2024 MOVIES DISCUSSION THREAD

[Mike Campbell]

I finally got to sit down and watch "The First Omen" last night (on Disney+ for no reason other than to say I watched a horror movie on there). I've always been a fan of the franchise. I think that the original is a masterpeice, and that the second and third ones are both underappreciated. I haven't brought myself to watch the made for TV fourth one yet, and I felt like the 2006 remake is OK.

 

To me, this one felt like "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers" in that it gives the backstory that nobody felt like they needed or were even asking for. That said, this was a pretty damn good movie, and I'd probably rate it just under the original. The lighting and set pieces made it look and feel like the early 1970's (aside from the CGI fire at the end), and the twist as to whom the intended birth mother is definitely caught me offguard. At some point I'm going to do a double feature and watch this back to back with the original to see how well they go together.

[Andrew POE!]

2 hours ago, Mike Campbell said:

I finally got to sit down and watch "The First Omen" last night (on Disney+ for no reason other than to say I watched a horror movie on there). I've always been a fan of the franchise. I think that the original is a masterpeice, and that the second and third ones are both underappreciated. I haven't brought myself to watch the made for TV fourth one yet, and I felt like the 2006 remake is OK.

 

To me, this one felt like "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers" in that it gives the backstory that nobody felt like they needed or were even asking for. That said, this was a pretty damn good movie, and I'd probably rate it just under the original. The lighting and set pieces made it look and feel like the early 1970's (aside from the CGI fire at the end), and the twist as to whom the intended birth mother is definitely caught me offguard. At some point I'm going to do a double feature and watch this back to back with the original to see how well they go together.

Hulu has all the Omens including the reboot movie up for streaming right now.

[HarryArchieGus]

On 6/28/2024 at 10:47 AM, Curt McGirt said:

I'm mad at myself for not watching all of The Addiction when I had the chance, it used to be on IFC and I only caught some of it. I really liked Nadja  though which was also B&W and came out only a month prior. Reading back they seem quite dissimilar.

EDIT: Nadja trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB2FI3kqVgY&ab_channel=LostReels Now THAT's What I Call Arthouse!

I'd never heard of Nadja nor filmmaker Michael Almereyda. He got a whole Hal Hartley cast and even a Lynch cameo. Also, Portishead at the peak of their powers on the soundtrack. I'm interested.  

On 6/28/2024 at 11:43 PM, Andrew POE! said:

New Rose Hotel (Criterion Channel, leaving Sunday) - 2.5/5 stars

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Felt like an extended Blue de Chanel or Christian Dior perfume commercial than an actual movie. I don't understand what Abel Ferrara was trying to do with this movie; Christopher Walken seemed like he was improvisation a lot of his scenes then the last 20 minutes were repeated scenes from earlier as part of X (Willem DaFoe)'s memories.

It made for a confusing if almost dull viewing. The Addiction was a bit more coherent in comparison.

 

I was curious to see your review. Yeah, it's a strange, kinda fucking dumb movie. Ferrera is known to have had (maybe still does have) substance issues, and I sense it was either in overdrive or his persistant use caught up to him and led to a creative downfall starting there (tho, I have a pal who loved that movie). New Rose Hotel was the last entry in his catalog I'd see until the Pasolini biopic, which was far worse. Horrible. Easily the shittiest movie I've ever seen starring Willem Dafoe. Still, I remain interested in the Ferrera catalog - the Addiction, Bad Lieutenant and The Funeral are favorites from my early exploration of film away from the mainstream. Far less interested in the shock n awe Driller Killer gore era. Actually, curious about the Blackout starring Matthew Modine from a year prior to New Rose. His newest The Projectionist looks interesting. 

Can't wait for Kinds of Kindness! Or can I guess, waiting to see it in a less busy matinee screening. I'm seeing Todd Haynes' feature length debut Poison tonight at the TIFF Lightbox after many, many years of hording a VHS copy I've yet to watch. Looks wild. 

Edited July 2 by HarryArchieGus

[Andrew POE!]

29 minutes ago, HarryArchieGus said:

I'd never heard of Nadja nor filmmaker Michael Almereyda. He got a whole Hal Hartley cast and even a Lynch cameo. Also, Portishead at the peak of their powers on the soundtrack. I'm interested.  

I was curious to see your review. Yeah, it's a strange, kinda fucking dumb movie. Ferrera is known to have had (maybe still does have) substance issues, and I sense it was either in overdrive or his persistant use caught up to him and led to a creative downfall starting there (tho, I have a pal who loved that movie). New Rose Hotel was the last entry in his catalog I'd see until the Pasolini biopic, which was far worse. Horrible. Easily the shittiest movie I've ever seen starring Willem Dafoe. Still, I remain interested in the Ferrera catalog - the Addiction, Bad Lieutenant and The Funeral are favorites from my early exploration of film away from the mainstream. Far less interested in the shock n awe Driller Killer gore era. Actually, curious about the Blackout starring Matthew Modine from a year prior to New Rose. His newest The Projectionist looks interesting. 

Can't wait for Kinds of Kindness! Or can I guess, waiting to see it in a less busy matinee screening. I'm seeing Todd Haynes' feature length debut Poison tonight at the TIFF Lightbox after many, many years of hording a VHS copy I've yet to watch. Looks wild. 

Yeah, beyond Bad Lieutenant, I can't say I'm an Abel Ferrera fan. King Of New York is on the Criterion Channel so I may watch that at some point to give it a shot.

Like I always say with any indie films....I wish Poison was playing in Atlanta. I can't seem to find showtimes in Atlanta for Last Summer, which I really want to see next.

[Curt McGirt]

Driller Killer is kinda boring and the definition of an arthouse horror flick, at least from that era. King of New York is the best crime film maybe ever. NOBODY RIDES FOR FREE, MOTHERFUCKA. 

[J.H.]

3 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

Driller Killer is kinda boring and the definition of an arthouse horror flick, at least from that era. King of New York is the best crime film maybe ever. NOBODY RIDES FOR FREE, MOTHERFUCKA. 

I love King of New York so much!

You get prototype Caruso and prototype Snipes and Fishburne is just so I tense and unhinged!

James

[Curt McGirt]

There are almost too many reasons why King of New York rules. It really is hard to enumerate them. You can start with the cast and just run at a sprint from there.

[Andrew POE!]

Well, I know what I'm doing tomorrow (watching King of New York amongst movies leaving streaming). Movies today....

The House That Jack Built (Hulu, leaving Wednesday) - 4/5 stars

Spoiler

The movie is not really a study of a serial killer (like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer or Man Bites Dog) as it is an examination of human nature attaching meaning to art and to evil acts. In some ways, it also examines Lars Von Trier's own movies and his motivation for making those movies.

I've seen Dogville years ago and thought it was one of the better films of Von Trier that I've seen. While it's not shot the same way, this movie does have some parallels to that (especially the usage of David Bowie).

The one drawback I can say is the movie is a bit long at times. Also, the primary focus is on Matt Dillon's character Jack that other characters aren't as important since they are just victims of Jack.

The Nightingale (Hulu, leaving Wednesday) - 2/5 stars

Spoiler

Starts out powerfully but by the end turns into a miserable slog. Aisling Franciosi is quite good in her role and carries the movie through some dire character choices and dialogue. Baykali Ganambarr is not really that good of an actor at times (he has a tendency to be unintentionally funny), but got an award at the Venice Film Festival.

The story being a revenge tale didn't have quite the payoff that the violent rape and murder should have required. I'm not sure what Jennifer Kent's point was by having those scenes (and story) not lead to vindication for the main character. Instead Mangana (Ganambarr) does the killing himself while Clare (Franciosi) is out of it with grief, hunger, and anger. I really wanted it to be Taranatino-esque where Clare blasts everyone in the town including Hawkins (Sam Claflin) but oh well.

The movie in some scenes is similar to Woyzeck, a similar tale about revenge.

Noises Off... (Criterion Channel, leaving at the end of the month) - 4/5 stars

Spoiler

Absolutely brilliant comedy although the movie does drag somewhat towards the end. I loved the scenes in the middle where the play is occurring but we don't see it - we see the mad wordless scramble backstage over flowers, a Jim Beam bottle, and a cactus.

Everyone involved is just awesome and Nicolette Sheridan and Christopher Reeve are hilarious. Carol Burnett is especially hilarious as she switches from an English accent to an American accent in the middle of the play while a phone is getting destroyed.

Not sure why Siskel & Ebert hated it.

This movie makes an interesting counterpoint to Ghostlight.

She Said (Peacock, leaving on Saturday) - 2.5/5 stars

Spoiler

While the subject matter is important, this seems an attempt to be spoken of in the same breath as "All The President's Men" but not quite reaching the same cinematic quality. This is not due to the fact that the leads in the movie are women; it's just the material in the movie is rather dry and almost clinical in its depiction. There's hardly a sense of danger involved with the actions despite very early on hearing about Harvey Weinstein's 'spies' everywhere. If they exist, none of the characters seem to encounter them other than the people they are speaking to don't want to be on the record. Then Harvey Weinstein's attempts to bully the reporters in revealing who they talked to as well.

Carey Mulligan can literally act in anything and makes it incredible; her role in An Education and Far From The Madding Crowd made good movies great and her role in Suffragette made an okay movie better. She has a weariness in her voice and presence that belies her age; she sounds older than someone who is playing a reporter and her character had a baby.

Zoe Kazan as Jodi Kantor sometimes has a doe eyed presence like her character is in a romantic comedy, not in a serious drama (if that seemed sexist, my apologies). The point is I had a harder time taking Kazan seriously in the role due to her acting throughout the movie.

One of the lines that I come back to is this: “This is bigger than Harvey. This is about the system protecting abusers.”

Yet Brad Pitt, whose production company Plan B, helped make this movie. And yet he turns around works with Weinstein to do Inglorious Basterds and Killing Them Softly. Guess what that makes him and the side he's on?

Not to mention that the New York Times is seen as a 'virtuous organization' (despite a lot of their reporters and one named Maggie Haberman) reporting on evil people with a seeming pass given by those evil people. (Note: the uncanny impression of a former president at the start of the movie, the person being depicted would have spoken to Haberman after that call)

The final scene actually had me busting out laughing. Six fucking people standing in front of a computer.

Despite my thrashing this movie for its choices, the shots of New York were beautiful and the setups / cinematography of the New York Times office was exceptional.

So the movie is important for what it's trying to do, just not important in its cinematic result.

 

[Ace]

Noises Off is one of my all-time favorite plays and films.

Bottoms

Spoiler

Complete and absolute camp. Ayo Edebiri is an absolute star. Marshawn Lynch sneakily steals almost every scene he is in.

 

Trigger Warning (Netflix)

Spoiler

Jessica Alba is the least convincing CIA Agent/Commando there is. The film is weaker than her ability to be stealthy clopping about in cowboy boots in plain sight.

 

[HarryArchieGus]

14 hours ago, Andrew POE! said:

Yeah, beyond Bad Lieutenant, I can't say I'm an Abel Ferrera fan. King Of New York is on the Criterion Channel so I may watch that at some point to give it a shot.

Like I always say with any indie films....I wish Poison was playing in Atlanta. I can't seem to find showtimes in Atlanta for Last Summer, which I really want to see next.

Poision was disappointing. Significant for it's time and some interesting aesthetic choices, but not great or particularly good. As a lover of his work, it is interesting to see where Todd Haynes began.  

Curious to hear your thoughts on King of New York. It has it's fans. I saw it after his excellent 90s run and was completely underwhelmed. It felt recycled and weakly executed. Sex, Drugs, Violence, rinse, repeat. That said, it's been awhile...

9 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

There are almost too many reasons why King of New York rules. It really is hard to enumerate them. You can start with the cast and just run at a sprint from there.

I like a lot of this cast, but it didn't seem like great use of them. Please elaborate on the many reasons. I mean this sincerely - gimme a good reason to revisit rather than one of the 1001 other gangster films available.

[J.H.]

2 minutes into Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F and "The Heat Is On" opens it and it feels like I just put on a warm pair of slippers!

James

[Curt McGirt]

I just like it? The dialogue, the setpieces, the characters. It feels like a step into the world of Drexl, the pimp in True Romance. Even has a similar hotel slaughter over drugs. They flip the typical mob stuff on its head, having a white guy as head of a black gang, him being a Robin Hood type, the cops being ruthless killers too except for the old man. It's a murderer's row of character actors. Larry Fishburne is totally unhinged and hilarious ("You can start by getting me 15 pieces of chicken, motherfucker" ). David Caruso comes off as the biggest asshole with big time anger management issues. Walken is Walken. They even manage to sneak in Steve Buscemi somehow. Walken gets to dance! I'm sure he loved that. My only real problem with it is the ending. 

Spoiler

It's unfortunate. It feels like either Ferrara didn't know where to go after the apartment monologue or just fucked up the writing. There's no real reason for Frank to get killed. The whole movie has been about him wiping out his enemies (even the dirty cops!) and getting away with it so making sure he doesn't is cheap. It feels like the studio made him do a "crime doesn't pay" ending instead of what he really wants. 

 

[Curt McGirt]

https://tubitv.com/movies/460204/king-of-new-york

Here it is if anybody wants to watch it. I forgot that it also has this icy, dirty, Old New York feel. And also, it's a hip hop movie. Schoolly D is all over the motherfucker.

[J.H.]

The review from Siskel & Ebert surprised me as neither of them liked it. Gene felt the story was all over the place and fizzled at the end.

I think King of New York ends up being liked because the performances are just too strong. I mean Caruso gives us the seeds of John Kelly in here, to the point that on re-watch you half expect Dennis Franz to show up.

James

Edited July 3 by J.H.

[Curt McGirt]

I rewatched it. The end is a little better than I remember, with 

Spoiler

the cops snarling traffic in the middle of downtown Manhattan. I have no idea how they got that shot. The movie was NOT shot in Vancouver or something, it was all New York, and that's really Times Square. Crazy.

Ebert complained about a fractured plot? I think it's pretty cohesive and easy to figure out, besides why Frank is the head of a black gang. That is the most peculiar thing in the whole movie and makes you wonder about Frank's back story and how it came to be that way. Even the cops are mixed, so it's a surprisingly multiracial film in a genre that tends to only focus on one specific group in a film -- Italians, yakuza, South Americans. 

[HarryArchieGus]

1 hour ago, Curt McGirt said:

I just like it? The dialogue, the setpieces, the characters. It feels like a step into the world of Drexl, the pimp in True Romance. Even has a similar hotel slaughter over drugs. They flip the typical mob stuff on its head, having a white guy as head of a black gang, him being a Robin Hood type, the cops being ruthless killers too except for the old man. It's a murderer's row of character actors. Larry Fishburne is totally unhinged and hilarious ("You can start by getting me 15 pieces of chicken, motherfucker" ). David Caruso comes off as the biggest asshole with big time anger management issues. Walken is Walken. They even manage to sneak in Steve Buscemi somehow. Walken gets to dance! I'm sure he loved that. My only real problem with it is the ending. 

  Reveal hidden contents

It's unfortunate. It feels like either Ferrara didn't know where to go after the apartment monologue or just fucked up the writing. There's no real reason for Frank to get killed. The whole movie has been about him wiping out his enemies (even the dirty cops!) and getting away with it so making sure he doesn't is cheap. It feels like the studio made him do a "crime doesn't pay" ending instead of what he really wants. 

 

I met Larry Fishburne at the record shop I worked at. He was buying a Mel Torme CD to which I remarked ‘somebody’s looking to party!’ Larry gave me a fist bump and a laugh. Seemed like a really nice guy.

[J.H.]

Hard Target - I honestly believe this is John Woo's best Hollywood movie. It is batshit insane, filled with "Hey! That guy from..." actors and goddam Wiflred Brimley doing his own stunts!

A part of me wants to believe that when they told Wilfred Brimley they got a stunt double for him, he looked at John Woo and told him "I was blowing shit up for the CIA when you were suckin on yer mama's teat! I don't need no damn stunt double!"

James

[Curt McGirt]

Guess it's my turn: I caught Hard Target on TV again recently and was unimpressed. Wilfred with his Cajun accent and of course Lance were fun, but it lost my attention pretty quick. I think I had it on the DVR and ended up just fast forwarding through it to the good parts. 

EDIT: You know I thought a little bit further about the end of King and it might make more sense like this: 

Spoiler

Frank really had nowhere to go after the shootout and chase with the cops. He could talk a big game about having contracts out, but his fate was basically sealed. His best friend and underboss Jimmy was dead. A lot of his main crew got wiped out. He had to murder his own consigliere. He killed a whole crew of cops, regardless of their coming at him first. If you look at the turnout in Times Square there was no way of him escaping to live another day, and he had just murdered the one honest cop trying to nail him in cold blood after threatening a citizen with a gun. If he hadn't gotten shot he was going back in the can to suffer. In a way, killing him off was a way of letting him win after all. And it's ironic that it was perpetrated by the one man who didn't want to just outright kill him. 

Damn. I think I like it even more now.

EDIT II: One more thing! If you'll notice there are women in Frank's crew as well as men and they aren't just coke whores (exclusively, anyway), they are wielding Uzis like everyone else, plus his lawyer/love interest. It's pretty PC of frickin' Abel Ferrara of all people, haha.

Edited July 3 by Curt McGirt

[Andrew POE!]

I just finished watching King of New York. Review later today.

[J.H.]

Spoiler Free Beverly Hills Cop Axel F thoughts...

It's OK, solid movie. It needs more of Murphy/Reinhold/Ashton onscreen together because honestly, that was what made BHC 1& 2 so good. 

I liked Paul Reiser in his small but effective roll. Could've used more of a detective work angle on who the bad guy was.

Overall? Like a 7 out of 10

James

[Andrew POE!]

Movies today....

Guarding Tess (Criterion Channel, leaving at the end of the month) - 1.5/5 stars

Spoiler

First hour or so was great and had some genuine humor with Nicholas Cage and Shirley MacLaine demonstrating a contentious relationship. I especially loved the scene where they argue over the chauffeur.

The last act of the movie did such a U-turn that it caused whiplash. Nicholas Cage did his overacting best at this portion (shooting the chauffeur's toe off and yelling) but it's such a tonal shift from the rest of the movie that it felt out of place. Given the disclosure about her brain tumor, it would have made more sense if Tess (MacLaine) went to a far away place like Mexico or Vancouver via private plane to enjoy herself before ultimately succumbing to the brain tumor. Doug Chesnic (Cage) could have still found her and they would have made their peace - they could have still done the ending except it would have fit more leading up to it.

Instead, it's a random kidnapping from two characters we've never seen in the rest of the movie or were even aware of existing.

I did love the scene with Tess having a picnic at the lake - very Godard-esque in the way that was shot. I also loved the scene at the opera house where the camera pans over the stage to the orchestra then to the box where Tess and Doug are sitting.

As a result, this movie only half-way works.

King of New York (Criterion Channel, not sure when it's leaving, maybe later this year) - 4/5 stars

Spoiler

No one watches this movie because it's Oscar worthy performances, it's to see Christopher Walken and Laurence Fishburne shooting people. When Walken is the calmest character in the movie while Fishburne is batshit insane with quotable lines ("No one rides for free, motherfucker!" and "I got fried chicken here!"), you know you are in for a ride.

It's like a who's who of '90s TV shows and cinema all in one movie. You have David Caruso pre-Jade actually emoting and delivering a great performance (where was this Caruso in Jade in which he sleepwalks his way through)? Wesley Snipes shows up as Caruso's partner and he's not even the biggest star.

Giancarlo Esposito and Steve Buscemi are even in this and have decent parts.

The beginning shootout where a drug kingpin is given a briefcase full of tampons is nuts. David Caruso driving a car through actual traffic is nuts. The night club shootout scenes are insane.

The movie at times reminds me of Takashi Kitano's gangster films with a bit of William Friedkin's craziness. If Kitano re-did this movie with a Japanese cast, it wouldn't have looked out of place.

Teenage me would have thought this was a five star classic. Older me thinks this is still great and the characters are flimsy, the story is flimsy, but whatever it's fun to watch.

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 (saw in the theaters) - 3/5 stars

Spoiler

To be honest, I'm not really sure if the movie on its own should receive a rating since it's "incomplete" and the other parts haven't been released yet. Judging the movie for simply what it is on its own - I've given it a rating of 3/5 stars.

The movie does well with its conceit and does it well - the raid on the settlement was palpably tense and well shot (although staging/blocking is a bit suspect but that's true for the whole movie).

There are quite a few memorable scenes - I loved Colonel Houghton (Danny Huston)'s speech to Trent Gephardt (Sam Worthington). The scene with Walter (Michael Angarano who was practically Warren Beatty in McCabe & Mrs. Miller-like) and Lucy/Ellen (Jena Malone) and the two brothers was intense to watch as well.

The drawback to the whole movie was....Kevin Costner himself. He seemed practically wooden in his delivery and had the worst and most laughable sex scene I've seen (he practically just laid there while Marigold/Abbey Lee did all the work).

Plus, like I said with it being part 1 of a story, there wasn't any resolution to the story threads introduced. I imagine when the movie is 'complete' and all four parts are released, it will make more sense story wise.

Moffie (Hulu, leaving next week) - 2.5/5 stars

Spoiler

Full Metal Jacket if it were directed by Tom Ford. At times, it's stylish and has plenty of atmosphere; at other times, it's surprisingly dull. I'm perfectly fine with a queer love story in movies, it's just a shame it wasn't very interesting.

Still, Kai Luke Brummer as Nicholas is absolutely magnetic to watch in his scenes. The first hour or so was great; for whatever reason, the movie just drops dead in its tracks when the recruits reach the border and in the scenes after Nicholas returns from military conscription.

The final scenes seem like something out of Moonlight (another queer love story).

 

[Ligerbusa]

6 hours ago, J.H. said:

Spoiler Free Beverly Hills Cop Axel F thoughts...

It's OK, solid movie. It needs more of Murphy/Reinhold/Ashton onscreen together because honestly, that was what made BHC 1& 2 so good. 

I liked Paul Reiser in his small but effective roll. Could've used more of a detective work angle on who the bad guy was.

Overall? Like a 7 out of 10

James

Pretty much my thoughts as well. Also, there’s…

Spoiler

A cameo from Christopher McDonald as a golfer so we can pretend Happy Gilmore and Beverly Hills Cop are in the same universe.

 

[Curt McGirt]

One last thing about King.

I was turning, I want to say 24? Maybe even 23. This was right when the music scene was still going, most of the locals were just getting out of high school and our group was really tight knit. I had a couple friends who were big hip hop heads and rappers and for my birthday, they handed me a 40 of Mickey's and we just sat down and watched King of New York, with I'm sure some good bud to boot. That was so sweet of them and maybe my favorite birthday present ever -- someone just saying "let's do what you want". Didn't ask, it just happened. 

Shit, remembering this broke me up. I miss those days. Better times. 

[Eivion]

22 hours ago, J.H. said:

Spoiler Free Beverly Hills Cop Axel F thoughts...

It's OK, solid movie. It needs more of Murphy/Reinhold/Ashton onscreen together because honestly, that was what made BHC 1& 2 so good. 

I liked Paul Reiser in his small but effective roll. Could've used more of a detective work angle on who the bad guy was.

Overall? Like a 7 out of 10

James

I liked it a lot, but I agree that it need more of the three together though I thought they worked well with everyone else.

[Contentious C]

On 7/3/2024 at 9:41 AM, J.H. said:

2 minutes into Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F and "The Heat Is On" opens it and it feels like I just put on a warm pair of slippers!

James

Glenn Frey?  Eeuhhgghgh. Were the slippers warm because they were full of dog vomit?