Movies you've just watched

[Lord British]

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire - 2019 - Céline Sciamma (France)



Now, you might think that from the title that this is some sort of a feminist lesbian movie; and you would be right! The new BFI Sight & Sound list came out just over a year ago and it was my goal to see every movie in the top 100 of both the critics' list and the directors' list. Most of them overlapped and that gives you 130 something. This one and the last few I watched (The Piano, A Separation, and Daughters Of The Dust) were the remaining ones that I had prioritized least. The two remaining I have now is John Eustache's The Mother and The Whore and Jean-Luc Godard's Histoire Du Cinema; both of which are over three hours long and are also not streaming anywhere.

So I reluctantly put this one on and wound up being pretty impressed with it overall. The 2022 version of the BFI list is obviously a bit "woke", most obviously by putting Chantel Ackerman's Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles as the #1 movie of all time, which is basically over three hours of a middle-aged prostitute mom doing household chores. It's kind of a neat movie, but #1 of all time? Over Roadhouse???? Anyways, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire was ranked as the 30th best movie of all time, so i went into this one pretty biased and grouchy. But the movie plays to its strengths; its very beautifully shot, the scenery is beautiful, and these actresses are beautiful. Without Adèle Haenel's hypnotizing blue eyes you don't have a movie here, and Sciamma milks them for all they're worth. This type of movie has been done numerous times, but it feels far from clichéd. I think it ends very well and it was enough for me to boost it a half-star. Since I complain that there hasn't been many great movies in the past 10 years, it would be unfair for me not to give this one credit, so eat your heart out you feminazis! Watched on hulu

[Lord British]

A Canterbury Tale - 1944 - Powell & Pressburger (The Archers) UK



1944 was a time of terror: Jewish genocide, the invasion of Normandy, and a mysterious uniformed man running around throwing glue in young women's hair. The Archers chose the latter story here for some reason. An American soldier en route to meet up with the British army in Canterbury accidentally gets off at the wrong train stop, placing him in the middle of the local "Glue Man" mystery. He joins up with a British officer and one of the local female victims to solve the mystery ("The Glue Man Group" if you will ). The American in this is the most corny sounding man you've ever heard, in fact, he sounds almost exactly like David Lynch as Gordon Cole in Twin Peaks. It's definitely an odd premise and I'm not sure if I really liked it on first watch, but it's still a very charming movie and VERY beautifully shot. Not the first Archers film I'd recommend, but I'm pretty sure I'll revisit it; I'm aware that there's some greater depth here that I didn't fully absorb on this first watch, and much of that is from what is borrowed from Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" (such as the three characters in the film representing Chaucer's "Pilgrims") which I am not well-versed on. Upon another watch i'll probably be able to see it as more of the patriotically existential movie that it aspires to be. Watched on Criterion

[RGC]

Chantel Ackerman's Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles


...basically over three hours of a middle-aged prostitute mom doing household chores.

My niche!

[Lord British]

Chantel Ackerman's Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles

...basically over three hours of a middle-aged prostitute mom doing household chores.

My niche!

Best movie of all time they now say.

[RGC]

Chantel Ackerman's Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles

...basically over three hours of a middle-aged prostitute mom doing household chores.

My niche!

Best movie of all time they now say. Also, you quoted the wrong movie, I fixed that in this post. POAWOF is two hours of hot lesbian longing.

Oops! Holy crap yeah -- 94/100 IMDb metascore.

[Lord British]

My niche!

Best movie of all time they now say. Also, you quoted the wrong movie, I fixed that in this post. POAWOF is two hours of hot lesbian longing.

Oops! Holy crap yeah -- 94/100 IMDb metascore.

I give it an enthusiastic 7/10. I like her documentary "News From Home" better, where it's just fixed camera shots of Manhattan in the late-70's as she reads her mom's letters to her from when when she lived in NYC in the early 70s. I loved the feel and aesthetic of it.

[RGC]

S&S has been lambasted in a few reviews I skimmed over. I must admit a 3+ hour runtime normally requires something very special for me to get involved. If the idea is that we're _supposed_ to feel as tortured and depressed as the protagonist, god, I don't think this one will be for me. That said, I'm all for giving things a go. The actual quality often falls somewhere between the adulation of S&S and their ilk and those who call anything remotely art house pretentious. I guess, hence your 7/10.

[Lord British]

S&S has been lambasted in a few reviews I skimmed over. I must admit a 3+ hour runtime normally requires something very special for me to get involved. If the idea is that we're _supposed_ to feel as tortured and depressed as the protagonist, god, I don't think this one will be for me. That said, I'm all for giving things a go. The actual quality often falls somewhere between the adulation of S&S and their ilk and those who call anything remotely art house pretentious. I guess, hence your 7/10.

I say don't go out of your way.........unless........your curiosity gets the best of you! MWAHAHAHAH

[Lord British]

Don't know where to put this, but this is a "Trailer I've just watched" that I'm very excited for

"The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell"



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6nFz9FWpyM

Bill Bartell was the founder/guitarist of the SoCal punk band White Flag. He was this highly-intelligent, mega-charismatic person who probably was simultaneously the coolest and nerdiest person in the room at most times. I especially love the "Third Strike" era of WF (their more hardcore sound) but thier later stuff is pretty good too. Kim Shattuck from The Muffs (and The Pixies) even had a stint in the band. I friend requested Bill on FB way back when and he actually responded right back on messenger with a "hey, man it's cool that you like this ___ etc", so he was one of those types of guys. It was sad to see him go in 2013. But he's definitely a curious fellow as you can see from the video.

[Lord British]

The Point - 1971 - Fred Wolf
-Story and music by Harry Nilsson


Ringo Starr gets a phone call: "Ringo, it's Schmilsson, I got a far out idea maaan (exhales pot smoke)"

So, Harry Nilsson came oup with this acid-induced, animated story for kids about racism, or existentialism, or whatever the fuck. Makes a good drinking game for every time a character quotes the movie title. It's not a great movie, but it's in my wheelhouse and this weird shit is essential for me to watch, so it had to be done. Watched the Alan Thicke-narrated version on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6Qnd5vnpN0

[Lord British]

Zero For Conduct - 1933 - Jean Vigo (France)



Vigo was one of the big "What if?" directors of all time, or so I've read. Zero For Conduct is the third of the four total films he made, the fourth being L'Atalante, which is considered to be his masterpiece. He would die that same year at the age of 29 due to complications from TB.

Zero For Conduct is only 40 some-odd minutes (the version in my link below is 49), and it's about a boarding school where the kids are planning to overthrow the place. Not surprisingly, this was a cited as an influence to Francois Truffaut for his movie The 400 Blows and to Lindsay Anderson's if..... This is a surreal film at times, and that's what makes it cool; there's some clever camera trickery here. The quality is pretty good too, the link below is a good rip. Definitely a movie before its time. One kid says "Fuck You" to his headmaster more than once. Was banned in France for a dozen years or so after its release.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmj_6JjE5gc

[Lord British]

Under The Volcano - 1984 - John Huston



Albert Finney is great here as a British consul drinking himself to death due to his failing marriage and PTSD from WW1, set in Mexico just prior to the Nazi invasion of Poland. One of Huston's last great films. Watched on Max

[Lord British]

Juliet Of The Spirits - 1965 - Federico Fellini (Italy)



^This is a waterslide that comes out of a door in a master bedroom, I love shit like this

After 8½, Fellini's work became increasingly surreal, and this his is first in color. I was a bit bored for the first hour, but after that this movie really delivers the goods when it comes the whacked-out surrealism that I love in his later films like Satyricon, Amarcord, and City Of Women. It's not the first Fellini I'd recommend, but it's the first of the latter part of his career. La Strada through 8½ is probably where you should start, but if you're itching for one of his bananas color films, then this ain't bad for starters. FF is still solidly my favorite director after Kubrick. Watched on Max

[RGC]

La Strada through 8½ is probably where you should start

I keep meaning to give 8½ another go. You know that feeling when everyone else is in on a joke except you. I recall feeling a bit like that (it was many years ago, and I'd almost certainly had a beer or five). I wasn't bored, just had no clue what to make of it.

FF is still solidly my favorite director after Kubrick. Watched on Max

Ooh nice. How would you rank Kubrick's oeuvre? I like playing this game.

[Lord British]

La Strada through 8½ is probably where you should start

I keep meaning to give 8½ another go. You know that feeling when everyone else is in on a joke except you. I recall feeling a bit like that (it was many years ago, and I'd almost certainly had a beer or five). I wasn't bored, just had no clue what to make of it.

FF is still solidly my favorite director after Kubrick. Watched on Max

Ooh nice. How would you rank Kubrick's oeuvre? I like playing this game.

Haven't seen them all, but I will eventually.

I've seen the The Shining the most but not that's not because it's his best, it's just because I find it incredibly rewatchable.

I'd go:

Eyes Wide Shut
2001
Dr. Strangelove
A Clockwork Orange
Barry Lyndon
Lolita
The Shining
Full Metal Jacket
Paths Of Glory
The Killing
Spartacus

Paths Of Glory is great but I haven't given it nearly as much burn as the ones ranked above it. The Killing is fantastic, saw that just once. Spartacus I saw once a long time ago and I never cared to revisit, but that's not a true Kubrick though, it's like Lynch's Dune. Barry Lyndon has been creeping up the ranking over the years and so has Lolita.

[RGC]

Interesting ordering, especially EWS (probably that and Lolita are his two most divisive). I haven't seen any of his 50s work except the outstanding Paths of Glory, so should probably fix that. The Shining and Baz Lyndon are my two most watched by far. In fact, I sat through Shining again a few days ago after splashing out on a whim on the 4K disc. It still holds most of its potency, but I'll admit there was a section somewhere between Jack's granny waltz in 237 and his final meltdown where it felt a little sluggish. Could just be over exposure, but then Jaws never suffered in the same way and that one gets played every year. People complain that FMJ's second half is so overshadowed by its first as to be rendered almost unmemorable. Truthfully, I'd have to go with that. Clockwork Orange is the only one I feel little desire to return to. Didn't dislike it though, and that goes for everything Kubrick made after Paths.

[Lord British]

Interesting ordering, especially EWS (probably that and Lolita are his two most divisive). I haven't seen any of his 50s work except the outstanding Paths of Glory, so should probably fix that. The Shining and Baz Lyndon are my two most watched by far. In fact, I sat through Shining again a few days ago after splashing out on a whim on the 4K disc. It still holds most of its potency, but I'll admit there was a section somewhere between Jack's granny waltz in 237 and his final meltdown where it felt a little sluggish. Could just be over exposure, but then Jaws never suffered in the same way and that one gets played every year. People complain that FMJ's second half is so overshadowed by its first as to be rendered almost unmemorable. Truthfully, I'd have to go with that. Clockwork Orange is the only one I feel little desire to return to. Didn't dislike it though, and that goes for everything Kubrick made after Paths.

Yep, over the years EWS climbed to the top, I think it's perfect. It took me several tries to get into Barry Lyndon, but the first few times was watched on VHS on old TVs; it's a much different experience now. Last time I saw Lolita I kept on laughing just thinking about it. I could bring A Clockwork Orange down a notch maybe because I don't watch it as much as the others; I'm no longer the nihilistic teen I was when I discovered it.

[Lord British]

Fallen Angels - 1995 - Wong Kar-Wai (Hong Kong)



This one's a hyper-stylized, often dreamy but occasionally violent film focusing on the lonely lives of some sketchy, yet emotionally-detached characters during the twilight hours of Hong Kong. I find it to be pretty similar to WKW's previous film Chungking Express, but this one's characters are perhaps a bit more eccentric. The characters are: a hitman, the hitman's coed business partner whom he barely speaks with him but masturbates about him when he's away, a mute-ex-con who breaks into shops after-hours and tries to sell their goods, and a free-spirited, wacko chick who goes by "Blondie", who no man wants to bring home to their mamas. These characters cross paths at different times. Took me a while to get into it because it's hard to tell what's going on, but the movie eventually leads into moments that really gave me the feels like few movies do. Despite the film mostly being about loneliness, the film's script is often pretty humorous throughout and keeps the mood pretty balanced. It's a very romantic movie in its way, but not recommended for a first date. Watched on Criterion.

[xxx1993]

Saw Land of Bad, where Liam Hemsworth had to rescue several of his squad mates and a captured CIA asset with help from drone pilot Russell Crowe. The ending straight up ripped off Apocalypse Now.

[Some-Mist]

man fallen angels is so damn good. I haven't seen it since high school but seeing your review makes me wanna go back and rewatch

[Lord British]

I Vitelloni - 1953 - Federico Fellini (Italy)


^This is what 20-somethings looked like in postwar Italy apparently

This is one of those quarter-life crisis movies like Breaking Away (1979) or Diner (1982), but a early 50's Fellini version. 5 friends who are all pushing 30 are still kind of lost and not ready to grow up; still living with their parents and avoiding commitment. "I Vitelloni" loosely translates to "The Slackers". It took me a while to get into it, but there was one scene halfway through that really shook me and got me more emotionally engaged. It's the scene where Alberto is at the carnival party, dressed up for gags as a woman, and still dancing and partying after most of the guests have left. He looks up at one of the leering carnival clown figures and is horrified because he seems to see his reflection in it, shaken as he sees the clown that he is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQpqc0w_Zj8

All in all it's a great FF movie and probably one of his best. It's important to know when getting into Fellini that his earlier stuff has a more neo-realism feel to it; not nearly as artsy as his later stuff, but less grittier (and more beautiful) than a Rossellini or De Sica film. Watched on Max

[Lord British]

Two or Three Things I Know About Her - 1967 - Jean-Luc Godard (France)



20 minutes into this I'm like "What's going on here?", so I look up the plot on wiki and it basically says "There is no plot here really, it's a bold new way to make a movie yadda yadda..." Fine. I guess the hot thing in French New Wave is make films about secret prostitutes: this one, Buñuel's Belle de Jour of the same year, and of course the "Greatest Film Of All TIme", Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles.

The characters break the 4th wall often, and though that was passé after Ferris Bueller, it feels fresh in this one and I enjoyed those moments. The main character Juliette made the film easier to watch; she's a slightly unconventional beauty (i dunno, maybe it's her freckles) with this hypnotic, mysterious quality about her. The theme, again, like other JLG films of this time, is the whole "We are all consumer whores" thing kind of like JLG's Weekend which he made the same year. It's kind of cliché now, but it was the hot topic then and honestly nothing has changed since, so... While JLG is not near the top of my list of my favorite directors, I have a lot of respect for his groundbreaking ideas, and this one is no exception. Watched on Max.

[vol.2]

Fallen Angels - 1995 - Wong Kar-Wai (Hong Kong)

This one's a hyper-stylized, often dreamy but occasionally violent film focusing on the lonely lives of some sketchy, yet emotionally-detached characters during the twilight hours of Hong Kong. I find it to be pretty similar to WKW's previous film Chungking Express, but this one's characters are perhaps a bit more eccentric. The characters are: a hitman, the hitman's coed business partner whom he barely speaks with him but masturbates about him when he's away, a mute-ex-con who breaks into shops after-hours and tries to sell their goods, and a free-spirited, wacko chick who goes by "Blondie", who no man wants to bring home to their mamas. These characters cross paths at different times. Took me a while to get into it because it's hard to tell what's going on, but the movie eventually leads into moments that really gave me the feels like few movies do. Despite the film mostly being about loneliness, the film's script is often pretty humorous throughout and keeps the mood pretty balanced. It's a very romantic movie in its way, but not recommended for a first date. Watched on Criterion.

As per the comparison to Chungking

FA is a lot more produced in general because he filmed CE while on downtime from his epic historical drama Ashes of Time. At that time, he was kind of pursuing a split personality strategy of doing art films on the side, and bigger more commercial blockbusters for the main course. Ashes of Time turned into a huge debacle and kind of failed internationally, while the throwaway film (CE) was doing pretty good (bolstered by Quinton Tarantino's VHS release of the movie in the US), so he and cinematographer Peter Doyle leaned into the art stuff with a renewed focus.

Fallen Angels lacks some of the indie new wave freshness of CE, but it more than makes up for it with style and emotion. A lot of the frenetic energy in the movie (both of the movies) comes from the feeling of living in HK in the 90s, and probably doesn't come across so well on the surface to a foreign audience, but it's there and it's honest, so I believe that it comes through as something mysterious that's going on in the background; it's an unknown force that's somehow guiding things behind the curtain, represented only by the overwhelming pace and the racing thoughts of the characters we are following. They are fighting with, and subsequently losing (or winning) to the city, who has no allegiances and can't be bought or persuaded or strong-armed. It was also kind of a "last gasp" of a really special place that was about to be assimilated by the mainland again; the people of HK were very culturally aware of the looming changes in the air, and it had a heavy effect on art and journalism

About White Flag. They're great. I'm not surprised that Henry Rollins dug them, because they sound a lot like Teen Idols and his own band from DC, State of Alert, before he moved to LA

[Lord British]

As per the comparison to Chungking

FA is a lot more produced in general because he filmed CE while on downtime from his epic historical drama Ashes of Time. At that time, he was kind of pursuing a split personality strategy of doing art films on the side, and bigger more commercial blockbusters for the main course. Ashes of Time turned into a huge debacle and kind of failed internationally, while the throwaway film (CE) was doing pretty good (bolstered by Quinton Tarantino's VHS release of the movie in the US), so he and cinematographer Peter Doyle leaned into the art stuff with a renewed focus.

Fallen Angels lacks some of the indie new wave freshness of CE, but it more than makes up for it with style and emotion. A lot of the frenetic energy in the movie (both of the movies) comes from the feeling of living in HK in the 90s, and probably doesn't come across so well on the surface to a foreign audience, but it's there and it's honest, so I believe that it comes through as something mysterious that's going on in the background; it's an unknown force that's somehow guiding things behind the curtain, represented only by the overwhelming pace and the racing thoughts of the characters we are following. They are fighting with, and subsequently losing (or winning) to the city, who has no allegiances and can't be bought or persuaded or strong-armed. It was also kind of a "last gasp" of a really special place that was about to be assimilated by the mainland again; the people of HK were very culturally aware of the looming changes in the air, and it had a heavy effect on art and journalism

Yeah, I've personally haven't spent too much time thinking about UK's 150-year occupation of HK until I saw this movie. In this and CE I can really "feel" the city, cheesy as that sounds. I remember seeing a documentary on Kowloon Walled City way back that just blew my mind, and some of the areas in the film reminded me of that, just how the interiors are so cramped and twisty. Haven't heard of Ashes of Time actually, though I just recently just added some other WKW films to the watchlist.

About White Flag. They're great. I'm not surprised that Henry Rollins dug them, because they sound a lot like Teen Idols and his own band from DC, State of Alert, before he moved to LA

Hank dug 'em but he did pour a cocktail on Bill's head one time because I'm sure he deserved it.

I always considered New Jersey's Adrenalin OD to be the east coast White Flag, and vice versa. They both have the same snarky humor that's just slightly more intelligent than the rest.

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

The Nun - 5/10
The monastery (more like a castle) they filmed this in looks really cool, but that's about it.

[Lord British]

Life Is Sweet - 1990 - Mike Leigh (UK)



Solid, mid-career Mike Leigh film featuring some of his regulars including Jim Broadbent, Timothy Spall, and David Thewlis. Another Neo-Kitchen Sink drama, this one has several plotlines but the story of the twin sisters is probably at the forefront. One twin is a bit tomboyish, but more self-aware and mature while the other is incessantly sarcastic, bitter, jealous, and far less secure. The other plotlines involve starting food businesses, I won't go into that, but like all Mike Leigh films it's all about the characters anyway. Watched on Criterion

[Lord British]

The Iron Claw - 2023 - Sean Durkin



Someone picked this for our movie night on Friday and it turned out to be pretty good. Bought it on Amazon but it wasn't my money, so... I grew up in the golden age of pro wrestling (if you consider the 80s to be the golden age) but I did not experience it as a kid outside of Hulk Hogan's appearance in Rocky 3, and therefore I'd never heard of the Von Erichs. I enjoyed the movie because of its feel; it's a non-judgemental view of this family and puts you right there with them. And holy shit, the ring scenes are like nothing I've seen, you feel so close to the action. Acting is great across the board. Zac Efron was never billed as the next Brad Pitt, so his performance here should get a lot of attention, even if it comes perhaps a bit short of oscar-worthiness. Kudos to him though. The movie earned back its budget in the theaters but hasn't set the world on fire as far as I can tell, but I wonder how this movie will be regarded 10 years from now, it could be a cult classic.

[Lord British]

When The Wind Blows - 1986 - Jimmy T. Murakami (UK)



Here we watch a simple, retired couple prepare for, and later endure the aftermath of nuclear war. My criticisms of the this film are also probably its strengths. When I say "simple", I mean it. These two geezers are still mentally stuck in the 1940's; half the time they're confusing the "russkies" with the "gerrys". The hubby has been trying to keep up with current events by reading newspapers, but the wifey appears to have never read anything outside of Good Housekeeping, and her main concern over all of this is her couch throw-pillows being damaged. The hubby, through every trial and tribulation, tries his best to react optimistically- and that's your three-hanky film. If this is an honest portrayal of an elderly-Sussex couple, then it works in its realism. If you want them to be more interesting, would that take away from the horror of it all? I think they did right by this; it's merely here to horrify you and not exactly challenge you. If you're like me and can't help watching these nuke flicks, it's essential viewing though. Watched on Prime

[GaijinPunch]

Fallen Angels - 1995 - Wong Kar-Wai (Hong Kong)

I should probably give this one another go. I didn't hit me as hard as any of his others... wasn't bad by any stretch, just not as magical.

[vol.2]

Fallen Angels - 1995 - Wong Kar-Wai (Hong Kong)

I should probably give this one another go. I didn't hit me as hard as any of his others... wasn't bad by any stretch, just not as magical.

It definitely leans a little further towards the "style" side of the scale, so it's maybe better to watch it on the big screen if ever have the opportunity; I would even equate it to something like a Kubrick films where the storytelling is actually reliant on the mise en scène, and you won't really get the narrative unless you have adequate visual isolation