I thought 3 Billboards was the best film I’ve seen in quite a while.
It delivered on every level for me.
In Bruges was another excellent film from McDonagh. 7 Psychopaths not so.
The Shape of Water (2017, Guillermo del Toro)
I had not planned to see it, at least not in theatres, but I was in the company of somebody who desperately wanted to see it before it would get all those Oscars, so I decided to give it a try. What shall I say? It was a bit better than I had expected, but like most of this director’s work, it didn’t do much for me.
Most of you will know that it tells a story about an impossible love. In most classic love stories of this type - Romeo & Juliet, The Mill on the Floss, Titanic - the barriers are social, but in the case of Del Toro’s movie they are biological and - this is probably the most original angle - the lovers manage to overcome the ultimate barrier: Love literally overcomes Death, the lovers literally live happily ever after. That’s all okay, this is a fairy tale with horror overtones, The Beauty and the Beast with a sniff of the Frankenstein myth (and some religious overtones). The problem - at least my problem - is that you sense that the movie is desperately trying to say something, no doubt something of great importance. I don’t care for messages, at least not in movies. Messages belong in bottles, if I need one, I pick one up at the seashore.
If you’ll look past the gloss, you’ll notice that The Shape of Water is a rather empty audience pleaser that is not as original as it may seem. But it’s wonderfully acted and beautifully made, and its sugary message will no doubt please moviegoers and Academies. Four Oscars you say? Thought so.
3 out of 5
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The Florida Project
Wow. What a triumph. A fantastic film.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017, Martin McDonagh)
The premise of Three Billboards (etc.) is quite simple: months have passed since a young girl was brutally raped and murdered and the police seems to have given up the case. Her mother then hires three billboards outside town to accuse the local chief of police of negligence … and all hell breaks loose …
What kind of movie is this? A black comedy? Or is it a serious drama that is at the same time funny? Whatever it is, it is well-made and tremendously well-acted. This is a better movie than The Shape of Water, its major rival in the Oscar race for Best Picture, but it’s not flawless either.
Writer/director McDonagh skillfully plays with people’s expectations, revealing layer after layer of both the movie’s plot and characters. The story will most certainly keep you hooked, but some of its contrivances seem a little absurd. Three Billboards is about traumatic experiences people are unable to forget, but most characters seem strangely unaffected by what’s happening to them (or to others) in the course of the movie. Emotions are strong, but of short duration. You can burn down a police station and even a person who nearly died in the fire won’t bear a grudge against you. And like one critic wrote: the conclusion seems to be that it’s okay to be a cunt, but not a dick.
7/10
4K remestered version of 2001: Space Odyssey. Big screen, under the starry sky (I posted picture of the theatre somewhere on the forum). The sky was actually not very starry, but in the end it showed mercy, only few drops of rain barely touched us.
It was a part of Fantastic Zagreb Film Festival, which among new movies featured 8 classics. One of them was Once upon a time in the West, but I was out of town that day 
http://2018.fantastic-zagreb.com/filmski-program/cult-classics/?lang=en
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Sicario 2: Good, but not as energetic as the first one
Sollima Jr. has made a very solid hollywood debut.
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Mission Impossible: Fallout. What a balls to the wall avalanche of awesome. Haha that’s how it’s done. Watch out 007. 4/5
I went to see Hotel Transylvania 3 with my 10 years old daughter about 3 weeks ago and it was fun
Don’t get to the cinema much these days - 3 this year?
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Shape of Water (felt much the same about it as scherpschutter).
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The Square (Ruben Östlund) - look out scherpschutter, this movie does have a message which it delivers with punch and panache.
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Last week, Incredibles 2: brilliant piece of entertainment, matching the strengths of the original without being repetitive.
I saw Christopher Nolan’s new 70 mm print of Kubrick’s 2001 yesterday. Being an ardent admirer of that film ever since I first watched it on VHS in 1984, I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday’s viewing experience. It was nothing but jubilant.
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Argento’s Deep Red 
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Who will be checking out Clint at 88 as The Mule?
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The voice over sounds like Eastwood is making an actual confession for his real life !? … “I swear, it’s the last one” … “I chose work over family” … “I was a terrible husband”
I always want so much to like Clint’s movies, and although his acting and directing have improved over the last 20 years … there’s always that nagging feeling that I’m watching the film out of affection for the person rather than the film for it’s own entertainment value - perhaps the two can’t be separated.
Since his turn around in '91 with ‘Unforgiven’, he seems to have changed gears and maybe realised it’s ok to pay for good quality co-stars … I always felt that previously there was a vanity issue, because he never appeared with any significant A list actors in his own productions … is he tight with money ? I think so … ok, there was Burt Reynolds in ‘City Heat’, but I have never got past 20 minutes on that one … so bad.
On the trailer we can hear what is now his trademark “Music” … a non musician tinkling on a piano, is not a musical score … it’s a self indulgence.
Despite my reservations, I hope this will be a triumphant swansong for the old guy. 
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The Mule trailer brings to mind 5 distinct movies or tv series.
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Breaking Bad…Eastwood breaks bad .
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The Old Man and the Gun…Which featured 82 year old Robert Redford
breaking the law for big bucks
3, Grand Torino … For the 2008 version of possible real life
confessions Aldo mentions above.
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Tightrope…Which also featured daughter Alison Eastwood
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Francis in the Navy… Eastwood coming full circle.
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Just got back home from a screening of Silent Night, Deadly Night at the local cinema
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Decided it was a good year to revive the old tradition of going to the cinema for Christmas, since I’ve longed stopped going to the theaters as they cost so much. We have an Alamo Drafthouse in town now and its an excellent theater, so I’d like to start going more. Just wish they’d show some spaghettis, at least a Leone…
But today I saw a total piece of shite - Mary Queen of Scots - I generally am not into royalty themed films (or royalty in general), but my girlfriend loves them so I thought I’d take her to see this today. An unfortunate waste of enough cash to buy a few blu rays… we both thought it was garbage.
The 1971 version is good stuff … with a top John Barry score, rousing stuff. Had no idea there was another recent release - Well, there’s that trend again of remaking, or the bullshit term, ‘reimagining’ of something that wasn’t broken or needed fixed.
This once die-hard cinema goer gave up about 10 years ago after years of seeing miserable crap at the theatre. Always feel pissed off and cheated when you expect at least a modicum of entertainment value !!!
Maybe I’ll get that one to watch with the lady… she loves this stuff.
I’ve always loved going to the movies so much… I want to start again, but the stuff being released now doesn’t make it easy with the ridiculous prices. The new theatre here is really nice though, with very large screens. The prices tho… insane
Yeah, cinema ain’t cheap anymore, but the films are still usually good or even great, at least good fun. There were so many interesting films this year I did not find the time for … I hope I will find more time the next years, but home cinema is always a fine alternative.
Whatever, I still enjoy it to watch films with other people, and I hope I will never ever stop going to the theatres.
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