Last Movie you Watched?

Catching up on the films I wanted to see this year but didn't.

First: DRIVE (2011)

I expected a little more violence, and couldn't quite buy into Driver's motivations, but I'll be damned if it's not a well-crafted piece of cinema.

I was worried it would take itself a little too seriously, but shotgun blasts to the head and ruptured jugulars erased those fears. Loved the soundtrack, too.

Though I don't pretend to be against loud and brash popcorn action films, Drive is still a nice change-up from that.

While I wish there were more of Christina Hendricks' tits, alas, Drive is a successful oasis of elements that don't ordinarily come together in films with this kind of subject matter.

A

Ice Station Zebra (1968)

5/5

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063121/

a very tense cold war thriller made when the Cold War was still at its peak - it still has the power to impact the viewers even now, 20 years after the Cold War was over!!

Just catching up...

Tenebre (1982)

This is definately one of Argento's best, a tale of a copycat killer mimicking the events of a popular, seemingly mysogynistic novel until the author becomes the next target. Saxon gives a decent performance, but sadly everyone is dubbed dampening its effect. There is a particularly superb tracking shot over the roof of a couple's house that has to be seen by all. Hate to rag on Argento, but the opening keyboards work HORRIBLY with the otherwise baroque imagery. Tenebre is one of the most violent and bloody Dario's films: razors, daggers, axes and even paper as murder weapons, used against a dozen victims mostly hot Italian girls. It's no Bird with the Crystal Plumage, or Deep Red (or Suspiria for that matter), but Tenebre is still a decent giallo.

Westworld (1973)

The first thing in Westworld's favour is its achievements on a technical level. It was famously the first film to utilise pixelated graphics, showing certain short sections of the action from the androids' point of view. Original footage shot on celluloid was scanned into a computer and processed digitally, creating a blurred and distorted image which makes Yul Brynner's killings seem all the more merciless. The old-fashioned effects are pretty good as well. To create the effect of acid being thrown into Brynner's face, the production team mixed ground-up indigestion tablets into his make-up; when water was thrown at it, it would fizz to give the impression of skin being dissolved. The make-up and prop-making in general is impressive, particularly when it comes to the robots themselves. Brynner's face mask is very life-like, and seeing his charred body stagger into close-up without a face is quite creepy. Yul Brynner's Gunslinger was the Terminator of its day, with the same jerky, mechanical posture and relentless desire to kill. Too bad James Brolin wasn't the surviving character, he was way more interesting and believable as a protagonist than Richard Benjamin.Westworld is an entertaining and insightful film hamstrung only by its uneven execution. Its campy visual style may have dated, and it isn't constructed half as consistently as many would have liked. But when it does pull itself together, it meets all the requirements of a decent 90-minute thriller.

Easy Rider (1969)

It's important movie, since it ushered in the New Hollywood phase. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper did well in their roles and it probably paints an appropriately perfect and frightening portrayal of America in the late 60s. It's really experimental, but I think it captured the essence of America. You saw the beauty along with the ugly. The hostility brought upon two harmless men with long hair is frighteningly surreal. It just goes to show you how naive and one sided people can be. While the ending is extremely tragic, it just gives more power to the message.However there are points in Easy Rider where it merely comes off as a collection of beautifully photographed series of landscape music videos for the movie's brilliant soundtrack. Jack Nicholson is great and his campfire scenes with Fonda and Hopper are brilliant. Terry Southern's dialogue is magnificent and the Mardi Gras acid trip was cool, all while knowing when to let the viewer off the hook. A great movie but by no means a masterpiece.

The Town (2010)

I was quite surprise with Ben Affleck's directorial debut Gone Baby Gone since I always considered him to be a lousy actor. This may have coloured my viewpoint slightly, but I found it a little bit of a let down. It's not that it's in any way bad; on the contrary, it's an extremely well engineered heist movie with a full compliment of solid performances, well written dialogue. It's just missing that spark of originality and inspiration making it feel like TV drama. It clearly takes a lot of cues from Heat, but the rather generic plot means it is a rather less layered and complex affair. It's a poor man's version of Heat nothing more.

THE TREE OF LIFE (2011)

It has a very 2001-like aesthetic to it, which is more than OK in my book, but the story wore a little on me. It stretches simple concepts over 2 hours and 18 minutes when it didn't really need to.

I won't say it's as pretentious as the trailers may have led on, though at points it feels like a very finely produced art school piece. Still, the visuals coupled with the score make it an awfully nice thing to look at, even if Malick gets a little self-indulgent with the metaphors.

A-

BRIDESMAIDS (2011

Hilarious. Was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't just The Hangover with chicks. Melissa McCarthy is a crack-up.

It also has Rose Byrne in it. I'd watch her shit into a camera for two hours and love it.

There are some lulls and some pretty standard corny rom-com fare, but other than that, Bridesmaids is a pleasant surprise.

B+

Mystic River

Definitely underachieving. The Robbins character is unconvincing, the acting (by Robbins) inconsistent, Bacon is mediocre as usual, Penn comparatively the best here, but not flawless. The subplot (?) with Bacon's character and his wife who phones him and they only start speaking with one another again in the end is pointless. I find the handling of the Robbins character's back story to be rather unconvincing. For a film with such a promise of emotional complexity and depth it feels very stilted and generic. Does have its moments. The phoney score doesn't serve the film well, either. Tries to add drama but it fails, IMO.
Not terrible, but solidly mediocre. I hope the novel is more convincing and genuine in terms of emotionality. I do think the direction takes most of the blame.

Miracle on 34th Street:

I watched this movie for the first time. It's a sweet little tale, isn't it? It's amazing how little has changed around the Christmas season since then.

THE SKIN I LIVE IN (2011, dir. Pedro Almodovar)

Definitely one of the more fascinating films I've seen this year.

Harmsway wrote:

THE SKIN I LIVE IN (2011, dir. Pedro Almodovar)

Definitely one of the more fascinating films I've seen this year.

That one does interesting.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

Harmsway wrote:

THE SKIN I LIVE IN (2011, dir. Pedro Almodovar)

Definitely one of the more fascinating films I've seen this year.

That one does interesting.

It's a mash-up of VERTIGO and EYES WITHOUT A FACE. Like the films of Chan-Wook Park, it's a bit extreme to win the full admiration of the mainstream critics--Almodovar is very interested in sexual violence here--which is probably why THE SKIN I LIVE IN, despite some decent reviews, has remained on the sidelines in the end-of-year discussion. I'm not sure to what extent I admired THE SKIN I LIVE IN, but it has plenty of moments/elements that I do find compelling.

I like Alberto Iglesias' score, too.

THE QUIET EARTH. Probably the best film from New Zealand I've ever seen (okay, I think it's the only film from New Zealand I've ever seen, not counting Hollywood productions like LORD OF THE RINGS and, well, LORD OF THE RINGS, but, still....), this flawed but fascinating forgotten sci-fi/drama gem from 1985 is much better than its low budget and shopworn premise (man awakes to find himself apparently the last survivor of the human race) might suggest. It's a tad overlong and muddled in places, but it's also eerie, imaginative and thought-provoking, as well as sprinkled with poignancy and dark wit - definitely sci-fi for grown-ups. And what an ending! The late Bruno Lawrence is terrific as the lead. Bond trivia note: the first assistant director was Lee Tamahori.

Harmsway wrote:

The White Tuxedo wrote:

Harmsway wrote:

THE SKIN I LIVE IN (2011, dir. Pedro Almodovar)

Definitely one of the more fascinating films I've seen this year.

That one does interesting.

It's a mash-up of VERTIGO and EYES WITHOUT A FACE. Like the films of Chan-Wook Park, it's a bit extreme to win the full admiration of the mainstream critics--Almodovar is very interested in sexual violence here--which is probably why THE SKIN I LIVE IN, despite some decent reviews, has remained on the sidelines in the end-of-year discussion. I'm not sure to what extent I admired THE SKIN I LIVE IN, but it has plenty of moments/elements that I do find compelling.

I like Alberto Iglesias' score, too.

All sounds interesing to me. I have yet to see EYES WITHOUT A FACE. And I like Banderas when he's in good movies.

Jack Wade wrote:

BRIDESMAIDS (2011

Hilarious. Was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't just The Hangover with chicks. Melissa McCarthy is a crack-up.

It also has Rose Byrne in it. I'd watch her shit into a camera for two hours and love it.

There are some lulls and some pretty standard corny rom-com fare, but other than that, Bridesmaids is a pleasant surprise.

B+

This was playing when I went to a friend's place last month.

Can't say I bothered to paid any attention to it, but I have to say that Kristen Wiig is cougarlicious.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

And I like Banderas when he's in good movies.

Me too. He's a charismatic fella.

Alberto Iglesias: one of the best working composers.

The Evil Dead (1981) Unrated/Uncut

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083907/

I don't doubt the stories about this film being banned in many countries when it was released 30 years ago.

I never seen this - I do remember seeing Evil Dead 2 at the movie theater and I was scared by it and I am sure if I had seen Evil Dead back in 1981, I would had been scared too, being only 16 back then.

But now that I watch it for the first time, not only was I not scared or grossed out, I was trying very hard not to laugh, giggle and snicker.

Still, I give it a 4/5 for effort - this movie (like Halloween before it) was way ahead of it's time - low budget independent horror film that went on to make Millions and develop a cult following and several sequels!!

I love Sam Rami's horror stuff. Everything else he does, not so much.

July til December

TV:

Shooter (2007) 7.5
Repeat: xXx: State of the Union (2005) 7.0
Bangkok Dangerous (2008) 7.0
Nim's Island (2008) 7.0
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) 8.0
You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008) 7.0
I Hate Valentine's Day (2009) 6.5
12 Rounds (2009) 7.0
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) 7.0
Hot Fuzz (2007) 8.0
Superhero Movie (2008) 6.0
The Simpsons Movie (2007) 7.0
Inkheart (2008) 7.0
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra (2009) 7.5
Gamer (2009) 5.5
21 December: Ice Age - A Mammoth Christmas (2011) 7.0
Yesterday: Taken (2008) 7.5

DVD

Resident Evil (2002) 6.5
Failure to Launch (2006) 7.0
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) 8.5

The Deer Hunter (1978)

I wanted to hate this film due to Cimino's reputation but I tried to keep an open mind. Some scenes wear out their welcome. The wedding, for example, is a grandiose spectacle in an awesome church. But Cimino wallows in the spectacle of the wedding to excess. Indeed, the ceremony is as interesting as its setting is magnificent, but it does little to advance the plot.

By the end of this film, I felt quite a bit emotionally drained and somewhat manipulated. Although I feel like it contained some really great performances, from everyone really including the supporting cast especially De Niro, Walken and Streep, ultimately I think the film was a bit heavy-handed and at times improbable. The details of the Vietnamese POW camp feel exaggerated, although the two scenes with Russian roulette were very powerful. It was really odd that De Niro could just walk back into Saigon though at that point.They early mill town scenes have gusto galore, and the setting of the film is solidly established by the era's popular music. The Russian roulette scenes are painfully intense, almost unbearable, and very convincing. Unfortunately, Cimino never gives his audience a chance either to breathe or laugh. "The Deer Hunter" is dramatically intense to the point of monotonous. Vilmos Zsigmond's beautiful, sweeping photography at least makes the film a visual delight.

Was the ending supposed to be satirical? I don't think so but it was a little over the top with them all singing "God Bless America." I just couldn't buy it. As war movies go, "The Deer Hunter" breaks no new ground. Actually, it's more about the effect of war on the characters, played by a good cast, rather than about Vietnam.

The Thing (1982)

My first viewing and I loved it though I couldn't help but compare it to ALIEN in terms of the atmosphere and suspense that it creates. From Dean Cundey's stark lighting to Ennio Morricone's solid minimalist score, this film reeks of greatness. A true compliment to pay the film though, is how John Carpenter is able to take the large cast and make each character unique and interesting. It could have become confusing in the wrong hands, but Carpenter is able to balance character development in with the plotting seamlessly.

Although all the actors are excellent, the real star of the show is Rob Bottin's ground breaking special effects. As someone who doesn't like gory horror movies, the effects are simply exemplary .With all the gore featured throughout the movie, it is amazing how Carpenter is still able to generate suspense by stressing the unseen. He is not merely making a gore picture, he cares about scaring the audience. Some scares come from the gore, but most of them come from the build up to thatmoment. The long tracking shots inside the claustrophobic station are particularily effective.

The icing on the cake with "The Thing" is Carpenter's perfect apocalyptic ending. A fine ending does not cop out with some sappy rescue scene.

EYES WIDE SHUT. Contrived, talky, stagey, dated, repetitive, unconvincing and overlong, EYES WIDE SHUT has a lot of glaring flaws, but then it also has a couple of major aces up its sleeve. The biggest point in its favour (and it's a very big one indeed) is, of course, the fact that Kubrick was in the director's chair, and while this certainly doesn't result in a flick that's up there with the very greatest of the great man's works (it's no FULL METAL JACKET) it does result in a sufficiently hefty sprinkling of the old Kubrick magic as to make it well worth watching. Another plus is the Cruiser, who with the possible exception of his performance in MAGNOLIA has never been better.

Rope (1948)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040746/

A Hitchcockesque study in the worse and best of human nature

4.25/5

j7wild wrote:

Rope (1948)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040746/

A Hitchcockesque study in the worse and best of human nature

4.25/5

Where's the "best" part?



Heat (1995)

I'd say it's "simmering good", but never great to me. A steak with no sizzle, but a pretty juicy and satisfying steak. I sit back with my belly full, but it's not the greatest meal I've ever had.

Maybe there's not enough propulsion in the narrative. Maybe I'm a moron and can't see the light. It presents a great panorama of these people's lives, but something about how the film moves seems off to me. I will say, even though I'd already made this discovery, that I have changed sides in the eternal, life-defining question of "Pacino or De Niro?". I'm squarely in the Pacino camp now. He's so God damn alive. He's amazing to watch, so loose and so totally present in every moment. There's never a false moment with this guy in a film like this... even if he does tend to yell a little sometimes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2BBvVwOFdE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=s81gWFanDO0

Helluva cast, too. Pre-Fatass Kilmer. Two Hannibal villains with the underused (in general) Levine and Noonan. Danny Trejo. Tom Sizemore. Wish that guy wasn't so fucked up with drugs, he's a terrific actor, a great presense on screen, and he seems like a tough motherfucker and we need more tough motherfuckers in Hollywood these days. They should make THE TWLIGHT SAGA: TOM SIZEMORE KICKS THE SHIT OUT OF THE TWILIGHT KIDS: PART I.

Kevin Gage was great in this as the seedy psycho Waingro. Making him a hooker killer was maybe a little superfluous, though.

William Fichtner is always welcome. Had no idea Jeremy Piven was in this, but I hadn't seen this flick in years. Jon Voight, so wrong for Jim Phelps, so right for the ultra seedy motherfucker he plays here. And the ladies were good.

Yeah, that's about it. I enjoyed it. THE DARK KNIGHT is basically a Michael Mann Batman film, but this has much better writing and actual emotional depth. Nolan should have gotten Goldenthal. I liked the Moby song too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_2i7ziBcZ4&feature=related

Loomis wrote:

EYES WIDE SHUT. Contrived, talky, stagey, dated, repetitive, unconvincing and overlong, EYES WIDE SHUT has a lot of glaring flaws, but then it also has a couple of major aces up its sleeve. The biggest point in its favour (and it's a very big one indeed) is, of course, the fact that Kubrick was in the director's chair, and while this certainly doesn't result in a flick that's up there with the very greatest of the great man's works (it's no FULL METAL JACKET) it does result in a sufficiently hefty sprinkling of the old Kubrick magic as to make it well worth watching. Another plus is the Cruiser, who with the possible exception of his performance in MAGNOLIA has never been better.

I think it's the only film besides TO DIE FOR where I find Nicole Kidman truly compelling.

Die Hard ... now that's what I call a Christmas movie, hehehe. Will be giving OHMSS a whirl this afternoon.

THE ARTIST (2011, dir. Michel Hazanavicius)

It's really not too much more than a trifle, but it's so charming that I can't help but admire it more than many films this year. It's a shame that its Best Picture potential has overwhelmed the conversation about the film; this fun entertainment shouldn't have to carry that burden, or withstand that degree of scrutiny.

The only thing I find significantly off-putting about THE ARTIST is the film's borrowing of Herrmann's "Scene D'Amour." Sure, I know few film score cues past and present can beat it, but it doesn't have any real reason to be here and it breaks with the illusion of period accuracy for anyone who can recognize it. Furthermore, the original score by Ludovic Bource, while not Herrmann-at-the-peak-of-his-powers good, nevertheless gets the job done, so the break with the original score material seems even more awkward.

Harmsway wrote:

It's really not too much more than a trifle, but it's so charming that I can't help but admire it more than many films this year. It's a shame that its Best Picture potential has overwhelmed the conversation about the film; this fun entertainment shouldn't have to carry that burden, or withstand that degree of scrutiny.

Often the case with a lot of decent films that get vitriol flung at them because they won or were nominated for Oscars. It's frequently the worst thing that can happen to a film.

I'm looking forward to The Artist. Hazanawhatsisface and his DP look like they've done a fine job of recreating an authentic silent film look.