Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It

[Fantomas]

Churchill's Secret - One of maybe several dozen Churchill movies made in the last 20 years. This one is very watchable, made by the dependable Charles Sturridge for British television, this time dealing with the less remembered time of Churchill's physical and mental decline in the 1950s. Michael Gambon plays Churchill here and is good despite looking nothing like him.

I have now seen a handful of actors playing Churchill, including Gambon, Albert Finney, Brian Cox and Brendan Glesson. I don't know what is particularly unique or superior about Gary Oldman's Churchill to deserve a best actor Oscar. I would say that of this bunch he was my least favorite (Finney being my most).

 

[kihei]

What's the last truly great movie Spielberg directed, Saving Private Ryan?

The first twenty minutes or so Saving Private Ryan are great; after that, it's just another war movie. Munich would be my pick--in large part because it is his only film as a director where Spielberg seems to confront a genuine moral conflict that has no easy resolution and can't fit into any of his usual safe narrative boxes.

 

[Tkachuk4MVP]

The Woman Who Left (2017) Directed by Lav Diaz 8D

After spending 30 years in prison for a murder that she didn't commit, Horacia yearns to take revenge on the man responsible for framing her. That sounds like a plausible if hardly original premise for a decent genre movie. So here's the question: why does this tale take 3 hours and 48 minutes to tell? Director Lav Daiz is a charter member of the "slow" cinema movement and the Philippines most respected director. His work deals most frequently with the social and political realities of his own country and The Woman Who Left is no exception. The film focuses on a whole host of neighbourhood characters besides Horacia. Diaz creates an entire milieu of the downtrodden. He focuses on an impoverished community far removed from Manila, almost always shooting at night on the town's empty streets. He uses stunning black and white cinematography (Diaz is also the film's cinematographer and editor) to create a surprisingly captivating mise en scene in which his genuinely likeable characters eke out an existence mostly devoid of hope but not devoid of life and humour. It is a thoroughly convincing universe that is realized. With Horacia I felt like I had spent three hours inside the head of someone whose life I could have not have even imagined before watching the movie. The Woman Who Left manages to be deeply sad without allowing that sadness to be an end in itself. It is a gorgeous piece of film making from a masterful and humane director. If you can adapt to its pace, The Woman Who Left will reward your patience.

subtitles

Best of 2017 (all "8"s for the year except in the case of Loveless and The Death of Louis IV, which are "9"s)

Loveless, Zyvgintsev, Russia
The Death of Louis XIV, Serra, Spain/France
Blade Runner 2049, Villeneuve, US
The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Lanthimos, Ireland/US
On Body and Soul, Enyedi, Hungary
The Third Murder, Kore-eda, Japan
Phantom Thread, Anderson, US
Faces Places, Varda, France
A Fantastic Woman, Leilo, Chile
Valley of Shadows, Gulbrandsen, Norway
The Woman Who Left, Diaz, Philippines

This might be asking a lot Kihei, but is there anyway you can provide links to these respective posts/reviews?

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

Should not the title of this thread read "latest" instead of "last", it sounds so ominous otherwise.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

The first twenty minutes or so Saving Private Ryan are great; after that, it's just another war movie. Munich would be my pick--in large part because it is his only film as a director where Spielberg seems to confront a genuine moral conflict that has no easy resolution and can't fit into any of his usual safe narrative boxes.

Having Tony Kushner write helps too.

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

Latest movie I watched was Triple 9. Even do it had a strong line up I never really cared either way what happened to any of the characters. Give it a weak 6 out of 10.

 

[Tkachuk4MVP]

Latest movie I watched was Triple 9. Even do it had a strong line up I never really cared either way what happened to any of the characters. Give it a weak 6 out of 10.

Yeah, not a bad movie by any stretch by I was shocked at how much talent was wasted.

 

[kihei]

This might be asking a lot Kihei, but is there anyway you can provide links to these respective posts/reviews?

Sure. Eight of the eleven are on this thread


The Killing of a Sacred Deer: page 1
A Fantastic Woman: p. 2
The Third Murder: p. 3
Faces Places: p. 3
On Body and Soul: p. 4
Blade Runner 2049: p. 7
Phantom Thread: p. 26
The Woman Who Left: p. 36

I'll PM you the other three reviews--Loveless; The Death of Louis XIV; Valley of Shadows--as they were reviews from the previous thread which got deleted during the transition to the new format.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

The Cloverfield Paradox

with various people you wouldn't have heard of. Except the Chinese chick. Her I know from somewhere, although I can't quite place it.

Continuation of the Cloverfield anthology series of movies, this time with a space station as the titular Cloverfield. The world's becoming an even bigger crapsack than it already is, and only some weird experimental macguffin will provide enough energy for the planet to survive. A team of chiseled, multi-ethnic heroes in low Earth orbit strive to activate the particle accelerator thingie on their space station to do just that...until it actually fires up. WHOOOOOOOOAAAAAAA...

...malfunction. Big time. Uh-oh. Suddenly, the plucky crew can't find the Earth. But it was right there...! And weird things start happening on the space station. A new crew member is found in the suddenly inhospitable wall, people start turning on each other, and...wait, where was Earth again?

A visit from the old Twilight Zone/Outer Limits era of scifi.

Meh. 123 Cloverfield Lane is still the best of the series. Not for nothing I mention John Goodman is in that but not this.

 

[OzzyFan]

Gringo
1.75 out of 4stars

It's very messy in a lot of different ways. The good: the 2nd half is a lot more interesting than the first with decent comedy pieces and turns, Oyelowo makes his character a likable scrambling down and outer, and the pacing is very brisk.

 

[Bubba Thudd]

Just watched "Affliction".
It sucks.

 

[Mario Lemieux fan 66]

Annihilation: 6.8/10 Good visuals in an average movie.

 

[Shareefruck]

Should not the title of this thread read "latest" instead of "last", it sounds so ominous otherwise.

 

[Shareefruck]

Sure. Eight of the eleven are on this thread


The Killing of a Sacred Deer: page 1
A Fantastic Woman: p. 2
The Third Murder: p. 3
Faces Places: p. 3
On Body and Soul: p. 4
Blade Runner 2049: p. 7
Phantom Thread: p. 26
The Woman Who Left: p. 36

I'll PM you the other three reviews--Loveless; The Death of Louis XIV; Valley of Shadows--as they were reviews from the previous thread which got deleted during the transition to the new format.

Your reviews are such a comprehensive resource that I'm surprised you don't set up an easily accessible/search-able website/database of them somewhere. Seems like you could be making money off of your hobby without putting in much more work than you already are.

Or is it a case where that would get in the way of the book you're working on? How's that going anyways?

 

[kihei]

Your reviews are such a comprehensive resource that I'm surprised you don't set up an easily accessible/search-able website/database of them somewhere. Seems like you could be making money off of your hobby without putting in much more work than you already are.

Or is it a case where that would get in the way of the book you're working on? How's that going anyways?

Actually I'm trying to work tennis, my other hobby, into a book. So the eggs, such as they are, are in that basket.

On another matter, I think a couple of years ago now, you mentioned some comment that a lot of movies would improve if they told their story in 90 minutes, like many of the black and white ones did. I think that was you, though I may be remembering none of this all that accurately. Anyway, watching movies in the dry season (February, March), I really take that point.

 

[Shareefruck]

Actually I'm trying to work tennis, my other hobby, into a book. So the eggs, such as they are, are in that basket.

On another matter, I think a couple of years ago now, you mentioned some comment that a lot of movies would improve if they told their story in 90 minutes, like many of the black and white ones did. I think that was you, though I may be remembering none of this all that accurately. Anyway, watching movies in the dry season (February, March), I really take that point.

So I guess that means no review book coming out any time soon? I was looking forward to having that handy.

Yeah, I think it was more along the lines of "For my sensibilities, the ideal length of a movie seems to be around 90 minutes, even if it only has a handful of ideas explored slowly and fully, the way that Wong Kar Wai seems to like to do it." Pretty much all of his movies are 90-100 minutes long, besides 2046, which felt a bit bloated to me. It just feels like a nice slab of time to work with and to set aside and consume, doesn't really allow a filmmaker to over-complicate anything, and allows them to be as uncompromisingly patient, understated, and impenetrable as necessary without coming across as tedious, daunting, or unapproachable for me. I'd watch significantly more challenging movies and wouldn't procrastinate/hesitate nearly as much if more of them were 90 minutes long.

Attention span probably has a lot to do with it.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

So I guess that means no review book coming out any time soon? I was looking forward to having that handy.

Yeah, I think it was more along the lines of "For my sensibilities, the ideal length of a movie seems to be around 90 minutes, even if it only has a handful of ideas explored slowly and fully, the way that Wong Kar Wai seems to like to do it." Pretty much all of his movies are 90-100 minutes long, besides 2046, which felt a bit bloated to me. It just feels like a nice slab of time to work with and to set aside and consume, doesn't really allow a filmmaker to over-complicate anything, and allows them to be as uncompromisingly patient, understated, and impenetrable as necessary without coming across as tedious, daunting, or unapproachable for me. I'd watch significantly more challenging movies and wouldn't procrastinate/hesitate nearly as much if more of them were 90 minutes long.

Attention span probably has a lot to do with it.

I fully agree and Wong Kar Wai is a perfect example. One simple idea tbat's allowed to breed often makes for a far more rewarding experience than a whole bunch of them blended together in an overwrought movie. It's more complex than is often necessary and the sort of artistic ambition that often leaves the actual art suffering. Love Exposure is one of the few movies I can think of on the top of my head where the long movie through simultaneous, converging ideas actually ended up working out perfectly but even then, the ideas are quite clear and presented with enough juice that it keeps your attention.

 

[OzzyFan]

Peter Rabbit (2018)
2.25 out of 4stars

Unspectacular childish rebel fun with a little bit of heart.

 

[Shareefruck]

The Big Sick - 1.5 (Neutral)
It's not amazing or anything, but it's a cute movie, I've always been fascinated by the real life story of those two, and I'm a sucker for Kumail Nanjiani (there's just something naturally disarming and likeable about that guy). However, I can't shake the feeling that it isn't much more than merely an okay/predictable movie if you removed the true story from consideration-- It had a bit of an Apatow movie feel, which kind of inherently feels less organic to me. Could have done without the Ray Romano wife-cheating bit.

I was also a bit amused that they seemed to downplay the geekiness of the two of them to make the movie more accessible to a wide audience. Especially Emily, who seemed a lot cooler/hipper and a lot less frantic/obsessive/hyper-active than the real one seems.

2017
1. The Red Turtle - 3.5 (Great)
2. Get Out - 3.0 (Very Good)
3. Ladybird - 2.0 (Positive)
4. Blade Runner 2049 - 2.0 (Positive)
5. I, Daniel Blake - 1.5 (Neutral)
6. The Big Sick - 1.5 (Neutral)
----
7. I Love You, Daddy - 1.0 (Negative)
8. Logan - 1.0 (Negative)
9. The Last Jedi - 0.5 (Bad)
10. Spiderman Homecoming - 0.5 (Bad)
11. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - 0.5 (Bad) [After giving it time, the negatives are the only things about it that I remember about it-- it just actively bothered me more than any of the other movies]

I keep saying that I'm going to binge through all the movies I missed, but for whatever reason, I just don't seem to be that enthusiastic about it.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Finished Watching:

7.5/10

 

[kihei]

The Big Sick - 1.5 (Neutral)
It's not amazing or anything, but it's a cute movie, I've always been fascinated by the real life story of those two, and I'm a sucker for Kumail Nanjiani (there's just something naturally disarming and likeable about that guy). However, I can't shake the feeling that it isn't much more than merely an okay/predictable movie if you removed the true story from consideration-- It had a bit of an Apatow movie feel, which kind of inherently feels less organic to me. Could have done without the Ray Romano wife-cheating bit.

I was also a bit amused that they seemed to downplay the geekiness of the two of them to make the movie more accessible to a wide audience. Especially Emily, who seemed a lot cooler/hipper and a lot less frantic/obsessive/hyper-active than the real one seems.

2017
1. The Red Turtle - 3.5 (Great)
2. Get Out - 3.0 (Very Good)
3. Ladybird - 2.0 (Positive)
4. Blade Runner 2049 - 2.0 (Positive)
5. I, Daniel Blake - 1.5 (Neutral)
6. The Big Sick - 1.5 (Neutral)
----
7. I Love You, Daddy - 1.0 (Negative)
8. Logan - 1.0 (Negative)
9. The Last Jedi - 0.5 (Bad)
10. Spiderman Homecoming - 0.5 (Bad)
11. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - 0.5 (Bad) [After giving it time, the negatives are the only things about it that I remember about it-- it just actively bothered me more than any of the other movies]

I keep saying that I'm going to binge through all the movies I missed, but for whatever reason, I just don't seem to be that enthusiastic about it.

Hope you get around to Loveless eventually. I'm really curious to see what you make of that one.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

The Big Sick - 1.5 (Neutral)
It's not amazing or anything, but it's a cute movie, I've always been fascinated by the real life story of those two, and I'm a sucker for Kumail Nanjiani (there's just something naturally disarming and likeable about that guy). However, I can't shake the feeling that it isn't much more than merely an okay/predictable movie if you removed the true story from consideration-- It had a bit of an Apatow movie feel, which kind of inherently feels less organic to me. Could have done without the Ray Romano wife-cheating bit.

I was also a bit amused that they seemed to downplay the geekiness of the two of them to make the movie more accessible to a wide audience. Especially Emily, who seemed a lot cooler/hipper and a lot less frantic/obsessive/hyper-active than the real one seems.

2017
1. The Red Turtle - 3.5 (Great)
2. Get Out - 3.0 (Very Good)
3. Ladybird - 2.0 (Positive)
4. Blade Runner 2049 - 2.0 (Positive)
5. I, Daniel Blake - 1.5 (Neutral)
6. The Big Sick - 1.5 (Neutral)
----
7. I Love You, Daddy - 1.0 (Negative)
8. Logan - 1.0 (Negative)
9. The Last Jedi - 0.5 (Bad)
10. Spiderman Homecoming - 0.5 (Bad)
11. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - 0.5 (Bad) [After giving it time, the negatives are the only things about it that I remember about it-- it just actively bothered me more than any of the other movies]

I keep saying that I'm going to binge through all the movies I missed, but for whatever reason, I just don't seem to be that enthusiastic about it.

I'd definitely check out Dunkirk, the Shape of Water, and I, Tonya if you haven't had the chance already. I liked Baby Driver as well, but Kevin Spacey kind of tarnished it.

 

[Shareefruck]

I'll keep those in mind. I'm sure I'll get around to it eventually, but usually I go nuts at around New Years and more or less catch up with the more obvious ones, but it's well past March and I still haven't gotten around to it.

 

[Arizonan God]

The Shape Of Water was quite lovely. From the detailed production design, the sweeping camerawork, gorgeous cinematography, brilliant creature design, and the beautiful score from Alexandre Desplat, it's hard not to just sit and marvel at the whole thing. Every performance was genuinely great (even Michael Shannon's at times hammy villain character), which is incredibly rare. Despite all this, I'm still held back from fully loving it for one simple reason: I felt like the core love story between Elisa and fishman didn't get nearly as much development as it needed, and also felt rushed at times. And so I was never as emotionally invested in the story as I think I was meant to be. Nonetheless, I can't deny the masterful directing from Del Toro here. I'm still very happy this film exists despite my fairly major complaint, so it's hard for me to pick a rating right now. I'll give it a 7 for now. Perhaps upon second viewing, I'll get more out of it emotionally.

 

[nameless1]

The Shape Of Water was quite lovely. From the detailed production design, the sweeping camerawork, gorgeous cinematography, brilliant creature design, and the beautiful score from Alexandre Desplat, it's hard not to just sit and marvel at the whole thing. Every performance was genuinely great (even Michael Shannon's at times hammy villain character), which is incredibly rare. Despite all this, I'm still held back from fully loving it for one simple reason: I felt like the core love story between Elisa and fishman didn't get nearly as much development as it needed, and also felt rushed at times. And so I was never as emotionally invested in the story as I think I was meant to be. Nonetheless, I can't deny the masterful directing from Del Toro here. I'm still very happy this film exists despite my fairly major complaint, so it's hard for me to pick a rating right now. I'll give it a 7 for now. Perhaps upon second viewing, I'll get more out of it emotionally.

It is interesting what you described is exactly what turns me off from this beyond pedestrian movie. Sure, it is very polished, but what is the point of the movie exactly? It is just a weird fairy tale, without any commentary or meaning. As a result, it is just hollow eye candy that does absolutely nothing.

I am glad you liked it, and I certainly do not regret that I watched it, but it is one of the weakest Best Picture winner in the last decade, or two.