Movies and Misc, 100+
Jul. 5th, 2012 11:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
felicitykingNot sure if anybody is actually reading these, but I'm still posting them. Though I must admit I'm feeling rather lazy these days. At the beginning, it was like "of course, I want to leave a review! my opinion is important" but 100 films in, I've more like "of course I want to squee over that particular moment, and that, and that, and YOU MUST WATCH THIS (or not), let me go find it giffed and graphicted on tumblr." Anyway, if the quality of my reviews has gone down, that is why.
Due Date. Or my tumblr dash influences what I watch as much what hulu makes available. I subscribe to several RDJ blogs and this movie keeps cropping up. So, I finally had to watch it. I'm glad I watched Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Soloist first cuz I can just imagine this as a semi-au sequel to both. It had some good scenes in it, but the male characters were too...assholish...for me to really root for them.
A Cold Wind in August. Like The Graduate, except it predates that movie. I found the movie to be dated, but some parts of it do hold up quite well. The speech the woman makes about stripping is a choice--a career, there's nothing dirty about it, she does it survive---was progressive for 1961 and progressive now. But other parts are annoying. It's okay. But not much to talk about.
Mr. Freedom. A VERY spur-of-the-moment watch (it was set to expire in 2 hours). Imagine if Captain America was a corporate racist objectifies woman bitch and you have this movie. It's one of those underground ones and it's reflected in the budget (spaghetti sauce for blood). This French film is actually a satire on American imperialism, and boy did it feel timely! (Or would have during the Bush years) I liked it but largely due to the fact that it kept reminding me of those posts that crop up on tumblr: "We have ____" "Well, we have freedom and are FREE!" (I am discovering tumblr is influencing what I watch and like as much as hulu is.)
The Soloist. Joe Wright is a mixed bag for me, but I will give him credit for always choosing gritty realism rather feel good sappiness when he has the choice. I was worried I would dislike this movie since it has 1. white savior complex 2. mental illness 3. social justice/message 4. genius trapped in handicapped body BUT Wright's grittiness saved the day. Not to mention the casting of Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr, two oversized personalities who manage to cancel each other (and "this could turn sickly sweet" vibes) out. By turns, it did remind me of August Rush and The Fisher King, but I think this movie (despite its limitations) is better because, in the end, it doesn't say it solved anything. It says: life just is, The good and the bad, but it's super-complicated.
Jane Eyre. A rewatch. While this is a good adaptation, this 1996 version is very rushed. It could have used another 10-15 minutes in the second half to fill out plot and characterization. This will probably either be best remembered as "that version that featured Elle MacPherson" or "young Anna Pacquin was in this." The scenery porn and score are good, as is the cast (even Elle...). I watched this primarily so I could compare it to the Fassy version. Which I plan to watch soon.
Nothing Sacred. An apt title for this wonderful screwball comedy about a woman (not actually) dying and the newspaper that tries to wring her impending death for all its worth. Even though this was on hulu, it clearly hasn't been restored because it looked like a camera-film. I hope it gets restored as it is as amazing film!
Simón del desierto (Simon of the Dessert). Well. The Exterminating Angel seems so long ago! I've watched many crazy movies since then, so this, my 2nd Bunuel film, seemed rather understated. This short film skewers religion and piety and what we value. Although controversial in its day, it seems rather tame now. I enjoyed it, but thought it was ....subtle...considering that Bunuel is prized for his outrageousness and push-the-envelope elements.
Bluebeard. A B movie from golden era Hollywood. For something only an hour and 10 minutes, it was a total snoozefest. (Although I did note how the cinematography was shadowy and undefined in order to try to disguise the obvious cheapness of the sets and costumes). The only relevant thoughts I had about this were: the lead who plays Bluebeard should have played Abe Lincoln (I IMDBed him and tragically he never did), and the lead is kinda hot. Other than that, it ranks as one of the worse movies I've seen this year. (Most memorably boring one I've seen since All the Pretty Horses at any rate.)
The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde. Watching the movie inspired me to read the play. Reading it was a joy, as was realizing just how faithful to the movie was to keeping the play intact (the movie only added filler scenes to pad it out, and those were few and far between). Definitely worth the read and every bit as delightful as anything could be.
Umberto D. Not my 1st neorealism film, but it is my first de Sica film. Oh, it is TRAGIC! God, one of the most depressing films ever (actually surprised it hasn't been remade because it's one of those sob story films that Hollywood loves to release around awards time). It's about an impoverished man struggling to pay his rent, and his love for his dog. Sounds cheesy but it isn't. The ending really got to me. And, it doesn't sugarcoat. You see how terrible things were for Italy after the War.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Ok. My Avengers/Tony Stark feelings are really getting out of control. One way to manage them (so I can watch non-Avengers Assemble related stuff) is to watch movies starring AA stars. This is a very dry film noir starring Robert Downey Jr and Val Kilmer as two Hollywood up-and-comers who get mixed up in a murder plot. It doesn't take itself too seriously and it managed to keep me guessing. I enjoyed it.
Amarcord. This film kept giving me the warm fuzzies. I've watched so many films this year, and this film kept reminding me of new ones I've seen (Zero for Conduct, My Life as a Dog) as well as old favorites (The Sound of Music). It's a film about nothing: just life passing by in an Italian town in the 1930s but it was really good. I wasn't in the mood to watch it (my "everything should be Avengers and Tony Stark!" feelings keep getting in the way of watching....non Avengers movies) but I'm glad I did.
Hairshirt. Swingers may have come a few years later, but it did better with more heart and soul. Also, Swingers was not afraid to show the seedy, gritty side of trying to make it Hollywood, and trying to survive relationships with your friends and lovers. This cheap shot just stays on the surface, and is sexist to boot (Swingers objectifies but it never villianizes the women). However, I will applaud Neve Campbell for playing a villian in her first producing effort.
Lilies of the Field. Crash will probably look like in in 20 years: radical for its time, quaint by today's standards. Actually, it does remind somewhat radical even by today's standards: despite having an in interacial and interrelgious storyline, it maintains the attitude of "duh! of course we're over that! it's our personality ticks that annoy us, and even those can be surmounted." It's more akin to a parable or hyper reality. However, it does feel quaint in other respects (the whole church building business plotline and the way it played out belonged in 1883, not 1963.)
Three Colours: Blue. Like Ugetsu, this film goes far on its scenery porn. It's mesmerizing from beginning to end. Everything about it just works. Flawlessly. Juliette Binoche plays a grieving widow recovering the loss of her husband and daughter in a car accident. The thing I found most unique about this was how it's score was used internally not only to move the plot along but also to dramatize. Also, loved the cinematography used blue-ish overtones throughout. Perfect, perfect film.
Ghostbusters. My first time watching it. Actually I saw half of it on hulu the first year I had my account. An old habit I have yet to break is waiting until the very last minute to watch the film before it gets removed, and I waited...too long. I finally saw the rest of it. For 1984, the CGI and claymation and puppetronics is quite good and they do get much out of very little. However, the film didn't appeal to me. I like the actors, but I guess it's something you have to grow up with to love.
To the Ends of the Earth. A 3 part BBC minisieries starring a baby-faced Benedict Cumberbatch. It's about a wealthy man's voyage from England to Australia. Fairly accurate, if lightweight, in depicting the typical voyage (I read several books about it last year so I can vouch that William Golding has done his research). I liked it, but I can't say much about it, except it was humourous.
Due Date. Or my tumblr dash influences what I watch as much what hulu makes available. I subscribe to several RDJ blogs and this movie keeps cropping up. So, I finally had to watch it. I'm glad I watched Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Soloist first cuz I can just imagine this as a semi-au sequel to both. It had some good scenes in it, but the male characters were too...assholish...for me to really root for them.
A Cold Wind in August. Like The Graduate, except it predates that movie. I found the movie to be dated, but some parts of it do hold up quite well. The speech the woman makes about stripping is a choice--a career, there's nothing dirty about it, she does it survive---was progressive for 1961 and progressive now. But other parts are annoying. It's okay. But not much to talk about.
Mr. Freedom. A VERY spur-of-the-moment watch (it was set to expire in 2 hours). Imagine if Captain America was a corporate racist objectifies woman bitch and you have this movie. It's one of those underground ones and it's reflected in the budget (spaghetti sauce for blood). This French film is actually a satire on American imperialism, and boy did it feel timely! (Or would have during the Bush years) I liked it but largely due to the fact that it kept reminding me of those posts that crop up on tumblr: "We have ____" "Well, we have freedom and are FREE!" (I am discovering tumblr is influencing what I watch and like as much as hulu is.)
The Soloist. Joe Wright is a mixed bag for me, but I will give him credit for always choosing gritty realism rather feel good sappiness when he has the choice. I was worried I would dislike this movie since it has 1. white savior complex 2. mental illness 3. social justice/message 4. genius trapped in handicapped body BUT Wright's grittiness saved the day. Not to mention the casting of Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr, two oversized personalities who manage to cancel each other (and "this could turn sickly sweet" vibes) out. By turns, it did remind me of August Rush and The Fisher King, but I think this movie (despite its limitations) is better because, in the end, it doesn't say it solved anything. It says: life just is, The good and the bad, but it's super-complicated.
Jane Eyre. A rewatch. While this is a good adaptation, this 1996 version is very rushed. It could have used another 10-15 minutes in the second half to fill out plot and characterization. This will probably either be best remembered as "that version that featured Elle MacPherson" or "young Anna Pacquin was in this." The scenery porn and score are good, as is the cast (even Elle...). I watched this primarily so I could compare it to the Fassy version. Which I plan to watch soon.
Nothing Sacred. An apt title for this wonderful screwball comedy about a woman (not actually) dying and the newspaper that tries to wring her impending death for all its worth. Even though this was on hulu, it clearly hasn't been restored because it looked like a camera-film. I hope it gets restored as it is as amazing film!
Simón del desierto (Simon of the Dessert). Well. The Exterminating Angel seems so long ago! I've watched many crazy movies since then, so this, my 2nd Bunuel film, seemed rather understated. This short film skewers religion and piety and what we value. Although controversial in its day, it seems rather tame now. I enjoyed it, but thought it was ....subtle...considering that Bunuel is prized for his outrageousness and push-the-envelope elements.
Bluebeard. A B movie from golden era Hollywood. For something only an hour and 10 minutes, it was a total snoozefest. (Although I did note how the cinematography was shadowy and undefined in order to try to disguise the obvious cheapness of the sets and costumes). The only relevant thoughts I had about this were: the lead who plays Bluebeard should have played Abe Lincoln (I IMDBed him and tragically he never did), and the lead is kinda hot. Other than that, it ranks as one of the worse movies I've seen this year. (Most memorably boring one I've seen since All the Pretty Horses at any rate.)
The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde. Watching the movie inspired me to read the play. Reading it was a joy, as was realizing just how faithful to the movie was to keeping the play intact (the movie only added filler scenes to pad it out, and those were few and far between). Definitely worth the read and every bit as delightful as anything could be.
Umberto D. Not my 1st neorealism film, but it is my first de Sica film. Oh, it is TRAGIC! God, one of the most depressing films ever (actually surprised it hasn't been remade because it's one of those sob story films that Hollywood loves to release around awards time). It's about an impoverished man struggling to pay his rent, and his love for his dog. Sounds cheesy but it isn't. The ending really got to me. And, it doesn't sugarcoat. You see how terrible things were for Italy after the War.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Ok. My Avengers/Tony Stark feelings are really getting out of control. One way to manage them (so I can watch non-Avengers Assemble related stuff) is to watch movies starring AA stars. This is a very dry film noir starring Robert Downey Jr and Val Kilmer as two Hollywood up-and-comers who get mixed up in a murder plot. It doesn't take itself too seriously and it managed to keep me guessing. I enjoyed it.
Amarcord. This film kept giving me the warm fuzzies. I've watched so many films this year, and this film kept reminding me of new ones I've seen (Zero for Conduct, My Life as a Dog) as well as old favorites (The Sound of Music). It's a film about nothing: just life passing by in an Italian town in the 1930s but it was really good. I wasn't in the mood to watch it (my "everything should be Avengers and Tony Stark!" feelings keep getting in the way of watching....non Avengers movies) but I'm glad I did.
Hairshirt. Swingers may have come a few years later, but it did better with more heart and soul. Also, Swingers was not afraid to show the seedy, gritty side of trying to make it Hollywood, and trying to survive relationships with your friends and lovers. This cheap shot just stays on the surface, and is sexist to boot (Swingers objectifies but it never villianizes the women). However, I will applaud Neve Campbell for playing a villian in her first producing effort.
Lilies of the Field. Crash will probably look like in in 20 years: radical for its time, quaint by today's standards. Actually, it does remind somewhat radical even by today's standards: despite having an in interacial and interrelgious storyline, it maintains the attitude of "duh! of course we're over that! it's our personality ticks that annoy us, and even those can be surmounted." It's more akin to a parable or hyper reality. However, it does feel quaint in other respects (the whole church building business plotline and the way it played out belonged in 1883, not 1963.)
Three Colours: Blue. Like Ugetsu, this film goes far on its scenery porn. It's mesmerizing from beginning to end. Everything about it just works. Flawlessly. Juliette Binoche plays a grieving widow recovering the loss of her husband and daughter in a car accident. The thing I found most unique about this was how it's score was used internally not only to move the plot along but also to dramatize. Also, loved the cinematography used blue-ish overtones throughout. Perfect, perfect film.
Ghostbusters. My first time watching it. Actually I saw half of it on hulu the first year I had my account. An old habit I have yet to break is waiting until the very last minute to watch the film before it gets removed, and I waited...too long. I finally saw the rest of it. For 1984, the CGI and claymation and puppetronics is quite good and they do get much out of very little. However, the film didn't appeal to me. I like the actors, but I guess it's something you have to grow up with to love.
To the Ends of the Earth. A 3 part BBC minisieries starring a baby-faced Benedict Cumberbatch. It's about a wealthy man's voyage from England to Australia. Fairly accurate, if lightweight, in depicting the typical voyage (I read several books about it last year so I can vouch that William Golding has done his research). I liked it, but I can't say much about it, except it was humourous.
