The Last Movie You Watched?

I watched Marnie back in January. Have to say I thought it was good in places, but overall pretty average by Hitchcock’s standards. The scene with the horse and the brick wall was badly done.

Some good scenes, but not a great film. One of those films that are way overlong and are so slow that they look even longer than way overlong

Akira (1988) - My first ever manga film. It’s an impressive film but quite confusing at the same time. Quite scary that the film set in 2019 predicted that Tokyo would have the Olympic Games in 2020.

BELLE DE JOUR - The famous Bunuel film. Thought it lacked the grittiness and raw realism that a movie with this concept probably needs. Just OK…

BUDDIES - Enjoyable 80s drama with lots of comedic elements. Really like the character of Colin Friels. Good old aussie cinema.

BELLE DE JOUR has a great name and isn’t a bad movie, but it’s not Buñuel’s best, not by a long shot.

I think it is.
Apart maybe from Un chien andalou, but that’s only a short film.

My favorite is probably Viridiana, but I could mention four or five films that I prefer to Belle De Jour.
I wouldn’t call it ‘just OK’; like Ion did, it’s a good movie, but I never understood the ‘greatness’ of it (I think I watched it three times)

ACT OF VENGEANCE - A group of young girls that have been raped by the same guy form a squad and take the law on their hands since the police are unable to do something about it. Pretty standard stuff, not totally unwatchable though. Jo Ann Harris in the leading role looked great and her acting was not too trashy either.

Yeah, one of my all time favourites, you can see where my avatar is from

Le Deuxieme Souffle (1966) Second Breath- Jean-Pierre Melville
Had not seen this one before. It’s not a masterpiece nor it is one of Melville’s best but still, it’s a great piece of work nevertheless. Not much on action in this crime drama, but i liked the way the story unfolds at it’s own pace and liked Lino Ventura who didn’t disappoint with his performance.

Yes, good film but not one of Melville’s best. Haven’t seen it in quite a while though, so maybe I’ll change my mind rewatching it.

WEEK END by Godard. Is this the result of tons of drug use? Is it the work of a genius? Or am I too dumb to grasp the meaning of all this madness? I don’t know what’s the general consensus for this film. for me it was plain torture and maybe the shittiest one I’ve seen the last few months.

Actually Week End, in my opinion, was perhaps the last interesting thing he did, even if it works only as an allegory, but yes a tricky film, if we considered it as a film

LIFE OF BRIAN (1979, Terry Jones)

Monty Python’s zany satire on religion, telling the story of a boy called Brian who is mistaken for the Messiah. Not too much story, more a succession of funny (and not so funny) vignettes, featuring several Jewish independence movements, false prophets, sandals, centurions, a Pontius Pilate with a speech impediment and even a space ship. Yes, a space ship. The film promted some furious discussions at home and abroad and was banned in several countries such as Ireland and Norway. It has often been called blasphemous - even by some of the Pythons themselves - but most of the satire is aimed at religious zelotism rather than spirituality.

I hadn’t seen the film in over twenty years and wondered if it would hold up. It does, and then again it doesn’t . There are several hilarious moments and they’re actually so funny that they have become part of the cultural comedy legacy of mankind, but some of the witticisms seem too laborious while other, more promising jokes are squeezed out to a point that the comedy falls flat. Among the highlights: the correction of the anti-Roman slogans („Romani ite domum!“), the What-have-the Romans-ever-done-for-us? discussion, the Biggus-Dickus conversation and of course the ending, Always look on the bright side of life.

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Rewatched it some weeks ago, after more than two decades, and I totally agree with your assessment. My favourite Monty Python movie is their hilarious medieval romp, The Knights of the Coconut, er, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Loved it as a teenager, still do.

The 33 (2015) D-Patricia Riggen

I just finished watching this and what a pleasant surprise this film turned out to be. It’s based on the true story of the mining disaster that happened in Chile. The cast, direction and storyline was spot on- Antonio Banderas was dramatically good but ( as usual ) he overacted in some scenes and Lou Diamond Phillips was also good and IMO he steals every scene that he’s in. Overall, it was entertaining and heartfelt.

SNOWPIERCER (2013, Bong joon-ho)

Global warming? Maybe the cure will be more serious than the disease. In Snowpiercer a failed ecological experiment (to neutralize global warming) has thrown the world into a new ice age and killed most of the population. The only survivors live on a train that is traveling around the globe, piercing the ice and snow of the permafrost. Within the train a class system has been installed, but a group of low-class citizens - living in the rear departments - starts working their revolutionary way to the front, where the upper class is leading a life of luxury - at least that what the revolutionaries think …

Snowpiercer was well-received by both critics and moviegoers and I won’t say it’s bad, but the combination of post-apocalyptic SF, social comment and graphic violence didn’t really work for me. It’s a Korean movie, but it was largely filmed in English, with an international cast and somehow that combination didn’t help either. Some good ideas, but a lot of bombastic nonsense and the silly, often totally inept comedy almost kills it. Tilda Swindon is completely wasted in a downright laughable role. A lot of money went into it and it shows: the production design is truly magnifent, with every new car revealing a new world. True fans of PA might have more positive thoughts about it.

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Based upon a “bande dessinée” written by the great Jacques Lob, whose L’Homme au landau is a truly magnificent work of self-deprecating, nasty humour. Not to mention his Batmax. Gimme hope, Jo’anna!

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I noticed that it was based on a French bande dessinée, but since I’ve never read it, I seemed wiser not to refer to it in my text. I can imagine that the cartoon is a lot better.

Found Le Transperceneige, the movie’s “bédé” basis, rather pretentious and heavy-handed in its use of metaphors and allegories. Not among my favourite Lob comics, I prefer his humoristic stuff. Haven’t seen the film, and your review isn’t very encouraging to do so soon.