What Films did You Watch Last Week (28/11 - 04/12) CLOSED

First Time Viewing

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022; Rian Johnson) - The plot is not as good as in the first one and the whole movie seems a bit overwrought with Johnson throwing in some superfluous stuff like nods at the Covid pandemic and pointless celebrity cameos which I could've done without. Still Daniel Craig is fantastic and the movie is slick and fun.
7/10

Heaven Can Wait (1943; Ernst Lubitsch) - Charming comedy-drama about a man trying to gain entrance into hell after his death.
6.5/10

Horror 101 (2001; James Glenn Dudelson) - Incredibly lame slasher movie that's slasher in name only, since they seemed to have lacked even the money for make-up effects, meaning there's not a drop of blood and zero scares. The final reveal is at least good for a few laughs.
2.5/10

Roadgames (1981; Richard Franklin) - I've heard so much about this, that I was expecting something more original than a mildly engaging thriller which doesn't even remotely live up to either Duel nor Rear Window, its two most obvious influences. Stacy Keach is great as the intellectual truck driver, but by revealing the killer very early the movie loses a lot of its mystery and potential to scare and mostly drags on to a rather middling finale.
6/10

The Witch: Part 1 - The Subversion (2018; Park Hoon-jung) - Basically like an R-rated Korean version of the X-Men which however takes ages to get going and ultimately despite generous amounts of blood isn't anything that special.
5.5/10

TV

Hammer House Of Mystery And Suspense (1984) - Anthology series which suffers from the episodes running for too long (70 minutes) and the plots being fairly predictable and by-the-numbers.
6/10

Repeat Viewing

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987; John Hughes) - The older I get, the less Steve Martin's comedy schtick tends to work for me. I really find some of the jokes here a bit lame, but the great ending almost makes up for most of the shortcomings.
7/10

Hello again!

Only one of yours:

The Frighteners (1996, Peter Jackson) - Found it fairly entertaining. Great special effects for the time. That said, probably the worst of Jackson's horror films I've seen. 5/10

Very interested in both of the De Palma films you watched.

Mine:

The Killers (Don Siegel, 1964)

Two hitmen find a target and though he is given a chance, he doesn't run. One of them (played by Lee Marvin in a very well cast role) is bothered by this and begins an investigation into what led this man to behave in such a way. This is a grim little film, harsh and direct. It was apparently originally supposed to be a made for TV movie (and the way it is filmed shows this as it is extremely bright and has some… let's just say lazy camera work), that said the film was deemed way to violent for TV viewers and ended up with a theatrical release. It's not a perfect film by any means, but it's an enjoyable little crime drama with a strong cast and a cruel outlook. I have not seen the 1946 version of this film (which I hear is much better), but I gather they are very different. I hope to see it soon to compare and contrast them. 7/10

Orlando (Sally Potter, 1992)

I like this movie and that's frankly very disappointing as I really want to love it. I love the book which I read when I was a teenager and it has remained on my favorite list ever since. I think Swinton is wonderful in it and I love many of the visuals and the film presents. That said, it's one of those movies I wish I could enjoy more as something about it just doesn't quite work for me. I can't even really tell you what it is, just that it feels a bit too rushed and needed more time to fall into place. 6/10

Miracle in Milan (Vittorio De Sica, 1951)

The only one of De Sica's films I've seen prior to this one was Bicycle Thieves. I know he's know as one of the greatest from the Italian Neo-Realism movement, so this film may surprise people as it's very much a comedic fantasy. Yes, early on it has the feel of his other movies, but that takes a very different spin as it moves on. It's not as good of a film as Bicycle Thieves, but it is a far more enjoyable one filled with a good natured sense of humor and charm. 8/10

Angel Heart (Alan Parker, 1987)

"Alas... how terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the wise." Noir meets horror in this gem of a film. Twist, turns and a private eye in over his head. De Niro doesn't have much screen time, but he uses it perfectly. The tagline for it when it first came out was "Harry Angel is searching for the truth... Pray he doesn't find it." Quite fitting. 8/10

Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (Ernst Lubitsch, 1938)

Amusing little screwball comedy in which a woman realizes that her husband to-be has been married seven times previously. Each time he quickly falls in love with another girl and divorces his current wife. She devices a plan to get him to stay. Screenplay was by Billy Wilder and while it is by no means his (or Lubitsch's) best work, it does have a few good laughs. 6/10

Welcome back to another week of the BEST & WORST edition of 'what movies did you see last week?' thread. For those who haven't been part of it before, basically your host (me) posts my weekly movies and you can comment on those and list your movie for the same time frame. I will get back to you on yours and you can talk to other users here about their films. It's a great place to talk about film.

FIRST TIME FILM VIEWING

What Happened to Monday (2017, Tommy Wirkola)
Netflix 
Pretty good high concept film which is essentially a showcase for Noomi Rapace. It mostly works well enough abs I was never bored.
 6/10

The Stranger (2022, Thomas M. Right)
Netflix
This slow burn Australian true crime story has great performances but only really gets engaging in the last half hour.
 6/10

Barbarian (2022, Zach Cregger)
This horror film has an interesting almost anthology structure. Unfortunately it never gets better than the first segment.
5.5-6/10

Destroyer (2018, Karyn Kusama)
Bleak crime film starring Nicole Kidman. It takes a long time to get going but the bank heists are pretty well staged.
5/10

REPEAT FILM VIEWING 

Blow Out (1981, Brian De Palma)
blu ray
Brian De Palma’s masterpiece sees global superstar John Travolta go toe to toe with The directors camera work. Such a stunning film, it’s only let down is occasionally the score feels cheap and lazy.
8.5/10

The Edge (1997, Lee Tamahori)
Disney + 
Lee Tamahoris follow up to the acclaimed Once We’re Warriors is a very different film. It is an action adventure with an A-list cast and a sharp script. It also has some of the best action scenes with a bear ever filmed.
8/10
 
Dressed to Kill (1980, Brian De Palma)
UHD Disc
Stylish dream like thriller that holds your interest. Mostly holds up except for the unintentional psychological misdiagnosis in the film.
7-7.5/10

Passion (2012, Brian De Palma)
Passion is a return for De Palma to the familiar ground that he got his initial acclaim for. Unfortunately now it is lazier and with a budget that does not let him dazzle. Also he has repeated his film ending trope one too many times and now it just seems sad.
5/10

The Frighteners (1996, Peter Jackson)
This is one of Peter Jackson’s best films, it’s also a misfire. All the pieces are in place for better results but we end up with an overly shouty, messy film that wastes Michael J. Fox’s talents on a thinly written character who often plays second fiddle to special effects gags.
5/10

FIRST TIME DOCUMENTARY VIEWING

Conor McGregor: Notorious (2017, Gavin Fitzgerald)
Netflix
He is the biggest star in the history of Mixed Martial Arts. Filmed over the course of 4 years, Notorious is the exclusive, all-access account of Conor’s meteoric rise from claiming benefits and living in his parents’ spare room in Dublin to claiming multiple championship UFC belts and seven figure pay-packets in Las Vegas.
Solid Documentary 

WEEKLY FILM AWARDS

BEST FILM: Blow Out
BEST ACTOR: John Travolta - Blow Out
BEST ACTRESS: Noomi Rapace - What Happened to Monday
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Alec Baldwin - The Edge
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Angie Dickinson - Dressed to Kill
BEST EDITING: Paul Hirsch - Blow Out
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Vilmos Zsigmond - Blow Out
BEST SCORE: Jerry Goldsmith - The Edge
BEST SCRIPT: Brian De Palma - Blow Out
BEST DIRECTOR: Brian De Palma - Blow Out

10/10 - Perfection (or as close to it as possible)
09/10 - An Excellent film
08/10 - A VERY Good film
07/10 - A Good film
06/10 - A Solid film
05/10 - An Average film
04/10 - Below Average film
03/10 - A mostly bad film
02/10 - A mostly terrible film
01/10 - Awful through and through
00/10 - Not only awful but offensive too

Hi, Dark.

Interested in Barbarian. And I've been meaning to catch Destroyer for a while. 


Yours:

Blow Out 8/10

I like it, it's good. Loved Johan Travolta.

The Edge 7/10

I watched it ages ago. I remember thinking it was O.K.

Dressed to Kill 8/10

Yeah, pretty good. The beginning with Angie Dickinson, loved that, it's really fantastic. 

Passion 7.5/10

I enjoyed it actually. I mean, it's now one of De Palma's best, but still... I liked Rachel McAdams. And I really loved the split screen murder scene.

The Frighteners 6.5/10

Saw it really a long time ago. I remember thinking it wasn't bad, but not great either.


Mine:

Bodies Bodies Bodies 7.5/10

It's a thriller, it's about a girl joining her girlfriend and a group of rich friends of hers in a mansion in the woods owned by the family of one of them. They start playing a game during the nght, and then they start to get killed one by one. I enjoyed it, it's fun actually, it's a satire too. I liked Pete Davidson, I'm not a big fan, but I thought he was good. The twist in the end is a bit take it or leave it, though...

Angel Heart 8/10

Alan Parker movie, with Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro. It's about a two bit private detective in the 50s who gets hired by a mysterious man to find a singer kind of famous before WW2 and things get creepy fast. I hadn't seen it in long time, I like it, it's pretty good. I love the horror/film noir atmosphere. Also, Mickey Rourke is really good. I loved Lisa Bonet too. Charlotte Rampling maybe was a bit wasted.

Morocco 8/10

It's a movie by Josef Von Sternberg, with Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper. It's about a club singer who arrives in Morocco  and she finds herself divided between a soldier in the Foreign Legion and a rich French painter. I really liked it, I really liked the atmosphere. It's also pre-Code, so it's really sensual. Maybe it drags a bit in the middle, I loved the ending though. Marlene Dietrich was fantastic, such a movie star. I liked the actor who plays the painter too, Adolphe Menjou.

Nighthawks 7/10

It's a movie with Sylvester Stallone and Rutger Hauer, about a Ny cop having to stop a European terrorist who just arrived in US. It's not great or anything, but I thought it was O.K. Rutger Hauer is good.

Hello again!

Only one of yours:

The Frighteners (1996, Peter Jackson) - Found it fairly entertaining. Great special effects for the time. That said, probably the worst of Jackson's horror films I've seen. 5/10

Very interested in both of the De Palma films you watched.

Mine:

The Killers (Don Siegel, 1964)

Two hitmen find a target and though he is given a chance, he doesn't run. One of them (played by Lee Marvin in a very well cast role) is bothered by this and begins an investigation into what led this man to behave in such a way. This is a grim little film, harsh and direct. It was apparently originally supposed to be a made for TV movie (and the way it is filmed shows this as it is extremely bright and has some… let's just say lazy camera work), that said the film was deemed way to violent for TV viewers and ended up with a theatrical release. It's not a perfect film by any means, but it's an enjoyable little crime drama with a strong cast and a cruel outlook. I have not seen the 1946 version of this film (which I hear is much better), but I gather they are very different. I hope to see it soon to compare and contrast them. 7/10

Orlando (Sally Potter, 1992)

I like this movie and that's frankly very disappointing as I really want to love it. I love the book which I read when I was a teenager and it has remained on my favorite list ever since. I think Swinton is wonderful in it and I love many of the visuals and the film presents. That said, it's one of those movies I wish I could enjoy more as something about it just doesn't quite work for me. I can't even really tell you what it is, just that it feels a bit too rushed and needed more time to fall into place. 6/10

Miracle in Milan (Vittorio De Sica, 1951)

The only one of De Sica's films I've seen prior to this one was Bicycle Thieves. I know he's know as one of the greatest from the Italian Neo-Realism movement, so this film may surprise people as it's very much a comedic fantasy. Yes, early on it has the feel of his other movies, but that takes a very different spin as it moves on. It's not as good of a film as Bicycle Thieves, but it is a far more enjoyable one filled with a good natured sense of humor and charm. 8/10

Angel Heart (Alan Parker, 1987)

"Alas... how terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the wise." Noir meets horror in this gem of a film. Twist, turns and a private eye in over his head. De Niro doesn't have much screen time, but he uses it perfectly. The tagline for it when it first came out was "Harry Angel is searching for the truth... Pray he doesn't find it." Quite fitting. 8/10

Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (Ernst Lubitsch, 1938)

Amusing little screwball comedy in which a woman realizes that her husband to-be has been married seven times previously. Each time he quickly falls in love with another girl and divorces his current wife. She devices a plan to get him to stay. Screenplay was by Billy Wilder and while it is by no means his (or Lubitsch's) best work, it does have a few good laughs. 6/10

Not much but a little more after your review