Talk About Movies: Part 4
Somehow threads merged, so here's part 4 of our ongoing movie discussion.
My main issue with Alien: Romulus use of a nostalgia clone was that actor Ian Holm is dead, while actor Lance Henriksen is still alive. Use a living actor dammit.
omg Spanish director Víctor Erice (Spirit Of the Beehive), who hasn't made a movie in 30 years, has a new one coming out called, "Close Your Eyes." Getting good reviews, too. Can't wait.
omg Spanish director Víctor Erice (Spirit Of the Beehive), who hasn't made a movie in 30 years, has a new one coming out called, "Close Your Eyes." Getting good reviews, too. Can't wait.
Spirit of the Beehive is one of my all time favorite films and the only film of Erice's I've been able to see. Seems Erice needed to top Malick's twenty years between films.
I needed to look up how many years Malick went between films and noticed he made a film called Song To Song, which I had never heard of. And another thing: Malick's A Hidden Life is a great film, I think, but I don't believe anyone here has written about it.
Sent from my Pixel 7a using Tapatalk
So Humphrey Bogart is maybe my all-time favorite actor and Katheryn Hepburn is always great. But I just watched The African Queen for the first time since I was probably a teenager. My vauge recollection was that I didn't like it. Watching it just now I still didn't like it because it basically sucked. No idea why this is so highly touted? Bogart and Hepburn almost never miss but this movie just sucked. Sucked hard! Almost anything either had ever been in is better than this one. Interesting that my teenage recollection was accurate. At least for me?
So I think it's impossible to be totally objective when it comes to art, but I do think Manchester by the Sea is a "perfect" movie, for whatever that's worth. Forget how great the script, acting and directing were—the editing was outstanding. It takes you back and forth from the past, present and future, and it does so seamlessly. You don't pick up on things right away but then they just click. For how all-over-the-place it is, it flows really, really well.
As for the other things, the realism is super impressive. I've never seen grief portrayed so accurately, whether it's Casey Affleck's character not giving a **** about the hot chick who's talking about him on the phone or his nephew joking with friends at his dad's wake. Plus all the details like walking in the wrong direction when they're going back to the car or misunderstandings like this one:
It also has one of my favorite pieces of symbolism in film. Those who haven't seen the movie won't understand, but at the end of the movie, Casey and his nephew are bouncing a rubber ball back and forth while they're walking up a hill. Casey misses the ball, and as it rolls down the hill he says to let it go, but his nephew retrieves it anyway. It shows that Kyle Chandler made Casey the guardian of his son, not necessarily because his son needed Casey, but because Casey needed his son. Who's helping who?
Paul Thomas Anderson's best work. He described it as something like a film school project, said it was a bit of a mess and that he would have cut about 30 minutes if he could go back, but man, this one is "perfect." As much as I love Boogie Nights and There Will Be Blood, they don't compare.
There's this moment in Jaques Tati's Mr. Hulot's Holiday: a car comes through the town, blows the horn, and the dog gets out of the way. Hulot encounters the same dog, but the ineffectual horn on his car can barely get the dog to move. The dog finally gets out of the way, walks by the car, and Hulot pets him.
I find this little bit in the film perfect:
Sent from my Pixel 7a using Tapatalk
There's this moment in Jaques Tati's Mr. Hulot's Holiday: a car comes through the town, blows the horn, and the dog gets out of the way. Hulot encounters the same dog, but the ineffectual horn on his car can barely get the dog to move. The dog finally gets out of the way, walks by the car, and Hulot pets him.
I find this little bit in the film perfect:
Sent from my Pixel 7a using Tapatalk
Beautiful scene. Is there a larger context or is it just a cool moment? Not familiar with the movie.
Ghostlight. It’s best if you go in blind so I’m not even giving a description, but know that this will be one of the best movies you will see this year. 10/10 from me. 100 on RT and 95 Audience score. It’s available to rent on Prime video.
Beautiful scene. Is there a larger context or is it just a cool moment? Not familiar with the movie.
The whole movie is wonderful. Hulot is the character played by Tati in three of his films with only a brief appearance in the fourth.
In this one, Hulot, a character out of step with the world, is the better for it. He's also a Magoo-like figure, frequently causing mishaps wherever he goes, oblivious to what he has caused. The movie is about a group of people who go to a resort for a vacation. Each of the characters, even those with the minor roles, are rounded characters. You will recognize the types.
Mr. Hulot's Holiday, Mon Oncle, and Playtime are his masterworks. Like Chaplin, Tati writes, directs, and stars in his films.
You can see it on Vimeo.
Sent from my Pixel 7a using Tapatalk
Speaking of perfect films, The Sting was on TCM last night. Cast, story, sets, costumes, acting, everything A+.
So I think it's impossible to be totally objective when it comes to art, but I do think Manchester by the Sea is a "perfect" movie, for whatever that's worth. Forget how great the script, acting and directing were—the editing was outstanding. It takes you back and forth from the past, present and future, and it does so seamlessly. You don't pick up on things right away but then they just click. For how all-over-the-place it is, it flows really, really well.
As for the other things, the realism i
still haven't seen this...I need to rectify that.
So Humphrey Bogart is maybe my all-time favorite actor and Katheryn Hepburn is always great. But I just watched The African Queen for the first time since I was probably a teenager. My vauge recollection was that I didn't like it. Watching it just now I still didn't like it because it basically sucked. No idea why this is so highly touted? Bogart and Hepburn almost never miss but this movie just sucked. Sucked hard! Almost anything either had ever been in is better than this one. Interes
I love The African Queen. Great characters and I love the ending.
If it's of interest to anyone, the boat (supposedly the actual one from the film) is available for tours. clickity.
The Caribbean Club, where Key Largo was filmed, is just north and the other side of US 1. Kind of a dumpy bar with not much related to the movie though.
A Quiet Place Day One was quite good...more a meditation on human kindness and resilience than a straight up horror film. Very little dialog, of course, and god damn was I stressed over the fate of the cat.
I haven't seen Fast Times since it came out. I remember it as flawless, but will have to watch it again.
Some of Sonny Carl's finest work, imo.
Watched Haywire last night. Is there any script that Soderbergh can't make better? Hadn't even heard of this one before. It's the kind of film you've seen before, secret operative set up kind of thing, but well done and nicely edited and paced.
Sent from my Pixel 7a using Tapatalk
Soderberg is amazing.
Haywire is great fun.
Lone Star is a damn near perfect low budget film by John Sayles.
My main issue with Alien: Romulus use of a nostalgia clone was that actor Ian Holm is dead, while actor Lance Henriksen is still alive. Use a living actor dammit.
This may become a coming thing with the rise of AI .
Throw in the de aging process and there might be a whole genre of movies where the actors are dead or old and movies which never intended a sequel become possible
Sent from my LM-V600 using Tapatalk
:p
is that better than ice pirates?
