the previous hour or so to now). Just accept the fact the movie doesn't make sense. The movie mentions the movie title at least twice, so they did That Thing. I'm sure if this movie was called "Cannon Gave Us A Lot of Money," the title would be mentioned too. Like Megalopolis, honestly this is a 1/2 star movie just based on the overall movie and specifically the last 30 minutes. But I don't know what Tobe Hopper was thinking. He didn't make a boring movie. So for that alone it warrants a higher rating. A lot of the special effects were actually decent despite the hilariousness of it. This movie is an experience.
Brian Fowler Posted November 14, 2024 Posted November 14, 2024 On 11/11/2024 at 7:17 PM, The Comedian said: Dustin Hoffman, upon learning that Hoffman had actually gotten a tooth drilled without novacaine in order to prepare for the "Is it safe?" scene in Marathon Man... Was it over the tooth? I thought it was him not sleeping for multiple days to play sleep deprived. Either way, yeah, Marathon Man.
zendragon Posted November 14, 2024 Posted November 14, 2024 On 11/12/2024 at 5:23 AM, HarryArchieGus said: I sometimes look over lists of Mumblecore movies fueled by the question 'Do I hate mumblecore?' As long as Frances Ha is considered part of this wave I guess I don't. I also really liked Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture. Is Computer Chess considered mumblecore? Some of the movies I have seen, or started and shut off, like Hannah have been very underwhelming. I read a Paste magazine article on this wave of films and filmmakers in the early aughts, and was sure I'd found a treasure trove. It's almost entirely failed to live up to my expectations. That said, I bet there's a few titles that I would really like. And I'm sure there's more that I don't think of as mumblecore movies, but fit whatever the title suggests. What are some of the better mumblecore movies you've seen Poe (or anybody reading this post)? Of what I've seen I remember liking Cyrus, personally I think when ever John C. Reilly goes dramatic he delivers, I think Jeff who lives at home is decent (has Ed Helms in it who I enjoy). I remember feeling The Squid and The Whale as interesting 1
J.H. Posted November 14, 2024 Posted November 14, 2024 (edited) I just read the synopsis for The Yin & Yang of Mister Go and it sounds bug-fuck insane. I picture Burgess Meredith typing up the script with Rod Serling giving feedback with every page. "You know what this American deserter needs to be in order to be truly compelling? Bisexual! Say, how familiar are with the works of James Joyce?" I'm definitely watching this while young Sandra Violet is at school today! James Edited November 14, 2024 by J.H. 2 1
Log Posted November 14, 2024 Posted November 14, 2024 I was talking with a co-worker who's reading Blood Meridian about how bleak of a story it is. Just not a hint of hope. Got home, and decided to watch Before the Devil Knows You're Dead on a whim. Wow. More bleakness. Great movie, but not one iota of hopefulness in there. Dang. Need to find me something wholesome to watch.
Execproducer Posted November 14, 2024 Posted November 14, 2024 54 minutes ago, Log said: Dang. Need to find me something wholesome to watch. Have you heard about The Yin & Yang of Mr. Go ? 1
HarryArchieGus Posted November 14, 2024 Posted November 14, 2024 10 hours ago, zendragon said: Of what I've seen I remember liking Cyrus, personally I think when ever John C. Reilly goes dramatic he delivers, I think Jeff who lives at home is decent (has Ed Helms in it who I enjoy). I remember feeling The Squid and The Whale as interesting I love the Squid and the Whale. I consider it my favorite Baumbach film and one of the greatest films of this century. I've never thought of it as mumblecore, but I also wouldn't dispute you on it. It certainly fits the loose ideas of what a mumblecore film is. I always think of mumblecore as that first batch of non-studio independently financed films in the mid aughts by ppl like Bujalski, Swanberg, etc. Often featuring Greta Gerwig. 1
zendragon Posted November 14, 2024 Posted November 14, 2024 I think some people consider everything Baumbach does is mumblecore with his use of naturalistic dialogue. I don't know that I would say its great but its interesting just how unlikable both parents seem to be
HarryArchieGus Posted November 14, 2024 Posted November 14, 2024 4 minutes ago, zendragon said: I think some people consider everything Baumbach does is mumblecore with his use of naturalistic dialogue. I don't know that I would say its great but its interesting just how unlikable both parents seem to be Squid feels very lived in to me. I have the benefit of having seen it many times over, but it clicked on first view. Not to say multiple views would change your opininon, but for me, as much as I like Baumbach, a lot of his movies have taken a second viewing to appreciate. He often features very unlikable and/or heavily flawed lead characters making bad choices. Jeff Daniels and Eisenberg in Squid for example. The humour and ability to get over that dislike really shine thru with encore viewings. For this reason, I've seen most of his films many times over. You're right, there are many who consider Baumbach mumblecore. Again, I wouldn't argue it. To me, well before mumblecore was a term, he was a filmmaker in the tradition of ppl like Woody Allen, the French auteur Eric Rohmer and John Cassavetes. I suppose I just like distancing him in my mind's eye from that first wave mumblecore movement of John Cassavetes fans with quirky and often poor ideas. Student Films seen nationally. 2
J.H. Posted November 15, 2024 Posted November 15, 2024 (edited) The Yin & Yang of Mister Go - I don't do drugs. This movie makes me think I should start. Why is James Mason in this? He looks like a TOS Kilgon so much that I expected Shatner to appear and monkey-flip him! I mean, there is a story in hete but the basic summation is everyone is trying to screw each other over to the point that you really have no horse to root for in this thing. I also need to find a cleaner copy of this so I can have a dinner party and make my guests watch this James Edited November 15, 2024 by J.H. 3
Andrew POE! Posted November 15, 2024 Posted November 15, 2024 Movies today.... Old Boyfriends (Criterion Channel, leaving on 11/30) - 2.5/5 stars Spoiler The movie starts as an examination of a single character Dianne (Talia Shire) as she reconciles her past with meeting back up with her previous boyfriends. The music starts off with an almost Bernard Hermann in Vertigo score and it seems intriguing and potentially Hitchcock like. She tracks one of her first exes to Colorado named Jeff Turrin (Richard Jordan) as he's shooting a movie. It seems delightfully sardonic as Dianne is sitting in a bar and every dude comes up to her to buy her a drink - that entire scene was really great and it really presents a sense of what attractive women have to deal with if they're just wanting to go to a bar by themselves and have a drink alone. About half-way through I realized that the movie started to tither out under the weight of the script. The scenes with Dianne and Eric (John Belushi) then Dianne and Wayne (Keith Carradine) made me realize that Dianne as a character isn't a good person. She essentially lied to every guy she encountered - she leaves Eric in a shirt and drives off; she leaves Wayne to be committed back to the hospital by his mother. I found the scenes with Wayne's mother (Bethel Leslie) and Dianne to be the most heart-breaking. "He just doesn't do anything. He doesn't have a job, he doesn't date anyone, he doesn't go anywhere." Wayne as a character is a man completely broken by the world around him; nowadays, he would likely be online and likely have a community he would associate with online. In the 1970s, it's difficult for him to even feel like he has friends; Dianne completely ruined that for him all for the sake of recalling past memories about an ex-boyfriend. Dianne gets told this as much in a later scene with Dr. Hoffman (John Houseman). The fact is Dianne's motivation as a character and the impetus for her on this self-discovery journey is vague at best. The movie doesn't attempt to answer those questions even after Jeff begins to uncover her past for himself. He finds out from her former employer that she left without a word and finds out from her very much alive husband that he's a professor of sociology at UCLA (which she lied about his death and took his profession as her own). The final scenes are a bit of a soap opera-ish put upon ending. Yes, it's a nicely shot high angle shot of Dianne walking along before observing a bicycle race and Jeff taking a picture and there's a freeze frame on that shot. But there's no 'chickens coming home to roost' for Dianne with Jeff laying everything out. Dianne presumably starts a new life with Jeff without any repercussions. Cinematography efforts were decent but awashed in 1970s soft lens and using a few mid range shots. The soundtrack by the end of the movie turned into mush; the Hitchcockian aspects were in scenes where Dianne is driving from one place to another. It seems to be a false outlier for the usage of it. It's a shame that Joan Tewkesbury hasn't made more feature films as a director. I haven't seen the TV movies she did after this one, but she were onto to something. Despite the script issues, Tewkesbury exhibited a great eye towards depicting intelligent women like Dianne dealing with society. Talia Shire did display this in the first half before the movie turned a bit melodramatic. Don Jon (Max, leaving on 11/30) - 1.5/5 stars Spoiler On the other end of the spectrum from Old Boyfriends is Don Jon. Growing up for me, I knew guys like Jon (Joseph Gordon Levitt). They would brag about how many women they had sex with and would evaluate women at a nightclub like it was a meat market. The main character honestly is unlikable. Then coupled with his watching pornography continuously (not the act of watching porn, just watching it all the time). Jon as a character probably could have just gone to LA and pursued being a pornstar given the shape he's in and the view of sex that he has. He sees Barbara (Scarlet Johansson) and evaluates her in the same cattle call fashion and through a variety of means attempts to 'get with her.' While I admire what Levitt attempted with having a honest look at relationships and trying to craft a realistic relationship between Jon and Barbara, it resulted in making two unlikable people muddle through together. Barbara as a character is almost equally unlikable and I would say has an unrealistic and puritan view of romance. Her character is expecting Jon to not watch pornography while nothing about her is seemingly up for debate (as if her character doesn't masturbate either). It's also poor writing to have Barbara solely watching romantic comedies/dramas with Jon and not be a bit more nuanced (she has to at least have a bit more variety in movies - maybe French or German dramas or even a Korean movie?). In 2013, I don't think a woman would have a nearly visceral reaction to their partner choosing to watch porn and equating it to cheating, much less that being a dealbreaker for a relationship between the two. Keep in mind they met at a nightclub, so they aren't exactly the best judge of character. The redemption arc for Jon is a bit muted; the scene where Jon and Barbara meet up after their breakup really showed how bad of a character Barbara was. Jon was willing to change and acknowledge that he needed to change while Barbara seemed vindictive and spiteful. In most movies, the characters realize that they have a lot of growing together to do and that they do need to change. Oftentimes though in real life, it seems that there is no going back for a relationship despite one person acknowledging their faults. While Levitt can be applauded for depicting it and the script can be applauded for including it, it is a letdown to watch and makes for poor writing. Even though I have character and story issues, some of the technical aspects were okay. Levitt uses repetition of shots (although not to the level of Jeanne DIelman) to show how the routine of the character is mostly the same - except when it's changed (Jon walking with Barbara to the gym, Jon stopping to play basketball). Some of the camerawork just isn't that good - for example, the scene where Barbara finds out about Jon watching porn for the first time has really bad camera movement that's noticeable. I noticed that the way the movie was filmed used a lot of music video editing - which considering that there are numerous clips of music videos at the start and porn is interspersed through the movie is a given. I did like the French New Wave/Godard style ending sequence where the camera focused on Jon and Esther (Julianne Moore)'s faces until there were high speed cuts between the two. Don Jon for the most part is bad. There is a lot to think about with the story and with the characters, but I can't say I liked what I saw. Ghost Cat Anzu (saw at the theaters) - 2.5/5 stars Spoiler The movie is pretty much My Dude Totoro. A lot of the premise of the movie - a young Japanese girl stays with her grandfather and a literal walking talking cat - is not very believable and almost strains credibility. You just accept it as it is. If you don't, well....that's just your opinion, man. The movie doesn't really dwell on the 'how' or 'why' Anzu (Jason Simon) is able to walk around much less holding down a job, but knowledge of Japanese folklore is helpful in this case. (Even though the movie doesn't come out and say it). With this movie, Anzu grows to care for Karin (Evie Hsu) and takes her to Tokyo then to the underworld. The movie's portions in the underworld are more like a hotel than a crazy world like in Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. The biggest issue I had with this movie is there wasn't a lot with the story and the pace reflected that. Anzu as a character just lounges from one scenario to another - he works as a massuse, he drives a motorbike, he works a job scaring away birds, he spends all his money on pachinko, and there's seemingly no consequences for him as a character. The trip to the underworld where he and Karin get Karin's mom propelled much of the action later in the movie, but without really any weight to it, it's just an empty gesture. For the most part, this movie is a curiosity to watch for Japanese anime fans and it was great seeing it in US theaters after being at Cannes. At the showing I went to, I was the only one sitting there. Liquid Sky (Criterion Channel, leaving on 11/30) - 4.5/5 stars Spoiler This movie is either Rainer Warner Fassbinder directing A Clockwork Orange or Alex Cox directing Rear Window. Take your pick. Everyone in this movie literally act like they came from another planet. "Where's the cocaine?" "Me and my rhythm box." "I want my vision to be blurred so I don't have to look at your face." Just for a pure visual look, this movie does a lot with its cinematography for less than $1 million than some movies do with its multiple million. The story is an alien arrives and wants heroin and orgasms. People die after either when a woman named Margaret (Anne Carlisle) is involved. That's it. There's a scientist watching a la Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window and a woman who dresses nicely (although not as good as Grace Kelly, but who is?) who helps him. The scientist Johann (Otto von Wernherr) gets up and physically goes to where Margaret lives to warn her about the alien, but it's too late. The movie literally starts the same way as A Clockwork Orange by showing a close-up (well, of a mask) and gradually pulls back. It eventually pulls back to the building. There's also a sense of lawlessness from the characters as they drink, party, shoot up heroin, dance, do cocaine. For them, there is no tomorrow. They aren't like Alex and his 3 droogs, but the ultraviolence they crave is more internal than external. There's honestly a lot of really great scenes. The monologue where Margaret discusses her background and why she's in New York City. "Delicious, delicious, how boring." The photoshoot scenes where a lot of people arrive and there's a shot of people encouraging Jimmy (also played by Carlisle) to receive sexual gratification. The ending is absolutely bonkers with inverted colors, slower framerate as Margaret dances on the roof and a piercing sound as the alien escapes. This movie is absolutely insane and proves you don't need a lot of money to make a movie. Some of the mumblecore directors could learn a lot if they made their movies as insane as this. 1
RazorbladeKiss87 Posted November 15, 2024 Posted November 15, 2024 I found the soundtrack for typing your John Waters reviews: https://johnwaters.bandcamp.com/album/jingle-bells-its-a-punk-rock-christmas?from=embed 2
zendragon Posted November 15, 2024 Posted November 15, 2024 Saw Challengers earlier this year great film if you like MEN...HOT SWEATY TENNIS PLAYING MEN WHO TAKE THEIR SHIRTS OFF CAUSE THEIR SO HOT SWEATY FROM ALL THE TENNIS AND THEN GO HANG OUT NUDE IN THE LOCKER ROOM... and way tonight I saw Anora which is like Challengers just for those who appreciate the female form. The Russian kid kinda reminded me of the rich club kids I would pick up doing Uber, everyday's a party no responsibility. I found a parallel between Igor and Annie much like The Wrestler both make a living on their bodies. her being an escort/dancer and him being the "dumb" muscle for the Russian/Armenian's. She seems to pick up on this later than he does and when they have sex it's like it's the only way she knows how to relate to men. Liked how the story ended up turning the Cinderella narrative of such film like Pretty Woman on its ear. Ultimately another very solid entry into Sean Baker's cannon of the American Underclass (certain language being thrown around remined me of special feature on reservoir dogs being about white people who don't necessarily get all the benefits of white privilege) 2
The Natural Posted November 15, 2024 Posted November 15, 2024 Conan O'Brien will host the 97th Academy Awards, 2nd March 2025. Great choice! 2
zendragon Posted November 15, 2024 Posted November 15, 2024 Maybe they can actually have him do a decent song and dance routine, Conan should do with the Oscar's what they had the opportunity to do with Seth MacFarland and missed
Technico Support Posted November 15, 2024 Posted November 15, 2024 (edited) All I remember about Lifeforce is…exactly what everyone remembers about Lifeforce. Edited November 15, 2024 by Technico Support 2
elizium Posted November 15, 2024 Posted November 15, 2024 53 minutes ago, Technico Support said: All I remember about Lifeforce is…exactly what everyone remembers about Lifeforce. The awesome desiccated corpse effects? 2
(BP) Posted November 16, 2024 Posted November 16, 2024 On 11/14/2024 at 2:13 PM, Log said: I was talking with a co-worker who's reading Blood Meridian about how bleak of a story it is. Just not a hint of hope. It has some of the most beautiful prose I’ve ever read, but after the fourth or fifth gruesomely vivid description of the gang mindlessly destroying indigenous villages, I thought “okay Mr. McCarthy, I get it.” 1
Andrew POE! Posted November 16, 2024 Posted November 16, 2024 5 hours ago, Technico Support said: All I remember about Lifeforce is…exactly what everyone remembers about Lifeforce. Patrick Stewart acting like he's in charge of something? 1
Andrew POE! Posted November 16, 2024 Posted November 16, 2024 Movies today....George Cukor-thon and two theater releases. What Price Hollywood? (Criterion Channel, leaving on 11/30) - 3/5 stars Spoiler Movie starts as a skewering of Hollywood and its conventions before it turned into a melodrama. George Cukor does do interesting scenes throughout the movie - I loved the different montages as Mary (Constance Bennett) star rises and falls....first with applause then with flying papers. Constance Bennett plays Mary Evans, who works as a waitress at the Brown Derby before becoming a Hollywood star. The early parts of teh movie where Mary thought she would get re-cast for her bit part and spends all night working on is a brilliant scene - Mary's concern was shown through her walking up and down on the stairs as opposed to dialogue. Lowell Sherman as the gay-coded Max Carey is truly the tragic character in the movie. We see him drunkenly arrive at the start of the movie, buying flowers, then buying a car to take himself and Mary to a premier. The scene where he kills himself is similar to a lot of montages in other movies that surround characters' deaths (Scorsese's movies call to mind for me). I did like the scenes where he directed Mary - I can see why Lowell Sherman actually became a film director for the last six or so movies he did. For the most part with the movie, there are times in which it bears its teeth on Hollywood but then pulls back. Mary considers Max and Julius Saxe (Gregory Ratoff) her 'friends' despite the evidence to the contrary and to the nature of the type of work she does. I did like how the scenes where movie scenes were being staged and shot was done. It seemed almost 'documentary' style with how that was done. This isn't one of Cukor's best movies, but it's passable. Rockabye (Criterion Channel, leaving on 11/30) - 1.5/5 stars Spoiler "Nothing to declare Not in the bags under my eyes I can see you standing there But still, there's nothing to reply" - Mgmt, "Nothing To Declare" What a mess. This movie is probably one of the worst George Cukor movies I've ever seen. The story is absolute bullshit. A lot of the action of the story didn't make logical sense and was to put the main character Judy Carroll (Constance Bennett) for the sake of it through torture that Lars Von Trier would have said 'whoa slow down.' Judy has to testify at a trial and rightfully snaps off on the prosecutor for his questions. She is due to adopt a little girl when the adoption agency decides to 'recall' the adoption because of Judy's behavior at trial. First off, fuck them. Secondly, what the child actually wanted - which was to stay with Judy - never entered into the equation. Because oh no, we can't have a single rich mother in America raising a child by herself. She needs a man! He needs to scratch his butt and read the paper and smoke a pipe and look important! Joel McCrea plays a playwright Jacob Van Riker Pell who is writing a play based on Judy's life called "Rockabye." The bulk of the movie was their courtship - while both McCrea and Bennett tried, they couldn't elevate the material despite their performances. I did like the scene where there were a lot of balloons and both characters were in bed. The kitchen scene was a nice bit of slapstick. And George Cukor did a brief montage at the play opening that wasn't out of place in What Price Hollywood. Then Jacob's mother (Virginia Hammond) appeared to tell Judy whatever engagement she and Jacob were to do after they got divorced was off because....Jacob and his estranged wife are having a baby. Judy's reaction was a lot better than I think a lot of other people's reactions would have been (it's pre-Code, just have Judy tell Mrs. Van Riker Pell to get the fuck outta her house and fuck you for deciding to pull this old-fashioned bullshit, but nah we can't let realism actually be in movies). Judy of course is beside her in delirium at the end. Besides what I laid out, the story for this movie is garbage. There's no arc for any of the characters. The tone for the movie changes too drastically and makes both characters have extreme, bipolar reactions to everything. George Cukor tried his best as director, but even he can't make this better. He did have a lot of decent close-ups and cinematography wasn't too bad at times, especially during the introductory courtroom scenes. But what an awful movie. [NOTE: The quoted song lyric was due to a line from Constance Bennett about "do you have anything to declare?" I immediately paused the movie and watched the music video for the song again] Dinner At Eight (Criterion Channel, leaving on 11/30) - 4.5/5 stars Spoiler Going into this, I wasn't really expecting that much. A ton of stars, a nearly 2 hour runtime, and probably one of the more dialogue heavy movies I've seen in awhile. After watching this, I would say this is a near classic and holds up well today. Millicent Jordan (Billie Burke) is organizing a dinner party during the Great Depression. For the average person that would be watching this at that time, a dressed up dinner party is the furthest thing from their mind, especially with people losing their jobs and having to sleep on the streets. Who's to say that's not going to happen in the next few years. What makes this movie work are the characters involved and the mini-story arcs that each scene has them in. We see their thoughts on display through what is said and implied. For example, look at John Barrymore's character Larry Renault. He is carrying on an affair with Paula Jordan (Madge Evans) despite the age gap. Larry laments his place in the world and how the business he works in left him behind - from the silent era to the 'talkies.' He's been asked to be in a bit part in a play and meets with a producer Jo Stengel (Jean Hersholt). Then there's Jean Harlow and Wallace Beery as Kitty Packard and her husband Dan Packard. They practically serve as the precursor to Cukor's later Born Yesterday in terms of their relationship and implied threats of violence. I practically busted out laughing at Harlow later in the movie. "I never go out in the sun with exposed skin!" as she turns around revealing her exposed back. The whole movie is practically Robert Altman-like. By the end of the movie, all the various side stories with the characters have reached their climax. Larry Renault meets a tragic end. The scene with Carlotta (Marie Dressler) revealing to Paula is a great scene - for the majority of the movie, Carlotta was treated as the comic relief, but she delivered a great scene. "I understand I'm old." I love Billie Burke's scene where she blasts her husband Oliver Jordan (Lionel Barrymore) for his stomach ache and blasts Paula for a 'lovers' quarrel' with her fiancee Ernest (Phillips Holmes). The two scenes are contrast in deeply tragic and hilariousness rooted in tragedy. The dinner party is not just a dinner party, it's an attempt to maintain a status quo before everything falls apart. What prevents this from being a full blown classic is with the number of characters, it is a bit tough keeping tracking of the story arcs in the movie. What's interesting is the ending as the various characters are walking into the dining room with conversations ongoing. Kitty mentions to Carlotta how "machinery will take over every profession." "That's something that you need never worry about!" If only Kitty and Carlotta knew about AI and machine learning from today. The more things change, the more they stay the same. A Real Pain (saw at the theaters) - 4.5/5 stars Spoiler A Real Pain talks about A Real Problem. After going through 9/11, Bush’s two terms and the war in Iraq, the product of this generation have no major traumatic experience on the level of the Holocaust or World War II that unifies everyone. For the two characters in this movie David (Jesse Eisenburg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) are two cousins that haven’t seen each other in awhile and link back up for a Holocaust tour in Poland and a visit to their grandmother’s house in Poland. Their experience with the Holocaust and with their Jewish heritage is almost only cursory; as Benji laments in a scene, there's only an awareness of it 'due to tourist-y things like this group trip to Poland.' The real problem for these two characters is the medication and depression both face, but in different ways. Benji is an unmedicated tornado that you never know if he’s going to say something that will offend the others in the group, but they end up loving him anyway. The group leader James (Will Sharpe) thanks Benji for his feedback profusely and just says "Bye David" when saying bye to him. David is an anxious husband and father who has to take medicine for his OCD. In a pivotal scene, he recounts how 'he loves [Benji] but hates him' after finding him passed out from taking sleeping pills. Another scene that summarizes their relationship is Benji picks up his weed from a hotel and David asks Benji if he noticed him worrying. "I thought that was just you being you." The relationship between the two characters is loving yet adversarial. For me, the touchstone for this movie is Treasure, which was a movie earlier this year about reconnecting to the past and also involved characters going back to Poland that had family part of the Holocaust. The difference is A Real Pain’s story is more concise and more focused on the trip the two main characters take and doesn't dwell on the aftermath. Benji and David as characters seem to be written better and presents a better sense of being related. It's in little things - Benji grabbing David for a headlock/hug, David baring his soul to the group about Benji, Benji trying to challenge David to step out of his comfort zone and lamenting about how 'he used to feel more things.' Although I may revisit both and compare them. The other obvious touchstones is Woody Allen and Eric Rohmer. Like Rohmer, there isn’t a grand story arc and is more about the minutiae of the characters. Like Allen, Jesse Eisenburg wears his Jewish-ness on his sleeve in his filmmaking while also being a modern person in society. The usage of Chopin is similar to what Allen does in his movies with the usage of music; Chopin and other classical music sets the mood and the tone for the movie. Cinematography wise, I liked how this movie was shot. Eisenburg uses a lot of mid range shots when characters are on screen - such as they walk across a bridge on the tour, or the group walking together. It's easy to notice Benji separating himself from David and talking with Marcia (Jennifer Grey) a few times. There's also a really nice scene where James is discussing former shops and houses being turned into parking garages or building flats. What was yesterday's history is now a developer's profit (which somewhat illustrates Benji's point about the rich: "Money for the rich makes them stupid."). The movie does a nice trick of having the beginning and the ending of the movie being shot in the same way. During the showing, this older guy actually complained that he didn’t understand the movie after he saw it. Bird (saw at the theaters) - 3.5/5 stars Spoiler Bird is a really weird movie. After seeing Franz Rogowski's name, I knew it would be weird - just remember his role in Luzifer playing a son of a drug addict who both separate themselves from the world. So I knew that Bird as a character would operate in a similar outsider perspective fashion as a character. The majority of the movie is focused on Bailey (Nykiya Adams) as she deals with a fucked-up family dynamic and having Bug (Barry Keoghan) as her father. Bug acts younger than he actually is - he has a weird notion that he can make money selling hallucinogenic secretions from a frog. He tries to get Bailey to dress up for his wedding to her step-mother. With Bird, the focus on family dynamics is part of director Andrea Arnold's usual style. I haven't seen her earlier feature film Fish Tank yet, but a lot of what I saw in her earlier short films appeared in Bird. Some of what Bird did doesn't work - the movie's pace is a bit too slow and there were fewer memorable scenes. I did like the relationship between Bailey and Bird no matter how strange Bird acted. Compared to Arnold's earlier work, Bird is more focused on a 'magical realism' in the story of British council flat / cramped apartment house living. Bird's transformation is almost comical than serious - I ended up feeling like I had to suspend disbelief to accept it. Cinematography aspects were more focused on handheld camera shots and occasional iPhone shots. Some of the running scenes with the handheld cameras did make it hard to track the scenes, but it worked mainly to the movie's favor. But even then, the performances from Nykiya Adams and Barry Keoghan were the best parts of the movie and made it worth sticking around.
Brian Fowler Posted November 16, 2024 Posted November 16, 2024 What Price Hollywood? is basically proto-A Star is Born, right?
Andrew POE! Posted November 16, 2024 Posted November 16, 2024 3 minutes ago, Brian Fowler said: What Price Hollywood? is basically proto-A Star is Born, right? Yup, except they was a big fight over who took credit for it. It's pretty much the same story.
(BP) Posted November 16, 2024 Posted November 16, 2024 @Andrew POE! have you seen Grand Hotel? Very similar vibe to Dinner at Eight; it also has Beery and John Barrymore, among a number of other huge names from the time. 1
Andrew POE! Posted November 16, 2024 Posted November 16, 2024 11 minutes ago, (BP) said: @Andrew POE! have you seen Grand Hotel? Very similar vibe to Dinner at Eight; it also has Beery and John Barrymore, among a number of other huge names from the time. No, but I probably should. At some point, I'll run through the Oscar winners from when the awards were started. 1
assfax Posted November 16, 2024 Posted November 16, 2024 19 hours ago, (BP) said: It has some of the most beautiful prose I’ve ever read, but after the fourth or fifth gruesomely vivid description of the gang mindlessly destroying indigenous villages, I thought “okay Mr. McCarthy, I get it.” Blood Meridian is like if the bible was written in 1850 after some time travelers showed a bunch of authors Clint Eastwood movies with no context as to what in the hell they were seeing. STILL has one of my favorite lines where it's like "vultures huddled in their foul black rookeries.".
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