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[AoM]

Irréversible (2002)

Yeah, that was... difficult to watch. A couple of scenes into the movie I realized it was using the same structure as Memento (and that that was a direct influence).

For me, it was tough going from the rape scene to literally anything else. But it did make sense to frame it like that (revenge > the crime itself > normal life). I wish the revenge section had been longer, but time was needed for the latter (former) two.

An engrossing movie to say the least.

 

[Gnome Scat]

War For the Planet of the Apes

I'm not going to say too much, because going into this one with only trailers and the like leaves a good deal to be found.

But it is easily my favorite film of the year so far (surpassing Baby Driver, which had been my previous number one). It feels like a sweeping epic, more an exploration of the soul than a grand war film. The fantastic vistas, the gorgeous visuals, the fantastic action, and a character that was the best comic relief in ages, this film had everything I wanted. It also has some social commentary deep in there, which came as a surprise. Its drama is massive, and Andy Serkis definitely gives a run for that potential Best Actor possibility, as uphill as that battle could be with the older generational voters.

I think Dawn is still the better film, but this one was more emotional and powerful for me, so I gave this one a half star more (5/5).

Damn, definitely gonna check this one out soon.

 

[TissueBox]

"Eggs would be perfect."

Straightforward, unsentimental, clean cut; this is a Soderbergh flick. The illustration has teeth; Erin Brockovich, an American single mom, embodies drive and matter-of-fact gusto as a woman -- gusto that shakes not at the claustrophobic past. With three kids and the scummy deeds of a billion-dollar corporation on her shoulder, this is a story about fighting for the future because surely it exists, and capitalism thankfully is not always a one-way street if you stand in front of its face and prove it irrefutably wrong about you and your cleavage. You take one step at a time in all walks of life but sometimes you make huge strides, and with Roberts' performance, you're glued to nigh every step.

Erin Brockovich

 

[lordxar]

Boy have I slowed down...only watched three movies this month. So I've cleared my schedule and hope to get a bit of watching in this weekend.

12 Angry Men There's twelve and they are pissed. Lock a dozen dudes in a room with no a/c and no fan and watch the fun begin. Prejudice comes out from a a few of them, indifference from others. This is a definite classic character study that is absolutely worth checking out. The crime part wrapped up a bit too nicely but for this film it isn't needed except as a backdrop. What you get is an awesome character study absolutely worth investing the time to watch. If it was modern there would be profanity every three seconds which I don't mind but at the time this was made it has a sort of innocence while still capturing the full feel of an angry dispute. So I don't think you could recreate this and capture that feel in modern cinema. Imagine Tarantino's take on this.

Monster Brawl Terrible movie yet a pretty cool concept if you ask me though I'd do this a bit different. If you were thinking that the WWE wasn't ridiculous enough and needed monsters then this is for you. A witch vs a cyclops or werewolf vs frankenstein? Say no more. You get Herb Dean from UFC officiating fame and Jimmy Hart playing himself. Lance Henriksen voices the announcer from Mortal Kombat and Dave Foley is the drunk announcer.

What I'd have done differently is make this a serious take on a monster fight and ditch the WWE shenanigans. A classic monster fight of Mummy, Werewolf, Witch, Frankenstein in some sort of Freddy vs Jason showdown would be awesome! Make it a bit like Running Man or something.

 

[TissueBox]

Strangely fitting that Their Finest and Dunkirk would come out 'round the same time. Hope they'll make for a memorable chance pairing to look back on either way.

 

[Freewheelin']

I'd love 12 Angry Men to have been remade every 10 years or so with different actors just to see their take on things. Treat it like stage production revivals. Hanks, Sandy or Denzel as Juror 8, Seymour Hoffman or Marcia Gay Harden as 3. Something like that.

 

[Sean C]

Strangely fitting that Their Finest and Dunkirk would come out 'round the same time. Hope they'll make for a memorable chance pairing to look back on either way.

And, based on the trailer, Joe Wright's upcoming Darkest Hour also features the Dunkirk evacuation and the political crisis in the British government at the time.

 

[lordxar]

Moonrise Kingdom Is pretty damn awesome!

 

[Puck Beaverton]

Moonrise Kingdom Is pretty damn awesome!

Yes

I'm watching Eurotrip. Eh.

 

[kevin1025]

I'd love 12 Angry Men to have been remade every 10 years or so with different actors just to see their take on things. Treat it like stage production revivals. Hanks, Sandy or Denzel as Juror 8, Seymour Hoffman or Marcia Gay Harden as 3. Something like that.

I'd be ultra up for that, 12 Angry Men is one of the best. Amy Schumer's version was pretty great, and the people she managed to get for that was perfect.

 

[Icolin]

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Saw this at the Vancouver Orpheum accompanied with a live orchestra and it was brilliant. The story is consistently interesting, the acting is (usually) solid, and I was surprised at how well the CGI held up.

Its cemented itself as my second favourite Harry Potter film; my favourite is still Order of the Phoenix for whatever reason.

 

[Puck Beaverton]

I'd be ultra up for that, 12 Angry Men is one of the best. Amy Schumer's version was pretty great, and the people she managed to get for that was perfect.

I marked out seeing John Hawkes there.

I need to do a marathon of that man's filmography

 

[kevin1025]

I marked out seeing John Hawkes there.

I need to do a marathon of that man's filmography

I'd say Winter's Bone and The Sessions are his best performances, but you can't go wrong with everything else! Deadwood is another special one, though he doesn't get a massive amount to do in that when it's more Ian McShane and Timothy Olyphant's show.

I still need to see Martha Marcy May Marlene, I remember reading a lot of great things about that one back in the day.

 

[Puck Beaverton]

He's great in Martha Marcy May marlene, him and Elizabeth Olsen.

I loved him so much in Deadwood. Still need to see The Sessions.

 

[Sean C]

The Big Sick (2017): Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon's autobiographical account of their relationship's beginnings (with Nanjiani playing himself and Zoe Kazan standing in for Gordon), told with a winning combination of humour and heart, since the story transitions from a romantic comedy to a relatively serious drama midway through. If there's anything holding the film back from having the maximum impact, it's that Nanjiani, whose roots are in standup comedy, isn't quite as skilled an actor as his co-stars, such as Kazan and Holly Hunter. But (not surprisingly, since this is based on his own experience) his sincerity carries him through, and his dry wit is a reliable laugh generator.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Underworld: Blood Wars (2016) - hot damn diggity. Did I mention yesterday in my Love & Friendship review that I love Kate Beckinsale?

I love Kate Beckinsale.

Especially in leather.

This is yet another entry in the vampires vs. lycan saga of blood and sunshine and death dealers. Selene has to face off against Tobias Menzies, who continues his streak of being really great at being an absolute d-bag. Selene has friends along, and a road trip to the Nordics, where we finally have some vampires with some color... er... if white can be considered a color. But given how much of these movies are pitch black, the white really jumps out at you.

Things look pretty fucking bleak as everyone is looking for Selene's daughter, Eve, but since even Selene doesn't know where she is, we're basically given 90 minutes of dense vampiric history and a shit-ton of battles.

And of course the epic battle at the end, where epic things happen that make you go "OH SHIT!" really loud in your living room (especially after a couple of margaritas).

These are damn difficult to rate. I love them. They're fun as fuck. Kate Beckinsale is hot. But these aren't really good movies. They are the very definition of guilty pleasures. But this one hit all the right notes for me.

3.5 / 5

Bring on the next one.

Edit - I have tickets for War for the Planet of the Apes tomorrow afternoon.

 

[Timeaisis]

War for the Planet of the Apes was very good. I don't think it's my favorite is the trilogy, but it definitely caps off the story quite well with some interesting charcters and situations. I don't think it quite reaches the climatic highs of Dawn, but it's a very fitting end to the story with a lot of emotional punch and interesting (continued from the rest of the triology) themes. I also have to call out the soundtrack for being excellent. Probably my favorite aspect of the film.

 

[TissueBox]

And, based on the trailer, Joe Wright's upcoming Darkest Hour also features the Dunkirk evacuation and the political crisis in the British government at the time.

It's a three-fer! Might make for a good unofficial triptych.

 

[sam12]

Wonder Woman-

Really enjoyed a superhero movie after a long time. Gal is just perfect for this role and the innocence she brings to Diana is highly commendable.

9.5/10

 

[Sean C]

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017): The strongest entry in the new series, in great part because the writers forego the "good humans struggle to co-exist with the apes" angle that took up a lot of narrative space in the first two films and was consistently undermined by the series' inability to produce compelling human characters. The apes are the sole attraction here, more or less, and that's all for the good. These are very dour films at this point, so I can see why their commercial appeal has ended up being a bit on the limited side, but the ape civilization depicted here is a phenomenal artistic achievement on the part of the cast and crew. Some of the best, most detailed visual effects I've ever seen.

 

[Cripplegate]

And, based on the trailer, Joe Wright's upcoming Darkest Hour also features the Dunkirk evacuation and the political crisis in the British government at the time.

Didn't Joe Wright already feature Dunkirk in one of his earlier movies? Atonement, I think?

I didn't see the movie, but I remember watching the Dunkirk scene online because everybody was like "oh it's amazing, it's a single continuous take" and so on. (That seems to be a Joe Wright thing. I watched one of his movies once and thought it was boring. The action movie with Cate Blanchett trying to kill Hulk's super daughter. It had a continuous take action scene in a subway or something and I thought it was dumb.)

 

[Messofanego]

I'd say Winter's Bone and The Sessions are his best performances, but you can't go wrong with everything else! Deadwood is another special one, though he doesn't get a massive amount to do in that when it's more Ian McShane and Timothy Olyphant's show.

I still need to see Martha Marcy May Marlene, I remember reading a lot of great things about that one back in the day.

John Hawkes is chilling in Martha Marcy May Marlene. Definitely get around to it.

 

[jtb]

Fuck the haters, Joe Wright is great.

Anna Karenina is one of the most brilliant and inspired adaptations I've seen in years.

I don't see any Dunkirk in the trailer, though? (which looks really bad, btw) Doesn't make sense why he'd repeat himself

 

[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

I watched Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 for the first time since the cinema release nearly 6 years ago (christ thats a long time isn't it) and... I liked it more now than I maybe did at the time. The problem with film adaptations of stuff I already enjoy and love, particularly the Harry Potter films is that I'm so hugely invested and in love with the source material that I find it difficult to separate the perception of the characters I have from the books from the ones on screen, and thus I almost always think negatively of the film versions, despite whatever merits they may have, and especially when they signficantly diverge from the source material, or condense it down. These films seem to either assume the audience has a knowledge of the books, or just doesn't care that much and so can just leave certain details and subplots in the dust cos they're not that interesting (wrong)

Deathly Hallows Part 2 was pretty good though, despite that. They signficantly change the third act to make it much more action packed than the book and give certain character more agency and give others less, but it works for the film. I still hate the way they put duelling on the screen. Other relationships and character dynamics are either changed or way toned down on screen, which irritates me, but I couldn't deny it was a pretty good watch. In particular the gringotts bank robbery is pretty accurate, and looks great and feels very well done, liked it a lot. The battle for hogwarts looks absolutely amazing incidentally, even on the small screen, even if that too is changed or toned down quite a bit (no army of people coming back to help the death eaters, come on)

And the cast is all game, and all pretty good. It's amazing of the three actors they picked for the main roles in whenever that would have been, 2000 or 1999, all three of them turned out to be pretty good. I wish they'd kept the Percy prodigal son subplot from the books, and Neville and Malfoy's character arcs are pretty cut down from the source, which is dissapointing, as is Harry and Ginny's romance. I'm not sure on Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort, but he's a great actor and is certainly up for the role, so to speak.

Nowhere near as good as the book, nowhere near as meh as I vaguely recalled it being. I'm happy with that.

 

[Alpende]

Saw Wonder Woman yesterday and I was thoroughly entertained. The interplay between Gal Gadot and Chris Pine was great, the humor was on point and the action scenes were pretty amazing. That sequence in No Man's Land was amazing. Hopefully DC can maintain this.

 

[Fancy Clown]

Rewatched Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and yup, still one of the best blockbusters of the century. From that very first hunting sequence you're gripped into this movie. Caesar and Koba are such brilliantly realized characters it's insane. Definitely the next landmark in digital creations after Golem imo. Matt Reeves knows how to use a camera, the huge sets are stunning, and Giacchino's score is one of his absolute best (I hope Reeves drags him along for Batmang if he can get this sort of stuff out of him).

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Saw Wonder Woman yesterday and I was thoroughly entertained. The interplay between Gal Gadot and Chris Pine was great, the humor was on point and the action scenes were pretty amazing. That sequence in No Man's Land was amazing. Hopefully DC can maintain this.

There's a brief overhead shot during NML where she has the shield up and the bullets are ricocheting everywhere. Wish that was available online somewhere. I'd make it my wallpaper. What a gorgeous shot.

Rewatched Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and yup, still one of the best blockbusters of the century. From that very first hunting sequence you're gripped into this movie. Caesar and Koba are such brilliantly realized characters it's insane. Definitely the next landmark in digital creations after Golem imo. Matt Reeves knows how to use a camera, the huge sets are stunning, and Giacchino's score is one of his absolute best (I hope Reeves drags him along for Batmang if he can get this sort of stuff out of him).

My son recounted all of Dawn yesterday in about 2 minutes, and I was like "oh, yeaaaah" and then "ok now I remember that." So we're off to see War right now!

 

[kevin1025]

War for the Planet of the Apes was very good. I don't think it's my favorite is the trilogy, but it definitely caps off the story quite well with some interesting charcters and situations. I don't think it quite reaches the climatic highs of Dawn, but it's a very fitting end to the story with a lot of emotional punch and interesting (continued from the rest of the triology) themes. I also have to call out the soundtrack for being excellent. Probably my favorite aspect of the film.

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017): The strongest entry in the new series, in great part because the writers forego the "good humans struggle to co-exist with the apes" angle that took up a lot of narrative space in the first two films and was consistently undermined by the series' inability to produce compelling human characters. The apes are the sole attraction here, more or less, and that's all for the good. These are very dour films at this point, so I can see why their commercial appeal has ended up being a bit on the limited side, but the ape civilization depicted here is a phenomenal artistic achievement on the part of the cast and crew. Some of the best, most detailed visual effects I've ever seen.

Super happy to see more War love. I don't really rewatch movies in theatres too often, but I'm definitely seeing this one again soon.

John Hawkes is chilling in Martha Marcy May Marlene. Definitely get around to it.

I'm going to watch it today! Along with Mulholland Drive (which I haven't watched in more than a decade).

 

[Puck Beaverton]

Wonder Woman was surprisingly good, and Chris Pine lately has been putting in some solid work.

 

[Icolin]

Wonder Woman was surprisingly good, and Chris Pine lately has been putting in some solid work.

Yeah, I especially liked him in Hell or High Water.

 

[Fancy Clown]

War for the Planet of the Apes: Matt Reeves' second outing in the Ape's universe may be a mild case of diminishing returns, but it still manages to imbue more pathos into these half-digital primates than most other blockbusters do with a full cast of fleshy humans. Despite being titled "war", this Apes film decides to dial down the scale to a more personal level after a thrilling battle sequence in the forest, and adopts a more melancholic tone to suit its stakes. It's more revenge-fueled western and prison break movie than it is a war film.

What end up letting it down a little is that much of the film's action is set a concrete fortress, a drab environment compared to the beautiful sets of Dawn, and Caesar faces off against Woody Harrelson's Colonel Kurtz-lite. Harrelson doesn't have the charisma to pull of the menace or madness the role requires, and though he's a talented actor his character buckles under the large exposition dumps his character is saddled with (this movie as a whole struggles with expository dialogue far more than its more economical predecessor). As such the conflict never feels as nuanced or compelling as the Caesar-Koba-Human dynamic from Dawn. Unfortunately to counter balance the bleak tone, Reeves has added a comic relief ape to cast that feels like he's there simply to cut the tension at studio-mandated intervals.

Despite some of these more cumbersome elements, War still has a very solid handle on its heart and tone, and the technical elements--from the digital apes, to Reeve's camera work--remain exceptional. It doesn't live up to the incredibly high standard of its predecessor, but its certainly a worthy addition to the most unlikely of franchise success stories.

My enjoyment may have also been hampered by some old fuck sitting behind me who wouldn't stop narrating every god damn thing to his wife even after I told him to stop talking. Like when Caesar's son comes on screen says "father", the guy turns to his wife and loudly declares "that's Caesar's son". No shit, old timer, we got eyes.

 

[brianjones]

My enjoyment may have also been hampered by some old fuck sitting behind me who wouldn't stop narrating every god damn thing to his wife even after I told him to stop talking. Like when Caesar's son comes on screen says "father", the guy turns to his wife and loudly declares "that's Caesar's son". No shit, old timer, we got eyes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbSczs2lC6k&t=28s

 

[Borgnine]

Movie theaters really are the worst invention ever.

I keep saying we need headphone jacks like on airplanes. Quarter inch, mini, XLR, whatever you got baby, you're covered.

 

[Blader]

My girlfriend wanted to see Spider-Man so we went yesterday, and some turd in front of me kept opening his phone to check a messaging app I didn't recognize every 10 seconds. For the entire fucking movie.

 

[kevin1025]

Movie theaters really are the worst invention ever.

I keep saying we need headphone jacks like on airplanes. Quarter inch, mini, XLR, whatever you got baby, you're covered.

I love watching movies with headphones, it's pretty much the only way I watch when at home. But when you add buttered popcorn, kid's fingers, and Coke spills to the headphone jack, so many people would be pissed, haha.

But yeah, if they had Prime sort of seats, where you could do it with your own personal ones, even as an option in case there's nearby talkers, that would be incredible.

My girlfriend wanted to see Spider-Man so we went yesterday, and some turd in front of me kept opening his phone to check a messaging app I didn't recognize every 10 seconds. For the entire fucking movie.

It's nuts that people pay ticket prices and then waste their time on the phone, on top of ruining it for others. You should have said to someone at the theatre that you couldn't be sure but he might have been recording.

(Although that might be too revengeful...)

 

[Krev]

My enjoyment may have also been hampered by some old fuck sitting behind me who wouldn't stop narrating every god damn thing to his wife even after I told him to stop talking. Like when Caesar's son comes on screen says "father", the guy turns to his wife and loudly declares "that's Caesar's son". No shit, old timer, we got eyes.

I had the exact same thing happen with There Will Be Blood.
"That's his son!"

 

[Messofanego]

War for the Planet of the Apes: Matt Reeves' second outing in the Ape's universe may be a mild case of diminishing returns, but it still manages to imbue more pathos into these half-digital primates than most other blockbusters do with a full cast of fleshy humans. Despite being titled "war", this Apes film decides to dial down the scale to a more personal level after a thrilling battle sequence in the forest, and adopts a more melancholic tone to suit its stakes. It's more revenge-fueled western and prison break movie than it is a war film.

What end up letting it down a little is that much of the film's action is set a concrete fortress, a drab environment compared to the beautiful sets of Dawn, and Caesar faces off against Woody Harrelson's Colonel Kurtz-lite. Harrelson doesn't have the charisma to pull of the menace or madness the role requires, and though he's a talented actor his character buckles under the large exposition dumps his character is saddled with (this movie as a whole struggles with expository dialogue far more than its more economical predecessor). As such the conflict never feels as nuanced or compelling as the Caesar-Koba-Human dynamic from Dawn. Unfortunately to counter balance the bleak tone, Reeves has added a comic relief ape to cast that feels like he's there simply to cut the tension at studio-mandated intervals.

Despite some of these more cumbersome elements, War still has a very solid handle on its heart and tone, and the technical elements--from the digital apes, to Reeve's camera work--remain exceptional. It doesn't live up to the incredibly high standard of its predecessor, but its certainly a worthy addition to the most unlikely of franchise success stories.

My enjoyment may have also been hampered by some old fuck sitting behind me who wouldn't stop narrating every god damn thing to his wife even after I told him to stop talking. Like when Caesar's son comes on screen says "father", the guy turns to his wife and loudly declares "that's Caesar's son". No shit, old timer, we got eyes.

Great review as usual. Do you still encounter this in afternoon screenings? Those are the only times I bother with if I have the choice.

 

[Icolin]

My enjoyment may have also been hampered by some old fuck sitting behind me who wouldn't stop narrating every god damn thing to his wife even after I told him to stop talking. Like when Caesar's son comes on screen says "father", the guy turns to his wife and loudly declares "that's Caesar's son". No shit, old timer, we got eyes.

I swear this happens everytime I go to a movie, orchestra, or opera. Some old guy saying "Hmm..interesting" or "I did not expect THAT" for the whole movie. Worst time was when I saw Silence and the title sequence occurred and this old dude said "Wow...very powerful" and the movie was silent, thus ruining that moment. Keep it to yourself, man.

 

[Fancy Clown]

Great review as usual. Do you still encounter this in afternoon screenings? Those are the only times I bother with if I have the choice.

I went at 10 in the morning lol. There were like 8 other people in the theater and of course one of them has to be a talker.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

War for the Planet of the Apes: Matt Reeves' second outing in the Ape's universe may be a mild case of diminishing returns, but it still manages to imbue more pathos into these half-digital primates than most other blockbusters do with a full cast of fleshy humans. Despite being titled "war", this Apes film decides to dial down the scale to a more personal level after a thrilling battle sequence in the forest, and adopts a more melancholic tone to suit its stakes. It's more revenge-fueled western and prison break movie than it is a war film.

What end up letting it down a little is that much of the film's action is set a concrete fortress, a drab environment compared to the beautiful sets of Dawn, and Caesar faces off against Woody Harrelson's Colonel Kurtz-lite. Harrelson doesn't have the charisma to pull of the menace or madness the role requires, and though he's a talented actor his character buckles under the large exposition dumps his character is saddled with (this movie as a whole struggles with expository dialogue far more than its more economical predecessor). As such the conflict never feels as nuanced or compelling as the Caesar-Koba-Human dynamic from Dawn. Unfortunately to counter balance the bleak tone, Reeves has added a comic relief ape to cast that feels like he's there simply to cut the tension at studio-mandated intervals.

Despite some of these more cumbersome elements, War still has a very solid handle on its heart and tone, and the technical elements--from the digital apes, to Reeve's camera work--remain exceptional. It doesn't live up to the incredibly high standard of its predecessor, but its certainly a worthy addition to the most unlikely of franchise success stories.

My enjoyment may have also been hampered by some old fuck sitting behind me who wouldn't stop narrating every god damn thing to his wife even after I told him to stop talking. Like when Caesar's son comes on screen says "father", the guy turns to his wife and loudly declares "that's Caesar's son". No shit, old timer, we got eyes.

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) - I'm going to quote Fancy Clown's review of this one, because it's pretty spot on. Very good movie, but I felt Harrelson could have brought more to the role than he did, and there's a scene in the middle where he goes on and on explaining things. I felt it took me out of the movie a bit.

There were also one or two pure contrivances that felt like deus ex machina to me.

That being said, Andy Serkis deserves some consideration from the Academy for his portrayal of Caesar. In some sense, this War was one within Caesar himself, rather than one versus humans. His own morals are tested. His own leadership is tested.

The technical work here is amazing. If you get a chance to see the motion capture on Serkis, it's worth a look. Rain drops and snow and ice on the apes' hair, among just the enormity of the task associated with rendering them in a believable way... truly astounding. I won't be surprised at all if this film wins a few Oscars based on its technical capabilities.

A great wrap to the trilogy. I do wonder whether we'll see a time jump at some point, with a remake of the original based on this universe.

4 / 5

 

[vewn]

Just finished "the Handmaiden" (아가&#50472, what a rollercoaster ride that was. It's a Korean drama full of twists and carnal desire, but incredibly worth the watch in my opinion.

I'll definitely take a look at Park Chan-Wook's other work and search for other South Korean movies that drown in the sea of Hollywood mega franchises, recommendations are welcome.

 

[Ridley327]

Just finished "the Handmaiden" (아가&#50472, what a rollercoaster ride that was. It's a Korean drama full of twists and carnal desire, but incredibly worth the watch in my opinion.

I'll definitely take a look at Park Chan-Wook's other work and search for other South Korean movies that drown in the sea of Hollywood mega franchises, recommendations are welcome.

That's your first film from Park Chan-Wook?

Hoo boy, you are going on one wild ride!

 

[JTripper]

Never seen a full Dreyer film until now but holy fuck was Ordet a masterpiece. The compositions, character relationships, all of it. So masterfully crafted. Even with all the religious content and philosophy, it's just so well-made, clearly communicated and genuine in its intention and performances I couldnt help but be moved by the whole thing. And that ending....damn. Whether you like it or hate it, I think it's impossible to say it's not extremely powerful in its divisiveness. Curious to know what others think of this film.

 

[Mi goreng]

Watched most of The Holy Mountain last night. It felt like every 30 seconds I was having my mind blown by new imagery. Jodorowsky's Dune would have been even more nonsensical (Well the book is pretty ridiculous) but it'd have looked so purdy D:

 

[NewDust]

Finally watched The Mirror. Might be a bit to drunk to totally understand it, but a rewatch is not a crime. First time viewing moved me to tears on imagery alone. Tarkovsky definitely is a master of framing.

But trying to relate Von Triers work to this... Tarkovsky must be rolling in his grave. Not only is it derivative, but compared to Tarkovsky, his work seems light, if you take away shock value.

 

[TissueBox]

Dreyer's work with Ordet and Passion of Joan of Arc was magnificent. Passion likewise is one of the most beautifully harrowing depictions of martyrdom and belief under Kafka's proverbial castle and boasts one of the most unforgettable solitary performances on screen. Due for a re-watch with Ordet and its more calculated but equally potent drama. In either way I love how Dreyer manipulates space and set against the camera to bring out something intense, be it quiet or searing.

 

[Baroquemantic]

Ghost in the Shell (2017)

So I didn't dislike it, but maaan, that was pretty so so. It's such a gorgeous and beautifully shot movie, though. Nice soundtrack too (shame it was never released), but I would've loved if it used more of the original anime's score. Action was okay, albeit quite sparse. The plot wasn't all that special either, but it was serviceable.

And that "twist"...lmao.

Spoiler

Why make her white at all?

6.5/10

 

[Icolin]

War for the Planet of the Apes

What an end to this surprisingly fantastic series of films. The apes look just as good as ever, the music is perfect, and the script is pretty solid, although the amount of exposition dialogue is disappointing.

Can't wait to see what Matt Reeves brings to The Batman.


On another note; I also had shitty luck with my audience. Some kid behind me was constantly shouting "THAT WAS FUNNY" whenever that comic relief ape showed up, commentating and reading all text on screen, pointing out returning characters every time they were on screen, and, during a scene of total silence (

Spoiler

when Caesar got shot

), yelled SHIT.

Cineplex better get to work on a "Don't be a COLIN COMMENTATOR" cartoon to screen before movie screenings. It better not happen during Dunkirk.

 

[Discotheque]

Yeah we don't get many Susie Seatkickers in theaters anymore. They need to make a new psa for that Colin prick

 

[DukeSilverHaze]

Total dullsville, in my opinion.

My ranking:

1. Moonrise Kingdom
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
3. The Royal Tenenbaums
4. Rushmore
5. The Darjeeling Limited
6. Fantastic Mr. Fox
7. Bottle Rocket
8. The Life Aquatic

Wtf? Life Aquatic and bottle rocket are his 2 best films.