I’m at a severe disadvantage as I’m not a dog owner, so I don’t connect with the movie like most people seem to.
1 Like
I knew wicked, but not wick
Northern Ireland only, it’s been around as long as I remember, and way before ‘wicked’ in it’s slang definition. 
A nice gentle put down, much preferable to ‘It sucks’, which is now used innocently, but quite obviously is derived from ‘sucks cocks’ … not the best thing to hear young children saying.
First Man (2019, Damien Chazelle)
½
A adaptation of the biographical novel by J.R. Hansen, telling the story of astronaut Neil Armstrong, who would become the first man on the moon. It was a project of both director Damien Chazelle and actor Ryan Gosling, who had previously collaborated on the award winning La La Land. Steven Spielberg served as executive director.
Technically the movie is top-notch; some of its visuals - notably those of the trip and the tests that led up to it - are breathtaking, but still you get the feeling that something is missing. As beautiful as it is, the movie fails to create a feeling of immediacy, the illusion that we’re witnessing a historic event instead of a recreation of it. Maybe we’re just too familiar with those original black and white images and creaky voices to accept Ryan Gosling as the first man walking on the moon in full color and in widescreen. This feeling leaves an otherwise expertly made movie with a certain amount of aloofness.
What the movie does show - very convincingly - is how dangerous the undertaking was and what price was paid by everybody involved in it (the people as well as the nation). And it scores with a few intimate moments, like when Armstrong must admit to his children that he might die in space and that it might well be the last time that his two sons see their father.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
A reboot of the series of movies featuring Jack Ryan - the character created by Tom Clancy - often called the neo-con version of Jason Bourne. It opens with images of 9/11, but the villains are Russian, not Arabic. Directed by Shakespeare actor/director Kenneth Branagh, who also plays the Russian crime boss (he must have been looking for something completely different). The movie has a slow start, then builds up some tension halfway through, but eventually goes haywire in a hysterical finale. Kevin Costner and Keira Knightley have a lot of screen-time, but not enough to do.
US Marshals (1998, Stuart Baird)
A spin-off to The Fugitive, and again a movie about a manhunt. Like in Sergio Sollima’s The Big Gundown the hunter (Tommy Lee Jones) starts having doubts about the guilt of the man he’s persecuting (Wesley Snipes). Well-crafted, but overlong and very loud, with some tongue-in-cheek humor that doesn’t pay off. When Wesley Snipes dominates a movie also starring Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Downey Jr., you know characterizations must be very basic.
Samsara (2012, Ron Fricke) ½
A non-verbal documentary, directed by Ron Fricke. Don’t know him? He is the cinematographer of the legendary Koyaanisqatsi. Samsara is the third part of a trilogy (the other parts being Baraka and Chronos) all non-verbal documentaries in the same style, all trying to recreate some of the magic of Koyaanisqatsi. Like one critic wrote, Samasara (‘The Wheel of Life’ in Sanskrit) is ‘as beautiful as it is frustrating’. It was filmed over a period of 5 years in 25 countries and we get images of natural wonders, industrial areas, sacred grounds, life and death, etc. but while Koyaanisqatsi made you look at things (even the most common things) in a completely different, unexpected way, Samsara is just a succession of (admittedly) incredibly beautiful images. And there’s no score by Philip Glass. A visual meditation that goes on far too long.
Piranha 3DD (2012, John Gulager) ½ (a star)
A man needs a good piece of trash once in a while. This sequel to a sequel (Piranha 3D) is most certainly trash, but doesn’t fall in the category so bad it’s good. It begins well with a pre-credit sequence featuring Gary Busey as a victim biting back (don’t miss that scene), but soon loses itself in flat self-parody, with David Hasselhoff playing himself and some of the most tasteless jokes you’ll ever see. Hasselhoff’s self mockery is as successful as his face lifts. Even Christopher Lloyd failed to make me smile.
Toy Story 4 (2019, Josh Cooley)
Many had the impression that the well had dried up after Toy Story 3 (2010), but nine years later, Pixar and Disney came up with a fourth part that probably even tops the three previous entries. It’s beautifully animated, witty, inventive and heartfelt, one of the best animated features in recent history. feels like a perfect conclusion of the saga, but after all these raving comments (and the unexpected box-office results), they’ll probably feel like creating a fifth adventure of Woody and his friends.
House (Hausu, 1977) - got some recommendations to watch this japanese cult horror. It has some interesting moments and unusual storytelling techniques, but I think some filmmakers should stay away from drugs intake while shooting movies. 2,5/5
Samurai - Alain Deloin and Melville. Not bad, but I somehow expected more. Nice soundtrack and cinematography. 3,5/5
Unforgiven - Clint’s last western still holds up pretty well. Finally watched it in hd. Final shootout could be longer. Really like the scenes with Richard Harris aka English Bob. 5/5
Ballad Of Lefty Brown - I just hate CG gunsmoke. And badly directed chaotic shootouts. Bill Pullman plays an underdog western hero wannabe and I must say it did get on my nerves after a while. The whole ending is ridiculous. 2/5
This one is on my to watch pile … dear me
But people mostly appreciate it, so, maybe it is just me.
1 Like
Last 10
- Argento: Suspiria 8/10
- Corbucci: The Mercenary 8/10
- Aldrich: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? 8/10
- Zvyagintsev: Leviathan 5/10
- Villeneuve: Enemy 7/10
- Tarantino: Hateful Eight 8/10
- Stiller: Erotikon 5/10
- Franco: Hot Nights of Linda 6/10
- D’amato: Emanuelle in America 7/10
- Mäkinen: Pi…pil…pilleri 6/10
1 Like
I absolutely loved this one, myself.
Fantastic movies both. I like Suspiria a little more each time I see it. The Mercenary is a little different for me inasmuch as I’m almost never in the mood to see it but whenever I decide that, alright, I’ll give it another try, I always enjoy it immensely. Weird.
Still never seen this one, regrettably. It’s one I feel I really should get to ASAP, it gets almost universal praise.
Last 20:
Cabeleira (1963)
Grande Sertão (1965)
Riacho do Sangue (1966)
Gangaceiros de Lampião (1967)
Meu nome e Lampaio (1969)
Corisco, o Diabo Louro (1969)
Quelé do Pajeú (1970)
A Vingança Dos Doze (1970)
Faustão, o Cangaceiro do Rei (1971)
Jesuíno Brilhante, O Cangaceiro (1972)
Fogo Morto (1976)
Body and Soul (1947) 7/10
Farewell, My Lovely (1975) 7,5/10
Dark is Death’s Friend (1975) 6/10
Prime Cut (1972) 6,5/10
The Day of the Triffids (1963) 7,5/10
Django (1966) 8,5/10
The Proposition (2005) 6/10
Sweet Country (2017) 6,5/10
Annihilation (2018) 6/10
1 Like
Pickpocket (Bresson, 1959) - 5/5
Modern Times (Chaplin, 1936) - 5/5
High Sierra (1941, Walsh) - 3.5/5
8 1/2 (Fellini, 1963) - 5/5
Frau im Mond (Lang, 1929) - 3.5/5
The Last Laugh (Murnau, 1924) - 3.5/5
The Passion of the Christ (Gibson, 2004) - 3.5/5
Suspicion (Hitchcock, 1941) - 3/5
Stalag 17 (Wilder, 1953) - 4.5/5
The Awful Truth (1937, McCarey) - 3.5/5
To be or Not to be (Lubitsch, 1942) - 4/5
Captain Blood (Curtiz, 1935) - 4/5
Mildred Pierce (Curtiz, 1945) - 4.5/5
The Breaking Point (Curtiz, 1950) - 4.5/5
The Charge of the Light Brigade (Curtiz, 1936) - 3.5/5
Ugetsu (Mizoguchi, 1953) - 4/5
Reservoir Dogs (Tarantino, 1992) - 4.5/5
The Passion of Joan of Arc (Dreyer, 1928) - 5/5
L’Avventura (Antonioni, 1960) - 3/5
Wild Strawberries (Bergman, 1957) - 4/5
The Cat and the Canary (Leni, 1927) - 4/5
3 Likes
Kwaidan (Kobayashi, '64)
Masterful use of colour and sound. Slow and haunting.
The assistant director describes Kobayashi’s remarkable collaborative directorial approach, exploiting the creative talents of all by only describing what he wanted in general terms and leaving them to make the choices.
1 Like
Great film, and the Criterion blu-ray is absolutely stunning.
It is indeed.
Repo Man by Alex Cox
A cult movie. At least in US. I was looking forward to finally see it and now when I did, my reaction is typically european. What the hell is so special about it? 3/5 at best, and I’m not sure why I’m rating it that high.
Same.
I think people see it as brilliant just because it’s weird.
1 Like
I remember enjoying it on release but don’t feel compelled to see it again - the litmus test for the unsuperficial.
me neither
I used to watch Repo Man frequently when I was a teenager. I still enjoy it for what it is. It’s not a masterpiece, so if you expect that, you’re going to be disappointed. It’s just a bit of fun.