Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[Groggy]

The Avengers: Age of Ultron - 5/10 - The plot's a mess, the action overdone and repetitive - two-and-a-half hours of meaningless noise. Even the banter, Joss Whedon's trump card, fell flat here: most of the good lines went to James Spader as the title villain, rather than our heroes. Throw in useless subplots, unnecessary new characters and a superfluous romance between two of the leads,  and you've got a bland studio product. I think The Avengers have reached their saturation point but don't worry, there's a decade's worth of sequels and spin-offs to go!

[T.H.]

The Avengers: Age of Ultron - 5/10 - The plot's a mess, the action overdone and repetitive - two-and-a-half hours of meaningless noise. Even the banter, Joss Whedon's trump card, fell flat here: most of the good lines went to James Spader as the title villain, rather than our heroes. Throw in useless subplots, unnecessary new characters and a superfluous romance between two of the leads,  and you've got a bland studio product. I think The Avengers have reached their saturation point but don't worry, there's a decade's worth of sequels and spin-offs to go!

That's pretty much exactly how I imagine this movie playing out. I didn't like the first one so there's no reason for me to bother with this.

OK, maybe the "9" was a bit generous. But an "8" for sure. I guess I was just excited by the TT transfer, which makes the film look as good as ever without introducing an alternate color scheme, artificially sharpening details, turning everyone's complexion red. And, when I was defending the film to stanton I mentioned 4 explosions--but in fact, there are 6! And there's an incredibly nice bit with a car overturning--and disintegrating--down a slope. And this film has truly one of the greatest endings in cinema history.

I think your initial rating is correct. I can't really think of any flaws. I still haven't watched my copy of the TT bluray, so I'll get back to you on this.

[Groggy]

I didn't like the first one so there's no reason for me to bother with this.

Yes and I'm the guy who gave the original Avengers a 9/10.

[cigar joe]

Homicide (1991) a crime-drama film written and directed by David Mamet. The best Mamet film I've seen yet, but I've only seen House of Games which I didn't like, and Things Change which was OK

Bobby Gold (Mantegna) is an inner-city homicide detective on the trail of Robert Randolph (Rhames), a drug-dealer and cop-killer on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List. En route to nab an accomplice of Randolph, Gold and his partner Tim Sullivan (Macy) happen upon a murder scene: the elderly Jewish owner of a candy store in a black ghetto has been gunned down, reportedly for a fortune hidden in her basement. The deceased woman's son, a doctor, uses his clout to have Gold assigned to the case in the belief that Gold, himself Jewish, might be empathetic to his plight. Gold, however, seems to disregard his ethnicity, and beyond that, he's irritated about being pulled off a much higher-profile case. Ultimately, though, this is offset by interactions with members of the Jewish community that play on Gold's feelings of inadequacy and incapability of fitting in. Nice twist at end 8/10

Pasqalino Settebellze (Seven Beauties) (1975) A great Wertmuller picaresque epic with cinematography by Tonino Delli Colli (Once Upon a Time in America, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Life Is Beautiful and others ) 10/10.
http://www.fistful-of-leone.com/forums/index.php?topic=4949.msg64244#msg64244
 

[Dust Devil]

Raw Deal (1986) - 3/10

It is remarkably amateurish all around and dull as well, especially for a flick that's not supposed to be art anyway. It possesses no redeeming qualities what so ever; except - I think it should be shown to movie students as a prime example of what bad scripting, directing and editing (and acting) look like when mashed together. No wonder it was never shown on TV over here.


P.S. I thought Sam Wanamaker was actually Robert Loggia for 3/4 of the movie.

Hah, this is like a John Irvin week!


City of Industry (1997) - around a 6/10

A fairly typical run-of-the-mill modern-noir/crime/heist flick, with Harvey Keitel in a leading role, playing a hodgepodge of his (usual) more famous roles from the '90s, just as the supporting cast. But despite that I found it a watchable time-passer.

[Dust Devil]

The Mothman Prophecies (2002) - 6.5/10

I don't believe these sort of movies have ''faults'' that can/should be analyzed. One must take 'em for what they are and enjoy if possible.

[Groggy]

I read Keel's book in high school, it's something else whether or not you believe the stories. Reviews scared me away from the movie.

[dave jenkins]

Le septième juré / The 7th Juror (1962) 1080p - 7/10.  Bernard Blier, in the role of his career, plays a meek pharmacist who, one Sunday afternoon down by the lake, strangles a girl he fancies. Fortunately, the girl had been heard arguing with her boyfriend a short time before--said boyfriend is therefore taken into custody. At the trial, Blier, having been made one of the jurors, does his best to confound the prosecution's case (in the French system jurors can question witnesses directly, so Blier, who knows the crime scene better than anyone, easily causes doubt to be cast on all the testimonies). The boyfriend is acquitted, yet no one is satisfied, least of all Blier himself, who finally decides to confess to the crime. But no one will believe him.

This is an interesting premise, and for much of the film my attention was riveted. But as it turns out that the Blier character is an essentially moral individual--the murder was an aberration--the whole thing becomes a contest between the man with a conscience and his corrupt society. The corrupt society, which had ulterior reasons for wanting to convict the boyfriend, of course wins in the end, but the author thereby scores the (not very interesting) point he wished to make about elitist rotters. A better film/source novel was possible, at least for those of us who have seen An Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion. After the boyfriend's acquittal, when the town wants to know who the real killer is, Blier should have planted evidence to surreptitiously build a case against himself instead of confessing. This would have eventually spurred the prosecution to indict him and seek his confession, which he may or may not have withheld (whatever works better dramatically). At the point of conviction, though, Blier would be saved when another strangulation murder occurs--the anti-establishment vet, a character in the original plot, has acted to save his friend. The two murders are never solved, there are more murders, whatever, choose the cynical ending you like best. That would have made the film's second half much more compelling.

A remake of this French film was made as an episode of the Alfred Hitchcock Hour ("The Star Juror") in 1963, which I have not seen. The title The 7th Juror (which may or may not refer to the same property) is being used for a project in production now, so maybe a new English language remake is coming.

[dave jenkins]

The Match Factory Girl (1990) - 10/10. A minor masterpiece, streaming free for a week (with commercials): http://www.hulu.com/watch/231044?

[Groggy]

Thanks for reviewing this. I was intrigued but the reviews are scaring me away.

Then again, I hated the Schlesinger version, so maybe I'd find a fresh approach more appealing.

[Dust Devil]

I read Keel's book in high school, it's something else whether or not you believe the stories. Reviews scared me away from the movie.

Yes I figured.

The movie  isn't rotten all the way though, just don't expect it'll give you answers or scare you.

[dave jenkins]

Crime et châtiment / Crime and Punishment (1956) 1080p - 7/10. Dostoevsky updated to 1950s France. It works well--until it doesn't. The big trouble is all the talking. Dostoevsky was, in the estimation of some, a frustrated playwright who novelized dramatic set pieces. Needless to say, this is death to cinema. Still, there are things to like in this film, especially the performances of Robert Hossein, Bernard Blier, Jean Gabin. The ending, though, is hopeless. Wrenched from its original context, it is mawkish and unconvincing. The filmmakers needed to be less faithful to their source and find a way to be true in spirit to the book without slavishly following what was written on the page.

[drinkanddestroy]

Crime et châtiment / Crime and Punishment (1956) 1080p - 7/10. Dostoevsky updated to 1950s France. It works well--until it doesn't. The big trouble is all the talking. Dostoevsky was, in the estimation of some, a frustrated playwright who novelized dramatic set pieces. Needless to say, this is death to cinema. Still, there are things to like in this film, especially the performances of Robert Hossein, Bernard Blier, Jean Gabin. The ending, though, is hopeless. Wrenched from its original context, it is mawkish and unconvincing. The filmmakers needed to be less faithful to their source and find a way to be true in spirit to the book without slavishly following what was written on the page.

I've only seen the 1935 version – with Peter Lorre as Raskolnikov and Edward Arnold as the Inspector; directed by Josef von Sternberg – and I liked it very much.

[dave jenkins]

I've only seen the 1935 version – with Peter Lorre as Raskolnikov and Edward Arnold as the Inspector; directed by Josef von Sternberg – and I liked it very much.

The property has been adapted many times. Apparently, there is also a 1935 French version (with Harry Baur, set in Russia) but I haven't seen it.

[chris]

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (6 part TV mini-series) 9.5/10

One of the best things I've seen since Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul - highly recommended.

The director Andrew Jarecki has been working on the Robert Durst story for 10 years and the movie "All Good Things" he made in 2010 starring Ryan Gosling Kirsten Dunst and Frank Langella is also worth a look since it fills in some of the blanks about Robert's relationship with his father and his life with Kathy before her disappearance. The film makers had 3 options regarding Susan Berman's murder and chose the wrong one but five years ago the director wasn't aware of the facts which have now emerged about the case.