Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[dave jenkins]

V?ctimas del pecado aka Victims of Sin (1951) Classic "Golden Age" Mexican Noir



A Cabaretera - Zoot Suit Noir that manages a magical fusion of gritty big city Film Noir with Afro-Caribbean-Cuban-Mexican Musical and the Western.                                                            (Noirsville)

Directed masterfully by Emilio Fern?ndez.

Written by Emilio Fern?ndez and Mauricio Magdaleno and based on Magdaleno's story. The phenomenal Cinematography was by the great Gabriel Figueroa, and the Music was by Antonio D?az Conde.

Just based on the amazing visuals that continually top those in the preceding frames this film has shot into my personal 10/10 list of Black & White International Noir. And get this, I first watched a streaming un-subtitled version that was cropped from an Academy ratio to a 1.78:1 (16:9). Its a simple story and since I'm part Italian and have lots of Hispanic friends, between the similarities of the two languages and the very animated acting, it is pretty easy to figure out what is going on. That says a lot, and I have since purchased the current DVD available (it has English subs), but I'd easily re purchase it again if a Blu comes out. The film plays like a Noir Music Video and and you can even enjoy it that way. If you are a Noir Visual junkie once you see it it will be unforgettable.

Emilio "El Indio" Fern?ndez creates a masterpiece in re-visiting Cabaretera Noir. His first was Salon Mexico (1949) This film checks all the boxes of what a great Noir made around the early 1950's should contain.

Gabe Figueroa's cinematography is visually dark, graphic, and gritty. He is an equal to Alton, Guffey, Diskant, Ballard, and Musuraca.

The story hits on all cylinders, the music and dance routines are eye openly progressive compared to any films produced by Hollywood of the same vintage.

The Music is for the most part diegetic and is provided by the P?rez Prado Orchestra, Rita Montaner, Jimmy Monterrey's "bongocero" rumba band, a un-credited Jalisco mariachi group playing Santiago's leitmotif "el tren," and even the famous Mexican crooner Pedro Vargas gets to do a number as a celebrity guest in the Chang?o audience.

Visual highlights are the warren like back alleys, the neon lit clubs, the early morning railyard views from El puente de Nonoalco, the prostitute cribs. Acosta's Zoot Suit "jive" dance, all of Nin?n Sevilla's numbers, Rita Montaner singing "Ay, Jos?" wink wink, which never would have been permitted by the Legion of Decency or the Motion Picture Production Code here, the "**** riot," and a cool Western gunfight at the railyard.

All the performances are spot on, Sevilla, Junco, Acosta are excellent and especially of note is the acting by Ismael P?rez as Juanito with some very compelling sequences. Screencaps from Mirada DVD 10/10.

CJ, you've sold me. I'll check it out.

[noodles_leone]

Cry Macho (Clint, 2021) - 3/10
Every flaw from The Mule is expanded. Nobody can act in the entire movie. The dialogues as well as the plot turning points are terrible. For some mysterious reason, every woman they encounter wants to have sex with 208 years old Clint. He doesn't even need to flirt. What a man. It seems like they shot, not even a first draft of the screenplay but a first draft of the sequencer. The cinematography is okish but cannot save the movie. The best thing about Cry Macho could already been fully appreciated in the trailer : cool hats.

[dave jenkins]

Murder in Montmartre (1957) - 6/10. Not a Maigret case. Instead, this is about an art dealer (Paul Frankeur) who is conned by Michel Auclair into buying a fake Gauguin. When the dealer catches up with the con man the crook makes him a proposition: come in as a partner in future scores. The dealer's shop is the perfect front for a big operation, selling copies of the same Gauguin to multiple private collectors. The dealer says yes. The only problem is that the third man in the operation, the forger, feels conflicted about his work and he likes to drink. Eventually he becomes a liability, and the partners decide to make the film live up to its title. One added wrinkle, though: the forger has a girlfriend (Annie Girardot), and she knows what's been going on. Instead of taking her out also, the partners wait and let her screw them over. Huh? Great film until the ending. Another high-end 50s crime film from Gilles Grangier.

[Cusser]

"The Violent Men", 1955.  Rate 6/10.  Nice cinematography/scenery.  Glenn Ford, Barbara Stanwyk, Edward G. Robinson, Brian Keith.  Interestingly, Robinson plays Lew Wilkison, a wealthy cripple with crutches like Mr. Morton in Once/West.  Injured Wilkison even crawls/pulls himself across the desert in search of water, just like Morton did.

[noodles_leone]

Inside Llewyn Davis - 10/10
Seriously, is there any movie not called Deer Hunter or The Irishman that is even half as devastating as this one?
EDIT: of course there is one, it?s called Pat Garret and Billy the Kid (the Stanton Cut).

Better Call Saul, first half of season 6 - 10/10

The Traitor (Bellocchio, 2019) - 6.5/10
Some great moments but as a whole a missed opportunity.

[dave jenkins]

Inside Llewyn Davis - 10/10
Seriously, is there any movie not called Deer Hunter or The Irishman that is even half as devastating as this one?I

It's a 10/10 for me too, but "devastating"? Because the guy never made it in the recording industry? It's not like he deserved success. I'm sure he did fine in the merchant marine. Anyway, I'm pretty sure he eventually became a novelist. He really needed to find a way to be creative in isolation.

[noodles_leone]

I cannot even explain why. This movies always deeply crushes my soul. The first 3 times I saw it, it kept me in a state of near depression for a full week (2 weeks on the first watch). Now that state only lasts for a couple of days. It just destroys me.

[dave jenkins]

I cannot even explain why. This movies always deeply crushes my soul. The first 3 times I saw it, it kept me in a state of near depression for a full week (2 weeks on the first watch). Now that state only lasts for a couple of days. It just destroys me.

I don't tend to re-watch films that do that to me. This film doesn't do that to me. It's got so much humor, I keep going back for the gags. And then there's the music. The Coens really love those songs and show them to good advantage. Usually the Bros are all cynical, taking the piss out of everything they treat. But here they show the music respect (much of it, anyway). This is the only Coens film that communicates hope, possibly even transcendence. They may have stumbled upon what Schopenhauer posited, that music is the expression of the noumenal, breaking through into the phenomenal.

[noodles_leone]

This is very true. On a more basic level, this is a movie I find very comfy. Its atmosphere is very agr?able to me. I think it?s gorgeous to look at, the editing is flawless, the time period, the place are highly genre oriented. The whole journey to Chicago feels like a great short movie that has a lot to do with noir film meets supernatural story (although nothing actually sur natural happens, but we?re at least well into German expressionism territory). And like you said, the music and the numerous jokes make it a deeply pleasurable watch.

But I think the deep despair that goes throughout the movie, the small but decisive hints of hope toward the very, very end  as well as most of the jokes, are actually dealt with a sense of lightness. Which has nothing to do with the Coens? usual cynicism. It just keeps going, they never throw in a sad music during a sad moment. They never keep the camera running in the silence for too long after a big disappointment. They even tend to shy away from scenes that become too intense: they disorganize through editing the fight of the opening sequence, don?t give you the informations? and when Llewyn becomes too explosive they just stop the scene (the two times he goes to the merchand marine union the scene stop as soon as he becomes actually angry). That way of muting the movie makes it much more moving, effective, to me, at a much deeper level.

[dave jenkins]

Planet Terror (2007) - 8/10
The funniest zombie flick since Braindead (1992)...or then not. Just remembered Shaun of the Dead (2004)... But anyway, it's a lot of fun.

It's also the greatest John Carpenter flick not made by John Carpenter. Hence this peeve: as part of Grindhouse, on its theatrical run, PT was projected in a (correct) 2.35:1  AR; on home video, we get the film in 1.66: 1. This is a crock!

UPDATE: I just realized that the wrong AR is only on the standalone Planet Terror release. On the Grindhouse disc, PT is in the proper 2.35:1. Obviously, the true fan needs both releases.

[noodles_leone]

It's also the greatest John Carpenter flick

You may have stopped right there and still be right.

Hollow Man (Paul Verhoeven, 2000) - 5.5/10
Another John Carpenter movie made by someone who isn't called John Carpenter (but who clearly has done Basic Instinct).

The Northman (Robert Eggers, 2022) - 4/10
Stupid film made by a brilliant man. I feel betrayed.

Trois souvenirs de ma Jeunesse (Arnaud Desplechin, 2015) - 8.5/10
If you ever want to see a Scorsese/Truffaut crossover, this is your chance and turns out it's awesome. Unsurprisingly, though. Because Jules et Jim was one of Goodfellas' biggest inspiration.

The dead don't die (Jim Jarmush, 2019) - 7/10
I cannot believe this is actually good. And fun.

[dave jenkins]

Trois souvenirs de ma Jeunesse (Arnaud Desplechin, 2015) - 8.5/10
If you ever want to see a Scorsese/Truffaut crossover, this is your chance and turns out it's awesome. Unsurprisingly, though. Because Jules et Jim was one of Goodfellas' biggest inspiration.

What you say intrigues me. Unhappily, for the Francophone impaired, there is no suitable home video release.

[T.H.]

Faster (2010) - Surprisingly good, albeit flawed, but said flaws don't weigh the movie down - the pace flies. This would have to be the best Dwayne Johnson movie and performance (he speaks very little and his screen presence is great). It's reasonably well directed, shot in scope, and isn't bogged down by hacky quick editing and shaky cam nonsense. While the twist is incredibly predictable, you can tell the filmmakers were influenced by Point Blank, Death Wish, et al. While this pales in comparison to the revenge classics of yestercentury, Faster has real cult potential and is worth a view. Billy Bob Thornton and Carla Gugino add to the movie's credibility with good supporting performances. B

Hatchet (2006) - Only for slasher aficionados that value creative gory kills, which is the film's strong point. It's short, and kind of fun, but for a movie that loves 80's slashers, it repeats a lot of mistakes of the dumb characters in the not so great offerings of the decade. Hatchet needed to be well directed to give the movie lasting appeal, but it looks like something shot in the mid 90's that you'd see on Nickelodeon with a bad score and head scratching music choices. Most of budget must have went to the makeup department for the killer and to the special effects department for the kills - which are both well executed. But the made for (mid-90's) cable TV feel really holds it back. D+

[noodles_leone]

What you say intrigues me. Unhappily, for the Francophone impaired, there is no suitable home video release.

Another point you may like: the soundtrack has clear Bernard Herrmann vibes.

[dave jenkins]

Another point you may like: the soundtrack has clear Bernard Herrmann vibes.

Grrrr.