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Post by tao on Mar 26, 2018 2:20:56 GMT -5
Watched another off the list; “Ugetsu” is a story set during the 16th century in Japan, amidst civil war; the plot focuses on the human foibles of greed and arrogance, subtly throwing jabs at Japan’s pre-WWII social nature. The film is gorgeous from start to finish, and Kenji Mizoguchi directs with a masterful touch. The acting is excellent and highly emotive, and the music is minimalist and highly effective. An excellent film through and through, and I highly recommend it. 10/10
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Post by essien on Apr 1, 2018 19:13:06 GMT -5
So I used the Easter holidays to watch a shit ton of films. Here's the ones from my list... Short reviews since there's so many.
Army of Darkness. I really don't enjoy Sam Raimi's brand of horror comedy. No me gusta. 1/5
Clueless. Iconic, fun and ahead of its time. Alicia Silverstone is fantastic. 4/5
Gattaca. Has a 'sci-fi hidden gem' feel to it. Solid if a little underwhelming. 3.5/5
In a Lonely Place. A Humphrey Bogart film noir. Great story and a superb performance from the man himself. 4/5
Point Break. Keanu Reeves goes undercover as a surfer. Patrick Swayze as the villain. Anthony Kiedis as a token bad guy. I really enjoyed this even though it was cheesy as hell. 4/5
Elephant. A film about a high school shooting. It's well made but I already know how horrible these incidents are and I didn't really get the purpose or message of the film. 3/5
Lethal Weapon. The classic Mel Gibson and Danny Glover buddy cop action movie that I'd never sat down and watched properly. Gibson's performance is brilliant and I enjoyed the setup and chemistry between the partners, but the action and plot were a little lacklustre for me. 3.5/5
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Post by essien on Apr 7, 2018 18:34:17 GMT -5
Dirty Harry. An engaging crime thriller with some great cinematography. Really enjoyed Clint Eastwood as the loose cannon cop. Most famous for the 'do I feel lucky, well, do ya, punk?' line. It sounded really weird/awkward to me when it was delivered and I can't tell if it's because I've heard it out of context so many times or because it's just a weird line that didn't deserve to become so well known. 4/5
Starship Troopers. Fun sci-fi action adventure anti-war thriller. A healthy dose of 90s nostalgia plus Denise Richards and a lot of over-the-top gore. 3.5/5
My Own Private Idaho. I could see why this has achieved cult status but I didn't really connect with it. Was interesting to see River and Keanu together. 3.5/5
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Post by tao on Apr 7, 2018 22:20:41 GMT -5
Dirty Harry. An engaging crime thriller with some great cinematography. Really enjoyed Clint Eastwood as the loose cannon cop. Most famous for the 'do I feel lucky, well, do ya, punk?' line. It sounded really weird/awkward to me when it was delivered and I can't tell if it's because I've heard it out of context so many times or because it's just a weird line that didn't deserve to become so well known. 4/5 Starship Troopers. Fun sci-fi action adventure anti-war thriller. A healthy dose of 90s nostalgia plus Denise Richards and a lot of over-the-top gore. 3.5/5 My Own Private Idaho. I could see why this has achieved cult status but I didn't really connect with it. Was interesting to see River and Keanu together. 3.5/5 Dirty Harry was definitely grittier than most other cop films at the time. You should check out its immediate sequel, Magnum Force, which is just as good as the first. If you want to keep going in this type of "gritty" cop film, you should definitely check out The French Connection. Pleased to hear you liked it. Aaaaand incredibly jealous that you saw Isle of Dogs; my theater doesn't have it yet, and I gotta wait.
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Post by v9733xa on Apr 8, 2018 9:35:57 GMT -5
Yeah, The French Connection was awesome. Check out Bullitt too for the greatest car chase in cinema history.
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Post by stuartoxlade on Apr 8, 2018 15:18:10 GMT -5
I've not been quick so far with getting through my list but I've seen a couple over the past couple of months:
THX 1138 2/5 didn't really connect with this at all. The car chase at the end was fun though
Mulholland Drive 2/5 I've not really been the biggest Lynch fan over the years and this didn't do much to change my views on him. I get where the appeal is but I just don't have the desire to want to work out what the hell was going on in this movie
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Post by essien on Apr 8, 2018 16:05:40 GMT -5
I've not been quick so far with getting through my list but I've seen a couple over the past couple of months: THX 1138 2/5 didn't really connect with this at all. The car chase at the end was fun though Mulholland Drive 2/5 I've not really been the biggest Lynch fan over the years and this didn't do much to change my views on him. I get where the appeal is but I just don't have the desire to want to work out what the hell was going on in this movie Mulholland Drive is one of my favourite films. For me it isn’t so much about trying to figure out what’s going on. It’s more about the dreamlike state he creates that nobody else can come close to. At times it’s so oppressive and unsettling. It’s a cliche but I think of watching his films as more of an experience than entertainment.
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Post by tao on Apr 8, 2018 21:19:20 GMT -5
I've not been quick so far with getting through my list but I've seen a couple over the past couple of months: THX 1138 2/5 didn't really connect with this at all. The car chase at the end was fun though Mulholland Drive 2/5 I've not really been the biggest Lynch fan over the years and this didn't do much to change my views on him. I get where the appeal is but I just don't have the desire to want to work out what the hell was going on in this movie Mulholland Drive is one of my favourite films. For me it isn’t so much about trying to figure out what’s going on. It’s more about the dreamlike state he creates that nobody else can come close to. At times it’s so oppressive and unsettling. It’s a cliche but I think of watching his films as more of an experience than entertainment. I love films that can do that, transcending from simply watching it to making it an experience, where it sucks you in and won't let go.
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Post by tao on Apr 8, 2018 21:28:22 GMT -5
I've not been quick so far with getting through my list but I've seen a couple over the past couple of months: THX 1138 2/5 didn't really connect with this at all. The car chase at the end was fun though Mulholland Drive 2/5 I've not really been the biggest Lynch fan over the years and this didn't do much to change my views on him. I get where the appeal is but I just don't have the desire to want to work out what the hell was going on in this movie THX-1138 is one of those films that practically everyone knows the gist of it, that it's basically 1984, blah blah blah et al. I understand it's one of those films that aren't polarizing, but it's one that you like or you don't, and personally I'm a fan of sci-fi that can deliver on a philosophical/intellectual level, as well as an entertainment level, so I kind of liked it. Again, mileage may vary, but hey, glad you made the time for it and checked it out. JMO, but Brazil worked the "1984" vibes soooooo much fucking better.
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Post by tao on Apr 8, 2018 21:30:48 GMT -5
Yeah, The French Connection was awesome. Check out Bullitt too for the greatest car chase in cinema history. I love the scene during the chase where Steve McQueen misses his turn and slams it in reverse, making the entire back end of the Mustang hop up. Bullitt car chase = single most reason why I'd love to own a Mustang someday. But it's gotta be an actual 1969 Ford Mustang BOSS.
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Post by stuartoxlade on Apr 9, 2018 3:06:20 GMT -5
I've not been quick so far with getting through my list but I've seen a couple over the past couple of months: THX 1138 2/5 didn't really connect with this at all. The car chase at the end was fun though Mulholland Drive 2/5 I've not really been the biggest Lynch fan over the years and this didn't do much to change my views on him. I get where the appeal is but I just don't have the desire to want to work out what the hell was going on in this movie Mulholland Drive is one of my favourite films. For me it isn’t so much about trying to figure out what’s going on. It’s more about the dreamlike state he creates that nobody else can come close to. At times it’s so oppressive and unsettling. It’s a cliche but I think of watching his films as more of an experience than entertainment. Yeah i hear that. It's just not a 'state' I want to be in whilst watching a film. I'm glad he's such a polarising director though, gives you food for thought at the very least. I'm the same with Cronenberg as well, don't get the hype.
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Post by stuartoxlade on Apr 9, 2018 3:08:12 GMT -5
I've not been quick so far with getting through my list but I've seen a couple over the past couple of months: THX 1138 2/5 didn't really connect with this at all. The car chase at the end was fun though Mulholland Drive 2/5 I've not really been the biggest Lynch fan over the years and this didn't do much to change my views on him. I get where the appeal is but I just don't have the desire to want to work out what the hell was going on in this movie THX-1138 is one of those films that practically everyone knows the gist of it, that it's basically 1984, blah blah blah et al. I understand it's one of those films that aren't polarizing, but it's one that you like or you don't, and personally I'm a fan of sci-fi that can deliver on a philosophical/intellectual level, as well as an entertainment level, so I kind of liked it. Again, mileage may vary, but hey, glad you made the time for it and checked it out. JMO, but Brazil worked the "1984" vibes soooooo much fucking better. It's funny as I've watched Mulholland Drive, THX 1138, Escape from New York and The Running Man so far and none of them are films I'd consider to be 'classics'. I guess most of the time you need to see these films at the time they were released to appreciate how groundbreaking they are.
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Post by essien on Apr 11, 2018 15:52:02 GMT -5
Watched a few more... His Girl Friday. Directed by Howard Hanks and starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. This is generally thought of as one of the classic comedies of the 40s. I probably need to read into it a bit more because for me it was entertaining but only a little bit above average. 3.5/5 Waltz with Bashir. Animated documentary about atrocities committed during the Israeli/Lebanon war. Brilliantly told and incredibly powerful, particularly the ending. 4/5 Children of Heaven. A simple Iranian family drama. A brother loses his sister's shoes and since their family are poor, they hide it from their parents and get into various scrapes. Very touching. 4/5 Hook. I think this is one of those childhood classics that you probably had to see when you were younger. It didn't really click with me. 3/5 Only one film left on my (second) list - All the President's Men. Planning to watch it in the next few days and then I'll post up my third list
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Post by tao on Apr 11, 2018 16:39:56 GMT -5
Watched a few more... His Girl Friday. Directed by Howard Hanks and starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. This is generally thought of as one of the classic comedies of the 40s. I probably need to read into it a bit more because for me it was entertaining but only a little bit above average. 3.5/5 Waltz with Bashir. Animated documentary about atrocities committed during the Israeli/Lebanon war. Brilliantly told and incredibly powerful, particularly the ending. 4/5 Children of Heaven. A simple Iranian family drama. A brother loses his sister's shoes and since their family are poor, they hide it from their parents and get into various scrapes. Very touching. 4/5 Hook. I think this is one of those childhood classics that you probably had to see when you were younger. It didn't really click with me. 3/5 Only one film left on my (second) list - All the President's Men. Planning to watch it in the next few days and then I'll post up my third list Damn son. You're gonna work through so many classics that you're gonna spend 2019 wondering what to watch lol. His Girl Friday is one of those films that the humor is a lot like The Philadelphia Story, in that it's very smart, rapid fire, sarcastic often to the point of acidic, and often disguised as normal conversation, so you kinda do have to pay attention to get the humor. Now, that's not a knock on you at all, it's just how those films operated, and they act as a nice counterbalance to the vaudevillian slapstick and schtick that made up comedy during that time. i.e. Abbott and Costello, the 3 Stooges, et al. It's a funny movie. I'd have to agree with you about Hook. I remember watching it on TV when I was younger and then rewatched it on Netflix several years ago, introducing it to one of my younger sisters; that it's loooooong is probably the biggest knock on it. Other than that, it's standard family fare and certainly is a product of its time (the brightly colored, almost Nickelodeon like food fight, skateboarding, etc.) IIRC, the kissing couple under the foggy light when they go off to Neverland was actually George Lucas and Carrie Fisher.
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Post by stuartoxlade on Apr 12, 2018 4:32:13 GMT -5
Watched a few more... His Girl Friday. Directed by Howard Hanks and starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. This is generally thought of as one of the classic comedies of the 40s. I probably need to read into it a bit more because for me it was entertaining but only a little bit above average. 3.5/5 Waltz with Bashir. Animated documentary about atrocities committed during the Israeli/Lebanon war. Brilliantly told and incredibly powerful, particularly the ending. 4/5 Children of Heaven. A simple Iranian family drama. A brother loses his sister's shoes and since their family are poor, they hide it from their parents and get into various scrapes. Very touching. 4/5 Hook. I think this is one of those childhood classics that you probably had to see when you were younger. It didn't really click with me. 3/5 Only one film left on my (second) list - All the President's Men. Planning to watch it in the next few days and then I'll post up my third list RU-FI-O RU-FI-O RU-FI-O
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