Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[noodles_leone]

Killing of a Chinese Bookie 5/10
Very slowly but surely working on my Cassavetes list. I had seen this one 15 years ago. At the time i liked the atmosphere and the performances but had no idea what it was all about. 15 years later, with much more life experience, I still don’t have a clue. As some reviewers had guessed at the time, it’s very likely Cassavetes didn’t have a clue either, and probably didn’t care at all. I’ll watch it again in 15 years.

The House that Jack built 6.5/10
Matt Dillon’s best performance to date. Funny little autobiography by Lars Von Trier. Way too much in the nose (especially when he ends up showing you a montage of his own movies), but in a way it’s part of the fun. The main point of the movie is, like in any of his 3 latest ones, to answer the criticism he’s received after the Cannes/Hitler public outcry he received. Which is, once again, fun, but is it worth a full movie? Let alone 3 of them? I thought Lars had a house to build.

[dave jenkins]

The Pumpkin Eater (1964) - 9/10. Anne Bancroft plays a woman with eight kids, married to a philandering Peter Finch, her third husband. She's having mental problems. Directed by Jack Clayton, this is marvelously photographed by Oswald Morris. This was a second viewing for me (on DVD) and I really noticed all the Pinteresque touches this time (Harold Pinter wrote the screenplay of the adapted novel). There is one amazing scene in a hairdressers where Yootha Joyce talks to Bancroft, in turns fawning and then venomous. And all the bits with James Mason are acting gold. Hey, Bancroft was one stone fox! I get where Mel Brooks was coming from.

[Dust Devil]

McCabe & Mrs Miller 6.5/10
I finally got around to see this weird one. Fresh take on the genre, I really like where they went with it. I'm among the ones who think the Cohen songs add a lot to the film's whimsical mood (in a good way). The best thing it has going for it, and that will inspire filmmakers at some point, is the way the environment is a character of its own, evolving with the story. And of course the great "physicality" of such a set (I'm sure these things will come back, one way or another, at some point in the near future).The fake snow during the shootout really took me outside of the film. Anyway, the film is a bit rough for a first viewing (I understand why CJ was initially so caution when writing about it in the film's thread), so I could see its charm but not feel it that much. I'll probably rethink my rating after a second viewing some day: it's the kind of film that either grows on you or becomes annoying as hell.
Of course, like many here have noted, its influence on OUATIA is striking.

Seems about right. (Can't remember the influences since I do not really remember any movie (structure).)

[dave jenkins]

Rumble Fish (1983) - 3/10. Pretty pictures. Stooopid story. Sure looks good on blu.

[noodles_leone]

Rumble Fish (1983) - 3/10. Pretty pictures. Stooopid story. Sure looks good on blu.

Yeah. I've started it a few months ago, I've yet to finish it. The mix of indie 70's filmmaking with the classic 50's setting and black and white is interesting, though. It's more convincing than what Scorsese tried with New York, New York.

[T.H.]

Yeah. I've started it a few months ago, I've yet to finish it. The mix of indie 70's filmmaking with the classic 50's setting and black and white is interesting, though. It's more convincing than what Scorsese tried with New York, New York.

NYNY was supposed to be the send-up of the musical genre the way that Raging Bull was the great post-modern (for a lack of a better phrase) boxing movie. Rumble Fish is more of an Outsiders 'B side' than anything else. I love the crap out of this movie and I'm someone that usually has a pretty low tolerance of what I find to be ostentatious filmmaking. It was described by FFC as an "arthouse movie for kids" and while that doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement, it sort of explains its uniqueness.

To me, this is one of the best shot B&W movies ever but I also understand how it can be oft-putting or annoying. I should probably enjoy something like La Haine (1995) more than I do, but that annoys me because it apes this movie too much.



RE: Chinese bookie - I believe I saw the long version, and it was a bore. As someone that loves cult movies, or oddball genre movies more specifically, I don't understand its reputation. Cassavetes was really good at making Cassavetes type of movies thin on plot, but his style just doesn't work trying to shoe-horn in a traditional crime plot.

[noodles_leone]

It was described by FFC as an "arthouse movie for kids" and while that doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement, it sort of explains its uniqueness.

Ha, that's a good way to put it.

And yes, its often gorgeous to look at, with some moments of pure technical brilliance.

[stanton]

Rumble Fish is Coppola's best picture after Apo Now. Some dialogues sound a bit pretentious, but otherwise it has an unreal flair and is an often fascinating film. 9/10

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is Cassavetes at his best (together with Faces), and I really love that one. 10/10

[noodles_leone]

You know what? I was under the impression you were gonna praise the Cassavetes. Tell us more!

[dave jenkins]

The Pumpkin Eater (1964) - 9/10. Anne Bancroft plays a woman with eight kids, married to a philandering Peter Finch, her third husband. She's having mental problems. Directed by Jack Clayton, this is marvelously photographed by Oswald Morris. This was a second viewing for me (on DVD) and I really noticed all the Pinteresque touches this time (Harold Pinter wrote the screenplay of the adapted novel). There is one amazing scene in a hairdressers where Yootha Joyce talks to Bancroft, in turns fawning and then venomous. And all the bits with James Mason are acting gold. Hey, Bancroft was one stone fox! I get where Mel Brooks was coming from.

Psyche '59 (1964) - 7/10. A woman (Patricia O'Neal) who suffers from "hysterical blindness" gets her eyes opened--literally and figuratively--to what's been going on between her husband (Curd Jurgens) and her sister (Samantha Egger). Pat O'Neal, reportedly, chose her role in this over the part in The Pumpkin Eater. That was a mistake, perhaps, as The Pumpkin Eater turned out to be the better film, but neither of these was much noticed at the time. This movie, although beautifully photographed (by Walter Lassally), is something of an exercise in bad faith. We are supposed to be rooting for the much-put-upon wife, but she's a dull character. The fornicators are much more dynamic and thus more interesting.  The moment at the end where Curd Jurgens embraces both his lust and its object had me cheering. Pat O'Neal, her sight restored, walking around in the sunlight in the final shot left me cold.

[T.H.]

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is Cassavetes at his best (together with Faces), and I really love that one. 10/10

Is the short version of 'Bookie' infinitely better or are we incredibly far apart on that one?

[stanton]

I'm pretty sure that I have never watched the short version. It was always the real one which was shown on TV or released on discs. I have that short version now on the Blu, as bonus, but I doubt that I will ever try it. No, get the original version, and you get 25 more wonderful minutes of pure cassavetism.

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is somehow some kind if genre film, but actually more an anti-genre film, which means that unlike Gloria, which Cassavetes accepted to direct as a favor for his wife, and which is different from what he did before (but also good, only in an other way), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is 100 % Cassavetes, as much as Faces or Husbands or A Woman Under the Influence or Love Streams, and I love them all.

[T.H.]

I'm pretty sure that I have never watched the short version. It was always the real one which was shown on TV or released on discs. I have that short version now on the Blu, as bonus, but I doubt that I will ever try it. No, get the original version, and you get 25 more wonderful minutes of pure cassavetism.

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is somehow some kind if genre film, but actually more an anti-genre film, which means that unlike Gloria, which Cassavetes accepted to direct as a favor for his wife, and which is different from what he did before (but also good, only in an other way), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is 100 % Cassavetes, as much as Faces or Husbands or A Woman Under the Influence or Love Streams, and I love them all.

I've seen all of his stuff but I didn't find this to have the kinetic energy of Husbands and Faces - it was more like Alphaville, a dull and meandering genre film (sorry to any Alphaville fans).

But i haven't seen it in a long time, so maybe I'll give it another  shot at some point.

[noodles_leone]

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is somehow some kind if genre film, but actually more an anti-genre film, which means that unlike Gloria, which Cassavetes accepted to direct as a favor for his wife, and which is different from what he did before (but also good, only in an other way)

I have never seen Gloria. It was on Arte Replay but it disappeared in less than 48 hours. Which is why I ended up rewatching Killing. The documentary "Gena Rowlands, actress and muse" (something like that) is still available on Arte replay, though, but I'm afraid of spoilers.

I've seen all of his stuff but I didn't find this to have the kinetic energy of Husbands and Faces

Faces, especially, is breathtaking from the very first frame to the ending credits.

[cigar joe]

You know what? I was under the impression you were gonna praise the Cassavetes. Tell us more!

I usually hate Cassavetes as an actor, he reminds me of a demented looking Jerry Lewis. I liked his Johnny Staccato jazz detective TV show about half the episodes are pretty good and a few were directed by him. The only film I've seen him in that I really liked was Mickey and Nicky (1976) which almost felt like a Cassavetes film.

The only two movies of his that I've liked so far are The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) and Gloria (1980), I hated Too Late Blues (1961) thought it was quite tedious, I haven't seen A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), Husbands (1970), or Faces (1968).

Anybody seen those last five and what did you think of them?