Name & Rate the Movies/TV You've Watched.

[TheDude391]

Watched a lot of great stuff the last week:

 

The Heartbreak Kid 8/10

 

High Noon 8/10

 

Rio Bravo 10/10 - Discovered it earlier this year and seen it 3 times since, instant favourite and John Wayne’s best film.

 

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 9/10

 

How Green Was My Valley 10/10 - Catching up on my John Ford and this is the best of his I’ve seen so far. Astoundingly beautiful film.

 

 

[CoolioD1]

Watched a bunch of Shaw Brothers movies in the last couple weeks. having a great time. one of the wackiest ones i've watched is little dragon maiden which is standard kung fu stuff for most of its runtime and then in the last 15 minutes i got blind sided by a subplot where leslie cheung has to teach a giant bird how to fly. good stuff always keeping me on my toes.

Edited August 2, 2021 by CoolioD1

[Jake Gittes]

July aka Western month, thanks Panda

 

*Amélie - 6/10

The Magnificent Seven - 6/10

Pyaasa - 7/10

Le Notti Bianche - 7/10

*Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion - 8/10

*The Leopard - 7/10

*I Vitelloni - 6/10

Pinocchio - 8/10

Johnny Guitar - 9/10

The Emperor's New Groove - 9/10. Obviously the greatest thing Disney has ever done.

*Cloud Atlas - 6/10

Watch Out for the Automobile - 6/10

Stagecoach - 8/10

Destry Rides Again - 8/10

The Ox-Bow Incident - 8/10. Actually quite a bit better than that for 80% of its runtime, until the awful device with the letter that couldn't possibly sound more like a preachy Author's Message if the writer himself stepped into the frame, got on a soapbox and read it into the camera. A shame. The first hour is terrifying.

*Trainspotting - 7/10

My Darling Clementine - 9/10 [longer "pre-release" cut] Not a fan of what this ends up doing with Linda Darnell's character, but otherwise a nearly perfect hangout western I could watch for hours. Wouldn't surprise me if David Milch had the same thought once upon a time, and that's how we got Deadwood.

*The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - 8/10

Red River - 8/10 [shorter cut with the narration] First hour's something of a drag, but it starts paying off in a big way once Clift takes charge. The ending is powerful in theory and almost works in practice, it's just hard to accept it given some of the things Wayne's character does in the lead-up to it. Has what is probably the greatest-ever reaction by a movie character to getting shot with an arrow.

The Gunfighter - 8/10

The Naked Spur - 8/10

The Searchers - 8/10. The first 45 minutes is pretty staggering, absolutely feeling like myth brought to life, which only makes the useless comic relief to come more bewildering. The romantic/melodramatic parts semi-work for me as contrast to the urgency of the main narrative (Life Goes On, etc.), and are helped by some emotionally raw work from Vera Miles, but still barely function on their own narratively. It's a testament to the fundamental power of Ethan's character and story, and to Ford's sense of control whenever he doesn't inexplicably lose it, that I still came away thinking of this as a great film.

Basic Instinct - 6/10

Seven Men from Now - 7/10

The Tall T - 8/10

3:10 to Yuma (1957) - 8/10, though I suspect I'm underrating it and can't wait to see it again. Biggest surprise of the month, a moody melancholy western with some breathtakingly beautiful stretches (everything with Glenn Ford and Felicia Farr as the barmaid), gratifying attention paid to character interactions above all else and an ending that actually makes sense unlike the remake's. 

Forty Guns - 7/10

Decision at Sundown - 7/10

 

[Morieris]

I'm gonna start from the beginning of the year...if I can remember.

 

FEB:

Judas and the Black Messiah - 9/10

 

MAR:
Raya and The Last Dragon - 5/10

 

APRIL:

Mortal Kombat - Well, I forgot I saw it, so....

The Mitchells vs. The Machines - 7/10

 

JUNE:

Luca - 9/10

 

JULY:

Hereditary - 9.5/10

Uncut Gems - 7/10

Space Jam 2 - 4/10
Jungle Cruise - 5/10

The Green Knight - 9/10

 

Upcoming:

The Suicide Squad
Waves

Candyman (Maybe I should try the older one too)

 

Edited August 4, 2021 by Morieris

[TheDude391]

3 hours ago, Jake Gittes said:

July aka Western month, thanks Panda

 

*Amélie - 6/10

The Magnificent Seven - 6/10

Pyaasa - 7/10

Le Notti Bianche - 7/10

*Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion - 8/10

*The Leopard - 7/10

*I Vitelloni - 6/10

Pinocchio - 8/10

Johnny Guitar - 9/10

The Emperor's New Groove - 9/10. Obviously the greatest thing Disney has ever done.

*Cloud Atlas - 6/10

Watch Out for the Automobile - 6/10

Stagecoach - 8/10

Destry Rides Again - 8/10

The Ox-Bow Incident - 8/10. Actually quite a bit better than that for 80% of its runtime, until the awful device with the letter that couldn't possibly sound more like a preachy Author's Message if the writer himself stepped into the frame, got on a soapbox and read it into the camera. A shame. The first hour is terrifying.

*Trainspotting - 7/10

My Darling Clementine - 9/10 [longer "pre-release" cut] Not a fan of what this ends up doing with Linda Darnell's character, but otherwise a nearly perfect hangout western I could watch for hours. Wouldn't surprise me if David Milch had the same thought once upon a time, and that's how we got Deadwood.

*The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - 8/10

Red River - 8/10 [shorter cut with the narration] First hour's something of a drag, but it starts paying off in a big way once Clift takes charge. The ending is powerful in theory and almost works in practice, it's just hard to accept it given some of the things Wayne's character does in the lead-up to it. Has what is probably the greatest-ever reaction by a movie character to getting shot with an arrow.

The Gunfighter - 8/10

The Naked Spur - 8/10

The Searchers - 8/10. The first 45 minutes is pretty staggering, absolutely feeling like myth brought to life, which only makes the useless comic relief to come more bewildering. The romantic/melodramatic parts semi-work for me as contrast to the urgency of the main narrative (Life Goes On, etc.), and are helped by some emotionally raw work from Vera Miles, but still barely function on their own narratively. It's a testament to the fundamental power of Ethan's character and story, and to Ford's sense of control whenever he doesn't inexplicably lose it, that I still came away thinking of this as a great film.

Basic Instinct - 6/10

Seven Men from Now - 7/10

The Tall T - 8/10

3:10 to Yuma (1957) - 8/10, though I suspect I'm underrating it and can't wait to see it again. Biggest surprise of the month, a moody melancholy western with some breathtakingly beautiful stretches (everything with Glenn Ford and Felicia Farr as the barmaid), gratifying attention paid to character interactions above all else and an ending that actually makes sense unlike the remake's. 

Forty Guns - 7/10

Decision at Sundown - 7/10

 

The comic relief in The Searchers is a hindrance but I believe was only in there to distract the censors from the violence. I did a first time watch of both versions of 3:10 to Yuma recently and yeah the remake’s ending makes zero sense and kinda ruins the rest for me.

[Joel M]

Raya and the Last Dragon. Third WDAS movie in a row that feels just there. Not good, not bad, just there.

Space Jam 2. I didn't expect this to be more soulcrushing than last years Scooby Doo but here we are. Cannot understand wth is happening with Warner's animated characters. Is there some Disney sleeper agent making sure they 'll make the worst possible version of every single one of them? 

Ad Astra. It felt gorgeous and emotional but at the same time a little boring and kinda stupid? Still on the fence about how it all comes together.

Dead of Night. Some segments haven't aged that well but others are still very creepy. The most impressive thing about it remains how all the stories flow and climax into the framing device by the end. That shit was brilliant. Also feels like the kind of movie that should have been loosely remade every 20 years ala a Star is Born.

Black Widow. Expected much worse by the very muted reaction even by Marvel stans, but it's decent. The first 30 minutes are a bit rough and a good deal of David Harbour's funny sidekick bombs but the movie becomes a fine side adventure by the end. Divine justice for Hawkeye ending up the only OG Avenger without a solo movie because he should have jumped.

[TheDude391]

Started my Clint Eastwood directorial marathon earlier this week, I've made my way through all his 1970s work.

Ranking and reviewing them here: https://boxd.it/cYBaG 

Play Misty For Me - 8/10

High Plains Drifter - 9/10

Breezy - 6/10

The Eiger Sanction - 5/10

The Outlaw Josey Wales - 8/10

The Gauntlet - 7/10

 

Also rewatched one of my favourite films, Dirty Harry - 10/10.

 

Edited September 6, 2021 by TheDude391

[MOVIEGUY]

On 8/4/2021 at 2:06 PM, Joel M said:

 

Ad Astra. It felt gorgeous and emotional but at the same time a little boring and kinda stupid? Still on the fence about how it all comes together.

 

Lol this sums up my feelings on that movie perfectly. One second I'm thinking "Will you just to get to your fucking dad already" then next "Wow this is actually really beautiful". 

 

Kinda felt the same way about The Green Knight. Weird, slow movies that I didn't really "get" and not sure how much I liked, but are intriguing nonetheless 

[TheDude391]

Continued my Clint Eastwood directorial marathon. Finished the 1980s.

Bronco Billy - 9/10

Firefox - 6/10

Honkytonk Man - 10/10

Sudden Impact - 8/10

Tightrope - 7/10 (ghost directed by him)

Pale Rider - 8/10

Heartbreak Ridge - 6/10

Bird - 7/10

More in depth thoughts and ranking here:

https://boxd.it/cYBaG

 

Also rewatched the second and third Dirty Harry films:

Magnum Force - 8/10

The Enforcer - 6/10

Edited September 6, 2021 by TheDude391

[lorddemaxus]

I watched 59 films in July. The most I've ever seen in a single month (being depraved from movies for a couple months does things to me). 

 

Something's Gotta Give - 10/10. No clue how Nancy Meyers delivered the best rom-com of the past two decades and got no recognition for it. This and The Holiday (an infinetely better 2000s holiday rom-com than Richard Curtis's godawful Love, Actually) is maybe the definition of wholesome cinema.

No Sudden Move - 9/10

Son of the White Mare - 9/10

Changeling - 10/10. Quite easily one of the most anti-cop movies I've ever seen. 

Fear Street: 1994 - 5/10

Promare - 9/10. American animation studios will never make something like this (Spider-verse comes close). Rewatching it this month in the cinemas.

Nausicaa - 8/10

Boss Baby 2 - 6/10

Addicted to Love - 7/10. This was a funnier than I expected.

The American President - 8/10. Sorkin's best political work. 

Grosse Point Blank - 7/10

Fear Street 1978 - 4/10

Johnny Guitar  - 9/10

War of the Worlds (rewatch) - 10/10. Underrated disaster film that's clearly the blueprint for stuff like Godzilla 2014. Some of the long-takes in this are some of Spielberg's best. Absolute adrenaline rush of a film.

The Wind Rises - 9/10. Still a kinda boring film but it all comes together in a way I don't think I'll forget. 

Millenium Actress - 8/10

The Immigrant - 10/10. Gray is pretty quickly becoming one of my favourite directors ever. Given 3 of his 4 films I've seen so far 10s and Ad Astra comes close.

The Pallbearer - 6/10. 

Black Widow - 4/10

The Tomorrow War - 4/10. Awful, but JK Simmons was fun to watch.

America's Sweethearts - 4/10

Space Jam 2 - 2/10

Fear Street 1666 - 3/10. Awful VVitch wannabe.

The Family Man - 9/10. This might not be a good movie in a traditional sense but there's something really beautiful about the fantasy portrayed here. I don't want to get sappy, so this review eloquently says what went in my head watching the film: https://letterboxd.com/arkhamoutlaw10/film/the-family-man/

Midnight of Good and Evil - 8/10. Lady Chablis is one of the most incredibly colorful characters in an Eastwood film (also one of the first trans actresses to star in a major Hollywood studio film). John Cusack uncharacteristically such a bore though.

Peking Opera Blue - 9/10

The Weatherman - 7/10. The anti-thesis to The Family Man. There's a shot involving Spongebob here that might one of the most horrifying representations of modern-day America.

Pig - 7/10. This is a lesser Cage film honestly.

The Lake House (rewatch) - 8/10

Sergeant Rutledge - 9/10

Billy Lynn - 5/10. Bad movie, but looks better and more real than most movies released today/

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi - 9/10. @charlie Jatinder

Julie and Julia - 8/10

Pale Rider - 9/10

Deep Rising - 8/10

Unbreakable - 10/10. The shot of Willis carrying Wright up the stairs might be the most beautiful shot in the history of this genre.

Phone Booth  - 7/10. An fun Tony Scott imitation from Schumacher.

Con Air - 10/10. For a vulgar and chaotic film, there are so many wonderful little moments littered throughout that makes this one of the most wholesome action films ever made. Just those last two shots encapsulate what I'm saying here.

Gi Joe Cobra - 7/10. Don't think there's been a non-Bay action film with this much civillian casualities shown on screen since.

Gi Joe Retaliation (rewatch) - 6/10

Snake Eyes - 9/10

Gi Joe Snake Eyes - 2/10

It Could Happen to You - 7/10. Almost wrote this off as a forgettable rom-com until the really nice, albiet naive, portrayal of New York community.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - 10/10. Ford subtly creates one of the greatest tragedies in the history of American cinema.

A Simple Twist of Fate - 5/10

The Commuter (rewatch) - 7/10

Purple Rose of Cairo - 8/10

POTC 1 - 8/10

House of Wax - 8/10

Bronco Billy - 10/10

Blade Runner 2049 (rewatch) - no rating. One of my friends who loves this forced us to watch it. Didn't pay attention to the movie at all/

Twin Dragons - 8/10. Some gags go on for a bit too long but contains some of Chan's funniest stunts. Would've loved to see more Hark/Chan collaborations.

POTC 2 - 9/10

POTC 3 - 9/10. Honestly, this might be the most entertaining (not favourite) movie trilogy I've ever watched at this point. Really weird considering how much I hated this franchise and found Jack Sparrow to be annoying as a kid.

Stagecoach - 8/10

Jungle Cruise - 4/10

The Outlaw Josey Wales - 9/10

Lone Ranger (2013) - 10/10. Wrote a somewhat large review on lb. 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

Did not remember this movie being this horrific and sad upon my first watch. A truly great blockbuster that understands the violence perpetued towards Native Americans in American history, while also being entertaining and containing some magnificent setpieces. It's a film about how the brutal histories of civilizations dissapear (as Tonto does at the end) and become myth as the unstoppable train that is progress keeps chugging on. It's unlike anything else Disney has produced. Even without any of this deeper meaning, this is a film that should be praised just for the impressive feat that's the final 40 minutes (on-par with films like Mad Max Fury Road). Even with Depp playing a Native American (who, regardless gives a nuanced and funny performance), this movie is far, far less offensive than shit Disney has made since like their recent Jungle Cruise. It's as good as a modern day western could be.

 

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - 10/10. Coppola uses every cinematic technique he could possibly use to create a lurid and romantic dream that's as frightening as it is beautiful. Being sucked into this eerie world is just oddly cozy in a way. I don't think any other movie I've ever seen has made me feel this. It's a perfect mix of surrealism, horror, and romantic melodrama that I've only see Del Toro come close to replicating with Crimson Peak.

Edited August 31, 2021 by lorddemaxus

[FilmFincher]

AUGUST

 

Movies

 

Gosford Park - 10/10 - What a smart, compelling, dense script. It’s not even the ‘whodunnit’ aspects that will keep you hooked. Impeccably crafted.

Another Round - 9.5/10 - So happy I waited to see this on the big screen.

Notting Hill - 9/10 - Hugh Grant is one charming guy isn’t he. 

Sense and Sensibility (1995) - 9/10 - I'm not gonna lie, the ending where Emma Thompson just breaks got me good.

Boy - 9/10 

Battle Royale - 8.5/10 

The Night House - 8.5/10 

RocknRolla - 8/10 

Judas and the Black Messiah - 8/10 - The end captions for this were maybe more powerful that the film itself but it puts the entire peice in a context that it heartbreaking and makes me interested to revisit down the line. Kaluuya is magnetic and steals the show. 

Dawn of the Dead (1978) - 8/10 

Suspiria (1977) - 8/10 

Death Wish (1974) - 8/10 - This is what I imagine Aronofsky’s Batman would look like.

Candyman (2021) - 7.5/10 

Stillwater - 7.5/10 

Flatliners (1990) - 7.5/10 - Beautiful looking film. Wish it was creepier/scarier.

Ocean’s Thirteen - 7/10

Scanners - 7/10 - Love everything except for the main characters performance. 

Hot Shots - 7/10 

Free Guy - 7/10 

28 Weeks Later - 7/10 - Brought down by trying to go too big but does a decent enough job at recreating Boyle’s frenetic energy.

Ocean’s Twelve - 7/10 

The Return of the Living Dead - 7/10 

Evangelion: 1.0 - 7/10 

Tomorrowland - 6/10 - Gets at something really interesting with it themes but struggles to capture a proper sense of momentum in what should be a rollicking adventure throughout. 

When a Stranger Calls - 6/10 - Incredible opening, rest is fine.

Shadow in the Cloud - 6/10 - Horribly heavy handed and has some trash dialogue but it ends with Chloe Grace Moretz fist fighting a gremlin. 

Reminiscence - 4/10 

Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part II - 4/10 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows - 3/10 

Snake Eyes - 3/10 

Blood Red Sky - 3/10 - I did not come to this Vampire plane film for endless flashbacks. Why is this not 90 minutes.

Sweet Girl - 2/10 - Awful, avoid at all cost. One of the dumbest/laziest reveals I’ve had the displeasure of watching.  

 

 

 

TV

 

Harley Quinn S1/2 - 8/10 - Consistently funny and endearing. Good fun. 

 

Been re-watching a lot of 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown after Sean Lock’s passing. I highly recommend to everyone. Truly one of the funniest panel shows. 

Edited August 31, 2021 by FilmFincher

[Plain Old Tele]

26 minutes ago, FilmFincher said:

 

Scanners - 7/10 - Love everything except for the main characters performance. 

He’s quite bad. It’s both wild that Cronenberg cast him and that the rest of it is so great his terrible performance doesn’t handicap it entirely. (Michael Ironside helps tremendously.)

[FilmFincher]

12 minutes ago, Plain Old Tele said:

He’s quite bad. It’s both wild that Cronenberg cast him and that the rest of it is so great his terrible performance doesn’t handicap it entirely. (Michael Ironside helps tremendously.)

 

It's honestly impressive, some of the line readings are straight out The Room or Attack of the Clones.

 

The whole thing also had this very Stephen King vibe that I loved. Maybe I just had The Dead Zone in the back of my mind but I think the premise of people with powers hidden from the world just lends itself to that feeling. Ironside is also deliciously villainous. 

[Eric Atreides]

Well I guess this is a twofer.

 

July

Praying with Anger - 5/10

National Treasure - 7/10 - I completely forgot Christopher Plummer is in the beginning and it gave me so much joy. Also the young version of Nicolas Cage is played by the brother from Hannah Montana. That's just weird.

Wide Awake - 3/10

Superman - 10/10 - Black Panther aside, your MCU/DCEU fave could never. The flying scene between Superman and Lois honestly brought a tear to my eye and is up there as probably one of the greatest moments in film history.

Summer of Soul - 8/10

The Sixth Sense - 10/10 - Favorite movie? Yeah, this is my favorite movie still. Shit's immaculate

Unbreakable - 9/10 - Was a bit lower on it on a rewatch, if only because of how the movie ends. Twist is amazing but it just kind of...stops, and does the weird biopic text deal. Feel like one more scene at the end would have made the film better.

Ishtar - 4/10 - This is seriously a hidden classic to some folks?

Signs - 7/10

The Village - 8/10

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? - 10/10 - It's hilarious how Bob Hoskins is able to act against nothing better than any other actor working today.

Pig - 7/10

Black Widow - 7/10

Turner & Hooch - 6/10 - Did not expect to see Tom Hanks bulge here.

Lady in the Water - 6/10 - I vibed with it, fuck you.

The Visit - 3/10 - Shyamagod really should not do found footage again, since he can't do any of the weird, funky camerawork that people love him for. Bonkers to me how this is considered one of his better movies.

Pretty Woman - 8/10 - If you take out the unnecessary rape scene from Jason Alexander, I would have been all over this. Either way, this is sooooooooo delightful. Like a warm blanket.

Ain't Them Bodies' Saints - 5/10

Old - 8/10

Pete's Dragon - 8/10 - Another warm blanket movie like Pretty Woman. And like Pretty Women, this also would be so much better if you took out the bad guy. Ah well.

The African Queen - 8/10

A Ghost Story - 8/10 - Would have been up there as one of my favorite movies ever if you took out that dude from the party scene that just explained the entire theme of the movie. It's like David Lowery assumed the people watching it were stupid idiots who don't know how movies work.

 

Wanted to do the rest of Shyamagod's filmography, but I didn't have the time that I wanted to. Of course I already seen and loved Split and Glass, and the other movies I'm sure I'm not missing much (I know some of you dweebs like The Happening, but the idea of watching Mark Wahlberg for 90 minutes makes me want to barf. I could barely get through seeing Mel's disgusting face in Signs. Sorry!).

 

August

The Green Knight - 8/10

Boy Meets Girl - 6/10

Holy Motors - 10/10 - Watched this two days in a row, the second time with my best friend. I feel it's one of those movies that works best when you watch it with somebody and you discuss your own interpretations on the film, because a lot of issues, mainly the Kylie Minogue sequence, I had on a first watch went away when I talked about it with my buddy. Now I'm in the masterpiece camp and adamant Denis Lavant gave the best performance of the decade.

Vivo - 7/10 - Okay, maybe now I'm starting to understand where Lin haters are coming from...that's a lie, Lin is still an absolute genius and his haters smell.

Peter Pan (1953) - 5/10

Jungle Cruise - 4/10

Free Guy - 6/10 - Oh boy oh boy, this is one of those "perfectly disposable and harmless, but weirdos act as if it's an affront to humanity" kind of flicks. God I can't wait for that nonsense to end in like...two weeks.

Respect - 5/10

The Country Bears - 6/10 - Hard to say that it's good, but my best friend and I were laughing our asses off the entire time. It's such a bizarre hot mess of a film that I implore anybody who loves watching bad movies to give it a look. You will not be disappointed.

Cool World - 1/10 - Might just be the worst movie I've ever seen in my entire life. There is literally nothing redeemable or entertaining about it, even under an ironic, "let's riff on it" that I expected it to be.

Short Term 12 - 10/10 - I wish Brie Larson could take care of me

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - 7/10

The Night House - 6/10

Children of a Lesser God - 8/10

Candyman (1992) - 9/10

Field of Dreams - 8/10

Candyman (2021) - 6/10

Annette - 4/10 - Simon Helberg is sooooooooooo hot in this.

Stillwater - 6/10

Ever After - 7/10 - If there's anything good to come from this new girlboss Cinderella movie dropping on Friday (seriously, that monstrosity looks like it was purposely designed to piss me off specifically), it prompted me to watch this. It was cute!

[charlie Jatinder]

August 2021

 

Movies

1. The Suicide Squad - 6/10
2. Gulliver's Travels - I had watched this in parts couple of times but never full. This was actually quite good kids movie. 5/10.
3. Unbreakable - When they say "M Night Shyamalan's endings", now I know what they mean. 8/10.
4. Glass - 6/10
5. Signs - 3/10
6. Call me by your name (Rewatch) - I hated this in my first watch in 2018, but this time I loved it. 9/10.
7. Wolfwalkers - I think the animation was beautiful, but as a film there was nothing special. 7/10.
8. Angrej (Rewatch) - 8/10
9. Bhuj - What if a war movie was soap opera level cringe. 0/10
10. Quo vadis, Aida - I think the film could have been more emotional with a bit more melodrama. Otherwise hard hitting movie. Watched it a day before Taliban took over Afghanistan and next day witnessed the terrible scenes at airport with people hanging from airplanes. 7/10.
11. Short Term 12 - I think I will love this movie in rewatch. Shang Chi director is good. 7/10.
12. The Green Knight - I don't know why I even bothered considering my history with A24 but it looked great visually. Wish MCU looked this good. 2/10.
13. Catch Me If You Can (Rewatch) - Can even count as first watch. For a film based on true story, this sure feels over the top and does drag in parts but is entertaining enough to keep it a great watch. 8/10.
14. Just Mercy - 6/10
15. Boy - I don't think I would ever say that, but I wanted to see less Taika while watching the film as Boy was way more interesting BUT Taika dances in the credit which was WORTH IT. 7/10.
16. Chal Mera Putt (Rewatch) - 7/10
17. The Aviator - 6/10

Series

1. Succession - I think the show works for others for several reasons which doesn't for me. e.g. I absolutely don't get how Greg is special, in fact every time he is on screen feels a waste to me. The 2nd season finale was delight. Looking forward to S03.
2. Silicon Valley - This was great. Twitter thread. 8/10.
3. Doom Patrol - It had interesting bits but also sort of ehh. 5/10.
    

[Eric Atreides]

29 minutes ago, charlie Jatinder said:

Call me by your name (Rewatch) - I hated this in my first watch in 2018, but this time I loved it. 9/10.

[Jake Gittes]

August

 

Westerns

 

Rio Bravo - 8/10. Too much of a self-aware Ultimate Howard Hawks Movie (must work like gangbusters if it's your first one, though), exasperatingly so in the romance that's blatantly recycled from Only Angels Have Wings (down to some verbatim-quoted dialogue) except here the woman is an impossible character desperately throwing herself at a twice-older John Wayne. The professionalism and camaraderie are purely Hawksian but less effective when they're not being counterbalanced by anything; Wings - an all-time top 10 movie for me - made them deeply affecting by having them serve as the characters' shield against the constant threat of death, but there's no real sense of danger here. That said, the Hawks formula is fundamentally potent enough that even a superficial expression of it is often grandly entertaining.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - 5/10. Clear impression of a story that was worked out from the themes backwards, leading to crude cardboard characters and a narrative that's at once simplistic and contrived. The "print the legend" moment would have some teeth if the film hadn't just spent two hours presenting us with a "truth" that's hardly any more complex or less sentimental than any myth. Don't get me started on the spectacle of 53-year-old Jimmy Stewart valiantly trying to portray someone half his age.

El Dorado - 9/10. A cleaner, livelier, 100% Angie Dickinson-free version of Rio Bravo, albeit with 10 more seconds of out-of-nowhere comic-relief racism.

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid - 8/10

*Unforgiven - 8/10. I'd be on the masterpiece train if this weren't so aggressive about underlining its themes, specifically if it didn't push the Schofield Kid into such over-the-top obnoxiousness and have Clint intone that he's "not that person anymore" seemingly every 10 minutes without even necessarily being prompted. There are times when it feels like the movie is writing a thesis on itself even as it unfolds. Lots of self-evident greatness otherwise. 

Tombstone - 6/10. Very enjoyable first half with virtually no evidence of production troubles. Then a third act that goes on for over an hour.

*The Proposition - 5/10, down from what would have been 9/10 in 2012 when I had last seen it. What once seemed revelatory and deep now seems shallow and punishing, an exhausting combination of florid dialogue, One. Perfect. Shot. cinematography and only-in-the-movies stuff like Danny Huston as a cultured psycho who can both decapitate someone without a second thought and thoughtfully admire a sunset. Sure.

*The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - 9/10

 

Eric Rohmer marathon

 

La Collectionneuse - 7/10

The Aviator's Wife - 9/10

A Good Marriage - 7/10

Pauline at the Beach - 8/10

The Green Ray - 8/10

4 Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle - 8/10

Boyfriends and Girlfriends - 9/10

Rendezvous in Paris - 7/10

A Summer's Tale - 8/10

 

Strongly suspected he would be my kind of filmmaker ever since seeing him repeatedly mentioned as an inspiration for/precursor of summery relationship movies like the Before Trilogy and Call Me by Your Name (the similarities are very much there, although unsurprisingly Rohmer's movies tend to be shiftier, less overtly romantic and straightforward than those) and was glad to have it definitively confirmed (I had also previously seen and really liked Claire's Knee and some of his shorts.) Some of the best films out there about 20- and 30-somethings navigating complex relationships while dealing with anxiety, denial and self-delusion. Casually wise, witty, light on their feet, often gorgeous to look at. Excited to explore even further.

 

Others

 

*Hanna - 6/10

*Breathless - 9/10

Green for Danger - 8/10. A must for every whodunit fan, Alastair Sim is as great a company as any cinematic detective.

Joe Versus the Volcano - 8/10. Would be higher if not for some tonally questionable choices made in the last act. Don't know if John Patrick Shanley would have kept making stuff as singular and self-assured through the 1990s if this hadn't flopped, but it's a shame he never got a chance to provide the answer. He had great and obvious gifts as a director, back then at least. This has to be Meg Ryan's best work ever too.

Annette - 7/10. I think the fundamental issue is that, for all the film's efforts to disguise it, Cotillard's character is little more than an afterthought, which leaves too much empty space where the core of the romance/marriage stuff should be, but Driver's performance, various droll Sparksian touches and most importantly the unexpected gut-punch of an ending ultimately won me over. 

*Shutter Island - 7/10

The Untouchables - 6/10

La Haine - 8/10

*Commando - 6/10

*Malpertuis - 6/10

*In the Mouth of Madness - 6/10

*Heat - 10/10

*Interstellar - 6/10

*Barry Lyndon - 10/10

Edited September 3, 2021 by Jake Gittes

[CoolioD1]

Ah i watched a bunch of Rohmer back in April. on mubi though they only had his 80s 'comedies and proverbs' films. Aviators Wife and Green Ray I loved beautiful films, Pauline at the Beach and Girlfriends and Boyfriends were both enjoyable a good time. A Good Marriage and Full Moon in Paris were where i reached my "will someone please tell these french hipsters to shut the fuck up" breaking point though.

[Joel M]

August

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. As terrible as the title suggests.

The Art of Self-Defence. Stupid movie that thinks it's real smart.

Cruella. It's a watchable polished nothing, shame about the cast that is very good across the board and game for this premise.

Black Bear. Really liked this, might get a bit selfimportant at times but its a very welcome bonkers indie. Aubrey Plaza is amazing in it.

The Witches. Sadly a snoozefest, not even Hathaway's ham can give this any life.

Dare. Non existent movie from 2009 starring Emmy Rossum, Mat Saracen from FNL and some other guy about a polyamorous teen relationship. Very interesting concept, a bit disastrous in execution.

Luca. Don't know what people who call this minor PIXAR are smoking. It's the most refreshing and genuinely heartfelt movie the studio has done in years. Also the barely hidden queer reading of this movie does more for representation than 100 background LGBT kisses in Disney blockbusters.

Fantastic Beasts 2. Rowling has lost her marbles, what's new?

A Hidden Life. I kinda divide Mallick's filmography in pre-Tree of Life mostly masterpieces and post-Tree of Life movies that even if I liked them at the time I have already forgotten about. This like Tree of Life is somewhere in the middle.

The Lion King (2019). Don't know why I bothered after all this time. Every bit the cinematic butthole the trailers were adertising.

The Dead Don't Die. A complete shrug of a movie.

Up to his Ears (1965). Lesser known Belmondo action comedy fluff, doesn't come close to the Man from Rio but it's fun to watch all the truly insane stunts performed in this movie.

Child's Play (2019). Not bad at all for an unwanted remake, captures a lot of the gory fun of the original which wasn't that great anyway. This might even be better.

Beckett. Indie Jason Bourne ripoff that gets ludicrous by the end but it's watchable.

The Rhythm Section. Another bond/bourne ripoff with bigger budget but way more boring and that wig they forced on Blake Lively is truly hideous.

Elaine May's 4 movies. Not ready to drink the Ishtar is a misunderstood masterpiece koolaid, but all 3 of her previous movies are incredible. And the fact that they 're so much less known than her big flop just shows you that women filmmakers apparently have to get that elusive director nomination or some big festival prize to force the film community to canonize them.

Charlie's Angels (2019). Nowhere near as bad as its reputation, not good either. Classic case of a ho hum film being piled on endlessly just because it's an easy target.

 

 

[Ronin46]

Finished off a french tv show The Bureau. Political/spy drama 5 seasons. 10/10. Incredible.