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Post by nostromo on Nov 19, 2018 9:08:50 GMT
'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs' (2018) There's some typical Coen brothers wry comedy and some good dialogue. Certain parts of the film look very nice, especially the Tom Waits prospector segment which was a highlight. But the latter part of the film drags a bit and is not as engaging as the first 2 or 3 segments. There is also, unusually, some poor lip dubbing unless my eyes were deceiving me. 6.5/10
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Post by kijii on Nov 20, 2018 0:27:36 GMT
Boy Erased (2018) / Joel Edgerton Seen at the movies
I don't know what I was expecting from this movie, but I didn't get much more from it than I already knew. I guess I thought that with three Oscared performers--Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, and Russell Crowe--at the top of the cast list, the movie would be more moving than it was. But, this might have made a better TV movie than a regular feature film.
In any case, the story, set in Arkansas, left me with no new insights, thoughts, or feelings....about either adolescents trying to understand their sexual identity or the fact that evangelical "social programs" can be more hurtful than helpful in this process.
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Post by kijii on Nov 20, 2018 2:53:36 GMT
Hud (1963) / Martin Ritt Rented from Amazon PrimeI guess I have seen this movie about four times. In fact, I have seen it so many times that I have memorized some of the dialogue: Hud Bannon (Paul Newman): My momma used to love me, but she died.
Homer Bannon (Melvyn Douglas): You're an unprincipled man Hud. Hud Bannon: Don't let that worry you none. You got enough for both of us.
This black-and-white widescreen movie, based on Larry McMurtry's novel, like The Last Picture Show (1971), was made for black-and-white in that it captures Texas in the 50s and 60s. The story is simple but the characterizations are strong and lasting. The movie was nominated for seven Oscars and received three: Patricia Neal for Best Supporting Actress, Melvyn Douglas for Best Supporting Actor and James Wong Howe for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White. (I like the way he captures wide open spaces and pulls back to show figures standing out in relief.) Who can forget the scene in which Homer is forced to kill all of his cattle by driving them into a home-made ditch and shooting them because they where infected with hoof and mouth disease. This is a scene that destroys a man's life's work and love: Hud Bannon : [about selling oil leases for his land] My daddy thinks oil is something you stick in your salad dressing. Homer Bannon : If there's oil down there, you can get it sucked up after I'm under there with it. There'll be no holes punched in this land while I'm here. They ain't gonna come in and grade no roads so the wind can blow me away. What's oil to me? What can I do with a bunch of oil wells? I can't ride out every day and prowl amongst 'em like I can my cattle. I can't breed 'em or tend 'em or rope 'em or chase 'em or nothing. I can't feel a smidgen of pride in 'em 'cause they ain't none of my doing. Hud Bannon : There's money in it. Homer Bannon : I don't want that kind of money. I want mine to come from something that keeps a man doing for himself.There are four main character types in this movie: 1) Homer ((Melvyn Douglas) - the idealist father who dislikes what his son has become 2) Hud (Paul Newman) - his rebellious son (did someone once tell me that Newman never played the villian?) 3) Lonnie (Brandon De Wilde) - Homer's grandson and Hud's nephew who admires them both for what they are, or aren't. 4) Alam (Patricia Neal) - The maid and housekeeper who has been bitten by men before and knows a thing or two about men. TCM Synopsis with SPOILERS:Hud Bannon, the selfish, self-centered son of veteran Texas cattleman Homer Bannon, is despised by his father, a man of staunch integrity whose philosophy of life is diametrically opposed to Hud's. Homer's bitterness in part rests on his son's responsibility for an auto accident 15 years earlier that resulted in the death of Hud's older brother; the brother's orphaned son, Lon, now 17 years old, is divided between adolescent adulation of Hud and loving respect for his grandfather. Also living on the ranch is Alma, an earthy housekeeper physically attracted to Hud but unwilling to yield to his boorish advances. One of Homer Bannon's cows is found dead, apparently from hoof-and mouth disease, and Hud suggests they sell the entire herd before a government inspector can order the cattle slaughtered; but Homer refuses and agrees to have his cows killed to protect other farmers. Hud regards the decision as proof of the old man's senility and takes steps to have his father declared mentally incompetent. Hud goes on a drunk and attempts to rape Alma, but Lon interrupts him, and Alma leaves the ranch the following day. Homer is then stricken by a fatal heart attack while riding on horseback around his deserted land. After the funeral, Lon, now fully aware of his uncle's despicable nature, decides to leave and make his own way in the world. Totally alone, Hud watches the boy depart, shrugs his shoulders, and opens a can of beer.
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Post by them1ghtyhumph on Nov 20, 2018 3:36:43 GMT
Fracture. 8/10
Gosling has to make more movies like this. Of course, Anthony Hopkins was great also
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Post by Primemovermithrax Pejorative on Nov 20, 2018 8:04:31 GMT
RED SUN 1971 - Charles Bronson escorts Toshiro Mifune through the Old West to find a stolen sword. Fine example of Euro cinema free of Hollywood bs. The duel between Comanche warrior and samurai is a highlight.
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Post by nostromo on Nov 20, 2018 9:36:20 GMT
'Burning' (2018) Hailed as the movie of the year in some places, I was eager to see it. It's a mystery thriller set in South Korea. While it doesn't quite live up to the masterpiece tag I've seen in some reviews, there are some really great Hitchcockian moments and some glacial pacing. It's packed with metaphors of politics, guilt, betrayal, freedom, the class divide. There are also a few confusing scenes that just didn't make sense to me. Maybe they went over my head. I feel 2017s' Loveless' was a more concise look at a nation's state and the effect on its society. Still good - but maybe I expected a bit too much. 7/10
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Post by kijii on Nov 20, 2018 15:27:38 GMT
THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS (2018). 9 out of 10. Highly Recommended. Their second western is another one-of-a-kind gem from the Coen brothers. I'll be looking for it!!
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Post by kijii on Nov 20, 2018 16:38:02 GMT
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Post by teleadm on Nov 20, 2018 18:43:03 GMT
Max et les ferrailleurs aka Max and the Junkmen 1971, directed by Claude Sautet, based on a novel by Claude Néron, staring Michel Piccoli, Romy Schneider, François Périer, Georges Wilson, Boby Lapointe, Philippe Léotard and others. French crime-drama. Max (Piccoli) is a Paris detective, aloof, independently wealthy, and frustrated by gangs of robbers whom he cannot catch. To re-establish his stature and save face, he decides to inveigle a group of petty thieves (led by an old acquaintance) to rob a bank. A reluctant captain provides Max intelligence and Max starts spending evenings with Lilly (Schneider), a prostitute who's the girlfriend of the group's leader. He poses as a rich banker with money to burn and encourages Lilly to think about her future. He hints at a payroll that comes through his bank. The plot works, the petty thieves think they're ready for a big score, and the cops are in place... Very well made movie that took me by surprice, a bit confusing as it builds up it's story, but as the movie goes along all the bits and pieces falls into place. Piccoli stands out as Max and carries this movie. Great use of Paris (Navarre suburbs) and Lille locations. Since they don't talk too much it was easy to follow with subtitles. A bit like a fish out of water compared to director Sautet's normal output, but he had done movies like this earlier in his career, and even wrote a script for a OSS 117 agent movie.
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Post by vegalyra on Nov 20, 2018 18:58:05 GMT
Get Carter (1971) Still an amazing film after all these years.
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Post by ZolotoyRetriever on Nov 20, 2018 20:19:13 GMT
Miracle Mile (1988). Directed by Steve De Jarnatt, with Athony Edwards, Mare Winningham, John Aga, Mykelt Williamson, Denise Crosby, et al. DVR'd from MGM HD telecast. First-time viewing for me.
Absorbing, if a bit uneven, surreal tale of a hypothetical nuclear war breaking out, with L.A. being a target. The movie starts out on a whimsical and innocent vibe, but things gradually descend into a sort of creeping dread, followed shortly thereafter by chaos and horror. It makes me want to paraphrase that quote about bankruptcy from Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises (1926), along these lines: "How did the nuclear war start?"... "Gradually and then suddenly."
Anyway, it plays like a night-and-day in the life of some random people caught up in a nuclear war, and you realize that you do NOT want to ever be in their shoes. The film is 30 years old, but is still highly effective. If you haven't seen it, give it a shot.
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Post by OldAussie on Nov 21, 2018 6:24:21 GMT
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Post by teleadm on Nov 21, 2018 18:25:15 GMT
Jezebel 1938, directed by William Wyler, based on a play by Owen Davis, staring Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent, Margaret Lindsay, Fay Bainter, Donald Crisp, Richard Cromwell, Henry O'Neill, Spring Byington, John Litel and others. Romantic drama of the kind they don't do anymore. In 1850s Louisiana, a free-spirited Southern belle loses her fiancé due to her stubborn vanity and pride, and vows to win him back. Too modern for the conventions of the Old South is what Julie/Bette Davis actually is, but also being stubborn is also what makes her whole life backfire on her. Playing her little games she loses both men, one marries another, and the other dies in a gentleman's duel. I like how this movie just starts, bang, no backstory or anything, we are throwned right into it's story. This is the movie were Bette went from star to superstardom. Fonda and Brent are good foils for her little games, Fonda was in his early part of his career. Wyler's expert direction also elevates every scene to important moments. John Huston was one of the screenwriters, by the way. Does this mirror how the Old South looked like? Offcourse not, this is a highly romanticised version of that era, and why not? Well, it's only a movie. I enjoyed watching it at least, but the impact it once had might have diminished a bit, and Davis refined this kind of roles over the years to come. The movie won two Oscars, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Bette Davis) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Fay Bainter). It was olso nominated for Best Picture, Cinematography and Music Scoring.
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Post by petrolino on Nov 21, 2018 18:36:55 GMT
Jezebel 1938, directed by William Wyler, based on a play by Owen Davis, staring Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent, Margaret Lindsay, Fay Bainter, Donald Crisp, Richard Cromwell, Henry O'Neill, Spring Byington, John Litel and others. Romantic drama of the kind they don't do anymore. In 1850s Louisiana, a free-spirited Southern belle loses her fiancé due to her stubborn vanity and pride, and vows to win him back. Too modern for the conventions of the Old South is what Julie/Bette Davis actually is, but also being stubborn is also what makes her whole life backfire on her. Playing her little games she loses both men, one marries another, and the other dies in a gentleman's duel. I like how this movie just starts, bang, no backstory or anything, we are throwned right into it's story. This is the movie were Bette went from star to superstardom. Fonda and Brent are good foils for her little games, Fonda was in his early part of his career. Wyler's expert direction also elevates every scene to important moments. John Huston was one of the screenwriters, by the way. Does this mirror how the Old South looked like? Offcourse not, this is a highly romanticised version of that era, and why not? Well, it's only a movie. I enjoyed watching it at least, but the impact it once had might have diminished a bit, and Davis refined this kind of roles over the years to come. The movie won two Oscars, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Bette Davis) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Fay Bainter). It was olso nominated for Best Picture, Cinematography and Music Scoring.
Great movie. Nice piece, thanks (enjoying your musings on Claude Sautet too).
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Post by kijii on Nov 21, 2018 21:15:44 GMT
Seen on DVD
This movie is more about early 60s jazz in Paris than anything else. Although Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Sidney Poitier, and Diahann Carroll all have lead roles in the movie, the love stories are secondary to the jazz. [Newman and Woodward were relative newlyweds when they made this movie after falling in love while making Martin Ritt's The Long, Hot Summer (1958).]
Newman and Poitier seem to like the freedom to create jazz on Left Bank of Paris, freedom that could they could not find in the US at the time. Woodward and Carroll simply play two American girlfriends touring Paris when they happen to meet Newman and Poitier at the jazz club.
Duke Ellington received an Oscar nomination for his film score. Louis Armstrong had a great scene at the club where Newman and Poitier played. Armstrong was great in how he coaxed and lead the players in the jazz ensemble at the club to improvise off of from his riffs.
Ram Bowen (Paul Newman) : You just picked the wrong guy for what you wanted. Lillian Corning ( Joanne Woodward): Yeah? Ram Bowen : Yeah. I'm not on the market. Lillian Corning : I wasn't shopping.
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Post by ZolotoyRetriever on Nov 21, 2018 22:14:54 GMT
Pray for Death (1985). Directed by Gordon Hessler, with Shô Kosugi, James Booth, Donna Kei Benz, Norman Burton, Michael Constantine, and Shane & Kane Kosugi. DVR’d from MGM HD telecast. First-time viewing.
Offbeat action flick featuring Japanese martial arts expert Shô Kosugi as a modern-day Ninja who moves with his young family from Japan to America, settling in L.A. to run a restaurant, where he inadvertently ends up tangling with local mobsters who are involved in a jewel heist gone bad. Increasing violence and retributions ensue, leading to an interesting final showdown.
Lots of good action scenes, albeit some sequences seem like they were lifted straight from a cartoon feed. James Booth is particularly odious as the mob heavy. The star’s two young sons, Shane and Kane, do a good job with their respective roles in the film, and give some counterbalance to the other violence and mayhem going on.
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Post by OldAussie on Nov 22, 2018 4:38:58 GMT
Not a movie, but any way, it's the best 18 hours of new viewing I've had in years. After 9 episodes I thought "this is really good, maybe even 9/10." After the tenth episode it was 10/10. Brilliant and nicely balanced - the experience from every side is examined.
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Post by ZolotoyRetriever on Nov 22, 2018 6:01:01 GMT
Simon of the Desert (1965). Directed by Luis Buñuel, with Claudio Brook, Silvia Pinal, et al. DVR’d from recent TCM telecast.
Very odd tale about a bearded ascetic who, in order to better communicate with God, stands atop a stone pillar in the middle of nowhere. He’s been there literally for years and years, and is sustained by various locals who not only bring him food and water, but also bother him with religious questions and pleas for miraculous cures that they feel he, with help from God, can grant.
To spice things up, the Devil himself (or herself, as the case may be), makes intermittent appearances in various guises, trying to trick and tempt the pious Simon.
At only about 43 minutes long, this is really more a short than a feature film. Word is that Buñuel wanted to make this a full-length film, but simply ran out of money during production, so had to wrap it up quickly.
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Post by ZolotoyRetriever on Nov 22, 2018 6:45:31 GMT
Central Airport (1933). Directed by William A. Wellman, with Richard Barthelmess, Sally Eilers, Tom Brown et al. DVR’d from recent TCM telecast. 2nd viewing for me.
I first saw this one a long time ago - also courtesy of TCM - and can barely remember any of it, which is surprising, because it’s not exactly a “forgettable” movie. No, it’s got some great early-1930s aviation scenes in it, with then-current airplanes and technology (much of which looks comically primitive by today’s standards).
The final scenario - a heroic rescue of a downed passenger plane in the middle of a storm-tossed ocean, followed by a trip back to a thickly fogged-in airport - is actually pretty good for its time. Sally Eilers provides some pleasing eye-candy throughout.
The story itself is a bit trite, but all in all it’s a very good film for aviation history buffs, with a glimpse of the way things were in the aviation world some 85 years ago. It also makes me wonder: how will our current aviation technology look to movie-goers, some 85 years from now?
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Post by nostromo on Nov 22, 2018 9:16:43 GMT
'BlacKkKlansman' (2018) It's a poignant, relevant take on America then and now, as well as being hugely anti Trump. The end segment is quite moving. But as a crime comedy thriller, it's not anything special at all.
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