What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[accies1874]

60. Thanksgiving - Cinema

Maybe the most undercooked film I’ve seen all year. It has all of the components necessary to make a really fun slasher – autumnal atmosphere, fairly brutal kills, social commentary, stupidly funny at points, hits the right tone – but the characters are so weak that none of the kills leave an impression and it rushes past all of its story beats. It’s fun enough, but everything past the opening section is a massive let-down. That set up all of the characters, the tone and even the blue and orange colour scheme which I really liked. The animalistic, ridiculous Black Friday shenanigans were brilliant fun to watch, although it feels about 10 years too late to take a shot at the chaos of Black Friday, but all of the promise of those moments fall to the wayside when the film becomes more focussed on maintaining a quick pace than creating something good.

61. Totem - Cinema

I did this is a double feature with Thanksgiving and they’re so wildly different that Barbenheimer seem like a perfect marriage in comparison. This one takes place across one day: a man’s final birthday. It’s very rarely about him, though, as it’s more interested in the people who are going to be affected by the space that he’ll leave in their lives: his sisters, his wife and his daughter who’s the closest we get to a main character. It’s presented in 4:3 which is important as there are so many closeups of those aforementioned characters, and the frame captures them really nicely. There are closeups which seem like mid-shots due to how they cover other things within a scene. It’s all about these characters responding to the impending doom that we never get to see, all done in really interesting ways, particularly concerning what gets left behind beyond the grave. It builds slowly, but man, it really hit me when it got to the final shot of the wee girl which lingers and lingers, distorting the music and really giving off the impression that she’s coming to a realisation about the impacts of death – but also life! It’s very good and, embarrassingly, one that I’d have had no idea about if I wasn’t already in Glasgow to see the schlocky Thanksgiving. 

62. Rotten in the Sun - MUBI

In a film full of wild characters, this turns into a story about the guilt of a normal housekeeper who inadvertently plays a part in the death of the tenant. The rest of the film becomes an investigation into a mystery that the audience already knows the answer to, therefore it’s more about the paranoia that comes from seeing the story play out through the eyes of this innocent housekeeper. So Knives Out, but a bit shitter.

63. Earth Mama - Cinema

50th cinema trip of the year (which I then doubled up with the next film). I’d read a wee bit of buzz about this but didn’t really take note of when it was coming out, but I saw the trailer before The Eternal Daughter and that sold me on it as something I could really love. The film focuses on an pregnant black woman in poverty who’s trying to come to terms with the best course of action for what’s inside her, both literally and emotionally. It deals with ideas around motherhood that are as honest as they are heartbreaking, all told through an understated and unconventional protagonist. She’s quiet and, unlike some of the other characters, doesn’t get a spotlight to vent (those who do get some moving vignettes where they’re simply standing speaking to the camera), but that just made me feel all the more connected to her.

It's reminiscent of a Sean Baker film as it depicts the kind of people who find themselves between the cracks of American society. That comparison is especially true of the cinematography which makes its impoverished setting look beautiful. I absolutely loved the score too; it occupies this space in the background of the film as pieces of grand and quite chaotic music trying to break through the quiet overall tone.

The police and other authority figures are also background figures just heard or obscured, which I thought was an interesting way to make the audience aware of the jeopardy faced by the main character and her community while still keeping the focus on them. She also works in a sort of photography hall which has all sorts of different backgrounds to jazz up people’s photographs , something that I THINK reflects the concept of escape that’s prominent throughout the film, but that’s not something I’ve got my head around.

64. Fallen Leaves - Cinema

This looks delightful – a real nostalgic kind of aesthetic with its grainy technicolour scenery. It initially reminded me of the look of a Rainer Werner Fassbinder film, but then that comparison became even more focused on just one of his films, Fear Eats the Soul, in terms of depicting these two romantically involved characters who are lost in the world. They seem like they shouldn’t be the focus of a film which just makes them all the sweeter. News of the Ukraine-Russia war is regularly played over the radio, giving off the impression that this couple are inconsequential in the grand scheme of things which added a deal of intimacy. It’s just this small story that the filmmakers chose to tell.

Its style of humour was also similar to A Pigeon Sat on a Branch; it’s really funny but often in a deadpan way, and the rich supporting cast may only appear in one or two scenes but they still leave a laugh along the way. I’d probably call it a romantic comedy, but it’s not expressly comedic and it’s not very romantic – that’s what makes it so great.

[BFTD]

On 18/12/2023 at 15:21, Fullerene said:

Actually "wee man" is also a myth.  His height was fairly typical for that time.

I think that was the British tabloids who came up with that, was it not?

If the big stick they beat you with is that you're a bit short, you're probably doing alright.

[velo army]

Currently watching the latest Indiana Jones offering. I got excited seeing Glasgow, but that's been it.

It's a Phoebe Waller Bridge movie and she takes along a really old guy who she gets to boss around, ridicule and be obviously cleverer than. Harrison Ford looks every single one of his years and it's sad to see. 

There is a tendency in movies now to reboot or reprise heroes but now we get to see them as washed up and weak instead of heroic and they tend to be accompanied by some irritating and obnoxious girl boss who keep telling us that the guy we used to love is in fact rubbish.

This series should have ended as the credits rolled on Last Crusade.

I do love the soundtrack though, so there's that.

[Ewanandmoreagain]

" Bridge of Spies "

An interesting film that does not seem as long as it is . 

Super humane lawyer Tom Hanks nearly successfully defends strange Soviet spy ( with stranger accent ) He becomes even more unpopular when he persuades the judge not to have the spy executed , partly because he could be a bargaining chip in the future .

Cue Gary Powers in Bono's spyplane.

Hanks arranges the  swap including an innocent U.S. student as well ( with the assistance of his friend the Soviet spy ) and then a supporting word to  , the possibly future unpopular , Powers .

Classic moment when Abel's " family and friend " march out the meeting with Hanks after being dismissed 

[JustOneCornetto]

(91) Pig (2021) – Film4

Nicolas Cage in fine form as a recluse living out in the woods who goes on a revenge mission when his prized truffle hunting pig is stolen. You gradually find out his backstory as he goes to Portland and visits his old haunts in search of the pig. It’s very offbeat but you really get into the head of Cage and really want him to get a happy ending. 8/10

(92) Shimmer Lake (2017) – Netflix

This is a decent wee black comedy crime thriller told in a very interesting way as it unfolds day by day only in reverse order. Bit of a Coen Brothers feel to it, which never gets too serious, about a bank robbery which goes wrong. Plenty of twists to keep you guessing how everything happened. 7/10

(93) Toto the Hero (2011) – DVD

This is a Belgian film which plays out with some very dark humour, a lot of fantasy and is told in a nonlinear way as the now old Thomas (Toto) looks back on his life as a boy when he believed he had been swapped at birth with a boy from a wealthy family. From that point he makes it his mission to correct the wrongdoing in a series of comical fantasies including an overly wrong obsession with his own sister. 7.5/10

(94) The Wizard of Oz (1939) – DVD

This is an amazing film, hard to believe it will be 85 years old next year. I think I appreciate it more now after watching the documentary Lynch/Oz and realise how much it has influenced Lynch’s body of work. Judy Garland’s performance is one of cinema’s most enduring memories which I’d love to see in a cinema as I’ve seen it a good few times but only the small screen. 9/10

 Must really try and get to 100 before year end so might end up rewatching a few of my all-time favourites. Watch this space.

[scottsdad]

Did Hard

My youngest had never seen jt, but was a fan of Brooklyn 99 where it is heavily referenced.

She didn't like it 

[Molotov]

34 minutes ago, scottsdad said:

Did Hard

My youngest had never seen jt, but was a fan of Brooklyn 99 where it is heavily referenced.

She didn't like it 

Is this some form of spoof of Die Hard?

Most females just don’t get Die Hard in my experience. 

[BFTD]

9 hours ago, Molotov said:

Is this some form of spoof of Die Hard?

Most females just don’t get Die Hard in my experience. 

Holly Gennaro seemed to be a convert by the end.

[Molotov]

58 minutes ago, BFTD said:

Holly Gennaro seemed to be a convert by the end.

It’s a fcuking excellent movie!

[scottsdad]

The autocorrect on this new tablet is doing my heading

[DA Baracus]

11 hours ago, scottsdad said:

Did Hard

My youngest had never seen jt, but was a fan of Brooklyn 99 where it is heavily referenced.

She didn't like it 

A difficult time of the year to disown a child but I trust you'll do the right thing.

[accies1874]

17 hours ago, JustOneCornetto said:

(91) Pig (2021) – Film4

Nicolas Cage in fine form as a recluse living out in the woods who goes on a revenge mission when his prized truffle hunting pig is stolen. You gradually find out his backstory as he goes to Portland and visits his old haunts in search of the pig. It’s very offbeat but you really get into the head of Cage and really want him to get a happy ending. 8/10

(92) Shimmer Lake (2017) – Netflix

This is a decent wee black comedy crime thriller told in a very interesting way as it unfolds day by day only in reverse order. Bit of a Coen Brothers feel to it, which never gets too serious, about a bank robbery which goes wrong. Plenty of twists to keep you guessing how everything happened. 7/10

(93) Toto the Hero (2011) – DVD

This is a Belgian film which plays out with some very dark humour, a lot of fantasy and is told in a nonlinear way as the now old Thomas (Toto) looks back on his life as a boy when he believed he had been swapped at birth with a boy from a wealthy family. From that point he makes it his mission to correct the wrongdoing in a series of comical fantasies including an overly wrong obsession with his own sister. 7.5/10

(94) The Wizard of Oz (1939) – DVD

This is an amazing film, hard to believe it will be 85 years old next year. I think I appreciate it more now after watching the documentary Lynch/Oz and realise how much it has influenced Lynch’s body of work. Judy Garland’s performance is one of cinema’s most enduring memories which I’d love to see in a cinema as I’ve seen it a good few times but only the small screen. 9/10

 Must really try and get to 100 before year end so might end up rewatching a few of my all-time favourites. Watch this space.

Shimmer Lake's been on my Netflix list for a wee while, pretty much only because of the reverse chronology. It does sound like something I'd enjoy. 

[Fullerene]

22 hours ago, scottsdad said:

The autocorrect on this new tablet is doing my heading

You forgot to mention the first choice for the role of Takagi was you know who but his agent messed up.

Also the film was made at the headquarters of Twentieth Century Fox, which saved them having to rent somewhere.

Oh and that Bruce Willis was born in Germany.

[UpInTheAyr]

In awe of how bad this Rebel Moon is on on Netflix. 

Is this what happens when you give Zack Snyder complete control on a film? 

 

[thomas]

Merry Christmas ya filthy animlas

[Arch Stanton]

On 22/12/2023 at 16:01, JustOneCornetto said:

(94) The Wizard of Oz (1939) – DVD

This is an amazing film, hard to believe it will be 85 years old next year. I think I appreciate it more now after watching the documentary Lynch/Oz and realise how much it has influenced Lynch’s body of work. Judy Garland’s performance is one of cinema’s most enduring memories which I’d love to see in a cinema as I’ve seen it a good few times but only the small screen. 9/10

This review will never be topped...

Nuovo Cinema Paradiso

Just magnificent. The wee boy who plays Toto is sublime and that final montage watched by the adult Salvatore would bring a tear to the eyes of the harshest of cynics.

[accies1874]

65. Femme - Cinema

Great performances from Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George Mackay as the two components of a strange relationship: one of them wants revenge on the other, while their counterpart is using the relationship as a means of exploring his sexuality. That sums up what I found most interesting about the film as it essentially combines two different stories within one relationship and their diverging paths were fascinating to watch unfold. A desire for retribution combined with the optimistic hopes for a happy ending made it a strange experience - in order for them to get what they wanted, the other had to lose. That also relates to the power dynamics within a relationship, especially a gay one which includes a closeted dude. Considering that the first act from George Mackay’s character was to commit a homophobic assault, it’s testament to his characterisation that he was interesting enough to engage with for the rest of the film despite it very much being told through Nathan Stewart-Jarrett’s eyes. Not a traditional thriller, but the tension between the two characters kept me hooked throughout.

66. Leave the World Behind - Netflix

This was the kind of film that, in fact, did not keep me engaged – whatsoever. It really should have as it’s all about presenting a scenario that invites the viewer to wonder what’s going on, but that felt really forced and really the only trick that the film had up its sleeve. It felt like a bad M. Night Shyamalan film where you’re just waiting to see what the bad twist is before shrugging your shoulders and moving on with your life, only remembering the time you wasted watching the film.

[Sergeant Wilson]

Bad Day for the Cut, highly recommend it. Shooty, revenge story set in Ireland.

[mathematics]

Saltburn. Tough w**k.

[Mark Connolly]

Wonka.

It was just lovely tbh. Nearly greeting a few times but held it together.