Started the year off with ‘Chinatown’ (1974), a classic I’ve been meaning to watch for years. Excellent noir film and superb acting all around. That ending packs quite the gut punch, even if it was kind of spoiled for me through pop-cultural osmosis. 9.5/10
I heard the sequel ‘The Two Jakes’ kind of sucks though (as sequels released decades after the original tend to do), so I’ll be skipping that.
We watched two new movies this evening.
Good mindless fun.
Very deep and thought provoking movie. Another winner for Pixar and probably an academy award winner to boot.
Me and my wife are halfway through Castaway.
I’ve seen it before, but not in a long time. Her first time.
The Nightingale (2019) - It’s a shame that barbaric European colonialsm is so rarely explored in cinema. This was one of the most brutal, violent, horrific viewing experiences in recent memories. The lead (Aisling Franciosi) has a bright future. She was exceptional.
Birds of Prey. Loved the soundtrack. But ended up feeling like the movie overall, while good, lacked… consistency? Pace? Logic? Had potential, did not dislike it, but it left me at meh.
Heck prefer DOA to it. Or Sucker Punch, depressing finale and all.
What’s DOA?
Bullitt. Had to cleanse my palette with some Steve McQueen after letting a cable rerun of Furious 8 play in the background the other day.
Just finished watching WW84. Not a bad follow up to the first movie. But, then again it was just a big budget CGI Marvel super hero movie. Nothing deep or thought provoking.
Gal Gadot is smoking hot and very athletic. Pedro Pascal plays a larger than life over the top villain and does a great job. Strange seeing him in this role after his calm demeanor in The Mandalorian.
Both appear to be special video effects to me.
Let’s call it a chick movie, to be generous.
I grew up with fight movies, so that’s why I know.
Well, this photo would substantiate that she’s smoking hot and that she’s worked hard go keep her body fit and trim, even after having two children, the most recent was in 2017. She served two years in the IDF, won the Miss Israel pageant in 2004 and was a fitness instructor. Lastly, She’s no spring chicken at 35 years old, either.
What do you consider smoking hot?
Saw ‘Silence’ (2016). Beautiful cinematography, well acted and directed, brutal and depressing as hell. Probably not what the movie intended, but I actually sided with the Japanese captors as Christianity was a colonial tool used to stamp out other cultures and religions back then… still Garfield is very sympathetic in his role as the Portuguese priest. The inquisitor and Adam Driver also were great. Still, some of the torture and interrogation scenes become repetitive after a while, and it’s something I’ll never watch again as it’s just so dreary and depressing… which I suppose is the point. 8/10
Spinal Tap, has a cult following, maybe better years ago, a couple laughs had.
Fanny and Alexander (1982) - Saw the theatrical cut. Like all Bergman films, it was both exquisite and disturbing, austere on the surface yet volcanic in substance. At several points of the film it was borderline freakish (the notorious Ismael sequence, for example), but Bergman strikes a very good balance with the warmth and endearment of the family (whose apartment is stunning btw). Definitely as good as any Bergman I’ve seen, and I will finish the tv cut at some point.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) - So after the very heavy and arty Fanny and Alexander, I wanted a more lighthearted and joyful experience, and this one did exactly that. The Rabbit annoyed me but Bob Hoskins was great and Jessica Rabbit/Kathleen Turner was iconic. I was amazed that the cartoon blended in so well with the live-action characters considering how long ago it was, and I was surprised by how overt it was with the sex jokes and the brutality of the dip considering the target audience were children.
Gilda (1946) - Carried entirely by Rita Hayworth’s porcelain shoulders and lushes red hair. The first half is gripping noir, second half unfortunately is embarrassing Casablanca wannabe. The plot got so dumb toward the end that it was like two different films taped together. Rita Hayworth was monumental in it, though.
Compliance (2012) - If you want proof of American stupidity, look no further than this film, or rather, the true events documented almost to the detail by this film. Based on the infamous strip phone scam of the 90s-00s, this was one of the most UNCOMFORTABLE viewing experiences I have ever had, and that is saying something as I have watched a ton of uncomfortable materials. So what happened is a piece of shit pretended to be a police officer on the phone, called the fast food restaurant, accused a staff member for stealing customer’s cash, and demanded the manager to conduct a strip search, which everyone COMPLIED as American police is just that powerful and authoritative. It got so bad that the victim was forced to perform nude jumping jacks, had her vagina examined by her colleague, and gave him a blowjob. The craziest thing is that ALL THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED AND WAS CAUGHT ON TAPE, and happened on like 80 different occassions all over America. Oh and the best part is the perpetrator was trialed and later ACQUITTED. He didn’t go to jail or even pay any fine.
Anyway I watched it for Ann Dowd who was remarkable in it.
Belle de jour (1967) - This I just finished watching. Might need a bit more time to process it. Loved how scandalous it was, loved Catherine Deneuve’s restrained and tormented performance in it, and really loved the fashion.
I caught Casablanca on TV just the other day. It’s an amazing movie wow.
Even better if you just take 3 minutes to research so you can understand the World War II related situation and why so many diverse people from different cultures and countries were in Casablanca.
Saw a trailer for Tenet, looks good. I thought I knew lead actor from something else, but turns out he’s Denzel Washington’s son. He looks like he might be good. Christopher Nolan directing, terrorist type thing.
He was in BlacKkKlasman.
Remember when our hippie music teacher from middle school booked two classes to show us that movie. Those were the days…
‘Sneakers’ (1992) 8.5/10… just such a fun caper movie. One of those films with a lot of rewatch value. Great ensemble cast including Robert Redford, Dan Ackroyd, River Phoenix, Sidney Poitier, Ben Kingsley, Mary McDonnell, etc. Well crafted characters, punchy dialogue, scenes that perfectly balance drama with the absurd, and a very prescient storyline ahead of its time. I had actually seen it before in the 90s with my Dad, so I came in wondering if nostalgia would cloud my judgment, but it definitely holds up and I’d recommend it.
