Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[stanton]

Rewatched The Train also a few months ago.
Good to watch, and yes nice b/w photography, but it lacks deeper a quality for both, story and directing. 7/10

[dave jenkins]

Stop Making Sense - IMAX (1984/2023) - Although it doesn't restore the performances cut from the

set ("Cities" and "Big Business/I Zimbra") this is an amazing restoration of what has always been a

very, very impressive concert film. This one goes to eleven.

[dave jenkins]

Peril en la demeure/ Peril/ Death in a French Garden (1985) - 5/10. The plot, which is ridiculous, is summarized on IMDb thus: "A magnate and his younger wife hire David to teach guitar to their teenage daughter. The wife quickly seduces David, and simultaneously he strikes up an acquaintance with the family's inquisitive neighbor. One night, David is mugged but rescued from injury by a stranger, Daniel, who also becomes David's friend and admits to being a hit man. Video tapes of their activities appear in the lovers' mail; David thinks they're from the neighbor, Daniel is sure the husband is onto the affair and hired the mugger. After Daniel tells David that he's been hired to kill the husband . . ." things get even more improbable. There are a couple things about the movie that make it worth watching. One is Nicole Garcia taking her clothes off; the other is the many inventive scene transitions that quickly move us from place to place and fast-forward the action. I've never seen so many in a single picture, and several are very clever. If this film were being scored for editing only it would get a 10/10.

Third time's a charm, apparently, because on a second re-watch I'm liking this a whole lot more. It's very witty (pictorially as well as linguistically) --I guess I was taking it all a bit too seriously before. Of course, this is one of those films that's all brain and no heart, the kind of thing the French specialize in. Well, there's certainly a place in cinema for those. This time, too, I really enjoyed the music--all found and all classical. 8/10

[dave jenkins]

Living (2022) - 5/10. If Kurosawa's original (Ikiru) did not exist, this would seem pretty good, but when comparing the films the remake suffers at every point. I'll just mention one example: the Kurosawa film has two endings which are complementary but decidedly different; AK knew enough to space them out. The new film inelegantly slams them together. Well, Ikiru is a masterpiece of editing; the remake, not so much.

[noodles_leone]

Honkytonk Man (Eastwood, 1982) - 7.5/10
Second viewing. Despite the obvious and regular flaws, this one strikes a chord. Rarely has Eastwood been so interested in what he was filming. That's especially noticeable in the way the extras are shot (those people exist!) and the not cheap at all way the locations are shown. The fact that the movie takes place during Eastwood's actual childhood probably has a lot to do with that. Also the numerous Inside Llewyn Davis nods are quite funny, I knew Clint would see a lot of himself in Llewyn.

[dave jenkins]

Also the numerous Inside Llewyn Davis nods are quite funny, I knew Clint would see a lot of himself in Llewyn.

I sense there is some attempt at humor here, if only I could put my finger on it.

[noodles_leone]

The real stuff behind the attempted humor is that I often wonder whether Clint sees himself more as a successful actor/director or as a failed musician.

[noodles_leone]

Le Quattro Volte (Michelangelo Frammartino, 2010) - 9/10

Another incredible work by Frammartino that might please the most difficult and intellectual crowds as much as 6 years old. The famous dog scene with its 7min extended shot is worst at least 11/10. The film is difficult to catch but you can watch any copy you will put your hand on: there is no dialogue.

[dave jenkins]

The Last Run (1971) - 7/10. Two men and a woman. The men are George Scott and Tony Musante, the woman (of course) is Trish Van Devere. Scott is a getaway driver who comes out of retirement for . . .  (wait for it) . . . the last run. Musante is the hothead breaking jail who needs a ride. Trish is the dish wondering which of the two she should betray. It's a road movie, but with car chases. Set in Portugal, Spain, and France but filmed in Spain. Jerry Goldsmith (and others) provided the score. Sven Nykvist shot the picture (in 'scope). Richard Fleisher (with an uncredited assist from John Huston) directed. Aldo Sambrell cameoed.

[noodles_leone]

The Valley aka Obscured by Clouds (Barbet Schroeder, 1972) - 7/10
One of those new age movies to rank along with Zabriskie Point and the like. It comes with what you expect from those movies, including an original soundtrack by Pink Floyd, sex scenes and drug scenes. It's structured around the classic "travelling upriver to the chore of the jungle so things get crazier and crazier and we ghot closer to our true self until... what?" trope but years before Apocalypse Now (and decades after Heart of Darkness). It's a bit slow for what it is but it features some incredible scenes, some of which are half documentary/half fiction with Papua tribes. Some cool adventure vibes too, mostly the horse scenes. Schroeder ends up criticizing the "easy" and kinda touristy post colonialism of the 70's, so take that, liberals! ... but in its form and in what it does for 100min it's still your regular new age movie at its chore.

[Cusser]

"Condor's Nest"  Rate 3 of 10.  WW2/1954 about downed American bomber chasing down a Nazi SS officer in South America who had killed his crew in cold blood.

[noodles_leone]

The Animal Kingdom (Thomas Cailley, 2023) - 8/10
For decades the french have been asking to the return of the mainstream french genre film and for decades we only got turds. Well this is it. That one is great, french, mainstream and it's a genre film. Some great action scenes (not enough!), fun lines, terrific use of practical effects: those are the best looking mutants you've seen in decades. The film isn't deprived of flaws: the camerawork is too often (not always, there are some terrific shots) derived from TV shows and some pointless subplots make the film drag here and there. But it mostly walks the thin line between giving too much mainstream to mainstreal audiences and yet staying a fun-yet-smart ride. It even manages to avoid most of the clich? you espect from this kind of movies as well as stays kinda unconclusive until the closing credits. Bravo Thomas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGvUkiUM7Nc

[dave jenkins]

No Bears (2022) - 9/10. Should I stay or should I go? That seems to be the theme of Jafar Panahi's film, but at the end we're left hanging for an answer. Not so Reza, the character in the film within the film. Apparently, she's seen Decision To Leave, and has determined to go. The male characters, though, remain conflicted. This includes the movie director, played by Panahi himself. Once Kiarostami's assistant, Panahi has advanced beyond his master in one regard: when the script calls for a film director role, there's no reason to farm it out to a mere actor, the director can just play himself (or maybe "himself"). Hey, and the guy is really good at it. I understand that he's been banned from making films, but given the ease of digital photography and recording, he's made five films since. I'm gonna have to catch up with his other illegal films. The last thing I saw by Pahani before this was The White Balloon (1995).

[dave jenkins]

The Bat (1950) - 3/10. Silly, predictable drivel. Like a radio play that's been indifferently adapted to film. The scenes with Vincent Price hold some interest.

[dave jenkins]

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) - 7/10. Shot in Vistavision, this has always looked bad on home video--until now. A new restoration (with input from Robert Harris) has produced a very good-looking blu-ray. The Marrakesh build-up and the Albert Hall climax have always been enjoyable, but now I 'm finding other parts of the film to like. The visit to the taxidermists always used to annoy me, but this time its comedy went down pretty well. The pay-off with Stewart's hand getting lodged in the tiger's mouth got a chuckle out of me. Yes, middling Hitchcock, but so much better than what his contemporaries were doing.