Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Part#: Some High Number +2

[ORRFForever]

Sure, no problem. Keep in mind, Irish films seldom get picked up for distribution, but if it does and I learn about it, I will for sure let people know.

Thank you.

 

[kihei]

Hope Gap (2019) Directed by William Nicolson 5A

Hope Gap is a well-intentioned attempt by writer/director William Nicolson to come to grips with his parents divorce in their late middle-age. The film first reminded me of 45 Years another recent British film about a more elderly couple breaking up, though as Hope Gap progressed the comparison became more and more invidious. Whereas 45 Years was a masterful look at a relationship finally imploding over the weight of the past, Hope Gap is far less natural and far more theatrical in its structure. However lovingly Nicholson tried to play fair with his parents, the end result is a work with a lot of polish and some fine touches of humour but not much depth. Whereas Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay were superb and almost heartbreakingly convincing in 45 Years, Bill Nighy and Annette Bening seem like they are outside their characters looking in, especially Bening who gets the emotions pitch perfect but uses a Dover accent that under pressure reveals her Midwestern American roots. Why an American is in this role when the woods in England are crawling with great actors, I don't know, though I suspect "commercial considerations" played a big part. The dull title doesn't help either as it is not going to stick in anyone's mind. However, Hope Gap is a big improvement over the original title of the stage play that it is based on: Retreat from Moscow. Obviously Nicholson isn't good with titles.

 

[kihei]

Vitalina Varela (2019) Directed by Pedro Costa 8D

In the Fontainhas Trilogy, director Pedro Costa focused on the poorest of the poor, the inhabitants of "the worst slum in Lisbon." During those three movie we got to know a number of real people playing slightly fictionalized versions of themselves including Ventura who was a focus of Costa's more recent Horse Money, as well. Now the likable Ventura, who came to Portugal for a short stay to make money but remained for decades, has died (for real) and Vitalina, his long-suffering wife from Cape Verde, who we have heard much about in previous films, finally gets the ticket to come to Portugal that she has been waiting to receive for well over a quarter of a century. Arriving late for her husband's funeral, she must cope with both loss and disappointment. Costa's movies are acted by real people, though the scenes have been fictionalized to get at the essence of their story. All of Costa's people/characters are poor, but they are post-depression, post-anger, post finger-pointing, post-hope. They simply live their lives trying to get through the day. Vitalina has had a hard life, but she copes as best she can with the ghosts of the past and the regrets she has acquired for things that were mostly beyond her control anyway. Somehow Costa's movies are never depressing, but they do rank among the very slowest of slow cinema. So much so that this will be a deal breaker but for all but the most patient viewers. What keeps me going to his movies, which I find quite brilliant, is the unique visual style he has developed over the year to reveal the inner lives of his characters with most scenes shot in darkness and shadow which is even more arresting when used to focus on the dark-skinned Cape Verdean faces of some of his characters. This visual method reveals artfully and originally the complex inner lives of the characters. The funereal pace and visual approach somehow makes these people's destinies vivid and soulful. His movies become takes on the human condition and will no doubt stick in my consciousness forever.

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Best of '19 so far

Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Sciamma, France
An Elephant Sitting Still, Hu, China
Vitalina Varela, Costa, Portugal
High Life, Denis, France/US

 

[ORRFForever]

It Chapter Two [2019] :

I was watching It Chapter Two, thoroughly enjoying myself, when my bladder let me know it needed emptying. Nature's call grew louder and louder but, because I was having such a good time, I kept putting it off, waiting for the movie to end. Finally, I gave in. I stopped the movie and ran to the washroom. To my surprise, when I pushed pause, there was still over an hour left !!!

Good thing I didn't wait.

It's unfortunate director Andy Muschietti couldn't find 30 minutes to remove, because It Chapter Two could have been something special. Still, in it's present form, it's a lot of fun - just not as good as part 1.

* The first two thirds are terrific. Scary, fun, and intense.
* The last hour is a mess - just like the ending of the book.​

7/10

Movie Trailer :

 

[Mario Lemieux fan 66]

the invisible guest : 7.8/10 Good thriller

midsommar: 7.5/10 Predictable but still well done. Great set and art design.

It chapter 2 : 7.3/10

 

[kihei]

The Truth (2019) Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda 4A

When Fabienne (Catherine Deneuve), a famous French actress, publishes her memoir, Lumir, her estranged daughter, returns from New York to visit her with husband (Ethan Hawke) and young daughter in tow. Between Fabienne and Lumir there are a lot of issues to be worked out and much resentment on both sides. The Truth is a big nothing burger. Despite the great cast, the movie seems like the kind of family soap opera that has long ago outlived its welcome. Some marvelous scenes of charm and humour can't balance the fact that the film feels disjointed with none of the good stuff ever going anywhere or leading to something important. Taking a director out of his own culture and expecting dependable results is always a risk, one that is very seldom justified. Such is the case here.

mix of English and French

 

[kihei]

La Belle Epoque (2019) Directed by Nicolas Bedos 6A

With Victor's long-term marriage to Marianne (Fanny Ardant) falling apart, he (Daniel Auteuil) calls upon a friend of his son's who manufactures elaborate period fantasies for those who can afford them, to concoct a re-creation of when he and Marianne first met and fell in love 30 years ago. The recreation works so well that Victor begins to fall in love with the young actress who plays "Marianne." Things get complicated. While the movie feels like a slight ripoff of Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, there are plenty of pleasing twists and acidic one-liners that keep everything moving nicely along. La Belle Epoque is a good example of mainstream French comedy these days trying to cash in the nostalgia that many middle-aged people feel toward their long lost youth. But Auteuil and Ardant are at the top of their game and the result is a pleasing diversion, maybe a little too slick for comfort but enjoyable nonetheless.

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[ORRFForever]

La Belle Epoque (2019) Directed by Nicolas Bedos 6A

With Victor's long-term marriage to Marianne (Fanny Ardant) falling apart, he (Daniel Auteuil) calls upon a friend of his son's who manufactures elaborate period fantasies for those who can afford them, to concoct a re-creation of when he and Marianne first met and fell in love 30 years ago. The recreation works so well that Victor begins to fall in love with the young actress who plays "Marianne." Things get complicated. While the movie feels like a slight ripoff of Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, there are plenty of pleasing twists and acidic one-liners that keep everything moving nicely along. La Belle Epoque is a good example of mainstream French comedy these days trying to cash in the nostalgia that many middle-aged people feel toward their long lost youth. But Auteuil and Ardant are at the top of their game and the result is a pleasing diversion, maybe a little too slick for comfort but enjoyable nonetheless.

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Based on your reviews, kihei, it sounds like you've been a little let down by the movies you've seen at TIFF.

 

[kihei]

Based on your reviews, kihei, it sounds like you've been a little let down by the movies you've seen at TIFF.

To me, TIFF reflects the year so far--the odd good film but mostly dreck of one kind or another. Long ways to go, though.

 

[ORRFForever]

To me, TIFF reflects the year so far--the odd good film but mostly dreck of one kind or another. Long ways to go, though.

Hope it gets better for you.

 

[Osprey]

Alita: Battle Angel (2019) - 4/10 (Didn't like it)

A cybernetic teenager discovers who she is and kicks a lot of butt. I actually liked the first half, when Alita is innocent and discovering herself and the world around her. It felt like a science fiction film, one that was on its way to being a good one, even. Unfortunately (to me), the second half is much more of a modern superhero movie. As soon as Alita (jarringly) changes into her "battle angel" persona around the mid point, the situations get silly, a cheesy romance develops, the plot gets dumber and more predictable and the films descends into fast-paced CGI spectacle. Despite most of the action being in the second half, I became increasingly bored and frequently checked how much time was left. The ending was disappointing because it is basic and unoriginal, then is pointless and dumb, then teases a sequel as if to say "you have to wait for a better ending." In all, the film felt to me a lot like producer/screenwriter James Cameron's Avatar: spectacular in the visuals department, but hollow feeling. The 93% audience score at RT suggests that I'm in the small minority on this one, but comic book movies just aren't my favorite.

Spoiler

Apparently, it never crossed Alita's mind to save her friend's life by grabbing onto and holding him with her super powerful and dexterous legs that were just dangling beside him, unused.

 

[Desdichado93]

Paddington 2 (2017), 7/10.

I watched a dubbed version (Swedish) since it was my 5 old niece who wanted to see it.
The story was pretty good, albeit a little scary for a 5 year old. The Swedish voices were ok but I as always a dubbed movie
won't give you the same flow for a real (non animated movie) as original voices.

 

[kihei]

The Two Popes (2019 Directed by Fernando Mirelles 8A

What a delight this movie is. Cardinal Bergogio of Argentina is summoned to Rome by his arch-adversary, "God's Rotweiler," Pope Benedict. They spar brilliantly with one another, Bergogio representing a more humane approach to change than the other Cardinals do, Benedict, representing a rigid conservative approach that resists change at all costs. Benedict has some shocking news. He is going to retire, something a Pope has not done in 700 years, and, despite their different philosophies, he wants the reluctant Bergogio to be his successor. The Two Popes represents commercial film making at its finest. The script will likely win an Oscar as it is filled not only with religious debate concerning BIG questions, but has more witty and downright funny lines in it than I have seen in a movie all year. And both Jonathon Price and Anthony Hopkins are almost certain to get nominations in the Academy's acting categories. Knowing a great script when they see one, both veteran actors provide some of the best work of their distinguished careers. This humanization of the Papacy almost gets a little too cutesy for its own good--I could have lived without the buddy to buddy coda. But I left the theatre thinking that the film represents the best publicity the Church has received in a quarter of a century. In fact, a reasonable reservation about The Two Popes might pose the question: does it let these guys off the hook too easily? However, if that is a concern, see the movie first and then worry about the political implications later.


Best of '19 so far

1) Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Sciamma, France
2) An Elephant Sitting Still, Hu, China
3) Vitalina Varela, Costa, Portugal
4) The Two Popes, Mirelles, Brazil/UK
5) High Life, Denis, France/US

 

[kihei]

Atlantics (2019) Directed by Mati Diop 7B

In Dakar, virginal Ada and Suleiman are near lovers, but she is promised in marriage to another man. Okay, I thought, a Romeo and Juliet story from Senegal, that could be interesting. And the movie starts out that way, though with more atmosphere than I was expecting. Being stiffed of several paychecks by his boss, Suleiman without telling Ada takes off on a creaky boat for Spain hoping to find work, leaving his devoted partner to fend for herself. She may not have much power but she's feisty as hell. So far, so good, and pretty predictable. And then came a plot turn that I did not see coming and was totally not expecting: zombies, really believable zombies. I'm going to leave it at that. The movie has an atmosphere like no other I have seen recently, something I have never experienced in an African movie for sure. Along with the fated lovers, Atlantics is about a culture with one toe dipped in modernity while the other nine toes remain immersed in a traditional culture that is resistant to change. In the end, there are loose ends galore, but the spell that Atalantics weaves stayed with me. First time director Mati Diop has a very bright future indeed.

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Best of '19 so far

1) Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Sciamma, France
2) An Elephant Sitting Still, Hu, China
3) Vitalina Varela, Costa, Portugal
4) The Two Popes, Mirelles, Brazil/UK
5) Atlantics, Diop, France/Senegal
6) High Life, Denis, France/US

 

[kihei]

Liberte (2019) Directed by Albert Serra 6D

If anybody wonders what the Marquis de Sade was all about, Albert Serra, the master of slow cinema, provides a lot more than just a history lesson. This is not an easy movie to sit through sometimes what with Serra making even a movie like Pasolini's Sado seem tame in comparison. We are in the 18th century in a dark woods in the dead of night where a group of picturesquely sleazy men have their way with one another and some unfortunate novices who wander into the woods from a nearby convent. There is a lot of sex in this movie, none of it concerned with the usual garden-variety, everyday sexual acts, 2 and 1/2 hours of it, all spent in this dark foreboding woods. Much of this sex is very explicit in nature--though its erotic content is, shall we say, negligible (unless you are really, really into S&M). Basically that's all the movie is about. So, is it art? Yeah, I guess--it is closer to experimental cinema than Serra's usual, more lyrical works, but it does get at notions of freedom from a libertine perspective. And there is the sense that because younger adults don't read period novels, de Sade can be introduced to them in no other way. Serra certainly has the courage of his convictions, but potential viewers should know what they are getting into. The cinematography is gorgeous, if that's any consolation.

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[Osprey]

Since kihei has all of the hoity-toity films covered...

The Queen's Corgi (2019) - 3/10 (Really disliked it)

What an undelight this movie is. For the first 10 minutes (in which Queen Elizabeth acquires a new Corgi puppy and, in montage, raises it), it's actually cute and doesn't look so bad. Then, the Corgis start talking, President Trump arrives at Buckingham Palace and it just gets stupid in a hurry. It would seem like a film suitable for kids, except that the main Corgi is sexually assaulted (by Trump's dog, of course), dogs are thrown in a human-like jail and there's eventually a canine Fight Club (with the requisite dated jokes about not talking about it), a dog that's an exotic dancer and even a cocaine reference. Off-color jokes and situations sabotage what should've been a cute movie. As a Corgi lover, it pains me to say that this is a major dud and not worth wasting time or money on. The animation is gorgeous, if that's any consolation.

Worst of '19 so far

1) The Queen's Corgi, Stassen, Belgium

 

[kihei]

Chicuarotes (2019) Directed by Gael Garcia Bernal 5A

Cagalera will do anything to escape the Mexican hellhole where he resides with his mother, brother and sadistic father. Full of energy but not very bright, he concocts a hair-brain plan to kidnap the young son of the local butcher, a man who is even more sadistic than his father. Things go very, very wrong. This is Gael Garcia Bernal's second attempt at direction and it is not a success.. He attempts to combine comedy and drama but instead of blending they clash. Even more telling, his overall treatment of the narrative is shapeless. There are good intentions here and a strong criticism of violence and Mexico's macho approach of taking justice into one's own hands. But the end result is a movie that might only appeal to Donald Trump. I'm sure that's not what Bernal intended.

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[kihei]

Ema (2019) Directed by Paulo Larrain 7B

Ema (Maria Di Girolamo), a dancer, and her headstrong choreographer husband Gaston (Gael Garcia Bernal) have adopted a small boy. When he acts badly and almost disfigures Ema's sister, Ema sends him back to the orphanage. All their friends and colleagues are outraged--you don'treat a child that way, like throwing a fish back into the sea because you no longer want him. The marriage breaks down and both partners go on a hedonistic binge, hopping in bed with whomever they fancy. All this is communicated in a modernist style that keeps the audience at an emotional distance from the material. I couldn't figure out why director Pablo Larrain was interested in these shallow bimbos. The movie seemed pretentious, superficial and a little silly, an exercise in style for the sake of style. But magically Larraine eventually pulls all the pieces together brilliantly. Rather than looking like some self-centred sociopath, Ema is revealed to have more than a little method to her madness, and in the end, the result is surprising if a bit uncomfortable. Having not seen the ending coming, I have to credit Larrain with a marvelous piece of direction. He also ends up saying some interesting things about the notion of family, personal freedom, and deceptive appearances that cause us to rush to judgement. I do wonder how many people will be willing to stick with Ema and Gaston to the end, but if you do, there is certainly a payoff (my first response was to laugh, which Larrain encourages, but the more everything sunk in, the more clever it all seemed). The style and structure of Ema display the kind of sophisticated manipulation that only very confident and masterful directors are capable of. Basically Ema shows Larrain pulling off a tour de force piece of direction. Even the chilly style serves a purpose.


Best of '19 so far

1) Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Sciamma, France
2) An Elephant Sitting Still, Hu, China
3) Vitalina Varela, Costa, Portugal
4) Ema, Larrain, Chile
5) The Two Popes, Mirelles, Brazil/UK
6) Atlantics, Diop, France/Senegal
7) High Life, Denis, France/US

 

[ORRFForever]

Ema (2019) Directed by Paulo Larrain 7B

Ema (Maria Di Girolamo), a dancer, and her headstrong choreographer husband Gaston (Gael Garcia Bernal) have adopted a small boy. When he acts badly and almost disfigures Ema's sister, Ema sends him back to the orphanage. All their friends and colleagues are outraged--you don'treat a child that way, like throwing a fish back into the sea because you no longer want him. The marriage breaks down and both partners go on a hedonistic binge, hopping in bed with whomever they fancy. All this is communicated in a modernist style that keeps the audience at an emotional distance from the material. I couldn't figure out why director Pablo Larrain was interested in these shallow bimbos. The movie seemed pretentious, superficial and a little silly, an exercise in style for the sake of style. But magically Larraine eventually pulls all the pieces together brilliantly. Rather than looking like some self-centred sociopath, Ema is revealed to have more than a little method to her madness, and in the end, the result is surprising if a bit uncomfortable. Having not seen the ending coming, I have to credit Larrain with a marvelous piece of direction. He also ends up saying some interesting things about the notion of family, personal freedom, and deceptive appearances that cause us to rush to judgement. I do wonder how many people will be willing to stick with Ema and Gaston to the end, but if you do, there is certainly a payoff (my first response was to laugh, which Larrain encourages, but the more everything sunk in, the more clever it all seemed). The style and structure of Ema display the kind of sophisticated manipulation that only very confident and masterful directors are capable of. Basically Ema shows Larrain pulling off a tour de force piece of direction. Even the chilly style serves a purpose.


Best of '19 so far

1) Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Sciamma, France
2) An Elephant Sitting Still, Hu, China
3) Vitalina Varela, Costa, Portugal
4) Ema, Larrain, Chile
5) The Two Popes, Mirelles, Brazil/UK
6) Atlantics, Diop, France/Senegal
7) High Life, Denis, France/US

I know you have to sit thru a LOT of bad movie to get to the good, but you are lucky to be so close to TIFF.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Since kihei has all of the hoity-toity films covered...

The Queen's Corgi (2019) - 3/10 (Really disliked it)

What an undelight this movie is. For the first 10 minutes (in which Queen Elizabeth acquires a new Corgi puppy and, in montage, raises it), it's actually cute and doesn't look so bad. Then, the Corgis start talking, President Trump arrives at Buckingham Palace and it just gets stupid in a hurry. It would seem like a film suitable for kids, except that the main Corgi is sexually assaulted (by Trump's dog, of course), dogs are thrown in a human-like jail and there's eventually a canine Fight Club (with the requisite dated jokes about not talking about it), a dog that's an exotic dancer and even a cocaine reference. Off-color jokes and situations sabotage what should've been a cute movie. As a Corgi lover, it pains me to say that this is a major dud and not worth wasting time or money on. The animation is gorgeous, if that's any consolation.

Worst of '19 so far

1) The Queen's Corgi, Stassen, Belgium

What the f*** did I just read...

 

[Osprey]

What the **** did I just read...

I know, right? Be glad that you had to only read it. I even left some things out, like how Trump, in encouraging his dog to choose a mate from the royal Corgis, tells her to "grab some puppy," and how the main Corgi accidentally bites Trump in the crotch, causing him to spit out his soup at the Queen.

 

[kihei]

Les Miserables (2019) Directed by Ladj Lys 7A

Let's get the bad news out of the way. You are going to hate the ending. I wanted this movie to go on for another half hour...at least. The ending is open-ended and abrupt, and I was initially disappointed, though, later, I thought it was probably the right ending for the point that second-time director Ladj Ly was making. So, there's that. But, jesus, this is a thrilling movie. Based loosely on Les Miserables (Victor Hugo's book, not the musical), this version focuses on a tough area of Paris that erupts after France has just won the World Cup. Basically the film is an anatomy of a riot as seen through the eyes of a bunch of street kids and three cops of varying degrees of sympathy. When a boy is seriously injured by the cops, everything begins to slowly unravel and then suddenly things happen very fast and very violently. The cinematography helps immensely--with a camera zooming and swooping in like a drone during a key scene. At one point, I suddenly realized that I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat holding my breath. Don't even remember the last time that happened but it sure as hell wasn't when I read the novel about which you need know nothing to enjoy the movie. While the director's sympathies are pretty clear, the point he is making is a good one. Les Miserables may be making a statement, but it is an absolutely ferocious entertainment.

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Best of '19 so far

1) Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Sciamma, France
2) An Elephant Sitting Still, Hu, China
3) Vitalina Varela, Costa, Portugal
4) Ema, Larrain, Chile
5) The Two Popes, Mirelles, Brazil/UK
6) Les Miserables, Ly, France
7) High Life, Denis, France/US
8) Atlantics, Diop, France/Senegal

 

[ORRFForever]

The Current War [2019] :

I can't remember the last time a movie with so much talent, such an amazing look, a terrific story and fine writing, came up so flat.

The irony : How a movie about the three beautiful minds (Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Nikola Tesla) that brought the world electricity, could have so little spark and energy.

5.5/10

Movie Trailer :

 

[kihei]

The Vast of Night (2019) Directed by Andrew Patterson 5A

Set in mid-50s New Mexico, while the rest of the town attends a high school basketball game, the local switchboard operator and the late-nite DJ try to track down the source of a mysterious frequency that is bedeviling radio broadcasts and telephone connections. Though they don't know what they are facing they are committed to finding out, The Vast of Night is a loving recreation of the type of low budget sci-fi movies that had their heyday in the '50s. Basically a Twilight Zone story played straight, no tongue-in-cheek stuff is evident whatsoever. While the movie is neither scary nor very creepy, the story is like a sinister retelling of Close Encounters of the Third Kind with a budget probably 1/5000th of the Spielberg film. In truth, it is not much of a movie, easily the tamest Midnight Madness movie that I have ever seen. But there is no denying that The Vast of Night is a work of real craftsmanship , an homage to a genre whose golden age was in the distant past but still fondly remembered.

 

[kihei]

Lucy in the Sky (2019) Directed by Noah Hawley 3A

Lucy, a NASA astronaut returns to Earth and like other astronauts before her has trouble adjusting to normal life again. This could have been a great opportunity to explore the implications of being seemingly alone in the cosmos and not being able to fully grasp how that can change a person's life. If ever there was a unique psychological condition, it is this one. But the movie doesn't even pretend to be interested in focusing on the implications of Lucy's dilemma. Rather the director dwells only on Lucy's over-the-top "crazy woman" stereotype. The main purpose of this movie seems to be get Natalie Portman another Academy Award nomination. But she isn't any good. For starters, she appears anorexic, not a good or convincing look for someone playing an astronaut. Secondly, she employs a nasal midwestern American twang of an accent that quickly becomes more annoying the longer that I had to listen to it. Thirdly, while she gets crazier and crazier, we don't get to know very much about her except that she is really bitter, jealous and unhappy; thus, she becomes an unsympathetic figure, making sitting through the movie even more of a chore. When she is finally brought to a stop, the movie just ends with a brief, unbelievable coda that seems pasted on. There is no further explanation of her behaviour at all. Director Noah Hawley uses some flashy camera tricks to try to make Lucy in the Sky interesting, but, really, it is the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig. I hope and trust this movie will die a quick death at the box office.