[CLOSED] Which films did you see last week? (050524-051124)

The Blues Brothers - 8/10

All first viewings from me as well.

Lock Up (1989, John Flynn) – 7/10

Curtains (1983, Richard Ciupka) - 7/10

Hospital Massacre/X-Ray (1982, Boaz Davidson) – 6/10

Thanksgiving (2023, Eli Roth) – 8/10

Let It Be (1970, Michael Lindsay-Hogg) – 7.5/10

Hello again.

Yours

The Blues Brothers (1980, John Landis)

Personally I like it. It's my second favorite from Landis (after American Werewolf in London). I find it very funny and like the characters. 8/10

Mine:

I Flunked, But... (Yasujirô Ozu, 1930)

I love Ozu but I have a lot of trouble getting into his silent films (the only exception has been The Lady and the Beard which I liked, but still can't say that I loved). I find that his later films work partially because of his unique style and because of the dialogue/family interactions. Well, obviously dialogue is not in his silent films and most of his early work has more traditional camera movements rather than his stationary cameras. Of all of his silents I've seen, this is easily my least favorite. I didn't find the humor to work very well with the exceptions of the opening scenes and the "drama" aspect felt unearned as I didn't care about the character at all. I actively disliked this one and actually had to watch it in two parts despite it's short run time as after 40 minutes I didn't feel like I could stand another minute of it the first time. It kills me to go this low for Ozu, but honestly the only reason it gets that much is the opening scenes. 2/10

Ashes and Diamonds (Andrzej Wajda, 1958)

Very good movie that just didn’t fully click for me. I respect it a lot more than I liked it, and I am glad I watched it, but I don’t see it as the masterpiece that many seem to see. 7/10

Monster Hunter (Paul W.S. Anderson, 2020)

Well, it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Also for PG-13 movie that was intended to be a summer action flick (but, well... you know... 2020 happened) its first 30 minutes or so are surprisingly brutal and honestly more of a horror movie than Anderson's Resident Evil films ever felt. That said, it's still not good. It also has one of the most surprisingly bold "no ending except setting up a sequel" closes that made it feel completely pointless. 2/10

W. (Oliver Stone, 2008)

I see why this movie was not incredibly well received when it came out. As an inherently political film, people want to take a side; where I honestly feel this film tries to remain as neutral as possible. People on the Right will look at this and see a criticism of Bush. People on the Left will see it as too sympathetic. I found it an interesting if flawed film (for reasons other than neutrality). Unlike the other Oliver Stone films I've seen, this is the only one where I was alive to really witness the events as they were happening (well, at least old enough to remember them happening). I remember these unfolding, seeing the papers and the TV reports. I remember watching it happen and forming my own opinions. I doubt this is the sort of film that would change anyone's opinions (especially being released while still so much of it was going on), but it made for a deeper connection than some of his other films did for me. It’s not a masterpiece, but I liked it. 7/10

She Is Conann (Bertrand Mandico, 2023)

A weird, weird, WEIRD French arthouse movie in which we follow various incarnations of a female version of Conan the Barbarian as she travels through stories, time and the afterlife. I found it compelling, but certainly not for everyone. 7/10

Dr. Lamb (Danny Lee, 1992)

An over the top and very violent Cat III film. Almost feels like a combination of classic serial killer meet John Waters dark/gross out comedy. I enjoyed it for the most part, but I found it had some big pacing issues. The most interesting aspect to me is a common convention of the Cat III film,which is its complete disregard for many "cinematic rules". Not that they're poorly made, but the was they make it feels like something you would NEVER see in any other country. 6/10

Dying of the Light (Paul Schrader, 2014)

This is week seven of my examination of the films of Paul Schrader. For some reason, this week I decided to go with the film the director himself disowned. While I do not know the full situation, what I do know is that the movie was taken from his hands after filming wrapped and was edited by the studio. He and apparently Cage have since both disowned the film and there is supposedly another cut on the internet that was edited by Schrader but never officially released called Dark (which I have not seen). First I will say that I was surprised while watching it that I didn't think it was anywhere near as bad as what that origin story lead me to believe. The film is completely watchable, and honestly both Schrader and Cage have made much worse movies than this (hell, they made Dog Eat Dog together and that was worse than this and Schrader had final cut of it). It is entirely possible that Schrader's cut is a better film as there are some interesting ideas here but honestly... well, it's just not a movie that I really see an alternate cut saving. It's a movie that's just not very good from start to finish. The performances are decent, but not impressive (though Cage does get a few "full Cage" yelling moments). The plot really doesn't feel, well, worth it and overall it's kind of a boring film. Again, pacing changes could help, sure. Perhaps scenes were left out that made things work better... but I don't know. It just feels like a direct to video or cable movie and I don't think that would ever really change. It's not awful, but it's very skippable. 4/10

The Living Magoroku (Keisuke Kinoshita, 1943)

Very well shot, but extremely preach Japanese propaganda film from the WWII era. You will hear what an honor it is to die for one's country many times. You will hear how the American and British cowards need to be cut down. You will hear about the ancestor's fighting spirit is what makes Japan the greatest. Kinoshita would go on to make many great films later, but you can see he's struggling with this as it's filled with several sub-plots which he wants to tackle, but man, that propaganda just keeps getting in the way. 4/10

Nosferatu in Venice (Augusto Caminito, 1988)

One of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. The plot is garbage, the script is atrocious, the pacing a disaster, and the acting laughable. It’s a mess in every way shape and form… and after viewing it I discovered that the scene of sexual assault may actually be real because Kinski was a true monster and actually did go off script without letting the actress know and started tearing her clothes. I suggest this to absolutely no one. 1/10

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (Stanley Kramer, 1967)

Obviously dated, but a good social commentary on America in the 60s. Amazing performances all around (particularly by Spencer Tracy in what would be his final role). 8/10

Ranked from favorite to least favorite.


Promise (1986 Glenn Jordan) - 7.5/10

When his mother dies, Bob (James Garner) not only inherits her house, but also the custody of his younger brother (James Woods), who suffers from schizophrenia and epilepsy. At the age of 21, Bob promised to look after his brother. Although he has barely seen him in the many years since then and strives against the commitment, he doesn't dare to put him in a home either. Also starring Piper Laurie.



No Down Payment (1957 Martin Ritt) - 7.5/10

In California, four couples who have bought houses near one another face problems, alcoholism, racism, promiscuity, and discrimination against lack of education, until a tragic event forces them to reassess their lives. Starring Jeffrey Hunter, Patricia Owens, Cameron Mitchell, Sheree North, Tony Randall, Pat Hingle, Barbara Rush and Joanne Woodward.



LaRoy, Texas (2023 Shane Atkinson) - 6.5/10

When Ray (John Magaro) discovers that his wife (Megan Stevenson) is cheating on him, he decides he's going to kill himself. His plans suddenly change when a stranger mistakes him for a low-rent hitman. Also starring Steve Zahn and Dylan Baker.



Abigail (2024 Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett) - 6.5/10

After a group of criminals kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, they retreat to an isolated mansion, unaware that they're locked inside with no normal little girl. Starring Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, Kathryn Newton, Kevin Durand, William Catlett, Angus Cloud and
Giancarlo Esposito.



Desk Set (1957 Walter Lang) - 6.5/10

Two extremely strong personalities (Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn) clash over the computerization of a television network's research department. Also starring Joan Blondell and Gig Young.



...First Do No Harm (1997 Jim Abrahams) - 6.5/10

The story of one mother's (Meryl Streep) struggle against a narrow-minded medical establishment. Also starring Fred Ward, Margo Martindale, Seth Adkins, Oni Faida Lampley and Allison Janney.



Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959 Henry Levin) - 6/10

An Edinburgh professor (James Mason) and assorted colleagues follow an explorer's trail down an extinct Icelandic volcano to the earth's center. Also starring Pat Boone, Arlene Dahl, Peter Ronson and Thayer David.



Light of Day (1987 Paul Schrader) - 5.5/10

A pair of siblings (Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett) must choose whether to pursue their dream of touring with their rock band or support their family and stay in Cleveland, Ohio. Also starring Gena Rowlands, Michael McKean, Cherry Jones and Jason Miller.



The Major and the Minor (1942 Billy Wilder) - 4.5/10

A frustrated city girl (Ginger Rogers) disguises herself as a youngster in order to get a cheaper train ticket home. But little "Sue Sue" finds herself in a whole heap of grown-up trouble when she hides out in a compartment with a handsome Major (Ray Milland).



Feds (1988 Daniel Goldberg) - 3.5/10

While Ellie (Rebecca De Mornay) is strong, streetwise, practical, social but scholarly weak, Janis (Mary Gross) is the opposite and thus make ideal room and team mates at a tough 16 week FBI training course. Also starring Fred Dalton Thompson.





10 Best Performances of the week.

1. James Woods, Promise
2. James Garner, Promise
3. Joanne Woodward, No Down Payment
4. Meryl Streep, ...First Do No Harm
5. Cameron Mitchell, No Down Payment
6. Patricia Owens, No Down Payment
7. Steve Zahn, LaRoy, Texas
8. Gena Rowlands, Light of Day
9. Pat Hingle, No Down Payment
10. Alisha Weir, Abigail

The Card Counter - 8.5/10
Adam Resurrected - 8/10
Affliction - 7.5/10
Auto Focus
Blue Collar
First Reformed
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters - 7/10
Master Gardener
Hardcore
The Comfort of Strangers
Cat People - 6.5/10
Patty Hearst
American Gigolo - 6/10
Light Sleeper
Touch - 5.5/10
The Walker
Light of Day
The Canyons - 5/10
Dog Eat Dog
Dominion
Forever Mine - 4.5/10
Dying of the Light

The Blues Brothers (1980)
9/10

Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)
8/10


Mine:

Fools Rush In (1997)
A pretty unoriginal and generic rom com, but Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek are good and make it watchable.
4/10

The Muppet Movie (1979)
Excellent puppetry and voice work as to be expected (I did not notice a single wire), and it has some very nice music, my favourite being Movin' Right Along. But I found the story to be pretty basic and not all that interesting unfortunately.
5/10

The Pink Panther (1963)
Peter Sellers was fantastic, very funny. I went in assuming he would be the lead, and didn't realise he wasn't until later. So he definitely steals the show. I really liked the italian lady as well. The story is pretty simple and kind of meandering but is to be expected for an old movie I guess. I do look forward to checking out the sequels.
5/10

Dragnet (1987)
Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks are both very funny and work well together. There are quite a lot of funny one liners in the movie. I'm not very familiar with the original TV series outside of being spoofed in other movies/shows, so perhaps I would have liked it more if I was. But as a standalone movie this was quite enjoyable.
6.5/10

Short Circuit 2 (1988)
This was even better than the first one. The story is much more interesting here, it's funnier, and also more moving. Some of the cast missing was a concern but that was quickly alleviated, as Ben was the perfect character to continue with. I found him to be the standout human character from the first one, and they really do a great job with his character here and make him very relatable. Michael McKean's an excellent addition and I really liked his character as well. Not sure who played the girl but I found her to be even prettier than Ally Sheedy, I just wish she had more to do. The villains were okay, nothing too standout there. Johnny Five is amazing and full of many hilarious one liners throughout the movie. Really good original score as well, the theme song is quite catchy.
7.5/10

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
A really nicely filmed movie, with some great atmosphere and decent music, but I didn't really understand the point of it, and didn't like the ending. It also didn't make sense to me how people could go missing at the rock, as if it were a maze or something. They may have tried to make it look bigger by using different camera angles and such, but it's clearly not a very big location. I thought the most interesting part was the side story with the Sarah character, but hated the ending to that as well. I did not recognise John Jarratt until after the movie! I knew Jackie Weaver was in it, and assumed she was the main girl who went missing but wasn't sure, until she showed up later. I found this one a bit difficult to rate.
4.5/10

First Time Viewing:

The Sentinel (1977; Michael Winner) – Demonic horror with an interesting concept and a stellar cast, but director Winner shows little flair for the genre. The attempts to shock came over as gross or downright silly. This is the sort of movie which could be significantly improved by a remake.
4/10

Repeat Viewing:

Starship Troopers (1997; Paul Verhoeven) – Still a fun action movie, even though it’s overlong and I thought the satire got a bit repetitive after a while. Some of the effects work is still impressive, the giant bugs look especially convincing.
7/10

I’m not familiar with the source material of Sin City. But the whole comic book styling of the film’s narrative did feel only surface level and without nuance. But was it deliberate? I mainly rewatched it, as I was sitting on an ex-rental copy of its sequel. However the bluray was faulty, and skipped and jumped throughout the Josh Brolin/Eva Green story. Other chapters played fine. Really enjoyed Powers Boothe’s performance. So in the end, I didn’t bother logging it. 

I too would give the slight edge to High Plains Drifter. I tend to rewatch Pale Rider more often though. I seem to do that with Eastwood’s lesser westerns. Same for Joe Kidd. Maybe because they’re basic, and comfy westerns. Curious if Eastwood was a shadow director for ‘Joe Kidd’, since all of the behind the scenes issues with that feature?