roosnam1980
Member
jurassic world rebirth
i want 2 hours of my life back , wtf did i just watch
i want 2 hours of my life back , wtf did i just watch
Movies You’ve Watched Lately | OT | - 2025
- Thread starter ForAcademicPurposes
- Start date
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_Idea_of_Evil_
Member
1) Deep Cover (2025). - Surprisingly enjoyable. Would recommend.
2) Nobody 2 - Unfortunately, it doesn't live up to the first movie.
2) Nobody 2 - Unfortunately, it doesn't live up to the first movie.
NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt
Biggest Trails Stan
That's disappointing to hear, I'm a huge fan of first one
Boo Who?
Member
Watched this when it came out. We enjoyed the hell out of it. Fan of both the leads, so it was a no-brainer.
TheUnicornGuy
Gold Member
In the lost lands.
It has the bones of a decent film but there's not enough meat. It felt like watching a TV series but only the "previously on" parts, you get the gist of it but don't really get a feel for it. 5/10, maybe an extra point for Arly Jover being in it as I haven't seen her in anything since her head exploded in Blade.
It has the bones of a decent film but there's not enough meat. It felt like watching a TV series but only the "previously on" parts, you get the gist of it but don't really get a feel for it. 5/10, maybe an extra point for Arly Jover being in it as I haven't seen her in anything since her head exploded in Blade.
Dr.Morris79
Gold Member
I'd never seen it on release, or after till yesterday. I remember everyone raving about it. Stuck it on..
Yeah, it's a film.
Utter plot hole ridden nonsense! It was equally shocking to see Spielbergs name pop up at the end, but after the butchering he gave War of the Worlds, I'm not entirely surprised.
NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt
Biggest Trails Stan
I'd never seen it on release, or after till yesterday. I remember everyone raving about it. Stuck it on..
Yeah, it's a film.
Utter plot hole ridden nonsense! It was equally shocking to see Spielbergs name pop up at the end, but after the butchering he gave War of the Worlds, I'm not entirely surprised.
I love both of those films, I gave both A+ Grades
jshackles
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
After watching TMNT in theaters earlier this week, my son and I watched TMNT 2 (good) and TMNT 3 (terrible).
The third movie was filmed here, was fun seeing the locales.
The third movie was filmed here, was fun seeing the locales.
AJUMP23
Parody of actual AJUMP23
jshackles
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
It's funny, but the last time I saw this movie was about 20 years ago, before I moved here. If you would have asked me, I would have said "yeah, it looks like they filmed it in Japan...". Now that I've lived here in Oregon for about 16 years, and specifically in the city where it was filmed, I knew all of the location shots and exactly where they were located. The ending credits even have a "special thanks" to the citizens of my town and to the Oregon State Parks peeps. I think outside of a few location shots that were obviously done in NYC, the rest of the movie was filmed here.
12Goblins
Lil’ Gobbie
I need to watch these since Sony/Fincher abandoned us
12Goblins
Lil’ Gobbie
What a bad take, yikes
I'd never seen it on release, or after till yesterday. I remember everyone raving about it. Stuck it on..
Yeah, it's a film.
Utter plot hole ridden nonsense! It was equally shocking to see Spielbergs name pop up at the end, but after the butchering he gave War of the Worlds, I'm not entirely surprised.
Dr.Morris79
Gold Member
Plot hole. The film
Dr.Morris79
Gold Member
War of the worlds gets quite a bit more leniency, due the the epic tripod introduction.I love both of those films, I gave both A+ Grades
But Minority? Didn't feel it. And leaving the whole 'son' business open.. no!
Andyliini
Member
King Kong (2005)
If my memory serves me right, this was Peter Jackson's next project after Lord of the Rings. There must have been quite an anticipation, but this film is not remembered quite as fondly. And after watching it now, I can see why. The main problem is the bloated second act, which consists almost entirely of chases and Kaiju battles. Of course Andy Serkis first played an ape here, paving the way for the Planet of the Apes films few years after. CGI has mostly aged well (watched it in 4K), but some scenes look fake, especially the escape from dinosaurs, and third acts 1920's New York. That looks like something from a Tim Burton film or something.
Jackson's career is interesting too. He started with indie splatter films, and did few films in the 90's. Those were fine, but nothing special. Then he makes LotR, a modern cinema hallmark trilogy. And after that, much less fanfare. I checked that many of his films have never received a wide HD release, and after The Hobbit, he has only directed two films, both more documentary. A wild case, indeed.
If my memory serves me right, this was Peter Jackson's next project after Lord of the Rings. There must have been quite an anticipation, but this film is not remembered quite as fondly. And after watching it now, I can see why. The main problem is the bloated second act, which consists almost entirely of chases and Kaiju battles. Of course Andy Serkis first played an ape here, paving the way for the Planet of the Apes films few years after. CGI has mostly aged well (watched it in 4K), but some scenes look fake, especially the escape from dinosaurs, and third acts 1920's New York. That looks like something from a Tim Burton film or something.
Jackson's career is interesting too. He started with indie splatter films, and did few films in the 90's. Those were fine, but nothing special. Then he makes LotR, a modern cinema hallmark trilogy. And after that, much less fanfare. I checked that many of his films have never received a wide HD release, and after The Hobbit, he has only directed two films, both more documentary. A wild case, indeed.
The_hunter
Member
I read that Peter Jackson wanted to become a film maker mainly to adapt Lord of the Rings.
JimmyRustler
Member
Good guy Peter. The Hollywood system basically offed him. Production of both King Kong and especially Hobbit were wild. No wonder he has barely made movies since.
That said, King Kong will always have a special place in my heart. Watch it every now and then despite it's flaws.
The last 5 movies I watched, from worst to best:
Blood Father (2016) - 6/10
IIRC correctly this was one of the comeback movies from Gibson after his crashout. Nothing special at all. Standard plot. The action of the girl was horrible.
Black Bag (2015) - 7/10
Can't believe I'm saying this in 2025 but this movie felt too short for it's sake. Way to many characters and plot twists cramped into a 90 minutes flick. Should have been at least 30 minutes longer. Aside from that, it was good. Too much sex talk again. Liked Fassbender here a lot.
The Bounty (1984) - 7/10
Holy cast... Wow, seeing young DDL und Liam Neeson as some side characters was something alright. Movie itself was solid. Great acting from Hopkins.
The Holdovers (2023) - 7/10
Good movie but I felt a bit let down cause after the first 30 minutes I expected it to be much better. Even though the acting was good all around and the plot as well in principle, all of it left me strangely cold. Can't point my finger on it.
The Order (2024) - 8/10
I have to admit I was rollin my eyes when I say the Amazon Studios and then the plot was about that racist, national Christians doing some violence... Was like...
But man, that movie was TIGHT and thrilling. Great acting, especially from Jude Law. Can recommend!
Last edited:
ForAcademicPurposes
Gold Member
Preach it, chrome dome.
roosnam1980
Member
worth a watch?
AJUMP23
Parody of actual AJUMP23
It tells an interesting story. A 3/5 is worth a watch. Below that no. It is a little longer than it needs to be. Over 2 hours.
This is driving me nuts lately. My wife and I on a weekend will finally sit down around 10 or so after getting everything done we need to get done. Hmm let's watch a movie 2:15, 2:45, 2:35
We just watched Gladiator 2 which was practically the same as gladiator 1 and over 2 hours. There was plenty that could have been cut but they kept in. I can see movies trying to tie up plot holes and such but man, unless you are some kind of historical epic, you don't need to be over 2 hours.
clarky
Gold Member
Im currently 2 hours deep into MI Dead Reckoning with an hour to go. I did not plan on this being a 3 bottle of wine movie.
Ridiculous.
JimmyRustler
Member
Kanu des Manitu (2025) - 6/10
This is one for my German brothers only I guess.
More than 20 years after Schuh des Manitu, for me one of the big German comedy classics, this was a huge disappointment. Winnitouch was a again funny and the due with the Saxon accent was funny by default but the rest was pretty cheap and not funny at all. Too much emphasis on the love story. They should have made this movie 20 years ago when it was easier to make comedy. You can really tell they went out of their way to not offend anyone.
This is one for my German brothers only I guess.
More than 20 years after Schuh des Manitu, for me one of the big German comedy classics, this was a huge disappointment. Winnitouch was a again funny and the due with the Saxon accent was funny by default but the rest was pretty cheap and not funny at all. Too much emphasis on the love story. They should have made this movie 20 years ago when it was easier to make comedy. You can really tell they went out of their way to not offend anyone.
Days like these...
Have a Blessed Day
I posted in the Weapons thread but it's dead. I'm not sure I watched the same movie as some of you it was a solid 6.5. the plot was absolutely ridiculous a whole classroom of children goes missing and the town just going about their business like nothing. I saw people comment saying the acting was great!? In what universe? Everyone was so camp especially the principal no one seemed like a real person. A couple of repeated jump scares and gore at the end. Barbarian was better I said what I said.
12Goblins
Lil’ Gobbie
I looked up the plot and saw the word witch and immediately closed it 
Andyliini
Member
Backwood Madness
A local indie splatter, which has been in and out of production for about 10 years. The film has no coherent story, and what little there is, is difficult to follow. Troll masks are something, especially for a film made with shoestring budget. On my own, I wouldn't have even considered watching this, but my girlfriend wanted to see it since she knows the director.
A local indie splatter, which has been in and out of production for about 10 years. The film has no coherent story, and what little there is, is difficult to follow. Troll masks are something, especially for a film made with shoestring budget. On my own, I wouldn't have even considered watching this, but my girlfriend wanted to see it since she knows the director.
KyoZz
Tag, you're it.
8½ by Federico Fellini
I'm (finally) coming to the end of my Italian period with this Eight and a Half, and what can I say except that the film is as powerful as it is disconcerting. Fellini weaves a dreamlike web that blends reality, memories, fantasies, and metaphysical reflections on the twists and turns of artistic creation. We are as lost as the protagonist, a great achievement.
Here, he breaks traditional narrative codes with a non-linear structure that blurs the line between reality and imagination. Guido (a masterful Marcello Mastroianni, both charismatic and vulnerable) navigates his childhood memories, dreams, desires, and anxieties.
The lack of a clear distinction between reality and dream reflects the inner chaos of the protagonist, a filmmaker prey to doubts about his next project. Fellini uses subtle transitions like dissolves and sudden changes of scenery to immerse the viewer in Guido's tormented mind, making each scene both intimate and universal. Very powerful, even if the less attentive may be lost.
The dialogue are often elliptical and punctuated by eloquent silences and glances that say far more than words. For example, the audition scene where Guido observes potential actresses for his film, is a study in perception where each face becomes a projection of his desires/fears. Fellini also likes to play with visual metaphors, as in the opening sequence in the tunnel where Guido, asphyxiated in his car, symbolizes his sense of existential confinement. These details are each meticulously orchestrated, and I believe the film will expand upon a second viewing. All of this invites the viewer to decode its layers of meaning.
The direction is also extremely rich. Fellini (with the help of his cinematographer Gianni Di Venanzo) uses sumptuous black and white, where contrasts and shadows amplify the dreamlike atmosphere. The fluid, almost dance-like camera movements accompany Nino Rota's music, whose melodies oscillate between lightness and melancholic gravity. Each shot is a tableau, each sequence a choreography, as in the harem scene where Guido fantasizes about an illusory control over the women in his life.
The film is also very poetic, both in its subject matter and in the way it is portrayed. Fellini doesn't tell a linear story, but evokes a feeling, a mood, a quest. The flashbacks, bathed in a soft, unreal light, contrast with the contemporary scenes. Guido is assailed by the expectations of the producers, his mistress, his wife, and those around him. This tension between past and present gives the film a diffuse melancholy, that of a man seeking to regain a lost purity while facing the impossibility of reconciling his desires.
There is also a melancholy (I love this emotion, have I told you?) that is also expressed in Guido's solitude. Despite the crowd surrounding him, he remains fundamentally alone, unable to communicate his vision or give meaning to his existence. Fellini conveys this feeling with striking images like that of Guido floating in the sky, tied to a rope, a symbol of his restricted freedom. A very beautiful staging of the nightmare, moreover, long before CGI and other fake artifices. Yet this melancholy is never oppressive and is counterbalanced by a poetic vitality, a celebration of the imagination.
Here we have a work that demands to be felt as much as analyzed. The poetry and melancholy it exudes, carried by Rota's music and Mastroianni's magnetic presence, make this film a disconcerting sensory and emotional experience. Eight and a Half could be summed up as a meditation on the fragility of the artist and the beauty of inner chaos, and Fellini offers no answers. He invites the viewer to dance with their own doubts, in a circle as melancholic as it is luminous. An eternal masterpiece, without a doubt, which resonates today more than ever.
A great film, and like every great film, there is much to say and it will require a second viewing in my opinion to fully grasp its other subtleties.
8.5/10.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
La traversée de Paris by Claude Autant-Lara
One of the last De Funès films I had left to see. And it's very good, it hasn't aged a bit. It's as much a comedy as a drama, and it's done with great finesse. We see an unadorned occupied France that shows the resourcefulness, cowardice, and tensions between collaborators and resistance fighters. The humor is often dark, especially in the dialogue, and it works. All without ever losing sight of the harshness of the time. There's always that underlying threat, that little tension that reminds us that no, those times weren't joyful.
The Gabin/Bourvil duo is magnificent. Their chemistry clearly helps carry the film. Oh, and I don't know, I really have a soft spot for Bourvil and his way of speaking; he kills me every time he opens his mouth.
"Oh, forget it, he doesn't know what he's saying... he's a fool."
De Funès steals the show as the whiny and opportunistic grocer, even though his role remains limited, he leaves his mark on the film. His gestures and facial expressions foreshadow his future legendary roles. The grocery store scene is a delight.
The dialogue, damn, they knew how to write a film at that time. It's masterful, precise... It's full of delicious innuendo. And it doesn't just make you laugh, there's a real desire to paint a scathing portrait of France under the Occupation. You could say that each character, through their words, embodies a facet of society: There's Martin's resourcefulness, Grandgil's arrogance (my least favorite character, but still), and Jambier's cowardice. I won't elaborate further, but the film benefits from everything (talented actors, writing, precise direction, etc.) and it results in a masterpiece.
And the direction is completely at the service of the story. The streets filmed at night are beautifully, contrasted, and some close-ups of faces emphasize moments of panic, while the wide shots show an immense city that almost seems to crush the actors. There's a lot to expand on, but... I'm a bit lazy lol.
The screenplay is apparently adapted from a book by Marcel Aymé, which I haven't read. But it made me curious given the rave reviews.
9/10.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Insect Woman by Shōhei Imamura
After doing some research, the film is part of the Japanese New Wave which I know very little about, but I'm still going to try to write down what I've learned because the story of Tome, who struggles to survive in a Japan caught between its old traditions and an encroaching modernity, is a little gem. Very raw, not straightforward, but extremely interesting.
I'm not sure where to start, so I'll go by feel, starting with the visuals: it's in a naturalistic style, almost documentary-like, which seems far removed from the typical cinema of that era. The choice of black and white, precisely at a time when color was beginning to spread in Japanese cinema, is interesting, beyond the likely budgetary constraints. It helps capture the harshness of the rural and urban environments, even if I find the color grading sometimes imperfect. These environments are also well-staged with marked contrasts: for example, in the rural scenes, the shots of snowy landscapes or fields highlight the austerity of peasant life, while the urban scene(s) with their artificial lighting evoke a world dominated by a kind of constant madness.
I also really like the use of flashbacks, the frozen image as if to show the memories (or rather, the traumas) etched in our minds. They also anchor Tome's story in historical events such as the American occupation or workers' struggles, highlighting how major social and political transformations affect individuals at the lowest levels.
The black and white also fits into the scientific studies (in monochrome at this time) of insects, which are depicted in neutral tones that emphasize their shape and behavior rather than their colorful appearance. Similarly, the black and white strips Tome of any romanticism. We are there to witness her struggle to survive, and no artifice will stand in the way. The Insect Woman.
There is also no judgment of Tome for her choices (prostitution, manipulation, etc.); the director simply presents her as a very pragmatic survivor. She defies the expectations of a society that valued feminine purity while embodying the social upheavals of the time. Her departure from the countryside to work in a factory? It mimics the mass migrations to urban centers. Her descent into prostitution? It reflects the economic precariousness of women, often excluded from the benefits of the post-war economic boom and simply relegated to a role dominated by patriarchal and communitarian thinking.
We sense that Imamura is fascinated by this kind of resilience that society's "dregs" can demonstrate. Despite the abuse, Tome never gives up, using her intelligence and pragmatism to navigate a hostile world. We can also see another parallel with insects that survive in extreme environments, adapt, and always end up finding a way to survive.
As mentioned earlier, the film is also a reflection on the place of women in a patriarchal society. Tome is both a victim and an agent of her destiny, manipulating those around her to gain power or influence. She is never idealized; she is shown to be cruel, manipulative, complex, but always human. A nuanced role that contrasts completely with the stereotypes of the idealized Japanese woman, supposed to be pure, submissive, and docile.
This image of the pure Japanese woman, then, is shattered by Imamura by showing hidden violence. The incest scene perfectly reflects this, depicting rural Japanese communities where patriarchal structures and isolation could foster family abuse that is often, and too often, hidden. The scene critiques the hypocrisy of a society that values familial purity while ignoring this type of hidden violence, and lays the foundation for Tome's resilience. It's a work of art.
The other shocking moment is the birth, a brutal one with its contrast between the bright, blood-stained snow and the screams of the young mother. These women, expected to be pure and submissive, often found themselves alone when they had to face the consequences of the violence they suffered, especially in rural areas where access to healthcare was very limited.
The film also depicts the duality between modernity and tradition. Tome embodies this duality between these two worlds, navigating the constraints of tradition and the ambiguous opportunities of modernity. She comes from a village where community ties are stifling, and she clashes with the brutal individualism of the city. Yet, she manages to adopt survival strategies that blend her rural background with urban opportunism, embodying a form of hybridity. She adapts to both worlds while enduring their violence, which only strengthens her resilience.
Anyway, I'll stop there. I've barely touched on a lot, but there's so much to say. I think that's already quite a bit.
9/10
This was translated from my french reviews, so excuse me if some formulation is imperfect. Let me know if something doesn't make sense ^^
I'm (finally) coming to the end of my Italian period with this Eight and a Half, and what can I say except that the film is as powerful as it is disconcerting. Fellini weaves a dreamlike web that blends reality, memories, fantasies, and metaphysical reflections on the twists and turns of artistic creation. We are as lost as the protagonist, a great achievement.
Here, he breaks traditional narrative codes with a non-linear structure that blurs the line between reality and imagination. Guido (a masterful Marcello Mastroianni, both charismatic and vulnerable) navigates his childhood memories, dreams, desires, and anxieties.
The lack of a clear distinction between reality and dream reflects the inner chaos of the protagonist, a filmmaker prey to doubts about his next project. Fellini uses subtle transitions like dissolves and sudden changes of scenery to immerse the viewer in Guido's tormented mind, making each scene both intimate and universal. Very powerful, even if the less attentive may be lost.
The dialogue are often elliptical and punctuated by eloquent silences and glances that say far more than words. For example, the audition scene where Guido observes potential actresses for his film, is a study in perception where each face becomes a projection of his desires/fears. Fellini also likes to play with visual metaphors, as in the opening sequence in the tunnel where Guido, asphyxiated in his car, symbolizes his sense of existential confinement. These details are each meticulously orchestrated, and I believe the film will expand upon a second viewing. All of this invites the viewer to decode its layers of meaning.
The direction is also extremely rich. Fellini (with the help of his cinematographer Gianni Di Venanzo) uses sumptuous black and white, where contrasts and shadows amplify the dreamlike atmosphere. The fluid, almost dance-like camera movements accompany Nino Rota's music, whose melodies oscillate between lightness and melancholic gravity. Each shot is a tableau, each sequence a choreography, as in the harem scene where Guido fantasizes about an illusory control over the women in his life.
The film is also very poetic, both in its subject matter and in the way it is portrayed. Fellini doesn't tell a linear story, but evokes a feeling, a mood, a quest. The flashbacks, bathed in a soft, unreal light, contrast with the contemporary scenes. Guido is assailed by the expectations of the producers, his mistress, his wife, and those around him. This tension between past and present gives the film a diffuse melancholy, that of a man seeking to regain a lost purity while facing the impossibility of reconciling his desires.
There is also a melancholy (I love this emotion, have I told you?) that is also expressed in Guido's solitude. Despite the crowd surrounding him, he remains fundamentally alone, unable to communicate his vision or give meaning to his existence. Fellini conveys this feeling with striking images like that of Guido floating in the sky, tied to a rope, a symbol of his restricted freedom. A very beautiful staging of the nightmare, moreover, long before CGI and other fake artifices. Yet this melancholy is never oppressive and is counterbalanced by a poetic vitality, a celebration of the imagination.
Here we have a work that demands to be felt as much as analyzed. The poetry and melancholy it exudes, carried by Rota's music and Mastroianni's magnetic presence, make this film a disconcerting sensory and emotional experience. Eight and a Half could be summed up as a meditation on the fragility of the artist and the beauty of inner chaos, and Fellini offers no answers. He invites the viewer to dance with their own doubts, in a circle as melancholic as it is luminous. An eternal masterpiece, without a doubt, which resonates today more than ever.
A great film, and like every great film, there is much to say and it will require a second viewing in my opinion to fully grasp its other subtleties.
8.5/10.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
La traversée de Paris by Claude Autant-Lara
One of the last De Funès films I had left to see. And it's very good, it hasn't aged a bit. It's as much a comedy as a drama, and it's done with great finesse. We see an unadorned occupied France that shows the resourcefulness, cowardice, and tensions between collaborators and resistance fighters. The humor is often dark, especially in the dialogue, and it works. All without ever losing sight of the harshness of the time. There's always that underlying threat, that little tension that reminds us that no, those times weren't joyful.
The Gabin/Bourvil duo is magnificent. Their chemistry clearly helps carry the film. Oh, and I don't know, I really have a soft spot for Bourvil and his way of speaking; he kills me every time he opens his mouth.
"Oh, forget it, he doesn't know what he's saying... he's a fool."
De Funès steals the show as the whiny and opportunistic grocer, even though his role remains limited, he leaves his mark on the film. His gestures and facial expressions foreshadow his future legendary roles. The grocery store scene is a delight.
The dialogue, damn, they knew how to write a film at that time. It's masterful, precise... It's full of delicious innuendo. And it doesn't just make you laugh, there's a real desire to paint a scathing portrait of France under the Occupation. You could say that each character, through their words, embodies a facet of society: There's Martin's resourcefulness, Grandgil's arrogance (my least favorite character, but still), and Jambier's cowardice. I won't elaborate further, but the film benefits from everything (talented actors, writing, precise direction, etc.) and it results in a masterpiece.
And the direction is completely at the service of the story. The streets filmed at night are beautifully, contrasted, and some close-ups of faces emphasize moments of panic, while the wide shots show an immense city that almost seems to crush the actors. There's a lot to expand on, but... I'm a bit lazy lol.
The screenplay is apparently adapted from a book by Marcel Aymé, which I haven't read. But it made me curious given the rave reviews.
9/10.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Insect Woman by Shōhei Imamura
After doing some research, the film is part of the Japanese New Wave which I know very little about, but I'm still going to try to write down what I've learned because the story of Tome, who struggles to survive in a Japan caught between its old traditions and an encroaching modernity, is a little gem. Very raw, not straightforward, but extremely interesting.
I'm not sure where to start, so I'll go by feel, starting with the visuals: it's in a naturalistic style, almost documentary-like, which seems far removed from the typical cinema of that era. The choice of black and white, precisely at a time when color was beginning to spread in Japanese cinema, is interesting, beyond the likely budgetary constraints. It helps capture the harshness of the rural and urban environments, even if I find the color grading sometimes imperfect. These environments are also well-staged with marked contrasts: for example, in the rural scenes, the shots of snowy landscapes or fields highlight the austerity of peasant life, while the urban scene(s) with their artificial lighting evoke a world dominated by a kind of constant madness.
I also really like the use of flashbacks, the frozen image as if to show the memories (or rather, the traumas) etched in our minds. They also anchor Tome's story in historical events such as the American occupation or workers' struggles, highlighting how major social and political transformations affect individuals at the lowest levels.
The black and white also fits into the scientific studies (in monochrome at this time) of insects, which are depicted in neutral tones that emphasize their shape and behavior rather than their colorful appearance. Similarly, the black and white strips Tome of any romanticism. We are there to witness her struggle to survive, and no artifice will stand in the way. The Insect Woman.
There is also no judgment of Tome for her choices (prostitution, manipulation, etc.); the director simply presents her as a very pragmatic survivor. She defies the expectations of a society that valued feminine purity while embodying the social upheavals of the time. Her departure from the countryside to work in a factory? It mimics the mass migrations to urban centers. Her descent into prostitution? It reflects the economic precariousness of women, often excluded from the benefits of the post-war economic boom and simply relegated to a role dominated by patriarchal and communitarian thinking.
We sense that Imamura is fascinated by this kind of resilience that society's "dregs" can demonstrate. Despite the abuse, Tome never gives up, using her intelligence and pragmatism to navigate a hostile world. We can also see another parallel with insects that survive in extreme environments, adapt, and always end up finding a way to survive.
As mentioned earlier, the film is also a reflection on the place of women in a patriarchal society. Tome is both a victim and an agent of her destiny, manipulating those around her to gain power or influence. She is never idealized; she is shown to be cruel, manipulative, complex, but always human. A nuanced role that contrasts completely with the stereotypes of the idealized Japanese woman, supposed to be pure, submissive, and docile.
This image of the pure Japanese woman, then, is shattered by Imamura by showing hidden violence. The incest scene perfectly reflects this, depicting rural Japanese communities where patriarchal structures and isolation could foster family abuse that is often, and too often, hidden. The scene critiques the hypocrisy of a society that values familial purity while ignoring this type of hidden violence, and lays the foundation for Tome's resilience. It's a work of art.
The other shocking moment is the birth, a brutal one with its contrast between the bright, blood-stained snow and the screams of the young mother. These women, expected to be pure and submissive, often found themselves alone when they had to face the consequences of the violence they suffered, especially in rural areas where access to healthcare was very limited.
The film also depicts the duality between modernity and tradition. Tome embodies this duality between these two worlds, navigating the constraints of tradition and the ambiguous opportunities of modernity. She comes from a village where community ties are stifling, and she clashes with the brutal individualism of the city. Yet, she manages to adopt survival strategies that blend her rural background with urban opportunism, embodying a form of hybridity. She adapts to both worlds while enduring their violence, which only strengthens her resilience.
Anyway, I'll stop there. I've barely touched on a lot, but there's so much to say. I think that's already quite a bit.
9/10
This was translated from my french reviews, so excuse me if some formulation is imperfect. Let me know if something doesn't make sense ^^
Last edited:
bitbydeath
Member
Poor Things
As far as art house movies go, this one was pretty good. I didn't get the whole "everyone falling for a retard" thing, but overlooking that aspect it tells an interesting tale.
8/10
As far as art house movies go, this one was pretty good. I didn't get the whole "everyone falling for a retard" thing, but overlooking that aspect it tells an interesting tale.
8/10
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