Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[cigar joe]

The Whale 2022 was interested in seeing this psychological drama directed by Darren Aronofsky based on a 2012 play of the same name. Stars Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, and Samantha Morton. Watched it through mostly to see Fraser. I know it's prosthetics but Fraser already looked like he was getting pretty big in No Sudden Move. Like rubbernecking a carwreck. 6/10

[Novecento]

The book is pretty good too. I liked it better, I think its brevity and humbleness makes that particular  story works better than the relative ?this is a big movie? feel that the movie has.

Yes the book is beautiful. I probably read the same French translation as you did. I don?t think it?s ever been put into English. It?s great to convert into a movie because it is so brief and so the plot is not sacrificed. Someone with a great visual style like Tornatore can then make magic.

[dave jenkins]

Yes the book is beautiful. I probably read the same French translation as you did. I don?t think it?s ever been put into English. It?s great to convert into a movie because it is so brief and so the plot is not sacrificed. Someone with a great visual style like Tornatore can then make magic.

I saw the film in English, but there must be an Italian dub as well, nicht wahr?

[Novecento]

I have the Italian Blu-ray, which has English and Italian language options.

[greenbudgie]

My recent thriller viewing:-

7/10 - The Accused - A fearful spinster fends off an attacker but leaves him dead, 1949.

8'10 - Soylent Green - Grisly Corporation crime in an overpopulated New York, 1973.

7/10 - The Killer Is Loose - A revenge obsession by a man whose wife has been killed, 1956.

6/10 - Jamaica Run - A squabble over an estate leads to murder and a court case, 1953.

6/10 - Schizo - UK giallo about a woman who claims she is being stalked by a killer, 1976

[T.H.]

Le Doulos (1962) - While on one hand the plot is sort of great, it almost makes The Big Sleep's plot seem as simple as something like Bicycle Thieves. It may have been a masterpiece if some of the scenes moved a little quicker, like the police scenes. But overall it's fantastic and holds up on several views, but the plot doesn't become less complicated. A-

Reservoir Dogs (1992) - There may be some character and/or logic issues with the plot: ie a jewelry store employee pulling an alarm when the cops knew about the job, and why not have cops posing as employees, why wouldn't the cop being held hostage say that one of the dead criminals was the rat etc. But with that said, there just aren't many movies like this, and there's never been anything close to a Big Gundown or Death Rides a Horse in terms of QT inspired crime movies, let alone a Great Silence. A-

Giants and Toys (1958) - One of the better example of what pop cinema is all about, and how rare it is for a movie to look better than its poster. The pace is phenomenal and for something that flows so beautifully and looks so vibrant, there is lot more than the surface level in terms of subject matter -- and one can make an argument that there isn't a 50's movie where the subject matter is more relevant today than Giants and Toys. And it can be viewed from multiple angles. And it's funny too. A


The Arrow bluray of Giants and Toys unfortunately doesn't quite have the transfer you'd expect. It's very inconsistent.

[noodles_leone]

Girls (Sophie Letourneur, 2009) - 8.5/10
Great feminist (in the best way possible) movie about a group of college girls in Paris in the 2000's. Depending on how you feel about groups of young people at that age, that may be a nightmarish experience (that's how Letourneur describes her kinda autobiographical movie) or an incredibly joyful one. For me it was both, and most of all, it was very, very funny. I love how light hearted and easygoing the movie and its filmmaking seem while beeing so radical. The french title is much better and translates as "Life at the ranch" (the ranch being the nickname of the shared parisian appartment where the girls live for most of the movie).
Drink, don't try this one. I swear to our god Sergio Leone that you will instantly turn gay out of disgust for women if you watch more than 10 minutes of it.
Anybody who wants to know exactly what it meant to be a college girl in Paris in the 2000's, and anybody who is interested in quiet and radical cinema experiments: do not miss this little gem.

[dave jenkins]

Girls (Sophie Letourneur, 2009) - 8.5/10
Great feminist (in the best way possible) movie about a group of college girls in Paris in the 2000's. Depending on how you feel about groups of young people at that age, that may be a nightmarish experience (that's how Letourneur describes her kinda autobiographical movie) or an incredibly joyful one. For me it was both, and most of all, it was very, very funny. I love how light hearted and easygoing the movie and its filmmaking seem while beeing so radical. The french title is much better and translates as "Life at the ranch" (the ranch being the nickname of the shared parisian appartment where the girls live for most of the movie).
Drink, don't try this one. I swear to our god Sergio Leone that you will instantly turn gay out of disgust for women if you watch more than 10 minutes of it.
Anybody who wants to know exactly what it meant to be a college girl in Paris in the 2000's, and anybody who is interested in quiet and radical cinema experiments: do not miss this little gem.

How does it compare with Spring Breakers (2013)? For me, THAT'S the standard by which all other college-age girl group movies must be measured.

[T.H.]

The Black Report (1963) - Part police (detective) procedural/part court room drama. What keeps it from achieving greatness is that it veers into the dreaded courtroom drama territory, but those scenes are filmed and framed beautifully. And overall, it's a very well crafted film with a blazing pace. You can almost argue that the plot moves too quickly, and would have been better with a more methodical storytelling approach without a reliance on courtroom scenes. But that speaks to how well this is executed, and the reviewer has a fierce anti courtroom scene/drama bias. B



The Arrow transfer is pretty nice, especially for two movies on one disc. What a nice added bonus to The Black Test Car bluray. I'm going to try to also revisit Blind Beast, Red Angel along with Test Car. I never saw those movies in HD. I wish Arrow would release even more classic Japanese stuff since they might be my favorite label.

[noodles_leone]

How does it compare with Spring Breakers (2013)? For me, THAT'S the standard by which all other college-age girl group movies must be measured.

It?s a highly different treatment. Girls goes for a documentary look and feel. You feel like you are watching real girls doing real stuff. I wouldn?t really call it naturalistic but it looks like the real deal, which is where it gets its strength. Of course it does it without getting boring like real-real life is, it?s still always intense and fun. The host did compare it to Spring Breakers? but mostly to Pialat?s Passe ton bac d?abord (which I haven?t seen). Girls is still way more fun and dynamic than those two.

I wonder how strong it stays for a non French audience though, since a lot of the strength fun of the movie comes from the precision of the dialogues and how they are perfectly told.

[dave jenkins]

Giants and Toys (1958) - One of the better example of what pop cinema is all about, and how rare it is for a movie to look better than its poster. The pace is phenomenal and for something that flows so beautifully and looks so vibrant, there is lot more than the surface level in terms of subject matter -- and one can make an argument that there isn't a 50's movie where the subject matter is more relevant today than Giants and Toys. And it can be viewed from multiple angles. And it's funny too. A

I hear what you're saying, but there's something about this film that puts me off. Maybe I find the humor grating.

I like the "Black" films better. Although there are a lot of Masumura's films I haven't seen (including famous ones like Manji), if I were to compose a top 10 list at present, it would look something like this (in descending order of preference)

Red Angel
The Doctor's Wife [The Wife of Seishu Hanaoka]
The "Black" trio (I like them all equally)
Tadare
Kisses
Warm Current
Irezumi
Giants and Toys

I haven't seen his Thousand Cranes, but the original (from 1953) is very good, so I'd imagine he didn't screw up the remake. I hate A Wife Confesses and I have attempted to watch both Blind Beast and Lullaby of the Earth and been unable to make headway through either.

I'd very much like to see Tsuma Futari (1969) and The Music (1972, a Mishima adaptation).

Masumura made good films and bad ones. He did a lot of literary adaptations, so maybe the deciding factor in most cases was whether the underlying property was any good or not.

[T.H.]

It's been a long time since I've seen Manji (1964), but I liked it quite a bit. I'd say, at the very least, it's worth a view. Don't bother with Afraid to Die (1960), that's an incredibly disappointing movie, but I haven't read the Mishima novel it was based on. Speaking of Masumura movies...

Black Test Car (1962) - The diabolical espionage is beautifully plotted, and its only real flaw is the Hollywood-ish ending. An even bleaker conclusion would have worked wonders. For me, this is the A side to Black Report's B side. It is also gorgeously framed and constructed, even moreso than I remembered. A-



Tokyo Drifter (1966) - Gets better on each viewing. Maybe the ultimate pop art movie, for a lack of a better phrase. Just an insanely inventive and creative work. And the insane plot feels more coherent on each view. A+

On the topic of Suzuki, Branded to Kill is getting a 4K upgrade from Criterion, which is great and all, but I'd gladly trade that for a bluray release of Youth of the Beast or Fighting Elegy. If Criterion isn't going to release Japanese genre titles (and the Japanese Eclipse stuff), let Arrow do it.

[dave jenkins]

On the topic of Suzuki, Branded to Kill is getting a 4K upgrade from Criterion, which is great and all, but I'd gladly trade that for a bluray release of Youth of the Beast or Fighting Elegy. If Criterion isn't going to release Japanese genre titles (and the Japanese Eclipse stuff), let Arrow do it.

What's wrong with the MoC blu of Youth of the Beast?

[T.H.]

What's wrong with the MoC blu of Youth of the Beast?

Region locked. And with 4K blurays being region free and more and more stuff released in Region A, it doesn't make sense for me to buy a region free player, especially when it would take up a precious HDMI slot and shelf space.



Used Cars (1980) - The first 70-80 minutes are just so fun (with one of the most under-appreciated opening shots ever), with a lot of clever gags, but it unfortunately builds up to nothing. It's a shame that much of the third act is so dull because it's such a fun, charming movie with a great cast. I was hoping that I was wrong about the climax, but unfortunately I wasn't. The Bobs could have gone in so many interesting directions, but they chose the most mundane path. With that said, I still love this movie and it's something I'll continue to revisit. A generous B+

[Cusser]

I watched "Forsaken" last night, rate it like 7/10.

There were several homages or references to earlier westerns, like father and son working together to remove a stump from a field (Alan Ladd and Van Helflin in "Shane") or bad guy forcing Kiefer to clean up the spilled whiskey to prevent violence (Lee Marvin, John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart in "Man Who Shot Liberty Valance").  The end fight/Kiefer's outfit, and end scene reminded me of "Unforgiven".

Forsaken has its own small thread  http://www.fistful-of-leone.com/forums/index.php?topic=12857.msg206097#new