Movies you've just watched

[emphatic]

Polito was in the 1986-1988 show Crime Story (created by Michael Mann) set in Chicago and later Las Vegas. My dad was contacted by Mann's people to use his car (1957 Chrysler 300c) in the show, and it wound up being Dennis Farina's personal car in the TV show. Like 15 years ago WTTW (PBS) did this special on historical Chicago, and they contacted by dad again to use his car because the guests were Anthony Dennison and Jon Polito. So in the special, Dennison and Polito are driving around Chicago with my dad in the back seat. It was cool but embarrassing at the same time. [/coolstorybro]

That is awesome. I really loved Crime Story, I remember getting hooked on it as Andrew Dice Clay was a regular.

[Lord British]

Polito was in the 1986-1988 show Crime Story (created by Michael Mann) set in Chicago and later Las Vegas. My dad was contacted by Mann's people to use his car (1957 Chrysler 300c) in the show, and it wound up being Dennis Farina's personal car in the TV show. Like 15 years ago WTTW (PBS) did this special on historical Chicago, and they contacted my dad again to use his car because the guests were Anthony Dennison and Jon Polito. So in the special, Dennison and Polito are driving around Chicago with my dad in the back seat. It was cool but embarrassing at the same time. [/coolstorybro]

That is awesome. I really loved Crime Story, I remember getting hooked on it as Andrew Dice Clay was a regular.

Yeah he said they were nice, they didn't give him the "high-hat". Yeah, it was so weird to see Dice become a famous comedian after only knowing him from Crime Story, especially since he played that role completely straight from what I remember.

[Lord British]

À Nos Amours (To Our Loves) - 1983 - Maurice Pialat (France)



Daddy Issues: The Movie

I saw Agnes Varda's Vagabond last year, where Sandrine Bonnaire was lauded for her role as a young drifter; the movie starting with her corpse in a ditch and then cuts back to about a year. It wasn't bad but it left me a bit cold in the wrong way. Bonnaire's character was just a bit too unlikable. But in À Nos Amours I was pretty impressed with her. Good God, that smile. She plays a promiscuous 15-yr old who can't seem to settle with a dude, and she starts earning her reputation as a slut. Her family is abusive; her father leaves the family and her older brother takes over- along with the physical abuse. Doesn't sound like a great time, but I found it pretty easy to watch. The movie looks great; it's pretty timeless. Pialat has been compared to John Cassevettes a bit, and you can see why, though this doesn't seem as ad-libbed. Very real and gently disturbing though, and avoids melodrama. Solid. Watched on Criterion

[Lord British]

Everyone Says I Love You - 1996 - Woody Allen



I'm not a crazy fan but I can watch a Woody Allen film every once in a while, and this one was good enough. This was WA's one and only musical, in a way that kind of reminds me of Jacques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Big cast as always: you have Ed Norton before he was a star, an adolescent Natalie Portman, and a Drew Barrymore that probably never looked better. The funniest scene is the entrance of Tim Roth who's a sexually pent-up psycho just released from prison. Worst character is Julia Roberts (who normally I have little against) as Allen's love interest. Decent overall. Watched on Paramount +

[Some-Mist]

I saw hundreds of beavers w/ a director Q&A. It’s a “silent” slapstick released in 2023, and I say silent in quotes because it isn’t truly a silent film, there just isn’t any dialogue and it’s mostly all verbal expressions and half spoken words.

It had some very creative visual jokes and was a lot of fun, but I’m not sure if I’d recommend seeing it in theaters while they’re on tour, unless you’re okay with highly energetic interactive crowds. It’s definitely an experience

[Lord British]

One False Move - 1992 - Carl Franklin



Don't let the straight-to-video sounding title fool you, this is a really good movie. I watched this off a Patton Oswalt Criterion Closet recommendation - he had some good ones! This was also #1 on Siskel's list for best of 1992 and #2 for Ebert. This might be where Bill Paxton's career really started to shine. He plays the big-swingin'-dick police chief named Dale "The Hurricane" Dixon in the po-dunk Arkansas town of Silver City, and trouble is on the way. He gets a tip from LAPD that a trio of fugitive killers might headed his way, and Dale is ready to prove himself to the big boys. One of these killers are played by Billy Bob Thornton, and I think he's incredible in this; he's a scary, dirty dude. Looking at him he reminded me of Trevor from GTA V. Michael Beach plays a possibly even colder character as the black killer counterpart who's a quiet intellectual. Lastly is Cynda Williams as BBT's druggy girlfriend (who you'll find has a history with Paxton's character) who is also black. The two LAPD detectives consist of one black and one white detective. Race relations play a key theme in this one and it's done in a very interesting way; especially as Dale's character becomes more complex. I also should note that the director Carl Franklin is black, which is interesting when you have a character like Dale's that is a bit morally grey, yet treated humanly. I found the ending of this one to be quite powerful. Damn. They don't make them like this now; it's very visceral with complex characters. Highly recommended. Watched off TCM

[neorichieb1971]

Saltburn - Prime

Recommended to me. it plays out like a certain Matt Damon movie in some ways but if I told you which one it would spoil the whole movie. It has a very British vibe and is about Oxford University students from different class backgrounds buddying up.. The rest is erm, interesting.

[DMC]

My giallo run continues.

The House with the laughing windows.
(Avati, 1976)

Spoiler

A painter visits an isolated Italian village to restore a painter job since the old painter disappeared before he could finish it.
The paintings depict people right before they die, and soon the new painter discovers a dark secret of the old painter--much to some villagers' dismay.
Supposedly the film represents writer/ director Pupi Avati's reflections of growing up during/after World War 2.
I liked the dream-like vibe and suspicious nature of the villagers. Very slow the first hour but picks up there after.

New York Ripper (Fulci, 1982)

Spoiler

A cop recruits a psychologist to solve a New York serial killer case. The most prominent clue is that the serial killer uses a Donald Duck voice.
I like when gialli/slasher films focus on the police investigation, and as a psychologist myself I particularly like when they are included.
Pretty fun to guess who the killer was in this one. The brutal killings are a bit much to me tbh, yeah, I can see how this is considered misogynistic.

[Lord British]

To Live And Die In L.A. - 1985 - William Friedkin



This is my second viewing of TLADILA and it's grown on me just a little more. It's a great Friedkin film with a great up-and-coming cast in Willam Petersen, Wlillem Dafoe, and John Turturro. Plot involves an L.A. detective (Petersen) who's obsessed with putting a notorious counterfeiter (Dafoe) behind bars after the death of his partner, even it means taking the law into his own hands. Sounds simple enough, but it gets pretty complex soon enough. If you like a lot of 80's in your 80's, this movie is for you. One standout feature is Wang Chung's soundtrack; it's pretty great. The movie also has a very L.A. feel to it, it feels like you're watching Grand Theft Auto: The Movie. Friedkin tried to one-up his French Connection car chase scene, and I think he succeeded (and I hate car chases usually). Overall its a pretty unique movie and I highly recommend it; especially if you're a Petersen fan from his role in Manhunter. Speaking of Manhunter, his movie sits alongside Michael Mann's Thief pretty well in terms of quality and tone. Watched off TCM

[Some-Mist]

Saltburn - Prime

Recommended to me. it plays out like a certain Matt Damon movie in some ways but if I told you which one it would spoil the whole movie. It has a very British vibe and is about Oxford University students from different class backgrounds buddying up.. The rest is erm, interesting.

lmao, I think you still gave it away which might've been the joke
but I've been meaning to catch this since seeing barry keoghan in masters of the air makes me want to see more of the stuff he's in

I saw the green knight in theaters (it was okay) and I haven't seen the killing of a sacred deer or the banshees of inisherin which is most of his big stuff

[xxx1993]

Argylle was... average. But what I didn't expect was...

Spoiler

It's apparently set in the same universe as Kingsman.

[Lord British]

Dragon Inn - 1967 - King Hu (Taiwan)



My second King Hu movie after seeing A Touch Of Zen last week. This one is almost just as good, and an hour shorter! This one feels more like a spaghetti western compared to ATOZ, but you have the same beautiful, mountainous landscapes. The film centers around an inn (believe it or not), and you could compare this to Johnny Guitar or The Hateful Eight in some regards. It features the same best actors from ATOZ, and the best difference is that the incel weenie main guy from ATOZ is basically Clint Eastwood in this. Highly recommended is you like a spaghetti-western flavored wuxia. This is the type you could watch many times. Watched on Criterion

[PC Engine Fan X!]

To Live And Die In L.A. - 1985 - William Friedkin



This is my second viewing of TLADILA and it's grown on me just a little more. It's a great Friedkin film with a great up-and-coming cast in Willam Petersen, Wlillem Dafoe, and John Turturro. Plot involves an L.A. detective (Petersen) who's obsessed with putting a notorious counterfeiter (Dafoe) behind bars after the death of his partner, even it means taking the law into his own hands. Sounds simple enough, but it gets pretty complex soon enough. If you like a lot of 80's in your 80's, this movie is for you. One standout feature is Wang Chung's soundtrack; it's pretty great. The movie also has a very L.A. feel to it, it feels like you're watching Grand Theft Auto: The Movie. Friedkin tried to one-up his French Connection car chase scene, and I think he succeeded (and I hate car chases usually). Overall its a pretty unique movie and I highly recommend it; especially if you're a Petersen fan from his role in Manhunter. Speaking of Manhunter, his movie sits alongside Michael Mann's Thief pretty well in terms of quality and tone. Watched off TCM

I watched a documentary on director Friedkin and it revealed some fascinating revelations about filming "To Live and Die in L.A." including Friedkin believed in shooting scenes in just "one take" (he didn't think reshoots were necessary and to keep film production costs down to a absolute minimum as he was on a extremely tight budget). The counterfeit money scene shot was 100% accurate for that time period as real U.S. $100 dollar bill printing plates were used and provided by ex-U.S. Mint employees who knew how to print money accurately (not to mention that the Feds were buzzing overhead via helicopters during that particular film scene making for some nail-biting & hair-raising moments) -- the Dafoe character was printing "real money" in that infamous scene using a 50/50 blend of cotton and linen mixture (the real reason why American cash survives the pitfalls of the washing machine and dryer situations and still survives intact nowadays). All that money printed had to be destroyed after that film scene was shot as not to incur the wrath of the US government.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Lord British]

^Yep I caught that too. There's no Friedkin film that's a direct hit with me, but they always have me coming back to them.

[emphatic]

Dragon Inn - 1967 - King Hu (Taiwan)

My second King Hu movie after seeing A Touch Of Zen last week. This one is almost just as good, and an hour shorter! This one feels more like a spaghetti western compared to ATOZ, but you have the same beautiful, mountainous landscapes. The film centers around an inn (believe it or not), and you could compare this to Johnny Guitar or The Hateful Eight in some regards. It features the same best actors from ATOZ, and the best difference is that the incel weenie main guy from ATOZ is basically Clint Eastwood in this. Highly recommended is you like a spaghetti-western flavored wuxia. This is the type you could watch many times. Watched on Criterion

I feel I must recommend New Dragon Gate Inn to you. It's awesome and on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiGm8WRpmqw

[Lord British]

I feel I must recommend New Dragon Gate Inn to you. It's awesome and on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiGm8WRpmqw

Thanks I'll check that out!

Also this one about a movie theater playing Dragon Inn. It appears on several "best of all time" lists:

[AGermanArtist]

^Yep I caught that too. There's no Friedkin film that's a direct hit with me, but they always have me coming back them.

Even Killer Joe?

[Lord British]

^Yep I caught that too. There's no Friedkin film that's a direct hit with me, but they always have me coming back to them.

Even Killer Joe?

Haha haven't seen that, I'm just talking about his biggies. But I'll see it eventually probs

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

The Boy and the Heron - 8/10
Not Myazaki's best, but still magical, like a more psychological & allegorical Alice in Wonderland. The animation is ridiculously good.

[NYN]

MALIGNANT

Blind pick, only with curiosity of what Wan would do coming up for fresh blood between watered epics for corporate lords. I enjoy both the original Insidious and The Conjuring for what they do. From the opening of this one, it's quickly established what the tone is for what is to follow. Which can be jarring to a point where peeps who hole for "elevated" horror can't simply find enough, if any, sophistication. The title sequence is warped by a very selected choice of score to almost a parody of the same in Se7en. And it doesn't let up after that. Actors giving stifled performances as to being unsure of what to express. Reaching heights that compare to low-budgets of ages gone by. This is what would get the video store crowd buzzing, while the netters only loathe. Yes, it's over-the-top, I-can't believe-this, twists and gory glory that I knew nothing about going in. Finding out, and what this would come to, I loved it. Bizarre, sure. Fun, oh yeah. Without withholding due, I felt about it like a lost Wes Craven turned to 11. No solomny given, none needed. I am still chuckling with delight thinking about it. It's got even powerful poster art, which is lamentably lacking in the current industry. The more thanks for this.

[AGermanArtist]

Gran Turismo

Lasted 15 mins and that was generous. Utter dogshit.

[Some-Mist]

Went and saw poor things in 35mm, and I hit the weed pen a little bit too hard before walking in, what a mistake. The fact they opened with two Paul Thomas Anderson directed/filmed in 35mm music videos for the smile exacerbated my high, and it led to a really uncomfortable 2 hours, but it was still absolutely stunning and emma stone gave such an an incredibly impressive performance.

It all just took a lot out of me

[Vexorg]

The Marvels: ***

With the lackluster reviews and poor box office performance of this film I wasn't expecting much going in, and was a bit surprised that I found this more entertaining than the last few MCU releases I've watched (Quantumania, Thor: Love and Thunder, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Wakanda Forever and Multiverse of Madness). Still suffers a bit from the "Required Reading" syndrome common to recent MCU films, but as a result it doesn't waste too much time rehashing backstories and comes in at a rather reasonable 105 minute runtime (compared to 149 minutes for GotG Vol. 3 and 161 minutes for Wakanda Forever, although Love and Thunder, Quantumania and Multiverse of Madness were all pretty close to the 2 hour mark.)

I still think the character of Captain Marvel is a bit too much of a Mary Sue in the grand scheme of the MCU, but in a way they really made this a Ms. Marvel movie and made Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau (and to a lesser extent Nick Fury) the supporting characters. Mostly I'm just shocked that there's actually a superhero out there who still has actual living parents for once...

[Lord British]

Written On The Wind - 1956 - Douglas Sirk



My second Sirk film after his remake of Imitation of Life. Sirk is king of the melodrama and one of the key inspirations of German New Wave director Ranier Werner Fassfinder, who I'm a big fan of. Written On The Wind is gorgeous looking and touches on some very taboo subjects for an American film from 1956. The cast is superb, though I think Robert Stack is somewhat miscast as a drunk nepo-baby of an oil tycoon; he just has a natural look to him that makes him look competent no matter how hard he tries. Stack marries Lauren Bacall, but his best friend, played by Rock Hudson, falls in love with her. To make matters worse, Stack's kid sister (played by Dorothy Malone in an oscar-winning role) is after Hudson since she's been in love with him since they were kids. She's pretty great in this as the spoiled, scheming Paris-Hilton type. I never realized how friggin' tall Rock Hudson was; he's 6'5 and makes Stack look like a midget. It's melodrama-galore, but well-made and easy to watch. Watched on TCM.

[AGermanArtist]

Love a drop of Gaylord

[Lord British]

Love a drop of Gaylord

?

[AGermanArtist]

Love a drop of Gaylord

?

On the bar in the image you posted.

[Lord British]

Love a drop of Gaylord

?

On the bar in the image you posted.

Ahhhhhhhhh

[Lord British]

The Piano - 1993 - Jane Campion



Finally got around to seeing this, and it was pretty great. My second Jane Campion film after seeing Sweetie a couple times. Holly Hunter is a mute woman voyaging from Scotland to New Zealand, along with her young daughter/interpreter (Anna Paquin), to join up with her arranged husband (Sam Neill). Her stuff is dumped on the beach, including a frickin' piano. Things get off to a rocky start between Hunter and Neill when Neill's reaction is "A piano? Bitch U crazy???". I mean, they have to carry that over steep muddy hills like it's Fitzcarraldo's boat. To Neill's disappointment, Hunter never warms up to him and instead prefers naked Harvey Keitel. Tough break. The movie might sound too artsy for its own good, but it really isn't. The story and characters are interesting, and it doesn't waste any time. The camerawork and cinematography are excellent. I read that French actress Isabelle Huppert was the first choice for Hunter's part, but she turned it down. Perfect as Hunter is in this, Huppert could have done just as good or even better. Huppert regretted not taking the role, and made up for it by doing Hanneke's The Piano Teacher (no, not a spiritual successor). Watched on PlutoTV for free.

[Lord British]

A Separation - 2011 - Asghar Farhadi (Iran)



This was one of the hot movies to see a dozen years ago, but I missed out on the hype. It's a very well made movie with a lot of good, complex themes woven in, but towards the end it got a little monotonous; the script not very interesting and it's just a lot of he said she said bs. I find Iranian films very interesting though, how you have normal people living in a system that is so different from the west. The main part of this movie (besides Mom trying to divorce dad) is how the Dad pushes his father's caretaker lady out of his apartment door after a dispute. The caretaker lady tells the judge that he pushed her out the door into a staircase, falling down and causing her a miscarriage. In Iran, if you harm someone you know is pregnant then you are charged for murder. It is a good movie but like I said before, it gets a little monotonous without a lot of character development throughout. I guess the important result of this is the couples' daughter choosing which of her parents she wants to be with at the end. Rented on Amazon Prime with real money (ouch).