Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It

[Raging Bull]

The 15:17 to Paris. Probably the poorest Clint Eastwood film I've seen. The funny part is the guys playing themselves was not the worst part, as I thought it'd be. The first thirty minutes with the kid actors is so poorly written and acted and almost plays out like a comedy. Guess the source material isn't that great, it's a whole lot of nothing leading up to a 10 minute event.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Watched Earlier:

8.5/10

Seriously though, I'm happy to report that thanks to this new Criterion blu-ray of "The Silence of the Lambs" (that just came out on Tuesday) the film looks and sounds better than ever. I was mesmerized by how it looked and sounded when I watched my copy earlier.

If you're a fan of this flick you owe it to yourself to pick up this new edition.

 

[Puck]

Phantom Thread (difficult to rate)
Psychological drama that winds itself out out like some classic greek drama. The Director Anderson must have been some ancient Greek playwright in another life. The art house crowd will love psycho-analysing the toxic omelet of this relationship. The characters are relatively cold (on purpose) so I doubt this is a hit with a mass audience. On a technical level this movie reaches near master-craftsman levels and the acting is superb but it's also difficult to see how this would capture the interest of more conventional movie goers who might crave a more traditional love story, it's definitely not one for the Hallmark romance crowd. Best to see this through a psychiatrist's couch not a theatre seat. I liked this movie from an intellectual, artistic standpoint, it's a great film to discuss but it's a cold soup, you won't leave the theatre with that warm fuzzy feeling inside.

 

[Mario Lemieux fan 66]

Wonder: 7.4/10

Pieds nus dans l'aube (Barefoot at Dawn ) : 7/10

 

[Tkachuk4MVP]

Question for people who have seen Call me by Your Name: Are all of the French/Italian lines translated with subtitles? Saw it last night (great film) and only some of the lines were translated. At first I thought it was some sort of bizarre artistic decision, but I'm now thinking it might've been a tech issue.

 

[kihei]

Question for people who have seen Call me by Your Name: Are all of the French/Italian lines translated with subtitles? Saw it last night (great film) and only some of the lines were translated. At first I thought it was some sort of bizarre artistic decision, but I'm now thinking it might've been a tech issue.

I don't remember anything out of the ordinary. Probably a tech issue.

 

[Tkachuk4MVP]

I don't remember anything out of the ordinary. Probably a tech issue.

Thanks, that's what I figured :/. I don't think it took take away from things too much but I'll have to see it again now.

 

[kihei]

Black Panther (2018) Directed by Ryan Coogler 7A

Wakanda. a scientifically sophisticated African nation with the technology to mask its own existence, invests a new king, T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) who must decide many thorny questions regarding his nation's future. He is not without challengers, either, not to mention conflicting views among his supporters. His strongest challenge comes from Eric Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), a villain who not only has good reasons for his displeasure, but may have a better cause worth fighting for than anything T'Challa can come up with. As I hope this brief description suggests, Black Panther is not your standard issue superhero movie. The story-telling is highly imaginative, richly detailed and culturally specific, the universe created a vivid and convincing one. Because both the superhero and his nemesis are far more down-to-earth than similar lead characters in other superhero movies, the movie has a weight and depth that I do not associate with this genre at all, making Black Panther engaging in a way most superhero movies can only dream of. Yes, the action and effects scenes are terrific, but for once, they are in service to the story, not the other way around. Plus, interesting complexities abound, not the least of which is that T'Challa is not an American black superhero, but an African black superhero, and the movies occasionally considers the significance of that distinction. For instance in what passes for foreign policy, Wakanda behaves more like a rich, privileged Western society as opposed to a more globally self-aware one. Subtle social and political commentary is liberally laced throughout the movie, but in a way that never appears obvious nor is a threat to derailing the story. There is a rich cast of secondary characters, including several very strong women, and just the right amount of humour. The movie is not without flaws. The staging of the first "challenge" is a little tacky compared to everything else in the movie, and its musical accompaniment a little too Lion King-ish for comfort; both mistakes are not repeated, though. More seriously amiss, such a marvelous piece of story telling and myth-making deserves a less conventional ending. But whatever way you want to cut it, Black Panther is a wonderful entertainment.

 

[guinness]

Blade Runner - try as I might, I just don't like Harrison Ford is this, and it always kills it for me...3rd or 4th time I've watched my Bluray copy, and about half way through, I'm always bored with it.

The rest of the actors do a good job, and the artistic layout is on point. Given my reaction to the first BR, I'm worried how I'd react to 2049.

BR reminds of Prometheus (another Scott directed film coincidentally), just less stupid characters.

 

[Chairman Maouth]

Get Out

From Wikipedia:
Get Out received numerous accolades. The film earned four 90th Academy Awards nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor for Kaluuya. It also earned five nominations at the 23rd Critics' Choice Awards, two at the 75th Golden Globe Awards (Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor – Comedy or Musical for Kaluuya) and two at the 71st British Academy Film Awards (Best Actor in a Leading Role for Kaluuya and Best Original Screenplay).

I don't get it. To me it was a typical sci-fi movie. Not bad and not great. I love Jordan Peele but in my opinion the directing in the movie was nothing special and in some places even a little amateurish. None of the acting stood out for me, nor the screenplay nor the overall movie itself. The plot was interesting with a great twist at one point though.

Basically though, after reading all the hype it was a letdown. It was M. Night Shyamalan.

5/10

 

[nameless1]

Thanks, that's what I figured :/. I don't think it took take away from things too much but I'll have to see it again now.

They were not translated for my screening too. I think it is the distributor's choice, because those dialogue is inconsequential.

Personally, I would never want to see it again, but that is just me.

 

[nameless1]

Felicite (2017) Directed by Alain Gomis 6B

Felicite (Vero Tshanda Beya Mputu) is a woman who looks older than her years. She ekes out a living as a singer in ultra cheap bars in Kinshasa, the Congo. Although her life is already difficult, her circumstances become almost unbearable when her teenage son has a motorbike accident and must have an operation for which she has no money. The first half of the movie is about her usually unsuccessful attempts to find money; the second half of the movie is more abstract as Felicite and others in her life, including her sometime lover, just struggle to get on with their existence in gritty, grimy Kenshasha. Director Alain Gomis uses a lot of hand held camera, giving his film a hyper-realistic feel. But then he adds to the mix no shortage of lyrical touches, some of which work better than others, but which suggest that there is a talented director at work here, one whose future films may be something very much to look forward to. For instance, dreamy sequences shot at night in the jungle add an unexpected dimension to the film's meaning. This not-as-simple-as-it-seems movie wouldn't work at all without Beya Mputu, though. I don't know if she is an amateur or a professional actress, but she is perfect, managing somehow to be guarded, difficult, and vulnerable at the same time, all in a society that imposes one harsh reality after another. Felicite is not so much about the great trials that poverty imposes on people's lives as about how people seek meaning and connection with one another anyway. Not a perfect movie by any means, but an interesting one that will likely stick with me for a while.

subtitles

I thought this is very ordinary, and nothing too special. Those magical realism scenes also come too late to do anything. Personally, I am not too impressed with many recent African movies that I have seen, because they tend to be too simplistic.

That said, I do agree that it is somewhat memorable, because I still remember many details from it, and it showcases a world I know nothing about, which I appreciate. That is why I have it at about a 5.5/10. I do not regret that I saw it, but I would probably not strongly recommend it either.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Phantom Thread (2017) - I thought the first hour of the movie was very flat both in atmosphere and in pacing but the second half of the movie picks up a lot of steam and salvages the movie. Felt like it took far too long for the movie to get going and they were a lot of scènes that weren't particularly useful - I don't need the presentation of a million different habits to understand the main character is an obsessive genius who's difficult to live with - but when the movie finally begins to tell a story, it becomes a whole lot better. While not particularly insightful, the understated writing worked well (particularly at the end) and some of the set decor and camera shots were tasteful (particularly the car-driving scènes) and it was a well-acted movie all around, particularly by the female lead who I thought was splendid. I don't like to use the word, but the movie did feel pretentious and particularly masturbatory, particularly in the beginning, as it feels like PTA is more interested in the character and it's détails than it is in the story (and the character isn't interesting enough for make up for that, he's run-of-the-mill) but the dynamic between the two leads was enthralling and unpredictable in a subdued but refreshing way. With that said, the movie's biggest strenght is it's soundtrack and no other positives within the film comes close to it's music. Often more telling than the script in regards to the story-telling, the music was noticeable but not overwhelming and synchronized with the film perfectly. There's few movies I can think of where the music fit in as well as it did here. Maybe Drive. Jonny Greenwood is the star of this movie.

 

[OzzyFan]

Early Man
2.25 out of 4stars

Decent wacky and cute kid's comedy, but forgettable.

 

[Thucydides]

Call me by your name

I think it might be a masterpiece.

 

[Drytoast]

Open House on Netflix...

It was a piece of absolute crap.

4/10

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

It was quite fun for what it was. I'd probably give it a 6-7/10. I feel like whoever wrote The Nice Guys was also a fan of this movie.

 

[Tkachuk4MVP]

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

It was quite fun for what it was. I'd probably give it a 6-7/10. I feel like whoever wrote The Nice Guys was also a fan of this movie.

Same writer/director so yeah, he was probably a fan!

 

[Tkachuk4MVP]

They were not translated for my screening too. I think it is the distributor's choice, because those dialogue is inconsequential.

Personally, I would never want to see it again, but that is just me.

Hmm, so about 75% of the Italian/French lines weren't translated at your screening?

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Same writer/director so yeah, he was probably a fan!

Lol that's hilarious.

I'm not sure which one I liked better. He's certainly got a knack for that type of style and humor.

 

[kihei]

Before We Vanish (2018) Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa 6B

Before We Vanish is a decidedly laid-back invasion story about three aliens who assume human form and come to earth to learn more about "conceptions." They don't think like humans so they have to learn what such terms as "family," "work," and "ownership" mean before they signal their fellow aliens to come and take over the planet. Two of the aliens inhabit adolescent bodies, the male with chipper good spirits, the female with a lot more crazy in her. The third alien ends up finding himself (itself?) to be a husband in a troubled marriage and in learning about humans gets more than he bargained for. Only the girl alien seems to enjoy violence. The other two are not really concerned with mayhem, not their job, though some psychological damage does occur to the people from whom they take the various "conceptions" (with the touch of a finger to the forehead); in their defense, this unfortunate circumstance is clearly an unintended consequence. On the other hand, what do they care? Before We Vanish is a very different take on science fiction, avoiding as it does all the usual tropes. Many people are most likely going to find the movie too uneventful to be appealing. I quite liked it, though--I thought the offbeat approach was thoughtful and original, something I have come to expect from director Kiyoshi Kurosawa whose movies tend to creep up on the audience from some very oblique angles.

subtitles

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Wonder Woman

I liked it. Again probably a 6-7/10. The scenes with Gadot and Pine involving hints of sexual tension and/or her character's naivety were pretty hilarious. I cannot get over how amazing she looked though. She is insanely gorgeous.

 

[nameless1]

Hmm, so about 75% of the Italian/French lines weren't translated at your screening?

To the best of my recollection, most of the dialogue were in English. There were very little French or Italian lines.

If I am wrong, then that means that the subtitles were not very important, because I barely noticed them at all.

 

[Nalens Oga]

Daaamn 2017 has been a way better year for film than 2016. That's promising.

Lady Bird (2017) - 8.5/10
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) - 8/10
The Florida Project (2017) - 7.5/10
Murder On The Orient Express (2017) - 6/10
Free Fire (2017) - 6.5/10
Leon Morin, Priest (1961) - 7.5/10
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) - 7.5/10
Blood Simple (1984) - 7/10

 

[Tkachuk4MVP]

To the best of my recollection, most of the dialogue were in English. There were very little French or Italian lines.

If I am wrong, then that means that the subtitles were not very important, because I barely noticed them at all.

You're right, most of the dialogue was in English. I was referring specifically to the French and Italian lines. About 75% of those were not translated at my screening.