What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[MSU]

024 Living -- Saw this mostly for Bill Nighy and his Oscar nomination, and then for the adapted screenplay nomination, and on both counts it really excelled. It's the sort of part I think Bill Nighy has been regularly making throughout his career, and it's the sort of story Kazuo Ishiguro has been telling throughout his. A retelling of Kurosawa's Ikiru, Nighy plays a middle manager in a council office in 50s London, who discovers he has months to live, tries to suddenly start living, then realizes he doesn't know how. Beautifully played. 9/10

025 To Leslie -- Only heard of this after the fuss about Andrea Riseborough's Oscar nomination. Seemingly made around 20k at the box office so I doubt I'm on my own. It's a very assured performance from Riseborough, but the story of an alcoholic who blew a life-changing lottery win on booze and wound up in square one isn't winning anything for originality. A worthy nomination? Probably. The Academy loves this sort of thing. Those blaming Riseborough for Viola Davis or Danielle Deadwyler being overlooked should really look to Michelle Williams first. 7/10

026 Sixteen Candles (#3 in the Brat Pack series) -- Always disappointing to remember that this isn't 4 x as funny as the Two Ronnies sketch. It's so easy to focus on the awful racial stereotypes, the misogyny, the homophobic language, and it's easy because the movie makes it easy. There are several moments of sheer terror when you realize that the epiphany you expect at least one character to experience at some point just isn't going to happen. This culminates when the black-out drunk prom queen is loaded into the back of her boyfriend's dad's Rolls Royce where she is raped by the geeky Freshman, only to wake up the next morning to announce that she thinks she enjoyed the experience. We excuse this sort of thing as having aged badly or having become problematic over the years, but I don't think having a gong on the soundtrack every time an Asian character appears has ever really been okay. 3/10

027 Oxford Blues (#4 in the Brat Pack series) -- It's testament to Rob Lowe's charisma that this first leading role wasn't his last, but this remains very much another blot on the Brat Pack's filmography that while not being as problematic as Sixteen Candles, somehow manages to be more difficult to watch, and that's before you learn it's about rowing. 2/10 because Ally Sheedy

028 Low Tide (#84 in the A24 series) -- Just goes to show a story that has been told many times before can still be engaging when in the right hands and with the right little twists and turns thrown in. It's kinda like how The Goonies could've turned out if the kids had been a little bit older, a bit more psychotic, and it had been set in New Jersey with no pirate ship. Pals Alan, Smitty, and Red rob holidaymakers' homes for jewelry they can pawn to fund their adventures on the boardwalk. When Alan and his brother Peter stumble across a cache of gold coins, they keep it to themselves but Red's paranoia leads him to become suspicious which puts everyone's lives in danger. It's shot really well, has a gorgeous pallette, and the kids are great. Jaeden Martell in particular has gone on to bigger and better things. And the movie has plenty to say about being able to recognize the moment where your life is about to go in a particular direction and once it does, it's not always salvageable. 7/10

029 My Year of Dicks -- This Oscar nominated animated short told in five chapters is unexpectedly charming as it follows 15 year old Pam as she strives to lose her virginity to whatever presents itself in the Houston suburb where she lives. While not exactly setting the world alight, the animation is engaging enough, but this is really about the story and the voice acting. Pam, voiced by Brie Tilton, is quite lovely which helps a great deal, and the trials and tribulations and thought processes feel genuine. There's a cringey laugh-out-loud moment in the final chapter which I'm sure doesn't need the audience to be young or female to appreciate, but the path the arc takes through the 25 minutes is pretty predictable and the sweet ending is a little too on the nose for me. Still, a fun watch. 7/10

030 The Breakfast Club (#5 in the Brat Pack series) -- A conservative estimate would suggest that this is around my twentieth viewing of the movie, but this time was the first time I noticed that Brian's mom's car license plate is EMC2, and for some reason, for a school in Illinois, there's a confederate flag in the library. But what strikes me most now is how the dynamic shifts through the movie, how it shifts through a scene. The five of them are friends and enemies to each other at several different points, they're all the in-group and the out-group, they're all likable and despicable. John Hughes' direction has its problems as Molly Ringwald expressed in her New Yorker essay, and John Hughes is going to John Hughes, but despite all this, all the problems it carries with it, the awful Allison make-over in the final scenes, the relentless harassment of Claire from Bender, and while that honesty of life in the 80s makes for some ugliness a lot of the time, and while it apologizes for none of it, I just can't seem to help loving it, although maybe I like it a lot less than I once did. 8/10

031 Elvis -- It's genuinely confusing how a movie this long can be so consistently chaotically paced. Baz Luhrmann's epic biopic of Elvis Presley is brash and colorful and throws every visual gimmick on the screen, often at the same time, and is never boring to look at. But it's a weird choice to have a movie about Elvis be told through the eyes of Colonel Tom Parker, who doesn't even claim to be present during many of the scenes in the movie. Weirder still is Tom Hanks's off-kilter portrayal of Elvis's manager. I have no idea how accurate it is to the real man but if he'd adopted a stutter and told me that was all, folks, I wouldn't have raised an eyebrow. Far more convincing is Austin Butler in the lead role but in nearly three hours it becomes a very one-speed performance, and especially given that I care not one little bit for Elvis's music, I think I'd have appreciated it more with less. I can see why fans of Elvis lap this up, and I can just about get on board with the Oscar nominations, and can see it as a strong contender outside the acting and best picture categories, but it's just way too long and even over a couple of sittings, it managed to outstay its welcome twice. 6/10

032 EO -- It's that Polish movie about a donkey that's been nominated for an Oscar. The poster gives a somewhat misleading idea of the tone of this Polish movie about a circus donkey who is freed by animal activists and then spends the rest of the movie going from vignette to vignette, owner to owner, scrape to scrape. The quirky angle that the donkey holds his head in the poster may lead you to believe or expect this to be heart-warming, or comedic, or uplifting. It really isn't any of these things. It's more about how the worthiness of animals to humans is largely based on how useful or tasty they are. There are some amusing moments along the way, but it's pretty grim stuff, not that that's necessarily a bad thing. 6/10

Edited February 12, 2023 by MSU

[UpInTheAyr]

On 27/01/2023 at 10:26, Scotty Tunbridge said:

Show me someone that enjoyed Babylon and I will show you a liar.

This film is a masterpiece. 

[Stellaboz]

Really enjoyed King Richard, about the Williams sisters and their dad's plan for them to rise to tennis stardom.

Great story, just very enjoyable except for the blatant positioning of Will Smith's actually wife there for pretty much no reason. 

[accies1874]

5. The Whale - Cinema

I was thinking about its depiction of self-destruction and how that's quite a common theme for Darren Aronofsky - that idea idea of what drives someone to destroy themselves (Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, mother!, Black Swan and maybe even Pi although I don't remember much that happens in that) - but this is a bit of a different tale as it takes place after the bulk of the self-destruction has taken place and tries to pick up the pieces of that destruction. So, in theory, that should probably make for something more heartfelt and easier to engage with. Sadly, not for me. 

It's Aronofsky so it's gonna be heavy-handed (no pun etc etc), although the religious stuff more often than not goes over my head, but it's the first time I've seen him being weighed down (no pun etc etc) by a lacklustre script. Mother! was pretty fucking stupid but I still stand by that he made that incredibly entertaining and rewatchable by having fun and playing into the insanity of it. The Whale's based off of a play and boy oh boy can you tell. I admired how he tried to utilise this dingy apartment to tell Charlie's story, the agony of longer being able to freely exist in the one place that's supposed to be yours, but the dramatic tension of the whole piece mostly just left me thinking "... and?" other than the moments where his appearance was exposed to outsiders. It's a shame, imo, that I found the heart of the film to be purely superficial but others clearly had a different response so I'm glad it's working for them. Anyway, back to the script, I felt it had a fatal combination of dialogue that had subtext more overt than most films' text, and the fact it was being delivered in a stage-like manner. 

I'm fine with Brendan Fraser's Oscar buzz (though he wouldn't be my first pick for a Brendan to win an Oscar this year) as it is a really hearty (no pun etc etc) performance that kind of made me look past the prosthetics and into the performance - and I'm not sure that this film wants you to look past the prosthetics. So I'm fine with his praise, but I'm not having it with Hong Chau. She, the daughter and Samantha Morton all played their roles at a key that may have been suited for the stage adaptation but became irritatingly implausible when you have the magical tool of a closeup. 

It really didn't work for me, and I've probably come over way too harshly on a film that isn't actually terrible, I was just annoyed that it left me feeling empty despite spending 2 hours telling me to feel emotional. 

[MSU]

On 07/02/2023 at 14:37, accies1874 said:

5. The Whale - Cinema

I was thinking about its depiction of self-destruction and how that's quite a common theme for Darren Aronofsky - that idea idea of what drives someone to destroy themselves (Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, mother!, Black Swan and maybe even Pi although I don't remember much that happens in that) - but this is a bit of a different tale as it takes place after the bulk of the self-destruction has taken place and tries to pick up the pieces of that destruction. So, in theory, that should probably make for something more heartfelt and easier to engage with. Sadly, not for me. 

It's Aronofsky so it's gonna be heavy-handed (no pun etc etc), although the religious stuff more often than not goes over my head, but it's the first time I've seen him being weighed down (no pun etc etc) by a lacklustre script. Mother! was pretty fucking stupid but I still stand by that he made that incredibly entertaining and rewatchable by having fun and playing into the insanity of it. The Whale's based off of a play and boy oh boy can you tell. I admired how he tried to utilise this dingy apartment to tell Charlie's story, the agony of longer being able to freely exist in the one place that's supposed to be yours, but the dramatic tension of the whole piece mostly just left me thinking "... and?" other than the moments where his appearance was exposed to outsiders. It's a shame, imo, that I found the heart of the film to be purely superficial but others clearly had a different response so I'm glad it's working for them. Anyway, back to the script, I felt it had a fatal combination of dialogue that had subtext more overt than most films' text, and the fact it was being delivered in a stage-like manner. 

I'm fine with Brendan Fraser's Oscar buzz (though he wouldn't be my first pick for a Brendan to win an Oscar this year) as it is a really hearty (no pun etc etc) performance that kind of made me look past the prosthetics and into the performance - and I'm not sure that this film wants you to look past the prosthetics. So I'm fine with his praise, but I'm not having it with Hong Chau. She, the daughter and Samantha Morton all played their roles at a key that may have been suited for the stage adaptation but became irritatingly implausible when you have the magical tool of a closeup. 

It really didn't work for me, and I've probably come over way too harshly on a film that isn't actually terrible, I was just annoyed that it left me feeling empty despite spending 2 hours telling me to feel emotional. 

I loved The Whale but I can agree with a lot of this. For me, the "play" feel wasn't much of a distraction as I felt it added to the claustrophobia of the movie, along with it being in something close to 4:3 which I'll admit is a bit cliche but was effective. And there's something about one of the few shots we get outside that just makes Charlie's situation even bleaker. I thought Hong Chau had layers below her anger and frustration, Samantha Morton wasn't really in it enough which was a shame. Anyway, interesting to read your thoughts from a different position, much better than Kermode who I think was watching a different movie from me. Well, me and Robbie Collin.

FWIW, I loved mother! but still have no desire to watch it again. There's only so much biblical allegory I can take.

[accies1874]

10 hours ago, MSU said:

I loved The Whale but I can agree with a lot of this. For me, the "play" feel wasn't much of a distraction as I felt it added to the claustrophobia of the movie, along with it being in something close to 4:3 which I'll admit is a bit cliche but was effective. And there's something about one of the few shots we get outside that just makes Charlie's situation even bleaker. I thought Hong Chau had layers below her anger and frustration, Samantha Morton wasn't really in it enough which was a shame. Anyway, interesting to read your thoughts from a different position, much better than Kermode who I think was watching a different movie from me. Well, me and Robbie Collin.

FWIW, I loved mother! but still have no desire to watch it again. There's only so much biblical allegory I can take.

I honestly thought the setting and how they shot it was pretty good and effective. Perhaps the only complaint I'd have on that subject would be the characters walking in and out regularly which is a really small thing but added to its staginess. 

We all have different reactions to things which is exemplified by...

[accies1874]

6. The Fabelmans - Cinema

I went in expecting the worst. I didn’t like the trailer for it but my mum wanted to see this with me so I went along, then two pains in the ass were plopped down in front of us, then we were met with a sliding scale of trailers that made the new Indiana Jones look enjoyable (that, then Champions – a film that got lost in the early 2000s and ended up in the here and now – Dungeons and Dragons which looks like a complete stinker, then a Titanic 25th anniversary re-release trailer). Those fears weren’t eased when the film starts with Spielberg giving an interview going into the opening with Sammy as a kid which has the exact tone that made me worried to see this.

Everything after: absolutely wonderful. That opening is crucial as the rest of the film, on the whole, doesn’t adopt that tone so when Sammy is getting put through the ringer, you’re supposed to remember how he felt as a kid. Other than Schindler’s List, this might be the first Spielberg film I’ve seen that really made me feel* – and even then, my abiding memories of Schindler’s List are all the technical achievements; right now, The Fabelmans is all about the emotions it provoked. Part of that’s probably to do with the fact I went with my mum (think it’s the first time I’ve gone to the cinema with her since Knives Out) but it’s the kind of film that was just perfectly paced and emotionally navigated for me in terms of knowing when to throw in a joke, when to make you sad, when to make you feel at ease. Sammy’s low points are as interesting and maybe, idk, as frequent as the highs which is what keeps this from falling into the quagmire of schmaltz. As well as that wonder he felt as a kid, he’s also desperate to use his art to control the reality falling apart around him – again, blending the light with the dark. You’ll find more interesting films about artistry, ones that handle their themes in more imaginative and introspective ways, but this grounds that all in a family drama where everyone is kind of right; I didn’t think there was a wrong answer to a lot of the family tension and that’s what makes it so compelling.

*I’m nowhere near a Spielberg completist but I’m not a huge fan of a lot of the ones I have seen

You don’t really need to mention that Steven Spielberg can make a film look cool, but I do want to give a shoutout to a few scenes maybe 10-15 minutes in total which are tied together by a piano gently playing in the background. Having that music consistently going on manages to provide an almost pitiful emotional throughline across a few scenes in quite a cool yet simple way. There’s a idealistic, glamourous nature to a lot of what is presented, sometimes even just the way the family are framed, which is often punctured by these down moments. This might be unintentional, but I found that to work on a meta level as it was if the film was trying to be a storybook depiction of his early life but that kept getting interrupted by the bleakness that, while painful, informs you just as much as, if not more than, the more enjoyable moments. I’m shocked at how much I loved it.

[MSU]

033 St Elmo's Fire (#6 in the Brat Pack series) -- For some, this is the quintessential Brat Pack movie given that it features the highest number of actors in the group, but what could've been an honorary sequel to The Breakfast Club is a disappointing soap opera, a crowded affair where it's difficult to find someone to root for. These are straight out-of-the-box characters who veer not one inch from the stereotypes they conform to. With a smaller cast, The Breakfast Club was able to introduce some nuance, but here, with seven characters and seven storylines, there simply isn't the time to flesh anything out. Andrew McCarthy is still pointless, Judd Nelson is still fifty years older than the character he's portraying, Rob Lowe is still baffling expectations by continuing to get work, and Ally Sheedy is still just about the only redeeming feature. 4/10

034 Pretty in Pink (#7 in the Brat Pack series) -- Molly Ringwald is great in the leading role, James Spader is pretty good as the despicably evil villain, Annie Potts is criminally underused as Andie's best pal, Andrew McCarthy is a thing, but it's Jon Cryer's movie, really, and the whole movie is nothing without his slide into the record shop and the rendition of Try a Little Tenderness. In other words, this movie could be five minutes long and it would probably still get 6/10.

035 Thunderball -- Back on the Jimmy Bond muck now that it's reappeared on streaming. I quite enjoyed this one despite its flaws that are mostly due to it being released in the mid-60s. Bond is moderately rapey. The special effects are quite laughable in the climax which suggests that a yacht traveling at 100mph has the turning circle of a London cab. But the worst offender is the unforgivable supposed quip where Bond, when his dance partner is shot and killed (thanks to him using her as a shield), drops her in a chair and announces that she's dead when every molecule of my being wants him to say she's dead on her feet. I recall in previous viewings being quite taken by the underwater battle sequences, and they are unusual, but I found them painfully slow this time around. Still, it's a fun adventure and it's difficult not to think of Dr Evil when SPECTRE demands £100,000,000. 6/10

036 You Only Live Twice -- Ninjas, space rockets, a volcano lair with built-in monorail. What's not to love apart from the mostly unnecessary and ugly Japanese stereotypes? Actually, very little. It's enormous fun, and tears along at a fair old clip. Donald Pleasence as the nemesis Blofeld is giving it 110%, intent to start WWIII for questionable reasons by having his spaceships eat up the American spaceships and blame it on those pesky Soviets. It's still an exotic adventure and must've been astonishing for Western audiences back in the day. And I still love how Moneypenny offers Jimmy Bond a book on Japanese which he rejects because he got a first in Asian languages at Oxford, and then in the field goes on to say and understand nothing beyond arigato. Oh, James. 7/10

037 Aftersun (#121 in the A24 series) -- Oh, my God. When I think of movies that really get under my skin, I'm thinking A Ghost Story, The Babadook, Room, that kind of thing, and this is right up there. Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio are just sublime, to the point where you forget they're acting and not really a father and daughter, but what really takes this to the next level for me is the writing. Charlotte Wells, who also directs brilliantly, takes a risk with what her script chooses to give us, because it trusts the audience to pick up on little looks, little throwaway lines, the minutia of the snapshot of two lives that shows a story by not telling a story. I can imagine the lights coming up and people wondering why nothing happened and leaving the cinema disgruntled and disappointed and wondering why the couple in Row F seem to have tears pouring down their faces. Fun fact: I don't have to imagine this. There are lots of themes in this that I used to touch on quite a bit when I was writing short stories (probably most closely in this one if anyone's interested https://www.jerseydevilpress.com/?page_id=7975) and this movie wanted to make me write again, but much better than I used to. I want to write something as good as this. I loved it. It destroyed me. A masterpiece. 10/10

[accies1874]

The Lighthouse is the only film from the 2020s that I've loved more than Aftersun, and it might well be the best Scottish film I've ever seen (although I was gutted to learn the other day that Paul Mescal is in fact Irish). Not the best film by a Scottish director though; that's still We Need to Talk About Kevin.

[MSU]

I’d seen him in The Lost Daughter and still forgot he was Irish. Lynne Ramsay did an incredible job with WNtTAK which was such an introspective, verbose book. Difficult to make that into something watchable and still have the impact that it does. You’ve now got me thinking about great movies by Scottish directors.

Can’t wait to see what Charlotte Wells and Frankie Corio do next. 
 

[Steve_Wilkos]

The Whale - 8/10

[accies1874]

7. Skinamarink - Shudder

Watched this a week ago but forgot to post a review. Essentially, it's a film school Paranormal Activity, so give it a go if that sounds like your bag, but it's a hard film to recommend to anyone. 

The decision to not give us a proper look at any of our characters makes for a really unnerving experience, although did also remind me of the woman in Tom and Jerry, and made the mystery all the more creepy to me as strange, distorted, disembodied voices cutting through darkened shots of an empty house are scarier than you might think - and that's the source of the horror for much of it: the unknown. "Is there something moving in the shadows or is it just the film grain?" is a question that got surprisingly good mileage out of me. It's hard to describe, but the lack of typical movie investment means that I felt trapped in this house with a sense of dread that I could watch come to fruition but couldn't influence in any way; it makes you feel like you're the third kid in that scenario and whatever is lurking will come for you too. It portrays that sense of childlike vulnerability incredibly well imo. So much so that I was feeling some of the same things that I would when watching horror as a kid/young teen, including the uneasiness when going to bed. 

I would've been interested in seeing it in the cinema, but it was sadly straight to streaming here. Speaking of which, the hassle I went through to try and create a Shudder account has put me off ever using them again. 

[Steve_Wilkos]

The Fly - 9/10

Phantom Thread - 8/10

[coprolite]

Wakanda Forever (2022)

Now on Disney plus. Having seen this in the cinema and having been unimpressed, i was surprised to see people on the comic book movie thread rave about it. Maybe i'd been wrong? 

I think i'd been wrong to conclude that it was mediocre, it is in fact shite. 

3/10 (down from a five) 

[JustOneCornetto]

(12) Thoroughbreds (2017) -Netflix

Looked good on paper with an excellent cast of Anya Taylor-Joy, Olivia Cooke and Anton Yelchin but it never really gets off the starting blocks. Think it's supposed to be a black comedy and the potential was there but for me no laughs, dark or otherwise. Plot involves the 2 girls plotting to kill off Taylor-Joy's step father and although you can see he is a bit of an asshole you don't get any background to him and it all seems pretty pointless 4/10

(13) Jojo Rabbit (2019) - All4

Missed this when it came out so was really looking forward to it and it did not disappoint. Wickedly funny even though some people might find the humour offensive due to that part of history. Great performances from all the cast especially Sam Rockwell and the wee boy playing Jojo was terrific. Taika Waititi is building up an impressive body of work and can't wait to see what he comes up with next. 8.5/10

(14) 10 Items or Less (2006) - DVD

Quirky wee film with Morgan Freeman playing an out of work actor doing research at a rundown supermarket for a low budget film he's been asked to do. You're never sure if he's playing himself as he's never named but he gives his usual self assured performance as he teams up with a feisty checkout girl played by Paz Vega and acts like a sort of life coach as she negotiates the problems she is facing for the rest of the day when her shift finishes. 6.5/10

(15) Disturbia (2007) - All4

Plot sounds like a remake of Rear Window but no way was it ever going to match Hitchcock's classic. On it's own right it's not bad and doesn't take itself too seriously with the casting of David Morse as the suspected killer very good as he really is very creepy. It all falls down a fair bit the way it ends turning into a slasher film so instead of a 7 I'll give it 6/10

[sfha]

Three Billboards outside Ebbing.... Brilliant casting... I could watch Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell til the cows come home.

[Theroadlesstravelled]

On 15/02/2023 at 03:17, coprolite said:

Wakanda Forever (2022)

Now on Disney plus. Having seen this in the cinema and having been unimpressed, i was surprised to see people on the comic book movie thread rave about it. Maybe i'd been wrong? 

I think i'd been wrong to conclude that it was mediocre, it is in fact shite. 

3/10 (down from a five) 

 

A white male saying this doesn’t sit well with me.

[jimmy boo]

1 hour ago, Theroadlesstravelled said:

 

A white male saying this doesn’t sit well with me.

Meaning what?

[coprolite]

10 hours ago, Theroadlesstravelled said:

 

A white male saying this doesn’t sit well with me.

Is this a joke? 

 

[ScotiaNostra]

17 hours ago, sfha said:

Three Billboards outside Ebbing.... Brilliant casting... I could watch Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell til the cows come home.

That was a good movie, Woody Harrelson was great in it too.