Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Part#: Some High Number +1

[ORRFForever]

The Changeover [2019] :

Odd little movie (from New Zealand) about an old man who possesses a young boy and... to be honest, I didn't understand the rest. Maybe teenagers will enjoy / understand it.

2.5/10

Movie Trailer :

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

United Skates [2018] :

I couldn't get enough of the skating in this documentary because it made me laugh/smile. I wish there was more. Way more.

Black people are so cool!

7.5/10

Movie Trailer :

This reminds me. I recently watched HBO’s doc Momentum Generation about Kelly Slater and the group of friends he grew up surfing with. Good personalities, compelling story, beautiful footage. Can’t recommend enough.

 

[Trap Jesus]

Burning

Man, this was a really engaging and odd movie, it's tough to think of anything quite like it. Straightforward and easy to understand, but still unpredictable, intentionally vague (but not to a frustrating degree), and seems to bend genres to the point where I don't even really know what to classify it as. It's very slow moving but always has an air of tension.

I thought it was beautifully shot. It reminded me of Enemy to some degree where you're dealing with a pretty bland setting, but it's shot in a way that makes it look more interesting than it actually is.

3 lead performances were absolutely excellent. In a year where we had everyone praising The Favourite for the 3 lead performances and the dynamics between all 3 (and deservedly so), I think this is just as interesting if not even more so. The movie just throws you into the bizarre dynamic the 3 have going, but you can't really tell if the characters are aware of how bizarre it all is. I just think of Steven Yeun as the likable character in a horrible TV show (saw him in Okja too, but he didn't really stand out), but what he does here is amazing.

 

[OzzyFan]

Bohemian Rhapsody
2.50 out of 4stars

A good entertaining movie about Queen/Freddy Mercury, albeit by all accounts "Hollywood-ized"/Fictionalized a good bit/ and since the band and people surrounding Queen were heavily involved in production, "you only saw what they wanted you to see". I watched the movie with one of my family members that has worked in the music industry for over 40yrs and he spotted a few historical inaccuracies, for the record. Hmm, I mean it's decent, not best picture worthy, but it is very odd also. The movie controllably depicted Mercury as highly unlikable: self-centered/selfish, egotistical, cheating on his fiance/wife, gay philanderer, drug and sex addict, half the time or so a late/wasted/overly dramatic bandmate, etc (although they did show the demons he had also: sexuality, loneliness, "drugs", no meaning to/in his life, etc). I'm not saying Mercury wasn't all that, by all means behind closed doors and in public he was far from the nicest person or easy to get along with, but if you are making a movie surrounding that guy, go full bore or don't at all. They even gave him a half disney ending, letting him beg his way for forgiveness and close his relationships with almost all characters on a very positive note before his "farewell".

Didn't deserve a best picture nom, has a number of issues, but entertaining. I have to say, I've seen all the best picture noms but Roma, which will assumedly win, and out of everything I've seen I'd probably give the award to BlacKkKlansman.

 

[Nalens Oga]

Too Late For Tears (1949) - 7/10

If you thought that woman from Gone Girl was a bitch...

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Meet the Feebles

by pre-LotR trilogy fame and fortune Peter Jackson

Gross, ugly, low-budget muppets swear, do drugs and have sex. If that sounds like your cup of tea, knock yourself out. It's on youtube. Personally I lost interest in it about halfway through. Once the "dirty muppets" novelty wears off it's just not that funny.

 

[Mario Lemieux fan 66]

Capharnaüm: 6/10 Not worthy of the oscar nomination. Shadow and Burning were both way better.

 

[McOilers97]

Get Out - 9/10

Loved all of it from start to finish. Jordan Peele's background in comedy was woven perfectly into the tense thriller/horror tone of the fim. The script was tight, only 1:40 long, and there wasn't a single wasted detail or moment. Can't wait to see his future projects - "Us" premieres in less than a month.


Blue Velvet - 8/10

The only work I had ever seen from David Lynch prior to this was Twin Peaks (original series, movie & the return), and I had heard that this was one of his more accessible films (in terms of plot/style). It didn't disappoint. The movie was fairly grounded and realistic, while still possessing some surreal touches that you would only see from David Lynch. I should see some more of his work.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Get Out - 9/10

Loved all of it from start to finish. Jordan Peele's background in comedy was woven perfectly into the tense thriller/horror tone of the fim. The script was tight, only 1:40 long, and there wasn't a single wasted detail or moment. Can't wait to see his future projects - "Us" premieres in less than a month.


Blue Velvet - 8/10

The only work I had ever seen from David Lynch prior to this was Twin Peaks (original series, movie & the return), and I had heard that this was one of his more accessible films (in terms of plot/style). It didn't disappoint. The movie was fairly grounded and realistic, while still possessing some surreal touches that you would only see from David Lynch. I should see some more of his work.

Haven't seen Get Out yet, but if it's better than Blue Velvet, I sure should!! And yeah, you must see his other films. Blue Velvet remains my favorite I think.

 

[McOilers97]

Haven't seen Get Out yet, but if it's better than Blue Velvet, I sure should!! And yeah, you must see his other films. Blue Velvet remains my favorite I think.

I guess it’s all subjective right? Blue Velvet was fantastic, but Get Out really knocked me flat. Just an amazingly tense, atmospheric movie. You might feel the opposite, but I’m sure you’ll like Get Out.

What are Lynch’s next best movies, in your opinion?

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I guess it’s all subjective right? Blue Velvet was fantastic, but Get Out really knocked me flat. Just an amazingly tense, atmospheric movie. You might feel the opposite, but I’m sure you’ll like Get Out.

What are Lynch’s next best movies, in your opinion?

Tough one...

IMO, if you're not too comfortable with more experimental/weird stuff, you should try one of Lost Highway or Mullholand Drive. Today, I think the second one might be the better film, but ask me again tomorrow and I don't know. They both are fun rides.

Eraserhead sure is a unique film too, a little gem that's a little harder to approach.

Edit: oh and I'm sure I'll appreciate Get Out, but probably not as much as BV!

 

[JunglePete]

La isla mínima (2014) : 9/10

This is a Spanish movie so I don't know if there's an English version (maybe with subtitles) but this is a must watch if you like movies with suspence/unresolved murders. To sum up real quick without giving any spoilers, there are 2 cops with opposite traits who are sent in a rural area in Spain for what they thought was a simple investigation come to find out, it's much deeper than a simple investigation.


While on the subject, I'm eager and I can't be the only one to see the upcoming 'Dolor y gloria' with Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz directed by arguably the best Spanish director, Almodóvar.

 

[kihei]

The Student (2018) Directed by Kirill Serebrennikov 6B

The Student is a movie that is alternately maddening and brilliant. The focus is on Venya, a secondary student who has discovered religion and the Bible in a big way. He raises havoc in his school by quoting scripture and taking on the school authorities, some of whom try to coddle him, though one brave teacher does her best to bring everybody to their senses. Alternately serious and witty, the movie makes for a great conversation starter about the corrupting influence of religious dogma. While it speaks directly to some of the more obvious imbecilities of our time, it does a good job of showing how too many people in authority are susceptible to many of the same delusions that afflict Venya. What makes it maddening sometimes is listening to this kid spout scripture for nearly two hours, though the amount of sharp humour, often cleverly realized, helps make up for Venya's propensity to irritate. The Student is way more than a simple attack on fundamentalism--it is attempting to entertain and get people to think at the same time.

subtitles

 

[ORRFForever]

Haven't seen Get Out yet, but if it's better than Blue Velvet, I sure should!! And yeah, you must see his other films. Blue Velvet remains my favorite I think.

Blue Velvet was so unique in 1986, not only was it a great movie, it had a ton of shock value. Add Dennis Hopper's performance and you have something special.

I really enjoyed Get Out, but I don't think it's as good as Blue Velvet.

P.S. I have not see Blue Velvet in years. Perhaps it hasn't aged well.

 

[kihei]

mistake-wrong thread

 

[McOilers97]

Blue Velvet was so unique in 1986, not only was it a great movie, it had a ton of shock value. Add Dennis Hopper's performance and you have something special.

I really enjoyed Get Out, but I don't think it's as good as Blue Velvet.

P.S. I have not see Blue Velvet in years. Perhaps it hasn't aged well.

As a first time watcher, it didn’t feel dated to me really, other than the clothes/hair etc being of that era. I don’t have a reference of course to say that it “didn’t age well”, given that I’m seeing it for the first time more than 30 years after release.

Get Out probably isn’t an objectively better movie than Blue Velvet, just that the enjoyment level was so high that it scored extra points for me.

 

[kihei]

Valley of Shadows, the best movie from 2017 that no one saw (because it didn't get distributed beyond Norway), is available from Amazon's streaming service. The movie is about a little boy who wanders into a very dark woods. If you watch it, do so with the lights out and when you can give it your full attention (the bigger the screen the better, as the cinematography is beautiful). When I reviewed it after TIFF, I gave it an 8A, and that hasn't changed.

 

[Mario Lemieux fan 66]

Glass: 6.5/10 Not as good as Unbreakable or Split.

 

[ORRFForever]

Isn't It Romantic [2019] :

Charming little rom-com about a woman caught in a 1990's rom-com.

Rebel Wilson is, as always, very funny. So is the movie.

Isn't It Romantic caught me by surprise... in a good way!
7.5/10

 

[Savi]

La isla mínima (2014) : 9/10

This is a Spanish movie so I don't know if there's an English version (maybe with subtitles) but this is a must watch if you like movies with suspence/unresolved murders. To sum up real quick without giving any spoilers, there are 2 cops with opposite traits who are sent in a rural area in Spain for what they thought was a simple investigation come to find out, it's much deeper than a simple investigation.

I really liked it as well. If I remember correctly it had a bit of a True Detective feel to it.

 

[ORRFForever]

Dead On Campus [2014] :

The Plot : Evil college sorority girls kill an innocent young man.

Dead On Campus is lousy. One saving grace, it's Canadian - made in Ottawa.

2.5/10

Movie Trailer :

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Get Out - I was expecting a lot more... It's somewhat bold/original, but the mix of humor and suspense didn't work at all with me. I thought the film was supposed to be somewhat scary... 5/10.

John Wick Chapter 2 - The first chapter was fun enough for me to give it a 4, it was cool enough to make up for being so dumb. The cool factor here is washed out and only a repeat of the first film's gimmicks, and John Wick isn't interesting enough as a character to drive this anywhere. Fun detail, lots of the New York scenery is actually filmed in Montreal and easily recognizable... 2/10.

 

[Nalens Oga]

Shoplifters (2018) - 7/10
I probably prefer Koreeda films where there's no tension and it's all sweetness so more Our Little Sister and less this, though this is still good.

Rocco & His Brothers (1960) - 7.5/10
A pretty impressive epic with lots of soap-opera melodrama and lots of stereotypical mannerisms. Would probably be a bit better if it was edited to be shorter and less melodramatic acting at the end but it's an impressive looking movie. Also Alain Delon from Le Samourai and La Cercle Rouge and other French movies is apparently Swiss meaning he speaks Italian and played Rocco in this.

 

[kihei]

24 Frames (2017) Directed by Abbas Kiarostami 8D

For what would be his last film, the great Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami chose to combine his two great passions, cinema and photography, a medium that moves and one that doesn’t. The result is an experimental work, certainly closer to conceptual art than what we normally would consider a movie to be. Kiarostami’s method is to start with an image from a still photograph and he then constructs what happened immediately before and immediately after that image was taken. Each “frame”in his movie encapsulates a 4 ½ minute record of this before and after process. As most of the initial photographs focus on wintry landscapes devoid of people, not much actually happens. Birds (some subtly animated, some real) or cows flit into or wander into the frame, constituting the action, such as it is. Some of the frames are hypnotically beautiful and are worthy of extended contemplation. However, any viewer willing to investigate this film is best advised to take the movie in small chunks, maybe three or four “frames” at a time. One could argue that 24 Frames is the slowest of slow cinema—a visual metaphor for watching paint dry on a wall. But one could equally argue that there is a certain beauty to be had in watching these sequences unfold with themes of companionship, ephemerality and the random nature of fate evident in these natural settings. The effect is almost exclusively visual. There are no subtitles because there is no dialogue. As Kiarostami has always been a great innovator, ever curious about the possibilities of cinema, 24 Frames seems like a fitting valedictory for his distinguished career.

 

[Nalens Oga]

Raise The Red Lantern (1991) - 7.5/10

Bitches were meaner than Mean Girls but it ultimately falls flat despite a great look and moody atmosphere because it lacks a solid ending and one of those films where you want more of a resolution than what you get. I felt short-changed.